Cleats and Crashes

[rmurphy195]

I switched to cleats from clips/straps when I took up cycling again in my 40’s, at the time it was simply that while in my youth I was adept at releasing toe straps when approaching junctions etc. but in my 40’s I was less adept (don't ask why!).

My local bike shop recommended I set the tension on the pedals to its minimum while I got used to them (Roy at Action Bikes, Northfield - shame they are no longer there). I did so, appreciated what this gave me and thought nothing more of it.

Until the other day when I was involved in a collision – my bike ended up under the front of a pickup truck and I ended up several feet away. Complete with my feet which had simply flown out of the pedals instead of being stuck in them – the result of the incident may have been quite different if they had.

Food for thought?

[pwa]

Several years ago I had a similar experience, where my feet seemed almost to release themselves as I crashed to the ground. I too keep release tension on a low setting and never have problems with accidental release.

[Flinders]

I used to use clips and straps, but never had them tight, as I always wanted to be able to get out in an emergency, and getting out of tight straps never seemed like it would be quick enough.
I did land in water once with the cleat clips on. I was out of them and standing up so fast that although both I and the bike had gone completely under the water, no water got into my rackpack. I didn't even have time to think about doing it, I have no memory of unclipping, I was just out of there (mind you, the water was darned cold).
Straps, on the other hand......

[I too use minimum tension, and have never had a foot come out by accident]

[Si]

Given that SPDs initially became popular with MTBers I think that if it was a common occurrence for people to be stuck to their bikes after crashes then they would never have caught on like they did given how often the average MTBer crashes. But I'm getting a feeling of dejavu....if you has a search around you might be lucky enough to find an old thread on this subject.

Although, having said that - if your cleats are particularly warn then they can start to stick with SPDs...dunno about other clipless as I've only used SPDs and the lidl copies (which suffered from this a lot more than proper shimano ones IME).

[iviehoff]

You mean it has only recently occurred to you that cleats add significant danger to cycling? If you are on an urban ride with frequent junctions, or a pleasure ride with frequent stops or foot-downs, they add considerable inconvenience too.

I think people use cleats for urban commutes or mountain biking for similar reason to those who choose a Porsche or Land Rover to drive to the station or shops. It's about dreaming of racing. Not being of that mind, I have tried cleats, seen that they do not enhance the experience of such riding for me, and abandoned them.

[Si]

In what way do they add 'considerable inconvenience'? If you are finding it difficult to get in and out it sounds more like user-error to me....once most people have used them for a while getting in and out becomes second nature.


And how they can add 'significant danger'...words almost fail me. Let us return to the example of MTBing - where you really need to be able to get your foot in and out at a moment's notice. Can you show us how the evidence/stats of how they have caused widespread carnage among MTBers?
If anything they make riding safer as you are less likely to slip off a pedal, especially in the wet.

[[XAP]Bob]

They release a bit like ski bindings - not quite the same, but the bike normally twists away from you, so you'll end up twisting out of them.

IF you don't then the cleats will probably pull out of the shoe - I've managed that a few times while pedalling hard (yes, shocking isn't it - I really pull on the pedals) so don't doubt that it could happen in a collision.

On a day to day basis I value the security they provide in foot positioning...

[rmurphy195]

You mean it has only recently occurred to you that cleats add significant danger to cycling? If you are on an urban ride with frequent junctions, or a pleasure ride with frequent stops or foot-downs, they add considerable inconvenience too.

I think people use cleats for urban commutes or mountain biking for similar reason to those who choose a Porsche or Land Rover to drive to the station or shops. It's about dreaming of racing. Not being of that mind, I have tried cleats, seen that they do not enhance the experience of such riding for me, and abandoned them.

I'm not sure who Iviehoff is referring to or where the "significant danger" and "considerable inconvenience" come from (I don't commute with either of the cars he mentions and am too old to dream of racing!). They helped me to redevelop a comfortable foot position and pedalling action which worked for me, if it didn't I certainly would accept that it does work for others.

In use its now second nature to put feet into the cleats and take them back out, whether I am in Birmingham traffic (where I can use the cleat-free backs of the pedals anyway), pedalling the local lanes or wizzing up and down the Tissington trail, and are much handier in that respect than toe clips and straps.

What made me think was a comment made by one of the attending firemen i.e. "good job he wasn't wearing cleats" to which his colleague (who was holding my shoes) replied "he was", and I chipped in "but I keep the tension at minimum". I didn't realise the significance of their comments until I saw pictures of the bike later:(

[Redvee]

I was lead to believe that the natural action of your foot/leg in an accident was to twist therefore inducing a natural release movement. However there have been incidents where I haven't got out of the pedal during an incident and found myself on the floor with the bike still attached to my foot.

[youtube]DZU0mUTcNsw[/youtube]

[foxyrider]

Unfortunately i've had experience of coming off the bike with both step in pedals and toe clips. As others have mentioned with step in pedals i've never consciously taken my foot out in such circumstances but have been released safely whilst in flight - unlike with tc's where i was once dragged a considerable distance along an icy road resulting in nasty friction burns all down my side.

Step in pedals - possibly the biggest advance in safety since the invention of the wheel!

[horizon]

I've been using my cleats a lot more recently and can only say that they do exactly what everyone says: they give you the instant, secure foot position that you want ( ) and they raise a little uncertainty in sudden stops, hill stops and so forth. I was going to say that you simply have to try them to know if you like them but that isn't completely true: I think you have to use them a fair bit to get used to them which means you've got to go through all the faff before you really know. I think they're a HUGE bonus on the open road but I wouldn't bother with them going to the shops.

[Audax67]

My cleats release on twisting or on pulling hard straight up. No trouble in traffic - an advantage, in fact, because if you have to stop you can position the pedal easily. My pedals are always on minimum tension: I've had a couple of spills with them, and both times my feet have detached automatically.

I have two sets of Shimano SPD MTB pedals and one cheap lookalike made by Wellgo. The Shims engage & release beautifully, the others are sticky.

[Flite]

I've been stuck in SPDs a couple of times. Both when going up steep hills and back wheel hit ice. Legs spun round and bang - straight down on the road without any chance of twisting feet out intentionally or otherwise. Trying to detach myself from a bike while lying on my side on sheet ice was an interesting problem - just as well we have very quiet roads in the winter. I still wouldn't go back to toe clips and straps.

[easyroller]

On my hybrid I run pedals with SPDs on one side and flat on the other (don't remember the exact model) so if I'm just popping down the shops or to a friend's house I don't have to bother with specific cycling shoes. Trainers will do, but I much prefer riding clipped in as opposed to flat pedals. I spend so much time clipped into my road bike that it feels weird to be riding not attached at the feet! I've never had an SPD related accident.

On my road bike I use SPDs set on a fairly low spring tension. When I took a high speed tumble last year my bike and I ended up in different places, so the cleats must have released somehow.

[ArMoRothair]

On my hybrid I run pedals with SPDs on one side and flat on the other (don't remember the exact model) so if I'm just popping down the shops or to a friend's house I don't have to bother with specific cycling shoes. Trainers will do, but I much prefer riding clipped in as opposed to flat pedals. I spend so much time clipped into my road bike that it feels weird to be riding not attached at the feet!

I had a pair of these pedals for several years but replaced them with full SPDs because I realised I so much prefered the benefits of SPDs that I never once rode the bike with normal shoes/trainers; the minimal effort of putting on my SPD shoes was always preferable to the inconvenience of cycling without SPDs.