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I have a road bike with look style pedals, and I am looking for an attachment I can clip-in to the pedals (where my cleats clip in) to provide a platform so that I can temporarily use ordinary shoes to pedal. I find this convenient if I have to lock up/walk somewhere after so I can wear whatever walking shoes I want (I can't walk in my look cleats and don't want to convert to SPD).

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  • I find the problem with this is (depending on how high you have your tension set) it can be very hard to twist the "pedal" out of the clip. When you twist your foot free, the entire weight of your leg is behind it. Twisting the platform out of the clip with out a large handle to grab onto might be difficult.
    – user229044
    Jul 14, 2012 at 17:40
  • I've seen such adapters for SPDs, but not for Look.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Jul 14, 2012 at 22:23
  • 1
    Alternative: get some tri-shoes...With a bit of practice you can get in and out of these without unclipping (the shoe stays clipped into pedal)...leave these on the bike when you get to your destination. Get a decent set of flip-flops that you can velcro to your flat kit.
    – Ken Hiatt
    Jul 15, 2012 at 16:42
  • Looks are pretty big, I regularly ride on mine upside down in flip flops. The only issue is the seat it a touch too high, not so much that I worry about it though. Any soft soled shoe should be fine for this.
    – alex
    May 9, 2014 at 3:09
  • @meagar I once clipped my shoes to unmounted peddles, I needed to find a screwdriver to undo the tension all the way to get them off again.
    – alex
    May 9, 2014 at 3:10

6 Answers 6

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3
votes

I don't know of any commercial attachment, but there are at least two other ways you can solve the problem.

  1. Mikes linked to a DIY solution for eggbeaters. You could easily do the same with Look-style clipless pedals. Just buy a spare pair of cleats for and bolt them to a piece of wood or plastic. You'd need to drill three holes in the flat support piece, but you can probably buy all the hardware (including cleats) for under $30. The disadvantage of this method is that it would be difficult to properly weight the clip-ons so that they rest in a convenient orientation when you foot is off the pedal. You may have noticed that Look pedals always sit with the front pointed upward. This done intentionally so that you can simply slide your shoe and cleat forward into the pedal to clip in.

  2. I know that the question asks for something to clip on to the pedal, but it seems like the real problem you're trying to solve is "How can I walk around in the same shoes I ride in?" For that, I would propose an alternate solution: cleat covers! These are rubber covers which fit over the cleat, available at just about any bike shop in a variety of generics and brand names.

  3. You can, of course, also use the pedals as-is with your street shoes. For "short" distances (every rider is going to disagree on what short means in this context) I find this works acceptably well. I place my feet on the pedals the same as if I were wearing cycling shoes with cleats. In other words, I use the top of the pedal and place the ball of my foot over the axle.

Walking around in cycling shoes with cleat covers can be a little awkward at first because your toes are pointed slightly upward (the covers have to go over the cleat, obviously, so that adds even more thickness to the front of the shoe). Most people get used to them pretty quickly, though, and it's really not a big deal. One thing you can try is walking on the balls of your feet. Normally that wouldn't work in cycling shoes because the cleat is smooth and slippery, but with cleat covers you get just as much traction as you would in regular shoes.

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  • +1 for number 3. I commuted like that for years.
    – jimchristie ♦
    Feb 19, 2013 at 16:13
3
votes

Personally, I wouldn't do it. For the platform to be of any benefit it will have to have grip of some sort. The resulting grip combined with the torque from your foot twisting naturally can cause the platform to un-clip accidentally.

I would recommend just buying a cheap pair of platform pedals and swap as required.

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  • Platform pedals are generally comfortable and functional. You can also try half clips which are easy to use but keep your toes from kicking forward (Velo Orange makes a nice version).
    – WTHarper
    Jul 15, 2012 at 16:02
2
votes

http://www.cyclelicio.us/2012/diy-flat-pedal-adapters/ If you have looked everywhere and cannot find anything this might work for you

1
vote

Fly Pedals came out with the best version of a clipless pedal adapter. Works with every kind of clipless pedal, and the best part is they have a lifetime warranty. They sell on flypedals.com but shipping is cheaper on Amazon

enter image description here

0
votes

There is the Deckster clipless pedal adapter. Works with most 2-bolt cleats. enter image description here

1
  • But he says he doesn't want to change pedals, and Looks are three bolt cleats (more like SPD-SL).
    – armb
    Feb 19, 2013 at 14:06
0
votes

These guys too. I have not tried them but they look cool. www.bikedabs.com

enter image description here

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  • 1
    Looks interesting, but if you are affiliated with them, you must declare it according to SE rules.
    – Batman
    May 8, 2014 at 23:46
  • 1
    Welcome to Bicycles.SE. Posts have more lasting value if they summarize the linked page, in case the link breaks in future. In this case you could post an image.
    – andy256
    May 9, 2014 at 1:36
  • As others have noted, the product actually looks like a good option, but the answer, as written, doesn't show that. Please edit your answer to show a bit more detail and encourage others to actually read it.:)
    – zenbike
    May 9, 2014 at 5:39

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