Going clipless tomorrow - need your positive energy!

[RolliePollie]

OK, the time has come for me to get brave and try my new pedals. I've had my bike for 2 months and have ridden about 250 miles. Last weekend, I did a 40 mile ride and actually felt comfortable, relaxed, and in control on my bike for the first time. Thanks to some advice in the "Bike Maintenance" forum, I was successful in getting my old platform pedals off and my new Crankbrothers Quattros on. I just spent the last half hour propped in my bedroom doorway clipping and unclipping. That went well...but being propped up in a doorway is not quite the same as actually rolling down the road!

I think I'm going to head over to the local elementary school tomorrow and start out riding on the grass. Then I can graduate to the paved playground. Depending on how that goes, I'll try an actual ride. Please everyone, send me all your positive energy and wish me luck! I am not very coordinated and have pretty poor balance, so tomorrow could result in mild to severe injury. My goal is mild injury requiring only first aid that I can provide for myself. :eek:

[smilingcat]

You'll do just fine. when you ride practice rotating your heel outward and it should just pop.

Good luck. You'll get the hang of it quick.

[makbike]

Have fun and be safe. Words of advice, clip out sooner then you think you need and be careful if you have to put that foot back on the pedal for some extra push (don't clip back in and think your foot is free when you stop). Also, pick one foot to unclip everytime (I always unclip my right foot).

Again, have fun!

[MINIskirt]

Good luck!! I just bought my road bike and am still getting used to it. I'll probably be in this position later this summer. :eek:

[RoadRaven]

Well done - wish you loads of fun learning to use them.

I found the idea of using them more of a worry than actually using them.

The best advice I have ever received from this forum was how to clip out.

1. Always unclip with the same foot.

2. Turn the handlebars away from the foot you unclip with.

By being consistent with which side you have to unclip with, you are less likely to "confuse" yourself.
By always turning the bars away from the foot you turn with, your bike will naturally lean toward your unclipped side... therefore your likelihood of a low/no-speed topple is highly unlikely.

Looking forward to hearing about your successes with your new pedals... they make pedalling much easier and smoother :)

[Jenn]

I was terrified when we put mine on, but I had been using them on my spin bike, but of course your not in motion on on your spin bike!:eek:
I took one fall and that was because DH distracted me....that's right I'll blame it all on him:D
But, in no time it was not problem they pop out easy and I can't imagine riding without them now, you really do feel part of the bike once you are clipped in.
Good luck, and have fun!!

[mimitabby]

hey, if i can do it you can too. good luck.

first try riding with your feet NOT clipped in. Once you realize you can do that start clipping one foot in, then two. always unclip that same foot first though when stopping.
I used to use either or before i got the SPD's now I always do the same one and lots of time I unclip just because and then reclip again.
\good luck!

[mountainchick]

You'll be fine! When I first got my road bike I decided to go on a casual group ride, we just did an out and back that there was everything from experienced riders to people on borrowed mountain bikes. I did really well on the way out, and coming back we stopped at a light and I just fell over. DOH! :o Luckily I was at a red light and was able to pick myself up and laugh at myself with no harm done. :)

[RolliePollie]

YAHOO! I did it and I didn't even fall! :D

I really like the feeling of being clipped in. I can definitely feel a difference in the smoothness of my pedaling. I rode about 30 miles on the bike trail (I've never ridden is so much wind - Nat'l Weather Svc says gusts up to 35 mph and I believe it!) and made myself start and stop several times. Clipping in my second foot is a little challenging, but I have Crankbrothers Quattros and it's pretty easy to pedal even if you don't get clipped in right away. I'm sure once my feet learn exactly where the cleat is and where they need to go on the pedal, that will get easier. I took everyone's great advice and made sure to clip out well in advance of stopping or of potential obstacles!

Going clipless today was probably the only thing that allowed me to finish my ride...I am suddenly having excruciating pain in my right knee after about 15 miles. This happened on my last longer ride too. I don't think I would've made it back to the car today had I not been able to pull through each pedal stroke with my left leg to help out my right leg. Now I have to go look for threads on knee pain...

Thanks everyone for your positive vibes...I'm sure that's what made me successful today!!! :)

[northstar]

Good for you! You will do great! I just started about a week ago and have had no problems whatsoever. You have received some very good advice here. It just takes a few rides of really thinking ahead - anticipating intersections, crossings, etc, until it's pretty much second nature.

You can do it! (I bet you'll wonder what the big deal is once you've actually ridden with them!) ;)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

...I am suddenly having excruciating pain in my right knee after about 15 miles. This happened on my last longer ride too. I don't think I would've made it back to the car today had I not been able to pull through each pedal stroke with my left leg to help out my right leg. Now I have to go look for threads on knee pain...

Quick easy experiment is to raise your saddle by about a 1/2", see if that helps. You should be "almost" straightening your leg completely on your pedal downstroke- almost, but not quite. You should NOT be able to touch the ground with your feet while still sitting on the saddle. If your knees stay too bent while riding, you will get knee pain in front right above the kneecap.

Congrats on the clipless!! Great going!

[RolliePollie]

Thanks for the knee advice, Lisa. I raised my saddle 1/4"-1/2" about 20 miles into my ride today...seemed a bit low with the new shoes and pedals. But maybe I should raise it a bit more. The thought had crossed my mind that it might be too low because the only thing that made my knee feel better was to stretch it all the way out straight. The pain is more along the inside of my knee, not above my kneecap...it feels like something is out of whack under/beside my kneecap. I've never had knee problems before, but I did have a pretty impressive skiing crash about 3 weeks ago and I'm wondering if that could be the culprit.

[lesliejo]

You will do just fine. I remember the first time I went out....got my new Trek home and just kept looking at it, totally intimidated by the pedals, then thought, "What the hell"...off I went and it has been an amazing ride. I had speedplay frogs on that bike, but since then have moved on to just a speedplay. I was very nervous about those and didn't want to wreck. So.... I would clip out way before I wanted to stop. I did have a few tip overs in the front planters. Me laughing and my daughter looking out her bedroom window and just shaking her head.
You will do fine, just take the plunge, it makes a huge difference in the ride.
Enjoy!

[Suzi-Sue]

hello all! (my first post!):)
Was out the first time today on my new SPD's, and it's brilliant!
I'm glad someone else was doing the same :p
I noticed that my downstoke wasn't as 'long' as usual, so will be adjusting the seat tomorrow to see if that helps.

Glad your ride went well :cool:

[RolliePollie]

Welcome, Suzi-Sue! Aren't you proud of yourself for braving the SPDs? I am very proud of myself but my non-cyclist friends at work just don't understand! I never thought I'd be able to go clipless because I'm such a big klutz. I shouldn't get too confident though...only one clipless ride under my belt and I'm heading out for a short ride right now...I better not fall tonight! I think I'll wear my full-length tights just in case :eek:

[Suzi-Sue]

lol, the leg warmers still aren't away over in Ireland yet (but i'm quite happy about that at the moment :p )
Covering the bare skin does make it feel a little better with the spd's though. Hopefully by the time the good weather gets here, the legs will be bare and facing the elements of falling :o

Hope you made it 2/2 rides today :)

[northstar]

Hey ladies,

Had to confess about my fall last night. Second fall, pretty much the same thing as the first. Coasted happily up to an intersection, was off in my little happy place, went to put my foot down and couldn't! Timber!

Not a bad idea to make sure to have the knees and shoulders covered while you get used to the pedals!

[stacie13]

Ouch!!! Good luck with those pedals - I have yet to try them, and that's exactly why!:o :)

[northstar]

Just take it easy. You'll do fine. Odds are you'll just inevitably space out and do a slow tip at some point...no big deal! (Felt like an inauguration to me, anyway!)

[iFKA]

Wow girls, first SPD experience without falling :cool:
I fell about 10 times in the first week of SPD riding :D

[RolliePollie]

Third clipless ride = fell over :(

Thoughts going through head at the time = "Uh oh!" and "Oh crud!" except the actual word that came out of my mouth was not "crud."

I am ok...a little minor road rash and I'm expecting a good bruise on my hip. Thank goodness for helmets...hit my head on the pavement but I hardly even felt it.

Bike has injuries. Poor thing. :( Left brake hood & handlebar are bent inwards pretty bad and the metal part above the shifters is all scratched up. And my new Terry Butterfly saddle is scuffed. Very sad.

But I'm kind of glad I've had my first good fall. I feel like a fully initiated cyclist.

Here's what I did...I stopped, rested, and got back on the bike. But something was rubbing on my front wheel. So I rode about 50' and decided to stop again. Little did I know my left foot had clipped back in (this is so amazing because it's a bit of a challenge to get clipped in...then, when I have no intention of clipping in, the darn thing clips in by itself!). Anyway, slow tip-over to the left. And of course my right foot was free...but I always step down with my left! Heavy sigh.

The funniest part is when I got home and took my shorts off, a bunch of little pavement rocks fell out of my shorts. I looked down at the floor and thought "what the heck?" I didn't even know they were in there!

[salsabike]

Welcome to the club...it's not so bad, and now you know you got through that, too! You have lots of company out here. And we're all still riding clipless and liking it. I fell several times early on and now haven't fallen for quite a long time.

[suzieqtwa]

Hey Sara,
If I can do it anyone can do it. I got so beat up the first 3 weeks of going clip less. I fell 7 times(on the main road) ,and had a concussion. Both knees are scared,and so are my elbows. I hated my bike ,and actually started to fear it. Finally I went back out on it ,and have been doing great ever since. I can stop quick ,and have no fear. I'm just getting the nerve to stop wearing long sleeves ,and covering my knees. I have SPDs. Good luck

[RolliePollie]

It's so funny that so many people are saying "if I can do it, anyone can!"...that's what I'm thinking about ME! I am basically a huge klutz, uncoordinated, etc. I'm well known for injuring myself in very stupid ways. So I know for certain that if I can do this, ANYONE can!

Things are going well with the new pedals...still have only had the one big tip-over. But yesterday I crashed into a tall juniper bush next to my driveway. It doesn't count as a fall though because the bush was nice enough to catch me and hold me up. Too bad junipers are such scratchy bushes...lol.

Next on my list is figuring out how to stop and start gracefully (and safely!). I've raised my seat up to where it probably should've been all along, which is great while riding, but makes starting and stopping a whole lot harder. As far as dismounting goes, I've read in some threads about standing up on one pedal and putting your other foot on the ground. I've yet to master this (that's how I crashed into the bush yesterday). Actually, I'm scared to death to get off the seat and pedal, let alone get off the seat to get off the bike. Not sure why this freaks me out since I know I could stand up and pedal when I was a kid. And getting started...what a mess! I wobble all over the place. Good entertainment for anyone watching! Heaven help me if I ever have to start on an uphill. Oh well, I'm sure it will all come with time. ;)

[SouthernBelle]

I had to figure out that thing about standing on the pedal by myself. I'm very slow cause it took me a while.

[suzieqtwa]

Sara, really I had the worst time. I felt I just wasted a whole lot of money on a bike I would never ride...read my post sometime (in cycle related) . I do stand on one pedal ,and put my right foot down...at least that came natural. I'm still amazed when I stop ,and my foot actually hits the ground. I was also petrified to stop on a hill. If on a hill,and the light is red ,I just turn right (if the hill is steep). I'm pretty good now. You seem like you are doing fine. It does come naturally. I never thought I would say that. Soon you'll be giving someone advise on how to ride clip less.
Suzie