And here's another rider who wore Beta Bikers back in the day with toe clips and straps, then Look clipless pedals with the big honkin' cleats, then some Speedplays till I wore them out, and finally settled on SPDs. (As an aside, I think the Looks were the best of any of them, but lawdy - those cleats!)
Then.... about two years ago my knees began to bother me on longer climbs. I geared the bike down in increments x 3, winding up with a 19" low, but no improvement. Finally, this past summer in a bit of a pique I decided to try flat pedals. Within just a few weeks I was climbing pain free. I was reluctant to abandon clipping in, I like the way they promote a smooth spin, but it was time for a compromise. I maybe could have played with Q-factor or tried something with a few more degrees of float, but I found that after maybe a half dozen rides my technique adapted to the spiked flats. I sprang for a pair of flat MTB shoes, which I found play very nicely with the pedals. I'd arrived at Grant's point of view - though perhaps for a different reason. So there you have it; when your knees are trying to tell you something - listen to 'em. Steve in Asheville, NC On Sunday, December 24, 2023 at 9:21:18 PM UTC-5 George Schick wrote: > Patrick - my experiences with pedal retention or the lack thereof pretty > much mirrors yours, almost verbatim. And I agree that through the years of > clips and straps with or without cleats, LOOK type clipless, SPD clipless, > and occasional dip into simple platforms with pins, I've finally settled on > SPD clipless as well. And I like the dual sided pedals with an SPD > retention on one side and plain platform on the other. > *However*, having said all that I would add and agree that I do not like > to ride without pedal retention (with the exception of one of my bikes that > I use for running errands in near proximity - that one has platforms). And > so...blasphemous as it may sound to the ears of those in Walnut Creek, I > think pedal retention improves "correct pedaling." And by that I mean the > ability to spin better in lower gears, the ability to "dig in" to the pedal > at the 7 o'clock position of a down-stroke, the ability to stand all the > way up tough climbs without worry about slipping a foot off a pedal - all > of which, in my experience is much easier on the knees, the IT band, and > other leg muscle groups. > OK, I'm ready to duck for cover now... > > On Sunday, December 24, 2023 at 7:44:43 PM UTC-6 Patrick Moore wrote: > >> First entry in new Blahg. And no, he doesn't; he reports someone's >> out-of-context judgment. >> >> But I'm curious how many on this RBW list like and use retention and how >> many don't; and of the former, how many use toe clips and how many use >> clipless systems -- and what kind. >> >> I'll start: I rode fast for years and thousands of miles in Keds with >> thick, soft soles and then rubber-soled lace ups of other sorts on >> un-clipped rat-trap pedals (and even rubber block pedals) until in about >> 1990 I got my first relatively expensive road bike (1989 Falcon, tout 531C >> with Sante group) and decided largely because of bike mag content that I'd >> better get with the retention program. I started with Bata Bikers and clips >> and straps, graduated to clips and straps and slotted cleats, then pretty >> quickly switched to the burgeoning varieties of clipless -- Sampson >> Stratics, Grafton "Erector Set" road and mtb pedals, Speedplay X1s and >> Frogs, Looks of various sorts, and finally SPDs, road and mtb (by "road" I >> mean the ones that came out for about 1 season long long ago with the mtb >> mechanism). >> >> A couple of years ago I tried platforms with spikes and no-retention >> shoes but after about a month of annoyance always shifting my foot to find >> the right position I gave up and went back to SPDs. I've got SPDs on all my >> bikes though I've got a very nice set of XC Pros + clips and straps + >> almost-as-new wood-soled Duegis with cleats that I'd like to try -- I found >> slotted cleats with semi-tight straps easier with a fixed drivetrain than >> Look Keos -- except that SPDs are so perfect. >> >> So, I've round that having gotten used to retention I find it very hard >> to give it up. I daresay that this habituation is stronger since so much of >> my riding is on fixed drivetrains, but I'd still want at least clips and >> loose-ish straps with rubber soles for any freewheel drivetrain. >> >> But again, SPDs just feel so perfect that I will probably just stay with >> them. >> >> Best wishes to all for the Christmas season. >> >> Patrick Moore, finishing up a late resume on Xmas eve in ABQ, NM. >> >> -- >> >> Patrick Moore >> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing >> services >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> *When thou didst not, savage, k**now thine own meaning,* >> >> *But wouldst gabble like a** thing most brutish,* >> >> *I endowed thy purposes w**ith words that made them known.* >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/ba3f140f-690f-4b35-97ec-d2c0f5daef14n%40googlegroups.com.
