Clipless Pedals: Maintaining Your Power Stroke
One of the problems with riding fast is keeping your feet squarely on the pedals. When your position is adjusted correctly, there isn't a lot of foot pressure on the pedal at the bottom of the stroke, and your foot tends to slip. And when your foot slips sideways or to an angle on the pedal, even slightly, your leg is usually pulled out of its most efficient power delivery range. This means you lose speed. Another point at which your foot can slip is on the upstroke, when you are trying to reduce the foot pressure on the pedal to avoid countering the power of downstroke with the other foot. All of this means that you have to spend time concentrating on your foot position to maintain an efficient power delivery. For most recreational riding, this isn't much of a problem. But if you're riding for speed or trying to cover a lot of distance, this slight ineffiency makes a significant difference.
Keeping Your Feet on the Pedals
To avoid this problem, riders have the option of using a mechanical device to hold their feet on the pedal. One is a toe clip for the front part of your foot to hold it on the pedal. You can lace a strap through this clip to form a basket, which then also limits left/right movement of your foot. Another option is a Power Grip strap which attaches to each side of the pedal and loops over your foot. All these work well, although they seem a bit clunky. The "ultimate" solution for serious bikers is the clipless pedal.
Clipless Pedals
The clipless pedal is really a three part system. The first part is the pedal, which replaces the pedal that came with your bike. There are several brands (and even more styles) of clipless pedal, and they can look wildly different from each other. They all function in basically the same way, however.







The second part is the cycling shoe. Since clipless pedals were originally designed with racing in mind, most of them are a bit garish and futuristic looking. You can get them in a wide range of styles, though, including some which look like regular walking shoes. All will have stiffer soles than street shoes, so walking will still be a little different.







The third part is the cleat, which is bolted to the bottom of the shoe and clips onto the appropriate brand of pedal. The cleats and pedals are purchased as a unit, while the shoes are purchased separately. You must make sure the shoes you buy are compatible with your clipless pedal system.








When all three components are in place, you will have a system which keeps your feet securely on the pedals. It works somewhat like a ski boot - you twist your foot into the pedal to lock the clip (which then locks your foot in position on the pedal), then twist it back out to release the clip and take your foot off the pedal.
Issues
There are a lot of things to consider in selecting a system, and the bewildering set of options means finding the best solution could be a long and complicated process. I highly recommend using a local bike shop for at least your first set of clipless pedals, since there so many variables. It's also worthwhile reviewing the forum discussions on clipless pedals to get an idea of the problems and solutions others have encountered.
The Right Fit
First is getting a good fit with the shoes. Any time your shoes don't fit, your feet are going to hurt, one way or another. The problem here is that the range of foot size is great, and most local bike shops can't afford to carry a huge stock of shoes. That means few selections in the store your size, regardless of style. One option is to stop at a lot of local bike shops to sample all their wares. Another is to shop on-line, but finding shoes that fit by mail can mean many exchanges. Also, most shoes don't come in different widths.
Picking A Brand/Style
Picking a pedal/cleat brand is not as simple as simple as finding something which looks cool. Some people have feet which point outward (mine, for example) and find it painful to have them locked in a straight-ahead position for long periods. To alleviate this problem, some manufacturers have put "float" into their systems, so your foot has from 5 to 40 degrees of rotational movement (depending on the brand) to eliminate pain. You'll need to know how much float you're likely to need before you choose. Somewhere in this array of choices is the brand you'll find just right for you. As always, there is a wide variety of opinion among bikers as to the best system. In addition to "float," pedals are adjustable in their fit with the cleat - from loose to tight. There is a screw in the pedal which may be turned clockwise (to tighten) or counterclockwise (to loosen). With a very tight fit, you'll have difficulty getting your foot loose when you want to unclip; with a very loose fit, you'll have an easier time getting out when you want, but your cleat may come loose accidentally. Personally, I keep mine at a very loose setting and have not had a problem, even with a recumbent bike.
Ride or Walk?
In some shoes, the position for the cleat is recessed, so the cleat fits below the profile of the sole and doesn't affect walking very much. Others shoes don't have this recess, and the cleat is attached to the surface of the sole and exposed; this means you'll clatter when you walk, and find smooth surfaces slippery, much like walking in golf cleats. If you're racing, or spending all your time on the bike, this won't matter to you. If you're biking recreationally and want to stop and walk around on your ride, you'll want shoes which don't interfere with normal walking; and if you're commuting, you'll walk a lot more than you think. Also, if you're touring, you may not want the extra weight of another pair of shoes for "land" use.
Staying Upright
Once you have the system, you have to learn how to use it. This is not easy and will take a while. The problem is not in the riding, but in the stopping - or, more precisely, the unclipping as you stop. All riders with new clipless pedals occasionally forget they have them on and cruise to a stop - forgetting to (or how to) unclip! And if you come to a stop and can't get your feet on the ground, you're going to fall over. This is mostly embarrassing, but occasionally painful. Eventually, clipping in and out will be second nature and you'll never have to worry about it again. But figure on a full season to get comfortable with them.
Are They Worth It?
As always, the bicycling world is not unanimous on this. Most riders claim the clipless pedals are better than a camelback full of ice cold beer. Others point out that the theory behind the clipless system is flawed and it doesn't really work as well as claimed. Still others can't find the right combination of components for a comfortable ride, or don't like the fact that they can't shift their foot around on the pedal to apply force with different parts of their feet. Like every facet of biking, only you are the final arbiter of what works for you.

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