Clipping in to clipless pedals – what’s that all about?

In for a penny, in for a pound. As the proud owner of a fancy new road bike there was now no avoiding the mysterious world of cleats and clipping in.

Some useful basics for the novice

• Clipless pedals are a two-part system. The pedal has a metal locking mechanism on it and there is also a metal or plastic cleat that attaches to the bottom of your shoe. This means that with a little practice you can connect rider and bike via the pedal which increases efficiency.

• The “clipless” term is potentially misleading. Though they don’t have “toe clips” as such, the action by which you connect shoe to pedal is still called “clipping in and out”.

• There are essentially 2 types of system – road or 3-hole (SPD-SL, sometimes called Look-style) and SPD or 2-hole (also called MTB, as they are typically used for mountain biking). The road shoes are