whp4@flairvax.UUCP (Bill Palmer) (05/12/84)
[] To add my 2 cents, I ride to work wearing my cleated shoes fairly often. When I go out on a 'real' ride I always wear my cleated shoes. If you don't actually strap in while commuting, you can still get out easily even if you think that you'd never be able to get at the toe strap releases. I find the stiffness of the shoe to be a big win when fighting that funny wind which is always going in the other direction no matter where I am going. On the other hand, it's a pain having to carry an extra pair of shoes along (or having spare shoes at the places you frequent), which is why I don't always wear them. I wear Vittoria cycling shoes (I have a pair of both leather soled and wooden soled shoes). The leather soled jobs require you to use their cleat which is a pretty much run-of-the-mill cleat, but the wooden soled ones allow you to use Cinelli Uniblocks. I think Uniblocks are great - they work on either side of the pedal, and they fit inside the pedal framework. I rarely find any need to tighten the straps when using them except when going up a steep climb. Easy to get in and out of - a big plus for commuting in traffic. The catch? Well, you need Campagnolo pedals (or a copy that is really a good copy) because they are built to fit right inside the pedal framework. I don't know of any other pedals that they work with offhand, but since my bike had Campy pedals before I bought the Uniblocks, I'll admit I didn't have much incentive to check. Cost is around $12 or so, if I remember right. Bill Palmer ihnp4!hplabs!flairvax!whp4