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Toe Clips and Clipless Pedals

Cyclists everywhere debate the merits of various ways of securing their feet to the pedals of their bike. The two main options are the Clipless Pedal and the Toe Clip. 

The clipless pedal combines a stiff-soled shoe. It offers great energy or efforts savings because all of the energy that the leg and foot use to push the pedal go straight into the pedal. There is no energy loss due to a bend in a foot. In addition, because the shoe is actually clipped to the pedal, as the foot goes through the revolution of the crank, the cyclist is able to pull more efficiently on the upstroke. 

Usually, a clipless system is one-sided for road bikes and two-sided for mountain bikes. The pedals on mountain bikes are wider so the pedal can be used in technical situations without the shoe clipping in. One of the biggest problems with the clipless pedal is compatibility. A number of road bike shoes have been manufactured for one type of pedal only. Fortunately, the majority of manufacturers now offer adaptive systems. 

Toe clips allow the foot to bend and so are a less efficient use of energy or effort. The foot is allowed to bend when the power of the leg and foot is transferred to the pedal. This results in energy loss. A benefit is that these systems cost less than clipless pedals, can be used with any shoes, and require almost no maintenance. A negative of this system is that getting into the toe clip system can be difficult. It is difficult because the rider has to flip up the pedal in order to insert the foot. The straps of the toe clips cause the pedal to hang upside down when it is not in use. With practice, the whole process becomes easier but it is never as easy as clipless pedals. Fortunately, toe clips are easier to get out of without a lot of practice. 

Choosing the system best depends on the type of rider a person is.
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