Bill,

Consider the Time pedals. The bike shoes end up being like sneakers.

I use SPD's for long commutes and when I want to make a lot of on the bike off the bike fast errands. The shoes are pretty walk -able.
Look Keo Carbon on the road bike -- 25 miles or more rides. Feet hardly ever touch the ground on those rides.
Then I still have toe clips if I need some decent shoes at my destination. (Pedals are one of the reasons I have 7 bikes! )
Lately though I use spd's and bring a pair of shoes, works well and I can still walk a bit in the spd's.

As far as clip-less pedals go you will just be much more efficient with them. In P-car terms: YOU WILL GAIN HP!

BTW -- nice to see how many great Pelicanites also seriously ride bicycles.

not to hijack but:

any tips on cleaning a helmet? mine is flat out getting funky. i hosed it down.

thinking of repeated dunkings in a bucket of water with laundry detergent. no good?

Vash, try dunking it in some sport wash

Vash,

Your feet should not ache in the cage. If you have a cleat, your toe or the tip of your shoe should not touch the cage at all. the buckle should ride just above the side of feet not right on it. the leather strap should be there. That's where all the pain and ache comes from. Just for your info.

Gyms use SPDs (spuds) on the bikes. I've got a second pair of shoes for the gym.

I use Time ATAC on all the bikes (road, 'cross, and mountain). Time does make a double sided pedal that is an ATAC on one side and a platform on the other. The Time cleats are very forgiving for mud, other debris, etc. They offer good motion range for my knees. They are easier to learn to clip in/out.

For the "get out" release, you can twist your foot either heel to the outside, or heel to the inside. This is an important point when you are learning as the natural action when you are falling (or think you are) is to point your toe in the direction of your fall (so the heel moves to the inside). Some cleats do not release at all, or only with great difficulty.

The shoes are flat for walking or those oh-so-fun drag-the-bike through the wilds moments!

Helmets - the pads are usually held in with velcro. Take them out and wash them in the sink, dry in direct sunlight. Stink be gone.

angela

Before washing try soaking pads in a bowl of water+vinegar for a couple hours. If the pads don't come out easy then the entire helmet goes in. Then wash. That said I sweat like whore in church but my helmet does not stink. After your rides try hanging the helmet in an open space to dry (if you're not already doing that). I wear those strange toe shoes (Vibram Five Fingers) and I soak them as above to keep the smell at bay. Works really well.

Bought clips last year, tried em a few times, and the bear traps went back on
I just don't like em.

I really liked my Dura Ace pedals last year until my knee just quit wanting to work during the MS150 last year. Turns out my right foot is toed out so much that I needed longer pedal spindles. Now I'm running Speedplays with 1/8" longer left and 1/2" longer right spindles. I don't think the Speedplays are as good quality as the Shimanos but they sure solved my knee problem.

Thank you all!

I'm thinking Shimano, Ritchey/Wellgo, Time, or Eggbeaters for the mountain bike. Guess I'll bring my bike and shoes to the shop and do some picking. I go to Universal Cycle, they seem to have a huge selection.

Of the brands I just listed, the Eggbeaters seem the most, err, different.

My right knee does not want to conform to clipless, so I don't use them. Weight isn't much of a factor in a balanced rotating assembly.

A good bike setup and cleat alignment fixes most knee issues. Might be worth checking this out.

Many pedals offer various cleat options - you may need something with a bit more float.

Not on a flat road it ain't, but if you head for the hills or mountains, you bet your ass it's a major factor.

Every gram anywhere on the bike, is a gram you have to lift up the hill or mountain.
It don't matter if it's one big mountain climb of 1000 meters altitude, or you go up and down 20 times the same 50 meter hill.

A friend of mine who is a top level endurance rider takes her helmet into the shower after every ride. A bit of a rinse and all is good!

Replace that stinky lid every couple of years.
When they start to get a personality all of their own, it is about time.

I take my hockey gear to a shop that does repairs on sports equipment once a year to have it "cleaned". They put it in a chamber and spray it with ozone and disinfectant.
It works!

thanks for the tips.

my helmet is 8 months old. but i wear it everyday. and i sweat on climbs so much, i could grow rice. it gets gross.

i am gonna up the ante in the wash department.

vash: shower cap.

Update - decided to try out clipless, picked up a set of Shimano mountain pedals M520 and some cleats. Turns out I need a set of Shimano backing plates to put in my shoes, guess I can't start falling down until I make a trip to the bike store.

But what's interesting to me is the pedal weighs 175 grams each, and my Suntour Superbe Pro track pedal with plastic clips and nylon straps weighs . . . 175 grams. So there is really no weight penalty for clipless. Sure, there are lighter track pedals and the cleats weigh something, but there are lighter clipless pedals too - these M520's are very low-end vs the Suntours that are pretty nice.