7/4/15 6:03 AM

I have a short commute, but use the bike several times during the day, and am moving to minimizing the amount of clothes changing I have to do. There are more and do more commuter oriented clothes that are good to ride in and passable for the office.

So I'm thinking of trying platform pedals, just so I don't need cycling shoes. I currently use ATACs with Sidi Doms which are fine, I just need to take them off and put them on a few times per day. Anyone ride with platforms? Not interested in convertible or clips, just want it simple. With a little googling, a reasonable choice seem MKS Grip Kings (actually Lambdas):

http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/pe1.htm

As I said, my commute is short and some efficiency loss is OK. Any thoughts/experience appreciated.

Happy 4th everyone. Finally good weekend weather here!

7/4/15 8:24 AM

It's going to feel strange the first few times you use them since you are used to being able to pull up and your feet will slip off flat pedals when you do that. I've tried flat pedals a couple of times for very short rides and it was not a lot of fun.

7/4/15 9:44 AM

Try cages with the straps removed.

7/4/15 10:59 AM

I had to use some when I sprained my ankle in May. The clipping out was unbearable. So I popped on the big nylon pedals that came on the Disc Roubaix and used my Sneakers for about two weeks. I was surprised at how well my feet stayed put even at higher cadence. Third week back on clipless I had to push out my heel manually with my hand, still hurt to clip out. ;)

But I also have some SPD shoes, as does Elaine that the SPD cleat does not touch the ground when walking.

Shoes for that are Mavic Cruise 2012 shoe and Elaine's which I like even better are Time Axiom. these have a more cantilever sole and are way stable for walking unlike my Lake MTN shoes which also have the recessed cleat but are pretty lugged for grip in dirt. Tandem duty and more casual riding use for me with the Mavic, like meeting friends for food on bike. Elaine are her only cycle shoe and I quite like those, they look more cycling shoe, the Cruise look more sneaker like FWIW.

Both of these mentioned purchased as clearance and way reasonable. The Cruise is a good cool shoe too I might mention. And Mavic has some big foot provisions in their mix also.

7/4/15 12:11 PM

I can walk fine in my Doms, or even road shoes for that matter. I just want to be able to hop on and off the bike without having to change in and out of cycling shoes. I'm not going to wear the Doms all day at the office. So I would just pedal in whatever shoes I happen to have on.

I've ridden flat pedals a little and think I could pedal OK for short commuting purposes, plus these have pins so there is some grip on the sole. No, I wouldn't use them for time trials.

It s a process. I've always changed pants as I don't like riding in typical chinos or whatever but now I've found some well designed, stretchy pants I like to ride in and can wear at the office. The are shirts made of performance fabrics that work great. I even have a passable sport coat that is great for riding. Trying to move in the same direction with shoes.

Roy, I'm not messing with cages - I want to be able to use hiking boots if appropriate.

7/4/15 4:47 PM

I've used Nukeproof Electron pedals in the past, which are quite nicely made, come in a range of colours, and have pins that can be removed if you want:

7/4/15 5:37 PM

Dan, can you tell us about the performance shirts dress pants?

7/4/15 5:38 PM

How about dual-function pedals, with a spd mech on one side and a flat pedal on the other? Shimano makes several models, as do others. I use Performance Campus pedals on the bike I use for rainy commutes and short errands around town. I wear mtb bike shoes for the commute so I can clip in, but I can hop on the bike in any old shoes and use the other side (I went out to get bagels in my flip-flops this morning).

Contrary to the cautions offered by some here, I find no problem in switching back and forth.

If you're just going to get flat pedals, there are lots of good ones.

7/4/15 6:03 PM

Well I referred to dual function perhaps inartfully as "convertibles," which I said I didn't want in the original post. :)

If I use flat pedals on this bike, no need for clip-ins. I have a number of bikes, and I don't even want to bother spinning the pedal around to the right side. This is a pure commuter/errand bike used for short rides - I might ride it 15 miles in the course of a day, but not more than about 3 at a time.

7/4/15 6:38 PM

Well I'll start by saying that none of this stuff is cheap. :)

But there is more and more stuff made that has technical fabrics as good as your cycling clothes, breathes, sheds water, doesn't wrinkle, looks decent, machine washable, is extremely comfortable, and has features like lots of zippered pockets (important to an aging schlemiel like myself), reflective trim, etc.

For something simple like a polo shirt, I got a couple synthetic Under Armour shirts that are much better for riding than traditional cotton.

A company I like a lot is Rohan Designs in the UK, which has pretty much good technical everything, even dress shirts and suits.

I have a Mizzen & Main dress shirt that is great.

Some of the the best (and most expensive) cycle commuting stuff I have seen is QOR. I got the hike/ bike jeans which are incredible (and cost around $200) - a high tech Schoeller fabric, sheds water and dirt (and supposedly oil though I haven't tested that), is stretchy, has a gusseted cut and is as comfortable to ride in as tights, has zippered pockets including a cell pocket on the leg, reflective trim (if you roll up the right pant leg, it exposes reflective trim). Don't wrinkle, throw them in the washer. Look like high quality pants (you can also get a dress style but I like the jean pockets better). And they fit me great off the rack. I also got a sport coat from them which is a technical fabric, you can zip it closed all the way up the front, reflective trim, and has all sorts of zippered pockets (and looks better than you'd think).

Costly and not for everyone, but I commute frequently, meet with clients nearly every day, and like this stuff.

7/4/15 8:51 PM

Alternatively:

http://www.chromeindustries.com/us/en/footwear/city-spd

That's just one example of SPD shoes that can be worn all day and pass for regular shoes.

7/4/15 9:26 PM

quote:

---

Well I referred to dual function perhaps inartfully as "convertibles," which I said I didn't want in the original post. :

---

7/5/15 5:41 AM

My situation is a little weird. One bike, and until recently, a job where I could wear shorts to work. Consequently, I've worn MTB shoes pretty much all the time.

I have a set of flip-over pedals, but I dislike them for aesthetic reasons. I can't be more specific than that...it's not any loss of power (of course, I'm low on that to begin with), it's about how a bike looks with large, flat pedals. Stupid, huh?

So I went back to using dual-sided SPDs.

We'll have to see how things go in the future.

7/5/15 7:34 AM

Thanks all. I'm going to try a pair of the Chrome shoes linked by Parkin. That may be a better solution for me, and I can also use them with other bikes equipped with ATACs.[/u]

7/5/15 3:17 PM

I have been using for years both for commuting and in the gym bike, platform pedals which contain a thick vynal strap that travels diagnolly across the top of your foot . Benefits include not scuffing your shoe, plus the same twist in out action/engagement as clip ins. That is the straps tighten when you step in and loosen when you twist your foot out.

7/5/15 3:28 PM

Those straps used to make my toes numb. Used them for MTB to avoid clipless 100 years ago. I think for this purpose they would be perfect, but forget what they where called.

Some googling show this:

7/5/15 8:01 PM

Yes, that's it. Thanks, Sparky.

7/6/15 3:18 PM

I often commute using Citi Bike, which has only flat pedals. Obviously, I'm not setting any speed record on my commute. But I really don't feel there's much to grip about regarding the flat pedals.

Those bikes are not efficient to begin with. So the further lose of efficiency by not being clipped in is really a drop in the bucket. I get to my destination probably 5 minutes later than if I use my own bike, with SPD pedals. But then, the time it takes to change shoes pretty much ate up all that time saving.

My commute is about 5-6 miles one way.

7/6/15 3:25 PM

I've tried the SPD sandles some years back, thinking that would be the best for casual out and about. I quickly realized the cleats are so heavy I don't really like walking around a lot wearing those shoes.

Further more, the cleat makes noise on just about all hard surfaces.

I returned them after a couple days

7/6/15 8:03 PM

It is safer to do so. For a heavier bike there are times when you need to pedal out of the saddle even at a casual speed/effort. With flat/smooth sole dress shoes, wet or cold pedals, etc. you will eventually have your foot slip off the pedal. It is inevitable to happen at least once. Guaranteed. Minimum damage is a painful smack to the shin.

7/6/15 9:06 PM

I've commuted on flats for years now. Rain and sun. You'll want spikes of reasonable sharpness to hold your feet in place. I used less sharp spikes once, my foot would slip around in the rain. Many have removable spikes. You could remove a spike or two if you're worried about having too many sharp things around your shins.

I don't notice any significant loss in efficiency, nothing I'm concerned about anyway. if you want to split hairs, the time you lose will probably be less than the time you spend changing your shoes, so there's that.

Because you're a person who actually rides bikes you might want to consider a different pedal than the one you pictured because the one in your link is quite chunky. There are lots of "light weight" platform pedals available. I'm not suggesting you do this to save weight but most of the lighter pedals are also lower profile. I've used chunkier BMX pedals and found I would clip the ground sometimes when pedalling through an aggressive corner. I've never bailed but it scared the shit out of me and I bought some lower profile pedals. I've clipped those too but not as badly. If I ever get over this inertia I'll grind off the highest (lowest), most outboard points of the pedals. Being a "cyclist" you'll likely take the odd corner at a speed fast enough to clip a pedal as well, you may as well take steps to minimize the likelihood of that through your pedal choice.

Anyway, flats. Yes. Great idea. Free the foot, free the mind....

7/7/15 6:56 AM

Don't know if they are still available:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/10/bikes-and-tech/reviews/clothesline-keen-austin-pedal-shoes_146169

7/7/15 9:16 AM

"I don't notice any significant loss in efficiency"

I didn't either, and the orig Spesh Plastic pedals had some good protruding grips with in the castings. Not sure i could say I had much confidence in what the long term durability would have been. Seemed pretty cheap... So ig you could grab a few sets for 5-10:00 space bucks and replace seasonally. They seemed reasonable light.

I did strike once or twice, after using very low profile Keywins which excel in lean angle situations.

7/10/15 4:52 PM

I got a pair of the Chrome Truk shoes linked by Parkin. Today I used them to ride to the office, wear around the office, do grocery shopping, walk the dogs twice. They are pretty good. I use them with ATACs, which I have on 3 bikes.

They are quite good for walking. Riding is pretty good, though they definitely feel softer then my Doms. I think this is probably just a different feel, not anything that makes a significant difference for short commuting. Fine to wear around the office. One online comment likened them stylistically to orthopedic shoes, but I think that is a bit harsh. I prefer to think they have an edgy messenger vibe (at my age I need all the edge I can get). So I think these will work well for me, though I may still experiment with flat pedals.

I had a decent week at work so I decided also to reward myself by splurging on the Dromartis beloved of Jan Heine. These are at least spiritual successors of Maressis, which were my favorite pre-clipless shoes.

A customer service note. As soon as I placed the online order for the Dromatis, I got an email asking what brand and size cycling shoes I used currently, so they could be sure the size was right. This even though they had good sizing info on the website.

http://www.dromarti.com/bicycle-quarterly-press-review

7/11/15 9:40 AM

However, the most I've spent on any shoes in my life is $50. I usually wait for some nice casual MTB shoes to go on sale at Gnashbar. But those are nice shoes!