Bike shoes

Is it necessary to be clipped onto the pedals to ride the KATY or will conventional athletic shoes/sandals work just as well? I kind of figure there are more frequent dismounts on the trail, than if I were road biking, where I use clipons all the time. Preferences?

I've done many trips using plain pedals both with and without clips & straps. Even a trip or two with clipless pedals.

It's not necessary to be clipped in. I prefer the plain pedals.

I have ridden all over the country, and I never use clip (less) on pedals. However I do recommend some rat cages or a power grips. I also don't wear spandex or biking jerseys.

Last summer my son and I did the whole trail plus another 60 road miles, with plain old pedals and running shoes. But not being a "roadie", maybe I just don't know what I was missing :-)

Started wearing sport sandals mid tour on the Katy a few years ago, that's all I've worn since. Platform pedals w/toe clips and straps and broken in sport sandals, w/socks, works pretty well. With the soft shoulder on the trail, I wouldn't want to be clipped into anything. The cage type allows you to slip your feet out pretty fast.

One of my bikes is a cruiser with big pedals. I have the seat forward and I gently "mash" the pedals whei I (occasionally) ride it. But for the sake of discussion, I'd like to make the case for clipless pedals--that I VASTLY prefer to plain flat pedals.

People have their passions: Mike is bikes. I have the cruiser bike for getting around the neighborhood and walking the dogs. I also have a road, a mountain, and a touring bike. The later 3 are bikes I spend the vast majority of my time on, all my riding time on, and they all have SPD mountian or touring pedals. That means I can use the same shoes for all of them. I also have 2 sets of bike shoes. One set is the traditional type of cleated mountain bike shoes, and the other is a touring shoe that looks like a low rise hiking shoe, but it has the SPD cleat. Both set of shoes are equally comfortable for riding, and both are good enough for walking around (which I try not to do during/after riding).

The reasons I prefer clipless are 1) Clipless allow you to use 2 sets of muscles, which means you not only push but you pull the crank. Two sets of muscles instead of one equals faster, farther, less fatigue, less injruy (esp. patellar tendonitis and knee pain). 2) Safer. I am waaaaay safer if I'm connected to the pedals. Once you get used to clipless, you don't even think about getting in/out, and you can do it faster than getting in/out of a toe cage. 3) Rigid bike shoes are made for pedaling, walking shoes are made for walking, and therefore, walking shoes flex when pedaling and bike shoes don't flex. I dont' like my foot wrapping around the pedal when I ride.

Clipless pedals are more expensive and take some time to master. I will readily admit that they are not for everyone. But they are my preferred choice, and the preferred choice for most avid cyclists.

Hey Don, the KT is a gravel trail. Being clipped in is a personal decision that should be based upon how aggressively you want to ride. If you want to ride quickly, with the most power-v-effeciency, then you need clips. If you are taking a pleasure ride (as I do), then no straps or clips are really needed. So, with this in mind, when are WE JoCo folks heading over to ride KT????

If you are comfortable with clipless pedals, use them. If you think they would be inconvenient, then use platform pedals. There is no reason to worry about using clipless pedals on the trail, although I guess they could be bothersome if the trail is mushy like it would be right now.

Arky and Figs have the bike shoe selection down pretty well. It all depends if you are leisurely then just plain pedals or if you want some speed, then clip less, cages, etc. If you do long miles a day the clip less will as Arky said prevent fatigue. The KT has ruts, branches, uneven loose surfaces and many other problems that have caused me to slip off my pedals. I just use the plastic clips to stay on the pedal and slip in an out of easily.

Shimano makes a dual purpose pedal with a regular platform on one side and Spd (just clip in) pedal on the other side. It's what I use on my touring bike. When I want optimum performance, I use my regular biking shoes and clip in. When it's more casual like when riding around town, I just use my sport sandals on the platform side. Best of both worlds.

I wouldn't ride KT with clips. I just put cages on my standard pedals. You often times need to stop, react quickly or your bike may slide a bit. You don't want to have to get out of a clip in that situation. Pulling out of a cage is much better and quicker.

Good advice here in my opinion. Depends on the length of the rides and the frequency of the stops for me.