14 thoughts on “Bicycle pedal heresy: clipless pedals not more efficient”

  1. I’m not sure that the tests that they did were the right ones. The rider rode at the same speed for the same distance with and without being clipped in, so of course the amount of work accomplished was the same. The question is, in a race, could he have gone faster with clips than without? That wasn’t tested.

    You could have a series of races where half the riders rode flat pedals and the rest clipless, and then switched the two and seen who won the race more often.

  2. There’s one place where clipless pedals are more efficient: low-slung recumbents. If your feet are up in the air, it’s way easier to keep them on the pedals with mechanical support.

  3. That’s a cherished belief among the kind of people who are prone to believing myths. One runs into such people occasionally, on the road, on trails, or as bike shop employees. Still, anybody who cares to dig into the research (Coyle et al studied this 25-30 years ago with a sophisticated ergometer setup) or who does a lot of riding on bikes with both types of pedals can pretty easily observe that there is not a significant difference.

  4. The primary reason for clipless pedals is safety. More ground clearance during turns and much less likely to slip out in stiff soled bicycle shoe when out of the seat. Any sort of energy transfer improvement is secondary.

  5. I’ve ridden with and without and definitely can power up a hill much more easily with clips because I can pull up on the each pedal at the same time as pushing down.

  6. I’ve seen the vid before and ride a lot. The racer explains exactly why clipless is obviously very important: acceleration. Low end torque. You can power over small hills and blast past other riders in ways obviously impossible without being clipped in.

    It’s only mildly surprising that it doesn’t matter so much in a steady state.

  7. Yes, for the casual rider they are probably a wash. The casual rider isn’t pulling up on each cycle. But if you are racing you need the extra power generated on the up cycle at times.

    Not that i race, but the last time I need that extra surge was to outdistance a mangy dog that was intent on latching on to my calves.

  8. Regardless of efficiency, I think there are benefits to both styles of pedals. I use flats when mountain biking on difficult terrain, or balancing on logs, so that I am able to instantly jump off as required.

    Alternatively, I really prefer to be clipped in whilst rattling down a bumpy trail and dodging through the forest. It is akin to skiing, which I can’t imagine doing without being clipped into the bindings.

    Horses for courses!

  9. More myths. If clipless was so great for bursty accelerations, approximately half of the MTB downhill World Cup would not be riding flat pedals.

    As for pulling up while grinding out climbs, again you’re fooling yourself. Any non-trivial amount of pulling up will release the cleat as soon as there is any significant lateral vector to this force, and due to normal side to side motion of the bike, pretending these vectors don’t exist risks a severe crash. As a result, you self-limit the upward torque (even if you think you’re pulling up hard). The force needed to release the cleat is minor compared to the downward force in the front half of the pedal stroke. It is absolutely possible to hammer effectively at any cadence with flat pedals.

    I used to race geared road bikes, geared MTB bikes, and single speed MTB bikes on flat and clipless pedals. The only equipment choice that ever affected my performance was wheels and tires.

  10. I found MTB bike frame rigidity and weight of greater concern than small variance in tire grip on tough woody and rocky slopes.

  11. valley dude, I don’t understand what you’re talking about with regard to pulling up causing the shoe to unclip. SPD-SL does not unclip unless you twist your foot. You can pull up very hard, for sure.

  12. valley dude, on roads, I’ve never pulled up out of my cleats. And lateral forces have never come close to twisting either of my feet out of their cleat.

  13. Valley Dude, I’ve ridden and raced road and mountain bikes for many years as well. Apparently, your style of pedaling doesn’t take advantage of clipless pedals. That doesn’t mean their advantages are mythical. It means you haven’t personally experienced them.

    Maybe downhillers can get away without clipless, but cross-country mountain biking requires pedals that keep your feet on the pedals, for things like hopping logs and doing steep climbs on loose surfaces in low gear.

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