What Are These Things?
One of the strangest new items for bikes is the "clipless pedal," so called because it doesn't have a toeclip. Clipless pedals have a cleat acceptor and are used with shoes that have cleats affixed. Their main benefit is that they keep your foot in the best position for power transmission to the pedal, meaning more of the pressure from your legs is going straight to propelling the bike.
One advantage of clipless pedals is that you can pull up rather than just push down when you pedal. A bigger advantage is that you can manage your cadence -- the rate at which you pedal -- more efficiently. By pulling back straight in the bottom of your pedal stroke (like you are scraping something off the bottom of your shoe), you can keep your cadence smoother and more efficient. Clipless pedals (like well-adjusted toe clips) allow you to do this without pulling your foot off the pedal.
Types of Clipless Pedals
There are two major styles of clipless pedals and many shapes and brands.
Road vs Mountain: The two major types are road and mountain. Mountain pedals take a small cleat, designed to hold up better with dirt. Road pedals take a large cleat; the longer hours in the saddle that roadies spend make a large cleat more comfortable. As with a well-designed saddle, the larger surface area distributes pressure for a more comfortable ride.
Brands: There are two categories of brands of clipless pedals: Shimano and Other. Every brand uses a different-shaped cleat, and most companies sell a road type and a mountain type. Shimano pedals and replacement cleats are available readily, and many high-end bikes are fitted with them. Your needs may suggest another type of pedal, however, particularly if you have a history of knee problems.
How Do I Choose?
Comfort and riding style will decide which pedals you choose. Road vs mountain is the obvious choice, but some riders with more than one bike may want to choose one style and use the same pedals on all their bikes. (I'm a Speedplay Frog fan, and I use Frogs for road, off-road, and even my little one-speed about town.)
Comfort is the biggest factor. Clipless pedals are designed for regular riders, after all. Along with surface area, the largest factor in comfort is the amount of "float" in the pedal. Pedals that use a spring to hold the foot in position (such as Shimano) usually offer less lateral range (float) than pedals that don't (such as Speedplay). People with a history of knee problems require very careful setup of pedals with springs and may be more comfortable on so-called "full-float" pedals.
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