On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 15:50:49 -0800, Ryan Cousineau
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 23:10:47 -0600, Jeff Starr
wrote:

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 18:07:28 -0700, wrote:

wrote:
In any case, as I understand it, the only real value of
cleats is for extraordinary climbs and perhaps very brief
sprints,

Carl, didn't we explain, why those of us who use clipless, like them
and why, a long time ago?
I seem to remember telling you why I liked them. I know this topic has
been covered, more than once.

Dear Jeff,

You may have explained what you like about them, but I don't
recall the thread--and your present explanation is somewhat
vague.

Why do you like them?

I can tell you why I like them: because my feet don't come off the
pedals, no matter what. In traffic, this means more sure-footed, quicker
acceleration from a stop, which turns out to be very useful at times. I
have a fun bike with flat pedals (but serious ones: pegged BMX-style
platforms on the notorious BMX LX, the little bike with the 7-speed
drivetrain), and aside from general nervousness, I just can't sprint as
hard, and I find myself being much more conscious of foot weighting. In
essence, platforms don't tolerate any divergence from a clean pedaling
technique, and if you manage to get yourself in trouble, your foot is
likely to come off the pedals.

I would describe the essence of clipless as being about a positive
connection to the pedals. This is the same feeling you get from using
clips-and-straps, except with easy unclipping.

Note that flat pedals have their place: freeriders and other types of
stunt riders (BMX freestyle, urban mountain bikers, dirt jumpers, etc.)
swear by flats, and it is an oft-repeated maxim that the proper way to
learn bunnyhops is to use flat pedals, so you don't get into the bad
habits clipless teaches you (you can basically pull a bike off the
ground with clipless and a jump, but serious bunny hops involve an odd
up-and-over movement with the handlebars and no lifting with the feet,
except a bit of back-and-up that can be done even on flat (pegged)
pedals).

I ride clipless on some fairly stunty dirt trails,

Dear Ryan,

Yes, cleats should let a rider accelerate more quickly
because of the added extra power of pulling up with the hind
leg, just as they allow a rider to climb a steeper hill (but
not for long).

But I'm a little dubious about how much practical difference
is actually gained by such violent efforts, since bicycles
generally accelerate like slugs and climbs that require
pulling up with the back foot had better be awfully short.
(The comment applies to bunny hops, which are fun, but not
something indulged in by most riders wearing cleats.)

I'm also still a little dubious of the fears that the feet
of upright riders need to be restrained lest they fly off
during normal pedalling.

After all, even at a fairly frantic 120 rpm on a 175mm
crank, our feet are moving in circles at just under 5
mph--about 4.92 mph, according to my spreadsheet. (With his
180mm crank, Jobst would be spinning at 5.06 mph at 120 rpm,
but I think that his mashing habits make this unlikely.)

At 90 rpm, of course, the foot on a 175mm crank moves at a
steady 3.7 mph.

Walking and pedalling are hardly perfect analogies, but it's
worth pointing out that during normal brisk walking at 4
mph, each foot routinely accelerates from a dead stop (foot
on ground) to around 8 mph (middle of stride) and back to 0
mph (foot on ground again) with every step.

I gather that many people just like the feeling of cleats,
which seems to me like a perfectly good reason to use them.

One use for cleats that I forgot is to help recumbent
riders, whose feet otherwise do tend to fall off the pedals
when coasting because their leg angle prevents gravity from
gluing their feet to the pedals.

Carl Fogel