Upgrading to a road bike can be challenging but can you ride the road bike without cleats and clipping your feet into the pedals? Furthermore, what are the best cycling shoes without cleats which can help you acclimate to your new road bike before you buy cleats and lipless pedals.
The reason many avoid cleats is because they take some practice to clip in and out of especially if your new to riding on the road or highways. The challenge is unclipping your shoes from the pedals fast enough so you don’t fall over with your feet still attached.
If that’s the case, you’ve probably best starting out with cycling shoes that don’t require you to clip your feet into the pedals. Once you build your convenience and get use to cycling on the roads you can then upgrade to a different style of pedal and cycling shoe. It normally takes around a month or more to get use to cycling with your feet clipped in.
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Can You Ride a Road Bike Without Cleats?
A road bike can be cycled effectively without cleats and clipless pedals. A regular trainer with flat pedals will feel comfortable and provide sufficient power to have a great bike ride. In fact, you will only lose approximately 5% wattage/power using a training shoe to shoe with cleats.
If you go down the route of not using cleats and remaining with traditional trainer shoes and flat pedals, you can still enjoy cycling your bike without any issues or dangers.
However, there are some excellent reasons to consider installing clipless pedals and buying road bike shoes with cleats, which we will discover in this article.
Furthermore, if you don’t want to use cleats, I’ll provide some alternatives to cleats to increase your power on the pedals without having the added risk of falling off your bike because you are attracted to the pedals.
What Are Cleats And Clipless Pedals?
Cleats are a little triangular wedge that fastens the sole of a cyclist’s shoe to the pedal, allowing them to clip on to the bike pedal and ride more securely.
Cleats are made to click your shoe in and out of a pedal clip. You simply push the shoe in, and the cleat will click onto the pedal.
To free it, twist or pull (depending on the type of cleat), and it will quickly disengage from the bike’s pedal.
Some types of pedal and cycling shoes are only compatible with some types of cleats, so this is important to pay attention to if you are going to buy some. Sometimes you will discover that cleats aren’t provided with the cycling shoe.
Therefore, if you purchase them separately, analyse the cleats and shoe to determine if they are compatible. Additionally, not all clipless pedals fit with all cleats, so again, check before you buy.
There are many varieties of cleats, so if you decide you do want to get some, make sure you spend some time researching the different types.
Plastic cleats are usually cheaper but tend to wear out faster – so they may represent a false economy if you cycle regularly.
Metal cleats are often more hard-wearing but will need replacing fairly regularly, particularly if you walk long distances in your cycling shoes.
Benefits To Cleats And Do They Work?
Cleats let you pull the pedal up as well as push it down, which makes for a very different riding experience. They let cyclists put more power into each rotation of the wheel.
If you cycle without cleats, the pulling up movement is lost, suggesting you lose half a revolution of power on the pedal.
Furthermore, your foot is more prone to slipping off the pedal, especially when you’re producing a lot of power during a challenging uphill segment.
Cleats really change the sensation of riding a bike, and many cyclists prefer them as they help them cycle faster. A cleat is also supposed to help keep your foot aligned with the pedal axle, maximising the efficiency and the transfer of power from your foot to the bike.
Some cyclists feel cleats make for a more comfortable riding experience, keeping their feet in a good position and fixed firmly to the pedal.
You may notice cleats make riding your bike more comfortable, especially if you are going long distances, as you might be on a road bike.
Some cyclists believe that because they promote a good foot position, they help to reduce muscle strain and allow you to keep cycling for longer.
Furthermore, good foot alignment means it takes the pressure off your knees and can reduce joint soreness. And if you stand up whilst cycling, a clipped foot provides more security and increase wattage than a regular shoe.
The Best Cycling Shoes Without Cleats
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Let’s take a look at some of the top-rated non-cleat cycling shoes and break down their features for you. What makes them great? What are they missing? All you need to know is included in this comprehensive review.
1. Santic Cycling Shoes – Best Overall
This unisex cycling shoe is designed to resemble a clipless cycling shoe but does not need cleats which is ideal for flat pedals or indoor exercise/spin bikes. The flat sole makes your riding safer because you don’t need to clip into pedals.
With any cycling shoe, it’s always recommended to go one size higher than your standard shoe size. However, the santic cycling shoe provides half size increments as well.
This cycling shoe is created with V-heel (heel cup), which is anatomically shaped around the heel and ankle to avoid twisting, providing more solid support and stability.
The best part is the design, with a rotating buckle that adjusts the tightness of the shoe, and the non-slip bottom, making it great for walking around when you get off your bike.
2. Cool-CZQ Cycling Shoes – Best Value
These cycling shoes are great value costing around $30 (£23). Nevertheless, they provide the support, durability, and comfort expected by and mid-range cycling shoes.
The colour option are limited with the Cool-CZQ shoe, but they are neutral colours designed for male and female cyclists. Again ideal for cycling outdoors and indoor and walking around after you finish your bike ride.
Consider getting one size up, but these shoes come in a wider fit, yet the velcro straps and fastener make it easy to fit comfortably.
3. Giro Gauge Cycling Shoe – Compatible With SPD
If you want to begin with a non-cleat cycling shoe, then upgrade to a clipless SPD pedal these shoes are perfect for that. You can use them with flat pedals, and once you build your confidence, they are comfortable with SPD, which screw into the shoe’s bottom.
They are comfortable for both cycling and walking around all day without changing shoes. Therefore, an excellent shoe for the commuter cyclist. They aren’t as stiff as a traditional cycling shoe, so they don’t hurt your feet or heal.
However, they are on the smaller fit, so getting at least one whole size up from your typical shoe is recommended.
Best Alternatives To Cleats For Road Bikes
You can ride your bike just fine without cleats if you don’t have them and don’t instantly want to invest in some.
There’s nothing to stop you from riding in ordinary trainers, so if you’re new to cycling, it might be worth getting a feel for your bike and the riding experience before you buy yourself lots of gadgets.
The loss of power and time on a flat pedal to a clipless pedal is less than 5% on average over a shorter distance (Less than 10k).
Implying, if you’re new to road cycling, it’s not going to make a massive impact on your ride. However, you can make a few alternatives to your pedals to increase your power and foot security to make your ride a little better.
Bike Pedal With Inbuilt Strap
Most new bikes will come with a flat pedal and a strap that secures your foot to the pedal. The strap is easily adjusted to the top of your shoe and holds your foot in place reasonably well.
Most pedal straps have a toe guard at the end, which prevents your foot from sliding forwards and losing power on the pedal whiles your cycling.
It is an excellent alternative to cleats, and you can loosen the strap so you can easily remove your foot if you feel like you will fall.
Bike Pedal Strap
These types of straps are not attached to the bike pedal and simply wrap around your foot and the bottom of the pedal.
The benefits to these straps are they hold your foot firmly to the pedal, you get the additional power of the revolution, and you can quickly remove the strap. Most of these straps are velcro, meaning if you think you are going to fall, pull your foot up hard, and the strap will come free.
Can You Ride A Road Bike Without Cleats Summary
Now you know that you don’t need pedals or shoes that require you to clip your feet into to cycle your road bike. Ive given you my top 3 best cycling shouts without cleats and alternatives to a clip in pedal.
The cycling world can be a daunting one to dip into, but the short answer is that you do not need cleats to ride a road bike; you can pedal just fine without them.
However, they may make the experience more pleasant, especially if you become a serious rider, and they can give you more control over the pedal movement.