[Matt 891]

...yeaaaa the title is about all I know about being clipped in or clip less or spd or whatever the heck it's called.

I race downhill at the amateur level, get rowdy on trail bikes and torture myself on my road bike sprinting mostly like it's a downhill run.

I've never rode anything but flat pedals.

Should I start out on my road bike or trail bike? Shoes, pedals??? Budget... Hate to spend alot on an 'experiment'

I hope I like it. Seems the best in all disciplines ride clipped in these days.

 

[canadmos]

Why change from something that you're already good at? It won't make you any better of a rider.

 

[SCARY]

But it probably will

 

[Da Peach]

I just started riding clipless. It has actually saved me from going OTB a couple times... Of course, it's been super dry. Not sure I will like it as much in the wet.

 

[mtg]

I do at least 95% of my riding clipped in, from road to trail to DH. When you're first learning how to ride clipped in, you'll probably fall over a couple times. Maybe the road bike will be slightly more forgiving?

The Shimano DX pedals are by far the most popular for clipping in for DH. I prefer Crank Brothers myself due to the float, despite lower reliability of the CB pedals vs Shimano. I've heard good things about Time pedals also- supposedly work like CB, but reliable like Shimano.

For shoes, Shimano AM45s are a solid choice, as well as other options from 5.10 (Hellcat/Minnaar, Maltese Falcon), etc. Those are probably the most popular.

For budget, the cheapest would be borrowing something from a friend to try it once. Next up would be getting a shoe that can be used with clips or flats, as a backup if you can't get used to clips. You should be able to find shoes for $50 - $100, similar for pedals.

 

[Lelandjt]

You definitely want them on the road bike. Using them on the trail bike is the best place to get used to them. While a lot of us like them for DH you may or may not. Buy a set of mid-grade Shimanos and swap'em among all 3 bikes until you feel like buying specific road pedals and DH pedals. Then the first pair will stay on the trail bike. For shoes get something with rubber on the whole sole. Some XCish shoes only have a few lugs with smooth plastic in the midfoot which makes unclipped riding hard. Sneaker style DH shoes will have the best unclipped feel but are kinda heavy and flexy for long rides. I use a Lake XC shoe with a full rubber sole. I have a pair of Shimano pedals I'll sell you cheap if you PM me.

 

[fred.r]

I actually find it harder to unclip using sneaker-style full rubber outsole shoes. 5.10 Hellcats are far harder to clip out of than my Shimano XC shoes. That's my personal experience I guess, as clearly others have had different as mentioned by Lelandjt.
I'm having an extremely difficult time making the transition to clippless so I'll spare you my horror stories. But if I was to lend any advise it would be start in a hall, where you can touch the wall. Clip in and out 100 times, seriously, get used to the motion. Then put them on your road bike, remember to unclip BEFORE you stop. After you're fine with that put them on your trail bike. After that, DH...

 

[Lelandjt]

^If the rubber sole has too much contact and pressure with the pedal when clipped in it will create resistance when clipping out. After you settle on a cleat position it's a good idea to look at the connection to see if the rubber sole is interfering with the clipping out motion. What I meant was if you unclip in a corner and then have to ride a little before clipping in you don't want a shoe with 3 little tread lugs and a smooth plastic area under the midfoot, which is right where you'll be standing on it. It's hard to find a light, stiff XC shoe with some rubber there but this seems to be a feature that's becoming more common.

Definitely take his advice on practicing the motion A LOT.

Cleat position: I like it a little behind the ball of the foot so I feel stable and not like I'm standing on my toes. On the road bike the cleat goes right at the ball of the foot for max pedaling efficiency. Attach the cleat try it a little and move it some. Repeat this until you find the position you like.

 

[buildyourown]

Why change from something that you're already good at? It won't make you any better of a rider.

Yes, it will. The new shoes won't instantly make you faster, but it will help with some of the fundamentals.
I'm a very strong believer in mixing it up with different setups on different bikes. Rode XC in flats yesterday for the first time in 20 years. Lots to learn.

To the OP, get yourself a decent pair of MTB shoes that fit and some good pedals. Don't go too cheap.
Time and Shimano both make good stuff. Crank Bros is garbage.
Put them on your XC bike and go ride around the park in the grass.

 

[Sandwich]

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail.htm?stylepkey=13432&SID=449

http://www.pricepoint.com/thumb/3-Parts-825-Mtn-Shoe/Pedal-Combos-False.htm

Get something cheap. SPD copies are decent and will train you until you get the opportunity to figure out what you want. I like TIME pedals now, but started on SPDs. I'm just about to order my first pair of road pedals. If you get trail pedals you can swap them to your road bike and be happy there too. You can't really do that with road pedals. If you come to like it, you can buy shimano DX DH pedals and use the same shoes for the time being.

That's my 2c. I wouldn't spend more than $100 until you know for sure.

 

[SCARY]

I also backed the tension all the way off mine because of a weak ankle from an mx injury.I like it alot better.Comes out when I want it to,easier,and stays clipped in just fine.

 

[bizutch]

Buy a set of Shimano DX shoes and cleats. They are pretty idiot proof in terms of setup and function. You can adjust the spring tension as you get more used to riding in them to be stiffer. Use them on your trail bike.

Once you've been riding clips for 6 months to a year, then you can think about moving to Crank Brothers, Time, etc for their varied benefits or "features".

But if you're gonna try clipping in, Shimano flat bottom shoes mate right up to their cleats and their shoes with no cutting the sole or shimming the cleat, which will frustrate the snot out of a newbie if you try any other brand and don't know how to get them set up right the first try.