First of all, I want to say here that cycling cleats are absolutely not a patent for professional riders, but rather an essential part of cycling. Below are the benefits of riding with clipless pedals. If you think anything is incorrect, feel free to point it out.
With the popularization of cycling, more and more cycling enthusiasts have started using clipless pedals. Perhaps most people grew up riding bikes and may think that clipless pedals are completely unnecessary. However, many who have used them would never go back to the traditional flat pedals. Why is that?
In summary, there are two main points:
1. Energy Saving
This is one of the best features for aerobic exercises that consume a lot of energy.
Generally, it can save about 25% of your effort. With clipless pedals, you can easily climb hills that used to be very strenuous. Especially during long rides, you’ll feel much more relaxed because when one foot pushes down, the other can pull up. It’s as if your pedaling power has doubled.
At first, you might not get used to it, or you may not grasp the technique, but once you get the hang of it, the movements become natural. Sometimes you can even do low-speed no-seat riding maneuvers, looking very professional. It's about leaning forward, with the front foot pushing and the rear foot pulling, creating a wonderful sensation of being one with the bike. But when you speed up, it becomes harder—you either forget to push or forget to pull. It seems you need some time to adapt. That’s the unusually smooth feeling of both feet "working together" to turn the crankset.
2. Stability
Those who have used flat pedals know that on bumpy stone roads, you must keep your feet firmly on the pedals to avoid them slipping off, with almost no intention of applying full force. But with clipless pedals, you don’t have to worry about finding the pedals with your feet. You can just focus on pedaling hard while holding the handlebars—the issue of keeping your feet attached is already taken care of by the cleats.
Using clipless pedals improperly can also be dangerous. Beginners might not adapt quickly at first. Usually, those used to flat pedals instinctively take their feet off the pedals when stopping. This habit often leads to funny situations for novices. Clipless users, upon stopping, need to unclip—but doing so requires rotating the ankle to exit the locked position, which takes time. Especially for beginners who aren’t skilled at unclipping, they may fail to unclip in time, lose balance, and fall sideways to the ground. If there’s a car nearby, it could be dangerous. Therefore, beginners are advised to practice dismounting and develop the habit of unclipping before stopping.
Having good clipless pedals isn’t enough—a good pair of cycling shoes is also essential. The quality of the shoes directly affects the performance of the cleats. The sole should be stiff, the shoe snug but not uncomfortable, and when unclipping, there should be no gap between your foot and the shoe—this way, you can fully enjoy the pleasure that clipless pedals bring to your ride.
To add, clipless systems improve resistance to bumps, especially during high-speed bumps when you need to ride off-road or descend at high speed with your weight shifted back. Hardtail XC mountain bikes with poor suspension systems may cause your feet to slip off the pedals, and you’re definitely going to fall.
In terms of performance, under strong bumps, those without a clipless system usually slow down and pedal cautiously because continuing to pedal might cause them to slip and fall. At such times, you might see someone with their hips lifted speeding past you with both legs accelerating—you’d feel quite frustrated. During sudden accelerations on slopes or before the finish line, clipless users can harness the power of both legs—one foot pushing down, the other pulling up forcefully—leaving those without clipless systems quickly feeling leg fatigue or lacking acceleration power.
The benefits of using clipless pedals on long-distance rides go without saying. They allow for changes in leg power distribution, enabling the rear leg to contribute through pulling, making the ride less tiring and allowing higher speeds to be sustained longer.
A crucial part of the clipless system is actually the sole of the shoe, as clipless shoes are usually non-flexible. This prevents pedaling power from being wasted in the flexing of the arch material, and ensures more of that power is transmitted to the pedals. As a result, every pedal stroke becomes more efficient.
Cleat Misconceptions:
1. The leg muscle groups and skeletal structure are very suitable for pushing, but not for pulling or lifting.
Answer: Clipless pedals aren’t mainly for lifting. They are meant to allow the other foot to pedal faster without slipping off the pedal, by locking that foot in place. In other words, clipless pedals are used to achieve a higher pedaling frequency.
2. Clipless pedals help increase pedaling cadence, so athletes must use them.
Answer: Wrong. Cycling determines that increasing cadence reduces energy consumption, but high-frequency pedaling can easily cause the foot to slip off, leading to serious injury. That’s why feet are locked in. Clipless pedals are widely used by cycling enthusiasts, not just athletes. In fact, there are very few professional cyclists in the world (including triathletes).
3. Learning to use clipless pedals requires a long practice process. You need to practice pedaling and lifting continuously in an obstacle-free area to learn how to correctly pedal and lift for a smooth rotation.
Answer: Yes, it normally takes 3–6 months to learn clipless pedals properly. Many who just start using them give unreliable reviews. Some domestic cycling team coaches require new members to practice on basketball courts for two months until they can pedal smoothly and efficiently in circles before going on long rides. So, reviews from those who haven’t used clipless pedals for over six months are not reliable.
4. When riding in urban areas or streets with pedestrians, it’s generally hard to maintain continuous pedaling. The advantages of clipless pedals are limited, and there’s a risk of failing to unclip in time, leading to falls that may injure both the rider and others.
Answer: Based on point 3, only those who wear clipless pedals to show off, rather than truly mastering the technique, experience issues unclipping on streets. A well-trained cyclist will unclip out of habit.
5. Cycling shoes are not suitable for walking, especially road cycling shoes. Non-athletes ride bikes around, look around, and need to walk.
Answer: Clipless shoes are for cycling, not for walking. By the same logic: please tell Liu Xiang that wearing spikes is not good for walking either.