[BX02]

I am wondering why the clipless shoes and pedal combo are indeed called "clipless" when in fact they DO clip.
Shouldn't they be called 'clip' or 'clipped' instead of "clipLESS"?
I don;t have too much time on my hands
..I'm trying to understand the MTBR thing all together..terms and such...

 

[buconine]

i would guess it is because in the old days we used "toe clips" which were straps that ran across the top of the shoe and was tightened down to keep your foot on the pedal.

 

[Mike T.]

I am wondering why the clipless shoes and pedal combo are indeed called "clipless" when in fact they DO clip.
Shouldn't they be called 'clip' or 'clipped' instead of "clipLESS"?
I don;t have too much time on my hands
..I'm trying to understand the MTBR thing all together..terms and such...

The norm before CLIP-IN pedals was "toe clips and straps" or "clips 'n straps" for short. So somehow, for some dumb reason, the clip-in (click-in?) pedals were named "clipless" which is short for "toe-clipless".

I refuse to call 'em (yeukk!) "Clipless". To me they are "clip-in" pedals.

 

[BX02]

The norm before CLIP-IN pedals was "toe clips and straps" or "clips 'n straps" for short. So somehow, for some dumb reason, the clip-in (click-in?) pedals were named "clipless" which is short for "toe-clipless".

I refuse to call 'em (yeukk!) "Clipless". To me they are "clip-in" pedals.

That't exactly what I thought...Glad to see i'm not the only one..
clip-ins it is

 

[JKWITS]

Yeah,

you know I have wondered this and it dawned on me seconds before I saw your thread. Nice to know I wasn't the only person confused by this. The fact that toe clips have about 10 other names doesn't help either.

 

[alm80]

toe clips for life

well for poor folk like myself

 

[eorozco23]

One question answered, a couple of hundreds to go...

This is one of the answers I was looking for when I registered in mtbr.com, so, clip-ins it is, spread the word !

 

[Mike T.]

This is one of the answers I was looking for when I registered in mtbr.com, so, clip-ins it is, spread the word !

Saying that we have "clipless" pedals is like saying we ride "gearless bikes" when we really ride SS bikes or saying "flatless handlebars" or "rigidless forks". Let's say what we really mean - clip-in pedals. I'll settle for "click-in" or "step-in" but sure as hell never "clipless" - and I'm from the era when I can well remember the first day I rode toe-clipless.