Cyclists can spend a lot of money and time talking about pedals. Do you go with clips, clip less, or just plain pedals? This particular rider started out like most, using the plain old pedals that came with the bike. Then, as I rode with some friends and read cycling articles, I realized that I "needed" some clip less pedals and cycling specific shoes with cleats. I got some for mountain biking, the SPD style. After a few falls, I finally got the hang of "clicking" in and out. After riding some more with groups and reading more articles, I realized that I needed road style pedals and cleats on my "road" bike. So, I bought some Look style pedals, cleats, and new shoes. These took a little more getting use to, making sure the cleat didn't miss the pedal while clicking in and have the foot slip completely off the pedal. I rode with these for a few years. They are OK on long rides on the road bike. But, I was finding it a bit cumbersome for commuting. It felt a bit overkill for a 6 mile ride. Plus, I was always wearing the road cycling shoes and needing to make sure I had regular work shoes at work. It also made it more difficult to make stops on the way home.
So, one day as I was servicing my regular commuter bike (the one with fenders and all the lights), I thought, why not just put the original old pedals back on this thing and try riding in sneakers or lightweight hiking shoes? The ride to work was great, could hardly tell any difference performance-wise. It was nice not needing to plan for extra shoes at work. Whatever I wore from home was fine. And that's the way the next 1600 miles have been pedaled since.
If you want another's perspective on plain old pedals vs. clip less pedals, check out this article on Rivendell Bicycle Works site: The Shoes Ruse
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