The modern cyclist, as they enter the sport, will find themselves purchasing a set of shoes which contain a cleat that clips into the pedals on their bike. It should come as no surprise, then, that the term we use for the action of engaging shoe to pedal is “clip in”. Obviously, this style of pedals is thusly called the “clipless pedal”. Such a seemingly counter-intuitive name owes itself to the history of the pedals which preceded it.
The name “Clipless Pedal” comes from 1984, when ski binding manufacturer Look invented a style of pedal from which you could release your foot with a sideways twisting motion. Before the Look pedal, riders rode with metal toe clips which were secured to the pedal platform, and lashed their feet to the contraption using a leather strap, named the “toe clip strap”. (Apparently, the same guy who named the toe clip strap wasn’t available when Look was divining the name for the clipless pedal). Since the toe clips were screwed to the pedals, the rider was similarly screwed should they need to disengage from said pedal unexpectedly; Jesper Skibby might have a note or two relating to their safety in the event of a crash on, say, the Koppenberg with cars whipping by.
But somewhere in there lies the secret to the name of these pedals; when Look’s pedals appeared in the peloton on the bikes belonging to Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond, they were missing the distinct metal toe clips – they were indeed clipless pedals.
Some rides were quick to adopt them. I’m guessing Skibby was among this group, but I’m not sure and finding out would require work. Others were more reluctant; Sean Kelly was the most stubborn of these riders, though I’m guessing that lashing your feet the pedals is more critical when you’re able to scare the cranks off your bike by dispatching an icy stare.
Nevertheless, it raises the question of when the tide turned and the new style of pedal became mainstream. Either the last Grand Tour or last World Championship to be won aboard the predecessor is as good a measure as any, so that brings us to 1987 when Stephen Roche dispatched both the Giro and the Tour – in addition to the World Championships – with the sunlight glinting off his toe clips as he crossed the finish line with arms aloft. In fact, he was also the last rider to take the treble of the Giro, the Tour, and the World Road Race all in one season. Coincidence? There are no coincidences. By 1988, the clipless pedal had risen.
You can get a fairly good gauge of how long a rider has been involved in the sport by their comfort – or, indeed understanding of – the term, which upon contemplation is quite conflicting. With the clipless pedal having fallen into ubiquity, riders who have begun cycling anywhere in the last 15 or so years could be forgiven for calling them “clip-ins” or “clip pedals”. But for those of us who lived through the change, there will always be some part of us which is ever aware of the lack of metal and leather lashing us to the bike. For us, the pedals we ride today will forever be the clipless pedal.
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@unversio
Will find out tomorrow. The other identifiable rider besides Roche and Mottet is Eddy Schepers - Roche's super-loyal domestique.
@frank
Point well made, but if all of the useless comments were deleted, I wouldn't know who @minion is, and that would be a shame.
"...name owes itself to the history of the pedals which proceeded it."
Shouldn't that read preceded?
@wiscot
Steven Rooks perchance?
I'm old enough to remember toe straps (never called them toe clip straps - probably too many syllables?)... I couldn't afford them newfangled Look pedals (or even the cheaper Keywins). I even went back to using them after a first clipless experience with Mapstage pedals which were more hassle to use than flicking the buckle on a strap (not as much hassle, admittedly, as a fellow rider who had some old Cinelli clipless pedals....). Another guy I knew also used dress shoes with cleats nailed on (I saved up and got proper shoes!).
By coincidence I rediscovered my stash of Winning magazine at the weekend, including the Tour De France review of Roche's win. Am I really that old? (old enough to remember when Robbie McEwen started racing road and track events after coming over from BMX.....)
@wiscot
-Straps through the side, my pedals were of such a design that didn't allow a strap through the back. When I got different pedals later I just kept doing it that way
Had to twist the strap, otherwise it would slide through when you tried to tighten it up
I only ever saw the plastic buttons on the Campagnolo-embossed straps you got in a C-Record ensemble
As bought for me, they were always about the right length - trimming never looked right (I'm not good with scissors!)
looking Euro was less of a concern in my part of the world back then - you took what you could get. Blue straps on a grey-and-pink bike? If you have to!
of course! and 20 years later I used an old strap to restrain the dead-man lever on my lawn mower so it wouldn't cut out during awkward maneuvres! never throw out an old toe strap.....
There was nothing cool about the '80s.... except C-Record Delta brakes :-)
Another article bringing back good memories, my first toe clips were steel and to fit them I had to first pop the yellow reflectors of the pedals, nylon straps (convinced the leather ones would stretch), and they were fitted on to my first double chainset - cotter pins holding it in place. This was about the time I went to Uni and had started building up bikes from the junk pile - this particular model I spraypainted gold and handpainted some Whitesnake (yes the band) logos on it, before naming the bike "The Beast". Toe clips were also responsible for my only stationary fall to the deck ever - in the middle of the Uni car park in full view of the languages section of the library (i.e. in view of the best looking chicks). I just forgot to get my foot out, and while I'd love to say it was because I'd met the man with the hammer, it was actually because I was incredibly hungover.
Funnily enough - to date - I've never had a stationary fall in clipless pedals, probably because I'm way to paranoid about it happening and emotionally scarred by the last experience!
Great article Frank - again.
it's funny, among my non-cyclist friend and aquaintances (non-cyclists....poor souls) the number one question a receive: "do you use the shoes that lock your feet in with the little cleaty thingies..." When I answer yes they always seem sort of amazed and say something to the effect of "oh, could never use those, I'd stick to the strap kind" The great irony is that in my opinion clipless are 100x easier to use than toe straps...seems like I was alway clumsily flopping around trying to get into the straps or tighten the straps back in the day.
@Nate
Yeah they are! Who's seeing the new Gear page addition......
@ten B
You don't get to read the thousands of posts of mine Frhonk deletes - my input here should be considered a distillation of collaborative genius.
@wiscot
It's a Panasonic kit though. Hampsten would be firing on Panasonic -- namely Dutchman Erik Breukink.