Cycling Shoe - Pedal Systems

Pedal Systems

Modern cycling shoes are designed to work with clipless pedal systems. Such systems temporarily connect the shoe to the pedal like a ski binding system for maximal efficiency of power-transfer using a cleat on the bottom of each shoe and a matched fitting on the pedal. Several manufacturers produce these systems; consequently, modern shoes usually have threaded holes in the sole in various arrangements to attach cleats from different manufacturers.

Broadly there are two styles of clipless pedals: road and MTB. Mountain bike style use a small cleat that sits up inside the sole of the shoe. It enables reasonable walking/running when dismounted. Road pedals use a wide cleat that makes walking difficult but gives good power transfer and is comfortable on long rides.

An older system is the toe-clip and toestrap. A toeclip is a metal cage attached to the front of the pedal into which the rider inserts the shoe. There are two methods for using pedals with toeclips. The first is a cycling shoe with a slotted shoeplate. Before the introduction of the clipless pedal, most racing shoes had a hard leather or plastic sole to which a metal or plastic shoe plate or cleat was attached. The shoeplate had a slot that fitted into the pedal. The shoeplate along with toe clip and strap keep the rider's feet firmly attached to the pedals. The drawback is that a rider had to reach down and loosen the toestrap by hand to take their foot out of the pedal and for this reason toeclips have been made largely obsolete by clipless pedals. The second is to use a cycling shoe with a smooth sole or a non-cycling shoe. This had the disadvantage of the rider's feet not being firmly attached to the pedals but had the advantage of being able to release from the pedals without having to loosen the strap by hand, and also any shoe can be used.