Less Pain, More Gain
Ride safer. Ride smarter. Unlock performance without the risk.
70% of cyclists self-report falling at least once due to clipless pedals. Often, these falls are harmless, even laughable — the kind you’d see in a YouTube compilation. But for many, the outcome is far more serious, with injuries severe enough to end their time on the bike entirely.
The most vulnerable? Beginners, commuters, and older riders — often left behind by a culture that can glorify risk and pain as a rite of passage. The truth is, you don’t need to be locked to your bike to ride efficiently, push your limits, or become a better cyclist.
At Bythlon, we’re on a mission to keep cyclists cycling. Love your clipless pedals? Keep using them! But would a runner train in racing spikes every day?
Here’s why Bythlon offers a smarter, safer ride:
The truth about pedal efficiency.
We naturally equate the locking mechanism of clipless pedals with efficiency — you're “clipped in” and you can feel “the pull”. It turns out, anything you gain in the upstroke you lose in efficiency. In steady state cycling, the “pull” you’re feeling is the unweighting of your non-pushing foot, not power from the upstroke. Your pedals are connected at the crank, so outside of sprinting, engaging your upstroke ends up slowing you down.
Clipless pedals are more efficient than sneakers due to the rigid connection between the shoe and pedal — not because of the “upstroke”.
The secret to cycling faster? Fautso Coppi gave us the best advice in the 1950s, “Ride your bike, ride your bike, ride your bike”. While you’d benefit from his training philosophy, you wouldn’t want to take his safety advice. For most of his career, Coppi didn’t wear a helmet! In his era, they were considered bulky and “inefficient”.
Helmets weren’t always standard. The UCI first required them in junior races, but it wasn’t until 2003 that they became mandatory for pro men. Today, every serious cycling competition and organization mandates helmet use. More recently, the UCI put in place a ban on clipless pedals in junior competitions, citing safety concerns.
Norms evolve, and what was once considered essential can become an unnecessary risk.
For crit racers and velodrome sprinters putting in all-out efforts in short bursts, the risk-performance trade-off can feel justified — it’s part of the job.
For the rest of us, increasing the potential for injury makes little sense, especially during training. Bythlon provides the performance, comfort, and confidence of clipless pedals without the risk. You don’t need to compromise your safety to enjoy cycling or improve as a rider.
In short: Bythlon means fewer injuries, more time on the bike, and becoming a better cyclist.