Author Topic: What age for clipless ?  (Read 6792 times)

What age for clipless ?
« on: 31 August, 2010, 02:50:10 pm »
What's people's experience of when children are best able to cope with clipless pedals ?
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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #1 on: 31 August, 2010, 03:47:04 pm »
I started using toe clips and loose straps at ~7 1/2 years. Clipless did not exist then.

hellymedic

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #2 on: 31 August, 2010, 10:56:12 pm »
Since kids learn to balance on two wheels at vastly different ages, readiness for clipless will also vary.
What shoe sizes are available?
There is no point going for clipless if you can't get suitable shoes that fit.

I never went clipless...

agagisgroovy

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #3 on: 10 September, 2010, 02:11:45 pm »
It depends ... I worked up slowly from half toeclips, to loose toeclips, to slightly tighter toeclips, to loose clipless about two years ago (so when I was 14).  :)

Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #4 on: 10 September, 2010, 02:29:45 pm »
Thank you all.

I'll report back here on mini-hatler's progress on this one. He's 9 now so we have a way to go.
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clarion

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #5 on: 10 September, 2010, 03:13:47 pm »
The bigger issue for me with getting kids onto clipless (Our Kid doesn't like them anyway; TGL wants them for all riding except track) was the cost of shoes.  When kids' feet are still growing fast, I'm not able to afford shoes they'll be through in no time at all.

Lidl helps with the pain of this.
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rr

Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #6 on: 30 October, 2010, 05:54:03 pm »
The bigger issue for me with getting kids onto clipless (Our Kid doesn't like them anyway; TGL wants them for all riding except track) was the cost of shoes.  When kids' feet are still growing fast, I'm not able to afford shoes they'll be through in no time at all.

Lidl helps with the pain of this.

My answer would be "When the growth rate of their feet slows enough to make the shoes affordable"

Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #7 on: 10 December, 2010, 05:42:57 pm »
I'd also be very careful about ensuring that the system had enough float to protect their knees. When it's me, I know what the cleats are supposed to feel like when they're well positioned. Getting that feedback from a 9-10 year old is a little more tricky.

Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #8 on: 10 December, 2010, 09:23:36 pm »
Thank you all for your input on this one. I think the growing feet thing is the killer for this project.

We have a few years to go therefore.
Rust never sleeps

Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #9 on: 09 September, 2015, 02:39:53 pm »
I have the answer. 14.

Both rr and Clarion had it right though.

Quote
My answer would be "When the growth rate of their feet slows enough to make the shoes affordable"

Quote
The bigger issue for me with getting kids onto clipless (Our Kid doesn't like them anyway; TGL wants them for all riding except track) was the cost of shoes.  When kids' feet are still growing fast, I'm not able to afford shoes they'll be through in no time at all.

Mini-hatler now has feet just a half size down from me, so we tried him on clipless a couple of weeks ago with my oldest pair of SPD shoes.

He cycled perfectly happily around the campsite many times and successfully unclipped on both sides many times.

Went out for our first ride and got all of 300 yards down the road onto the first little rise, and over he went.  :-)

Anyhow, he's sold on the idea and I'm not getting those shoes back.
Rust never sleeps

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #10 on: 09 September, 2015, 04:34:48 pm »
He cycled perfectly happily around the campsite many times and successfully unclipped on both sides many times.
Excellent! Better than me after using them for several years (I can only unclip on the left unless already stationary – but have never had a clipless moment falling to the right).
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Biggsy

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #11 on: 09 September, 2015, 04:48:52 pm »
A YACF shoe lending library could solve the economic problem.
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Cudzoziemiec

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #12 on: 09 September, 2015, 04:57:14 pm »
Great idea! I can lend a left in gorgonzola and a right in wensleydale.
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hellymedic

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #13 on: 09 September, 2015, 06:19:34 pm »
Wearing Dad's old shoes makes excellent sense!
You might even need to buy some new shoes for yourself - what a pity!

Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #14 on: 09 September, 2015, 06:23:04 pm »
Sadly I have pre-bought spare shoes for when current ones wear out. I think I have three regular pairs and one pair of Winter boots. They don't wear out fast enough !
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hellymedic

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #15 on: 09 September, 2015, 06:25:38 pm »
They'll wear out twice as fast if hminor is helping you...

Biggsy

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #16 on: 09 September, 2015, 06:28:51 pm »
Great idea! I can lend a left in gorgonzola and a right in wensleydale.

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #17 on: 09 September, 2015, 10:11:19 pm »
A YACF shoe lending library could solve the economic problem.
That's a good idea. We should start a thread! I could contribute sizes 4, 5 and possibly 6 and maybe a small 4/larger 3. I'd be happy to lend some to a fast growing youngster who wanted to try them. Or anyone else for that matter.
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ElyDave

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #18 on: 27 November, 2015, 10:00:20 pm »
About 35 in my case :P
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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #19 on: 27 November, 2015, 10:47:43 pm »
Ha ha. So true. I too was in my thirties before I even became aware such things even existed.
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hellymedic

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #20 on: 27 November, 2015, 11:40:03 pm »
I never went clipless.
Trying to fit skinny girly size 42s into suitable shoes would have been a challenge and I feared clipless moments.

Mr Larrington

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Re: What age for clipless ?
« Reply #21 on: 27 November, 2015, 11:54:45 pm »
My chum C (the Clockwork Geordie) is very very small with feet in proportion.  She could not find SPD-compatible shoes in her size, which Ma Hardisty (matriarch of the bike-shop-owning dynasty in Newcastle) took as a personal affront.  After a lot of telephoning and fishwifey language suitable shoes were found, probably in Japan where they're all really tiny except the sumo wrestlers.
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