where is my cleat?

Clipless pedals. I know, the name is confusing to some, but only if you do not know the history. Yes, there is a company ‘setting out’ to change the name from clipless to clip pedals. I disagree. It is not new and if you actually understand the history the name makes sense. Changing names just to change names is not appropriate. My guess is they would say they are adding clarity. One thing is for certain; our industry likes to change names. For example, wheel size 650b has been around longer than any of us, but alas, once it was embraced again somehow it was decided to start marketing it as 27.5. Like they invented something new. It should not surprise us – the same thing happened with the 29-inch wheels. Just to be clear, a 29er is not new it is the same thing as 700c and 27.5 is not new it is the same thing as 650b. I am not sticking to tradition just to stick to tradition, but if it already has a name – let’s use it. Yes, I know – velocipede was once used until the French ‘bicycle’ became the overall name in about 1870.  

As long as we are renaming – let’s go … we should rename the driveway a parkway since we park in it and rename the parkway a driveway since we drive on it. Yes, the English language and the names of things are not often as we personally would want, but it is what it is. Let’s put our effort into changing what really needs changing rather than playing semantics and thinking we are really doing something. And that is from a guy who thinks that communication really should be specific and is important.  

Clipless pedals. I like them. I know many are moving to flats. Go for it. If you like it – do it. I have too many miles on clipless to adapt. This old dog likes that old trick of clipping in. When I ride flats, sometimes I slip off. I know, bad habits of pointing my toe down at times, allowing my foot to slide off if not connected. But that is me. I do ride flats on some mellow rides, but it is not my standard choice.

I started riding with clips and straps. Well, I started with a BMX bike, but once I moved to a geared bike it had clips and straps and there was no looking back.  

What do I miss about clips and straps? One thing. You always had spare straps around if you needed them for anything … other than your pedal. But I have used my last old strap (a leather Christopher toe strap). Yes, that is all I miss about clips and straps. The one and only thing.  

Clipless was a revolution. It is called clipless because we did away with the clips and straps. Thank you LOOK. LOOK made ski bindings and adapted that technology to bike pedals. They changed our world. Some of you have never ridden anything else. Some of us had to transition. That transition was not always easy.  

First, with clips and straps there was a cleat on the bottom of your shoe. It has a groove in it – perpendicular to the plane of your bike and parallel to the cage on your pedal. That pedal part slipped into that groove on your cleat allowing your foot/shoe to drop into the pedal. Then, you pulled the strap tight. There were even nice little end pieces you attached to your leather (and later nylon) straps so you could grab them to tighten them. Not a problem, you started rolling and then in the first few revolutions you reached down and tightened the straps. Easy. When you want to stop, you simply reach down and grab the release tab on the buckle and pull it to loosen. No big deal when you planned your stop. In an unplanned stop or a crash … it was different. Could you pull your foot out without loosening the strap? Yes –  kinda – maybe. Yes, with enough force (which might not be good for your body) you might come out. You might not. There were some humorous and not so humorous wrecks.  

Clipless changed all that. Just a twist and you are out. Simple. Not so fast. It is simple, but … if you had trained your body for years using clips and straps you now had to retrain your body. That simple twist move was not automatic.  

There were many ‘moments’ of ‘falling over’ when adapting from clips to clipless.  If you experienced it – you know. More than anyone else can imagine.  

Me? I started clipless on the road. It took time to adapt, but I adapted. LOOK made road pedals and we did not ride them off road. Although, I was about to when Shimano introduced the clipless mountain bike pedal. I was quick to adopt that technology. I already liked the road clipless and it seemed even more useful off road.  

It was. But. Yes, there is a ‘but’ in there. I was again, adapting to his new way to ‘get out of’ my pedals. Yes, I rode clips and straps off road until SPD came along. Yes, even in the downhill slalom races (more on that soon). 

I was in North Carolina on a nice narrow single-track trail. Up the narrow ridge, slowing down, hit a root, twist foot … twist foot … falling over … TWIST FOOT! I fell over and off the ridge. I slide down the ridge and found myself upside down with my foot is still attached to the pedal. My foot is twisting but still connected. It finally lets loose. I get up, climb the hill, get back on and cannot clip back in. I look at my pedal, the cleat and part of the sole of my shoe is still attached to the pedal. Yes, I was twisting and the sole broke and was moving around until it broke completely off. Joy – NOT. I now had to ride the rest of the day without being able to clip in at all on my right side. And, I had a race the next day, so I scrounged some old clips and straps to ride … with my shoe missing part of the sole.  

Yes, you heard that correct. I did a 4 plus hour mountain bike ride in the mountains the day before a mountain bike race. Who does that? I told you in the past that I was training diligently but did not have the ‘win at all costs’ attitude when I did race (until that last year). I did not drive 7 hours to North Carolina to sit on my butt all day Saturday when there was great riding all around me. So, I went for a ride with friends and had fun. I raced the next day. How did I do the next day? I did not win. Surprise! I did place well though. Yes, I gave up the possibility of a racing victory in exchange for a weekend of great joy.  I still think that was a good choice. But any dedicated racer would wholeheartedly disagree.  

The shoe company that lost the sole received a letter from me and I received a new pair of shoes, some socks, some stickers and a letter of apology from them. Apparently, this happened to many – not just that particular brand. It appears that in the rush to adapt to clipless pedals, many shoe manufacturers simply added the attachments for the cleats but failed to look at the different forces imparted on the sole. Remember, with clips and straps you were pulling up against the clip and strap whereas with clipless the sole of the shoe has all the forces (up and down) imparted solely on it. Yes, that pun worked out well didn’t it.  

Clipless pedals. Thank you LOOK for driving us in that direction and to all the other companies that embraced the new concept of clipless, which now is not new at all.