Clipless pedals for commuting in Bangalore

[Darshan Bildikar]

Apologies if this question's already been asked before. I mostly use my road bike (Trek 1.5) for commuting in Bangalore and have been having a little bit of knee pain. My commute distance to office is about 23 KM one way. I've been reading that clipless pedals will give me more power and possibly prevent knee injuries as well. 

I'm not sure how practical they'll be in Bangalore traffic though. Do any of you who commute actually use these? Is it just a matter of practice and stop start really doesn't matter much? Traffic in the morning is pretty light but I'm riding through some pretty heavy traffic in the evening. 

Thanks,

Darshan

[Vikram Bhat]

Depends on whether you are planning to use roadbike pedals or MTB pedals - both can be used on a roadbike. Roadbike pedals are much more efficient, but extremely unwieldy in traffic. It takes almost a second to clip out even if you have been riding for years. I would not recommend riding with roadbike pedals in traffic.

MTB cleats are easier to clip in/out, should be ok in traffic. I've never used MTB pedals, however.

Regards,

#Vikram

[pradeep naidu]

I travel 26 kms one way..i used cleats for couple of days and felt its not worth using it in traffic.
First no diffrence in speed secondly very annoying to clip out every now and then.

On 18 Oct 2012 17:09, "Vikram Bhat" <vick...@gmail.com> wrote:

Depends on whether you are planning to use roadbike pedals or MTB pedals - both can be used on a roadbike. Roadbike pedals are much more efficient, but extremely unwieldy in traffic. It takes almost a second to clip out even if you have been riding for years. I would not recommend riding with roadbike pedals in traffic.

MTB cleats are easier to clip in/out, should be ok in traffic. I've never used MTB pedals, however.

Regards,

#Vikram

On Thursday, 18 October 2012 16:28:27 UTC+5:30, Darshan Bildikar wrote:
>

> Apologies if this que...

[Sharath]

Going to a doctor/physio makes more sense than going clipless, especially if you're having knee pain. There is a good chance it'll get worse if you keep riding without attending to the pain -- clipless or not. Since you asked, I commute in Bangalore traffic with single-sided M324 SPD pedals and SH-56 cleats -- very easy to clip in and clip out off. But first, do yourself a favour and see a doctor/physio.

Regards,
Sharath

[M S Sriram]

before the doctor, a visit to a bike store or bike tech to let him check if the saddle height is correct is advisable;).. contrary to views i feel going clipless just takes some courage initially and then you can ride in J C road traffic too...!! in my view its extremely imp to understand the correct way to start riding clipless, like clipping out only with one leg can save lot of trouble later on, as the body memorises the action!

--
biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)
 
are you a part of the bicycle racing scene?
Visit www.bangalorebicyclechampionships.com for more details
 
 

[Vasu]

Hi,

a) Knee pain could be due to multiple reasons. Please visit bike mech at BOTS for bike check up and Dr. Dhanajeyan (drjd...@gmail.com) for body check up. Once you isolate the cause of the pain, you can fix it. 

b) Clipless - be careful, clipless is very very addictive. once you get used to these you just can't go back to platform :)

V

[Darshan Bildikar]

Karan from BOTS checked out my riding position and said it was fine. The problem was that I wasn't focusing on spinning and instead pushing too hard. I've fixed that now.

Will see a doc anyways. I have the shoes, let me see if one of my friends will lend me pedals for a few days.

Darshan

Sent from my Windows Phone

---

From: M S Sriram
Sent: 18-10-2012 18:36
To: Sharath
Cc: bangalor...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [BBC] Re: Clipless pedals for commuting in Bangalore

[Ramanan RV]

+100 to this...and that's the way to go!!

[Hari Krishna]

Yep! I rode in SP road on road clipless pedals. Once the clipless bee stings you, its a permanent change.

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 18, 2012, at 7:13 PM, Ramanan RV <raman...@gmail.com> wrote:

+100 to this...and that's the way to go!!

 

b) Clipless - be careful, clipless is very very addictive. once you get used to these you just can't go back to platform :)

[Joe George]

I commute 40 kms every day and use Crank Brother eggbeater pedals. They are easier to clip into as there are four positions in the pedal that you can get into instead of the usual two or one. 

And yes, clipless pedals are addictive. Once you get used to them, they are easy, and give you much better control. For e.g.: I can now jump over minor obstacles with ease.

Cheers,
Joe

--

[Vasu]

That's true.

 

Also, many people focus on the safety and the speed (which comes from more efficient power transfer) aspects of the clipless system and they ignore another important one - stability.

 

Because your feet are so well connected to the pedals you get much better control over the bike and that makes you feel more stable. On bad roads a clipless system ensures that your feet won't slip from the pedals.

 

V

[Keyur Bhatnagar]

I would prefer clipless anyday. it just brings in an extra set of muscle to work and which makes it easier and more efficient to ride, a good riding shoe would help too. I use shimano Ultegra 6700C and i simply love it.

[pradeep naidu]

How do you guys manage if you need to carry ur bike and walk. I do this often due to heavy traffic? Would this be deasible with cleats??

On 18 Oct 2012 20:41, "Joe George" <joe.nel...@gmail.com> wrote:

I commute 40 kms every day and use Crank Brother eggbeater pedals. They are easier to clip into as there are four positions in the pedal that you can get into instead of the usual two or one. 

And yes, clipless pedals are addictive. Once you get used to them, they are easy, and give you much better control. For e.g.: I can now jump over minor obstacles with ease.

Cheers,
Joe

On Thu, Oct 18, 2012 at 5:18 PM, pradeep naidu <pradee...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> I travel 26 kms one way..i used cleats for couple of days and felt its not worth using it in tra...

--

> biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)
>  

> are you a part of the bi...

[pradeep naidu]

I mean feasible... I still thnk spelling is wrong...beer has sting me...

On 18 Oct 2012 21:42, "pradeep naidu" <pradee...@gmail.com> wrote:

How do you guys manage if you need to carry ur bike and walk. I do this often due to heavy traffic? Would this be deasible with cleats??

>
> On 18 Oct 2012 20:41, "Joe George" <joe.nel...@gmail.com> wrote:
>

> I commute 40 kms every...

[Aditya Yadav]

Hi Darshan,

I use clipless pedals. The distance of commute 12-14kms (depends on route I take) one way through alot of traffic.

I also do the Wednesday night rides with Iggy (BOTS) with clipless. This comes to 20-30kms.

As long as you remember that you are on clipless pedals you'll be fine. If you realize that, when you have stopped you will definitely fall down. You wont get hurt though.

Since I started riding clipless

1. Fell on the way to the night ride at a signal, while on the footpath. I forgot that I had clipless.

2. Fell on the next wednesday night ride when i reached HRC. I forgot that I had clipless. (I think iggy got hold of me before I hit the dirt)

3. Fell at office while riding with Nayan. A guy came in front and just stayed in front of me. I forgot that I had clipless.

4. Coming down nandi I went to the loose sand patch on the big turn. I forgot that I had clipless. (got hurt this time as I was going fast.)

As long as you keep in mind you are on clipless and clip out in time you will be fine.

I still wish i could get sandals with cleats. I dont like riding with shoes.

Also I expected to climb nandi faster but I found it much harder with clipless. Maybe I was just pedaling wrong.

Thanks,

Aditya

[Hari Krishna]

Once, after a perfect 200km ride, I had a cleated fall in front of my room.

Sent from my iPhone

[Joe George]

I use a mountain bike shoe for my commute. I can walk with the shoes without the cleats hitting the ground, and it helps to have a bit of grip on your soles as well. If I need to, I can carry my bike. And I do walk up 6 floors with those shoes on. Yes, I do feel like walking on stilts and need to be careful not to fall and twist my ankle.

Cheers,
Joe

[Darshan Bildikar]

Ok then. It's mountain bike shoes with clipless pedals for me then. Thank you for all the feedback folks. 

[Darshan Bildikar]

Folks,

One more question. If I'm ordering the shoes and pedals from Amazon does it come with the cleats as well or do I have to order those separately.

I'm thinking these two

Pedal: http://tinyurl.com/8dwcnuv
Shoe: http://tinyurl.com/8lhc3rt

Not sure if I have to order cleats separately as well or they come with the shoes.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Darshan

[Nayan Patel]

Cleats will come with the pedals.

If you are buying online, I suggest you try jensonusa.com. They give a better price than Amazon :-) and also match the price if you find it cheaper somewhere else .. Also, you might want to consider Shimano A530 pedals too. They have platform on one side and clipless on the other. Good for beginners and specially if you want to do city commute.

Nayan

--
Nayan B. Patel

[Joe George]

My understanding is that the pedals come with cleats. Atleast, that is what I remember.

Cheers,
Joe

[Keyur Bhatnagar]

Cleats will be in the pedal package, and you can get extra too.