2020: Show us your rides....

Here is my teammate.  It is a 2009 Kestrel Talon SL.  Yes, those are toe clips and platform pedals.  I used them for my first 2-3 years in the sport.  My last race with the toe clips was an Olympic triathlon where I averaged just over 22 MPH for a top 10% bike split.  

Yes...I had my bike into the shop for in's annual tune-up before a 70.3 2 years ago and a pushy sales guy got my wife to get me clipless pedals and shoes.  That was two days before the 70.3 race so I road around the parking lot in circles for 15 minutes to practice clipping in and clipping out and then my first time on the road clipless was in the 70.3 race.  I got a flat tire 38 miles into that race and got out of the pedal without crashing.  So the first time on the road I did well but I have since had the bike fall over at stops more times with the clipless more than I ever did with the toes clips.  

I saw zero improvements from the clipless pedals.  I road 2-1/2 years with toe clips and now 2-1/2 clipless.  The toe clips do the same thing as the clipless do at keeping your foot in contact with the pedal, being able to kick forward and pull up on the pedal, etc.  I never could do the back kick or the scrap back with the toe clips because I was afraid my foot would pull out of the clips.

My last race in the Toe Clips was the Route 66 Olympic Triathlon in 2017.  That same year I did the Redman 70.3 with the clipless pedals.  Distances were different so not a great comparison, but I did the same Redman 70.3 race in 2018.  Nothing was different on the bike in 2018.  Same helmet, same wheels, same, shoes, same kit, etc.  I will be doing the Route 66 Olympic triathlon again this year in June.  My FTP was about the same at both 2017 races.  MY FTP in 2018 increased from 268W to 292W.  In 2019 it increased to 314W (and I did shorter races which again changed things on the comparison). My conclusion is that you are just as fast in toe clips as you are clipless.  The stiffer bike shoes however made be an advantage in saving your feet for the run through.  I am not sure on that though.  I would have to do another race in toe clips to see if my run is down from the past two years.  

race                                   mph           bike split rank

Rt 66 17' - Oly                  22.05        10.6%

Redman 17' - 70.3          20.87         10.3%

Boulder 18' - 70.3           21.23          20.7%

Redman 18' - 70.3          22.01           6.9%

TAT 19' - Sprint               22.37           1.7%

Payson 19' - Sprint         20.93           1.6%

TriFest 19' - Sprint          23.11           1.3%

Redman 19' - Sprint        20.14           4.5%