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,
--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.wiredcola.com
Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.