Traditional toe-clips and straps vs clipless pedals.
I’ve noticed that some cyclists seem to have an aversion to using clipless pedals. Actually I’d call it more like a fear of being clamped to the pedals. Maybe, like me, they tried a cheap set that initially came with their bike & nearly killed themselves. I urge you to try as many different pedal systems as you can. They’re definitely not all the same. Personally, my favourite pedals (for walking around in) are called Time atac. For road use, I’ve really come to like Speedplay.
Yes it’s true that sometimes I just get plain lazy. If I need to go down to do some errands, I just jump on one of my bikes that’s equipped with normal pedals & head straight out the door without the need for changing into my cycling shoes. And if I don’t change my shoes, I never change into my cycling clothes either. But I notice that whenever I do that and ride a bike with trainers & normal flat pedals, I actually feel less secure. Normally what happens is that on the back & up pedal stroke, my foot forgets that it’s free & promptly launches off the surface of the pedal. Also, the inevitable climb back to my house is much more difficult +Â slower. So far from saving time by not changing, I probably lose time riding the actual bike.
Whenever I go for a decent ride however, I don’t even think twice about using the proper equipment. If you’ve tried clipless pedals before & just can’t seem to cope with the fear, I highly highly highly reccommend powergrips. They’re much easier to enter & exit than traditional toe-clips & straps, and they offer a wide band of support.
I agree about feeling less secure when you ocassionally ride with normal pedals. But I think once you have used clip-ins there is no going back.
A few years ago I got my wife into cycling and started her on these hybrid pedals that were flat on one side and clip ins on the other. They worked a treat.