# Clipless for Commuting



## Samadhi

I'll be bringing the new bike home on a couple weeks, and the plan has been to add clipless pedals after I've gotten used to riding the bike with platform pedals first (first road bike in over 40 years).

I plan on doing some commuting with the bike. This will take me into the middle of Downtown Denver. I will be on established and well-known bike lanes.


Seeing as there will be a lot of stop-and-go riding - traffic lights and so on - I'm wondering if clipless pedals are a good idea for the commute seeing as there may be a lot of clipping in and out of the pedals while I'm downtown?

Any thoughts?


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## axlenut

Hi, how far are you going to be riding? On shorter rides I prefer to use soft shoes with platform peddles and toe straps/clips. 

On longer rides that have a lot of stop and go I like to use double sided ATB peddles. I find it nice to be able to quickly clip in without trying to find the cleat side of the peddle. I run Shimano PD-M520 SPD peddles on my fixie. The fixie sees a lot of stop and go and I also use it early in the morning when it is still dark out. I find the double sided peddles much better in the dark - never have to look at them.

Hope this helps, Axlenut


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## JCavilia

Clipping in and out reliably and safely is something you need to learn to do, regardless of what sort of riding you're doing, and it's not that difficult, despite the scary stories people like to tell around here. I suggest you pick you pedal type based on the ride characteristics, which for me boils down to distance/time. If your commute is longer than 15 minutes or 3-4 miles, IMO the security and comfort and efficiency of cycling shoes and a solid connection to the pedals are what you want.

As for what type of shoe/pedal system, that's a function of what you do off the bike. If you want/need farly comfortable walking, a MTB shoe with a spd-type pedal (recessed cleat) works great.

If you're going to use the bike for short errand-type rides as well as longer rides and commuting, consider dual-function pedals, which have a spd-type mechanism on one side and a traditional cage (platform) on the other, so you can use the cycling shoes or regular street shoes. My bad-weather commuter, which is also the errand bike, has those, and it works fine. On the other hand, in nice weather I commute on a lighter FG bike with Look pedals. Rigid-soled cycling shoes with Look cleats are funky to walk on, but with rubber cleat covers (which I always carry) it's no problem to walk a few hundred yards if necessary.

Kudos for getting back on a road bike after so long. You're gonna love it. And remember, clipless pedals make riding safer, not more dangerous. Practice clipping out in a safe way when you start and you'll be fine. Then you can take advantage of all the things that a secure pedal connection gives you: faster spinning, security when jumping up to sprint, a solid palce to stand to absorb bumps, good platform when you shift your weight back for hard braking, etc.


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## Samadhi

Thanx for the replies thus far.

My commute's gonna be around 10 miles - two miles on a bike lane with light traffic, 5 traffic lights and one seldom used RR crossing. Then 6-7 miles on a dedicated bike path with 2 or 3 possible stops where the path crosses a street. Finally there is 1 mile or so downtown. The downtown streets I take all have dedicated bike lanes but there will be traffic lights at every intersection. It's the downtown area that concerns me. Lots of traffic and lots of stopping. 

The clipless pedals I have on hand to use are Shimano 105 PD-5700, but like I said, I'll leave platforms on the bike till I get used to riding it in different situations.

Most of my riding will be on bike paths. The Denver metro has an excellent network of paths, so riding on the streets will be minimal.

I'm really excited about the new bike - a GT GTR Series 2 - and I'm really champing at the bit to get it home. With any luck, that weekend (2/18-19) will be nice enough to ride. If so, the plan is to give the bike a shakedown by riding to the office.



JCavilia said:


> Clipping in and out reliably and safely is something you need to learn to do, regardless of what sort of riding you're doing, and it's not that difficult, despite the scary stories people like to tell around here. I suggest you pick you pedal type based on the ride characteristics, which for me boils down to distance/time. If your commute is longer than 15 minutes or 3-4 miles, IMO the security and comfort and efficiency of cycling shoes and a solid connection to the pedals are what you want.
> 
> As for what type of shoe/pedal system, that's a function of what you do off the bike. If you want/need farly comfortable walking, a MTB shoe with a spd-type pedal (recessed cleat) works great.
> 
> If you're going to use the bike for short errand-type rides as well as longer rides and commuting, consider dual-function pedals, which have a spd-type mechanism on one side and a traditional cage (platform) on the other, so you can use the cycling shoes or regular street shoes. My bad-weather commuter, which is also the errand bike, has those, and it works fine. On the other hand, in nice weather I commute on a lighter FG bike with Look pedals. Rigid-soled cycling shoes with Look cleats are funky to walk on, but with rubber cleat covers (which I always carry) it's no problem to walk a few hundred yards if necessary.
> 
> Kudos for getting back on a road bike after so long. You're gonna love it. And remember, clipless pedals make riding safer, not more dangerous. Practice clipping out in a safe way when you start and you'll be fine. Then you can take advantage of all the things that a secure pedal connection gives you: faster spinning, security when jumping up to sprint, a solid palce to stand to absorb bumps, good platform when you shift your weight back for hard braking, etc.


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## frpax

If you're going to go clipless for commuting, then for me, really the only choice is to go SP-D. There are a wide variety of mountain bike shoes as well as several more casual looking shoes that will accept the SP-D cleat. There are also a wide variety of SP-D pedals to choose from.

Personally, I don't use any clipless shoe/pedals because I wear the shoes that I work in while riding. If I had a place to stash shoes at work, then I would definitely go SP-D.


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## brewster

I would echo much of the recommendations so far. Ditch the platforms. Find some casual-looking touring or street shoes with the SPD compatible bottom. They make some SPD shoes that look no different than regular shoes. I wear mine all day at work and nobody even notices unless I show the the bottom of my foot. Use double-sided MTB SPD pedals. That is the feature that will make it a "no-look" operation to get into and out of the pedals. After some practice, it will become second nature.

brewster


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## Scot_Gore

Samadhi said:


> I'll be bringing the new bike home on a couple weeks, and the plan has been to add clipless pedals after I've gotten used to riding the bike with platform pedals first (first road bike in over 40 years).
> 
> I plan on doing some commuting with the bike. This will take me into the middle of Downtown Denver. I will be on established and well-known bike lanes.
> 
> 
> Seeing as there will be a lot of stop-and-go riding - traffic lights and so on - I'm wondering if clipless pedals are a good idea for the commute seeing as there may be a lot of clipping in and out of the pedals while I'm downtown?
> 
> Any thoughts?


The awkardness of clipless when you first begin is real and probably can't be overstated, but also be aware that they also become "invisble" is very short order. aka 2nd nature, you don't even think about it anymore reagrdless of the amount of stop and go, traffic or whatever. 

In fact, when I get on platforms now, that's when I have to re-think and re-learn.

Scot


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## Guest

I have SPDs on one side, platform on the other. For short trips, or cases where I can't wear my SPD shoes at my destination for some reason, I use the platforms. For longer trips I have SPD shoes with recessed cleats that actually look like street shoes.

I also have a pair road shoes with Look style cleats for my road bike which I use strictly for riding and doing workouts. If I had a really long commute (ie over 45min one way) I'd go all the way to having road shoes and changing shoes at my destination.


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## orbit

Another option good for commuting are the Crank Brothers 'Candy' pedals. They are double sided, meaning you don't have any delay trying to kick the pedal over with your toe to get the side you want. Plus they have a small platform, which allows you to pedal and get away from traffic quickly at the traffic lights even if you are not yet clipped in. 

Sounds like you have an ideal commute ride, enjoy


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## Samadhi

orbit said:


> Another option good for commuting are the Crank Brothers 'Candy' pedals. They are double sided, meaning you don't have any delay trying to kick the pedal over with your toe to get the side you want. Plus they have a small platform, which allows you to pedal and get away from traffic quickly at the traffic lights even if you are not yet clipped in.


It's funny you should mention Candys.

With the advice in this thread and from others, I'm starting to think the 105 PD's might have been a bit premature.

I've been shopping around this evening and spent a lot of time looking at the Candys.

I'll put the 105s on ebay or something. 




> Sounds like you have an ideal commute ride, enjoy


It is kinda nice. The bulk of the ride will be on the Mary Carter and Cherry Creek trails. Mary Carter runs along the South Platte. The Platte hosts Mallards, Teal, Shovelers, Merganzers, Great Blue and Black-Crowned Night Herons, various songbirds, Canada Geese up the yitz, the occasional Pheasant. There's also trash, the river smells a bit during high summer, I imagine there's a rat or two and a homeless person camped out here or there. 

But all and all it's a nice ride, especially in the morning.


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## Guest

Samadhi said:


> It's funny you should mention Candys.
> 
> With the advice in this thread and from others, I'm starting to think the 105 PD's might have been a bit premature.
> 
> I've been shopping around this evening and spent a lot of time looking at the Candys.
> 
> I'll put the 105s on ebay or something.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is kinda nice. The bulk of the ride will be on the Mary Carter and Cherry Creek trails. Mary Carter runs along the South Platte. The Platte hosts Mallards, Teal, Shovelers, Merganzers, Great Blue and Black-Crowned Night Herons, various songbirds, Canada Geese up the yitz, the occasional Pheasant. There's also trash, the river smells a bit during high summer, I imagine there's a rat or two and a homeless person camped out here or there.
> 
> But all and all it's a nice ride, especially in the morning.


just to clarify, the 105s are SPD-SL which is a large platform road bike pedal with plastic cleats, similar to Look Pedals. just "SPD" means Shimano's mountain bike pedals which use smaller metal cleats, and lots of third party manufacturers sell pedals which are compatible.

The pedals I mention were on my commuter -- which are platform one side, SPD the other -- are a Performance Bike House Brand pedal which works with Shimano SPD cleats. These are almost as versatile as double-sided IMO as even if I happen to catch the wrong side and screw up clipping in ocacsionally, I'll land on the platform side and still be able to easily pedal clear of the intersection before clipping in properly.


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## PoorCyclist

I use road pedals to commute, it isn't a problem as long as there isn't a alot of walking needed, or requirements to carry the bike up a stairs of slippery concrete or metal, then in that cae MTB shoes could be better because that could get slippery with road cleats.

Why don't you put the 105 pedals on and use it. Do you have shoes yet? You will need a road shoe for it.

The biggest thing I have learned with clipless pedals when stopped, I used to do this tip toe ballet foot to touch the ground to wait for the light to turn green. I actually sprung my ankle doing this for too long, now I just put my body forward and sit on the top tube and the leg is flat on the ground. My other leg is still clipped in, this makes my rides and commutes much better after I have figured this out.


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## orbit

There's no shame in trying a few different options until you find the one that works best for you. (and you might want to use those road pedals in the future). At the moment you are doing the sensible thing in using platform pedals on your commute until you get a bit more riding confidence.

When I bought my road bike, the shop was happy to set up 2 bikes on trainers for me in the store with different pedal options (Look pedals v. Speedplay) so I could try them out and compare. Doing this completely changed my mind, all my research had pointed me to Speedplay, yet I just couldn't get the hang of them. I was surprised that I could found clipping into the Looks easier. No harm in asking your bike shop if they will help you out like this.

Whatever you decide, spend time practicing clipping in and out on a deserted road first, you'll soon pick it up.


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## My Own Private Idaho

I like Crank Brothers pedals for commuting. I have one pair of Candy C's on a bike, and one pair of Eggbeaters. Both work equally as well.


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## brucew

Samadhi said:


> Seeing as there will be a lot of stop-and-go riding - traffic lights and so on - I'm wondering if clipless pedals are a good idea for the commute seeing as there may be a lot of clipping in and out of the pedals while I'm downtown?


I live in the city and work in the city. My commute is nothing but stop-and-go. In a 9 mile round trip, I'll hit 27 stoplights and 15 stop signs. I ride clipless. It's no biggie.



orbit said:


> Whatever you decide, spend time practicing clipping in and out on a deserted road first, you'll soon pick it up.


I agree. A bit of practice before jumping into the cut-and-thrust of city traffic is advisable. Intersections are where you're exposed to more "conflict" with drivers. I feel a lot safer when I can get through them PDQ. Clipping-in on the first half-rotation of the crank helps me accomplish that.

OTOH, it's the daily practice on my commute that makes me the first to clip in on club rides. I'm clipped in and down the road while the rest of the club is wobbling around the intersection looking at their feet.

Since I'm primarily a transportation cyclist, I use SPDs for their off-bike walkability. I've tried different pedals and always come back to the A-520 road/touring SPD. What I like about them is that after break-in, they always fall to exactly the right angle to clip-in quickly and accurately.

Double-sided ones are a shot in the dark. They could be rotated anywhere. The combo platform/clipless always seemed to rotate so the wrong side was up, no matter what shoe I wore.

The A-520s are right there, every single time, after a few hundred miles of break-in. Snow and ice packed in to my winter clipless boots doesn't seem to bother them either.


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## Squidward

I used to commute 28 miles cutting through the heart of San Francisco on Look Keo pedals (very similar to your Shimano 105s). No problems. Clipping in and out has become second nature to me and I even mimic the clipping out movement when using platform pedals at times. I also learned to track stand and anticipate when the lights are going to turn green. It's no use charging up to a red light only to have to wait for half a minute for a green one.


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## JCavilia

brucew said:


> I live in the city and work in the city. My commute is nothing but stop-and-go. In a 9 mile round trip, I'll hit 27 stoplights and 15 stop signs. I ride clipless. It's no biggie..


Very similar to my statistics. 6 miles each way, with about 11 lights and 7 stop signs. And though I usually commute on fixed-gear bikes, I still can't trackstand worth a damn after all these years, so I do have to clip out sometimes. I do try to slow down and time it when possible, to avoid clipping out. That practice requires a lot of confidence in the clipping-out ability, since it sometimes means coming to a full stop and having to clip out when you expected to keep going. No biggie, as you say.


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## pmf

I'll echo what others have said here. Clipless pedals might seem a little daunting at first, but before long, they become second nature. You might bite the dust once or twice starting out, but all that usually gets hurt is your pride. It typically happens when you're going 1 mph closing in on a stop sign. Hopefully, a good looking woman isn''t standing there at the time. 

I've been wearing clipless mountian bike pedals, first just for commuting and now even for weekend rides. I started on Shimano SPD, and have since moved to Time ATAC which I think are better. Whatever you do, dump the platforms and don't mess around with dual function pedals. You'll constantly be looking down to see what side is facing up. With regular mountian pedals, either side clips in -- a nice feature that most road pedals don't have. 

Also be aware that you need mountian shoes for mountian pedals -- road shoes have a different drilling. Shoes with carbon soles are a big improvement, but they do cost a bit more.


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## nightfend

Mountain SPDs with a walkable looking SPD shoe are great. There are plenty of nice looking SPD shoes out there that don't have bright colors/stripes, etc.


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## 55x11

Samadhi said:


> Thanx for the replies thus far.
> 
> My commute's gonna be around 10 miles - two miles on a bike lane with light traffic, 5 traffic lights and one seldom used RR crossing. Then 6-7 miles on a dedicated bike path with 2 or 3 possible stops where the path crosses a street. Finally there is 1 mile or so downtown. The downtown streets I take all have dedicated bike lanes but there will be traffic lights at every intersection. It's the downtown area that concerns me. Lots of traffic and lots of stopping.
> 
> The clipless pedals I have on hand to use are Shimano 105 PD-5700, but like I said, I'll leave platforms on the bike till I get used to riding it in different situations.
> 
> Most of my riding will be on bike paths. The Denver metro has an excellent network of paths, so riding on the streets will be minimal.
> 
> I'm really excited about the new bike - a GT GTR Series 2 - and I'm really champing at the bit to get it home. With any luck, that weekend (2/18-19) will be nice enough to ride. If so, the plan is to give the bike a shakedown by riding to the office.


judging from your commute description, you should definitely go clipless.
you may have to unclip a few times in the last mile if you get stuck at the light but it's no big deal - after a little practice (ride around the block a few times at low speed and just clip-unclip - or on grassy field if you afraid you will fall the first time) you will be fine. But 9 miles leading to downtown will be great for clipless. Once you go clipless you won't go back.


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## Trower

I have been commuting since May, and have used some Crank Brothers Candy pedals. I love them, super easy to clip in and out of, and they are good even in the snow! I wouldn't trust any other pedals in the snow and ice like I do these. Wouldn't choose ANY other pedal for my commute


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## JCavilia

pmf said:


> . Whatever you do, dump the platforms and don't mess around with dual function pedals. You'll constantly be looking down to see what side is facing up. With regular mountian pedals, either side clips in -- a nice feature that most road pedals don't have. .


I'll have to disagree a bit there. I suppose the 2-sided mtb pedals are nice, but I have no problem with dual-function pedals (Performance Forte Campus). I never look down to see what side is facing up. I can feel which side I've hit, and I can flip it without looking. I don't look at my Looks, either. It's all by feel, and it takes almost no conscious thought.

The dual-function types, if they work for you with the cycling shoes, are ideal if you sometimes use the bike with street shoes. Double-sided spd's are awkward with dress shoes or flip-flops ;-)


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## Slim Again Soon

I've commuted (10-miles, one-way) on both clipless and platform.

I first used clipless pedals because that was what I had on my road bike when I started. At first I used Zero pedals, because I liked the float on road rides. But Zeros, with those big, hunching devices on the bottom of the shoes, are not good for commuting if you have to walk from the bike to the office — a necessity for most commutes.

So, I switched to Eggbeaters and MTB shoes. If you go clipless, I'd recommend MTB shoes (and any pedal you want). You can walk easily in the MTB footwear. It made a big difference.

When I put together a separate bike for commuting and utility use, I put on platform pedals. I can ride ride in a variety of shoes — I use Keen sandals in the summer heat. The downside ... well, I haven't found one.

Clipless pedals give you an advantage on road rides at speed. Once you through in a few stops — and what commute doesn't have a few stops? — the advantage is thin.

So for my commute and utility rides, I don't see any loss of time or energy when I use platforms, but I see a big increase in practicality and comfort (especially on winter rides — road-bike clipless shoes are cold!).

That's my preference — platforms and comfortable shoes. Your mileage may vary.


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## pmf

JCavilia said:


> I'll have to disagree a bit there. I suppose the 2-sided mtb pedals are nice, but I have no problem with dual-function pedals (Performance Forte Campus). I never look down to see what side is facing up. I can feel which side I've hit, and I can flip it without looking. I don't look at my Looks, either. It's all by feel, and it takes almost no conscious thought.
> 
> The dual-function types, if they work for you with the cycling shoes, are ideal if you sometimes use the bike with street shoes. Double-sided spd's are awkward with dress shoes or flip-flops ;-)


Yeah, but this guy is just getting his feet wet (so to speak). I don't need to look down at my road pedals either, but I've been riding clipless pedals for 20+ years. I bet he would have to look down. 

Plus, dual function pedals look dorky.


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## kontradictions

pmf said:


> Plus, dual function pedals look dorky.


Nonsense. I have the Shimano PD-A530s. They look cool.


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## brewster

These are my commuter shoes. I've never owned Shimano shoes but these are great.


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## nonsleepingjon

For a 10 mile commute I'd want clipless pedals. My commuter has SPD style pedals and there's no issue getting a foot down in time for a traffic light or even a unexpected stop. I use them when mountain biking as well and can unclip before I tip over when going over an obstacle.

I have a platform pedal "insert" that clips in to one side of the pedal so that I can do short trips in regular shoes. (similar to this one)


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## the sarge

i commute on 105 pedals just fine. i live north of the city of san diego and i commute right through the heart of it and down into industrial area no problem. i only have 1 road bike so it's set up for riding distance but works for commuting. if i had more then one i would consider a egg beater or spd setup for commuting but since i can only have 1 without switching pedals back and forth i'll stick to a true road pedal and shoe


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## chemical_brother

I started off with regular platforms on my mountain bike for about 150 miles, then got a Bowery singlespeed with toe clips and logged ~40 miles before switching to Time ATAC Aliums on both, paired with Pearl Izumi MTB shoes. Typical in-town rides for me are 3-5 miles, "funner" rides are up to 30 miles. 

Either way I'd still go clipless with MTB shoes. Clipping and un-clipping becomes second nature with practice. I practiced stationary a good 40x per side to get used to the feeling.


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## Tzvia

Well, the OP has mentioned that it's the first road bike for 40 years, so clipless should not be on ride #1.  After he gets comfortable on the bike, maybe.

I am all for clipless, and have not ridden any other way since the late 80s. I've had everything from the first LOOK, first Dura-Ace, Keywin (anyone remember those?) and then I discovered Speedplay back in the early 90s when the pedals were all metal, no 'wing' on a plastic body. Been on speedplay since. My first MTB ride in 97 was on the Shimano 747, and later Time and now XTR. I can't stand toe clips, and can't see doing flats.

When I started commuting 2 years ago (finally a job close enough to home) I went with Candy SLs and 'fitness' shoes, Specialized. Wear them all day at work, thank you casual dress. Even though the ride is a short 5 miles each way, with lots of stops for intersections on one of the largest streets in a major US city, clipless is still the way to go, but only if you can be comfortable and sure of the system. After a few decades I am very comfortable, but I don't expect the OP to be at first.


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## Drew Eckhardt

Samadhi said:


> Seeing as there will be a lot of stop-and-go riding - traffic lights and so on - I'm wondering if clipless pedals are a good idea for the commute seeing as there may be a lot of clipping in and out of the pedals while I'm downtown?
> 
> Any thoughts?


I had 24 traffic lights (just one a right turn) and 10 stop signs on my 12 mile commuting route. Clipless worked great.


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## JohnnyTooBad

I'm a big fan of the Crank Brother Candy pedals. I have them on all my bikes (MTB, road, commuter). They are great because they have a bit of a platform to them, so they are good for jumping on the pedals when you need to sprint away from a traffic light. They are also a lot easier to get into and out of than SPDs. I use them with MTB shoes. You could also ride them with regular shoes if you needed to, whcih you can't do with SPDs unless you have a a pedal that has a binding on one side and a platform on the other. The Candy's can be ridden with street shoes or bike shoes on either side. The cleat that mounts to the shoe is very thin, and doesn't stick down below the MTB shoe treads, so you don't walk on the cleat, so you can walk around on concrete and in the office without making noise or destroying the cleats. I've also had instances on my commute where there was construction or something else going on and I needed to walk a bit. Wearing MTB shoes is the way to go.


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## lucyfek

I use CrankBrothers for all my riding road/mtn - easy in and out and cleats are so small that with sneaker-like shoes (have older Adidas mtn shes) I don't even need office shoes ("casual Friday") if I had no chance to leave these at workplace.


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## jrm

*Clipless*

i like Clipless b/c you can throw down power when you need it and in traffic thats a plus in my book. Having that edge has saved my butt. Also this combo will allow you to ride longer and more comfortably. See ya out there

PS those big S shoes are nice...


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## EverydayRide

What many said, go SPD and mountain bike pedals with dual sides. If you want the best of both worlds, I also use these inserts that clip into clipless SPD or Look pedals and give you a toe strap/clip configuration. On the bottom of the clip on platform there is a cleat that locks into your clipless pedals holding the platform in place. Real easy to use.

Winwood Instep Pedal Insert Pedal

Winwood Instep Pedal Insert Pedal Reviews


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## longlegged

For city riding, I prefer platform pedals


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## Roar

Speedplay frogs. I love them - very easy to get into and out of.

I commute in very heavy traffic, wet conditions, with lots of stop-n-go.

I have Specialized Tahoe shoes. So far, they have proven to be comfortable and not that slippery in wet conditions when I have to put down a foot quickly. Comfy with the frogs.

I can alway walk around somewhat normally in them.


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## Willis24

I ride a single speed commuter equipped with Time ATAC pedals and wear a pair of Mavic shoes all day with good comfort and support. The shoes seem to have just the right amount of flex to be efficient on the bike, yet have all day walking comfort to my liking.


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## Biker560

*Toe Straps*

I use toe straps for biking and they work fine for me.


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## AndreyT

I just started commuting in SPD clipless on a CX bike

Specialized Comp MTB Shoes

so I'm pretty much in the same shoes as you are. It is a 6 mile commute one way with about 10 street lights. So far I made a couple of trips in new shoes and all seems to be fine. Of course, you have to remember to unclip at the right times. But I'd say that unclipping is less of an issue than clipping in afterwards. It will certainly improve with practice.


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## IHTabata

Clipless & car-less


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## 4Crawler

I don't commute on my bike (work at home) but I just recently converted to clipless pedals after 40 yrs. on platforms. I really like the clipless setup and I run MTB shoes and SPD cleats and use a dual pedal like the Shimano M324 on my mountain and touring bikes which I use for local rides. I like the pedals as I can ride with regular shoes or sandals for a quick trip to the store. Or I can clip in for longer rides and I can flip them over and use the platform with the bike shoes like on technical trails. I find it easy enough to clip in and out of the pedals. I keep the clip tension towards the lower end so it is easier to release.

I have two sided clipless pedals on my road bike what I ride with the same shoes and those I crank the tension up higher.

With the dual pedals I find my feet get the feel for which side of the pedal is up. Or you can get in the habit of checking the free pedal when you stop and make sure the clip is down and the bottom of the pedal stroke before taking off. That way, as you push down on the clipped in pedal, the free pedal rotates to clip up at the top of the stroke and you step onto it and clip in first time every time. 

My take is that if you are going to actually use the pedals in both modes on most rides, then they make sense. If you mainly use one mode or the other and rarely use the other, then you are probably better off with a dedicated pedal.


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## Cross Chained

I also use Crank Brothers Candy pedals on both my bikes (one hybrid and one road) and I love them. I have a commute that is half on a MUT and half on city streets through Melbourne CBD. Lots of stop and go there. As others have said, the double sided pedals are great. 

I've never had a problem getting in or out of the pedals at stoplights. What I do when I come to a stop is unclip and then I pull one pedal into a 2 o'clock position and rest my foot on it, but without pressing down hard enough to clip in, so that when the light changes, I can push off from that foot and clip in on the first downstroke. That way my feet are free while waiting but instantly back in the pedals when I get going again.

I also like that if I want to coast for a while with my feet out of the pedals, I can sort of rest the middle of my feet on the pedal without being clipped in. There's one section of my ride that goes through a heavy pedestrian area with a 10kph speed limit for bikes and it's good to be able to put my feet down quickly if I need to because a lot of pedestrians don't want where they are going.


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## predictive

I commute on a Cross Check with Crank Brothers 50/50 platform pedals. I used to ride clipless for commuting, but I came to realize that the point of a commuter bike is to be able to just jump on it and go, and having to change shoes ruins that. I still ride clipless on the road bike, but I ride the Cross Check 90% of the time and I think platforms are the only choice for your bumming-around-town bike.


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