Clipless Question

[PrincessAna]

Hi peeps,

I bought a pair of Speedplay Frogs for my bike... and was all set to change the pedals... and I chickened out! As I build up my courage again, I started wondering something: Is it possible to pedal at all unclipped while riding with clipless pedals? Or is it clipped in or nothing?

The reason I'm wondering is because there are a couple of places where I might want to unclip a little early, and that would be harder to do if at that point I couldn't pedal at all.

Thanks!
Anastasia :)

[7rider]

I don't see why not.
I occasionally ride on top of, but not clipped into, my pedals - usually the mtb (Shimano) pedals, but occasionally on my road Speedplays, too. On the road, I usually do that as I"m approaching an intersection and I'm not sure if I'll get the light or not. I'll unclip early, and ease up to the intersection, resting my foot on the pedals (and doing a few revolutions of the cranks, too). On the trail, I'll do that if I'm at a sketchy section where I think I'll want to dab (put a foot down).
It's not the most efficient use of your pedalling, but it's not impossible, either.

[F8th637]

I have clipless pedals, not Frogs, but I probably only clip in like 50-75% of the time as I am still not 100% comfortable with always being clipped in. It's probably easier in some pedals than others to ride without actually clipping in. Someone with more experience than me with Frogs might be able to tell you how possible this is. I have the Crank Brothers Candy C pedals. I also unclip my left foot at places where I know I am going to have to stop or where there is a lot of people that might constitute needing an unexpected stop. HTH!

[ny biker]

For me it depends on what shoes I'm wearing. My road shoes slip off the pedal if they're not clipped in. With mountain bike shoes it's not a problem.

[alpinerabbit]

easy pedaling works. you can emphasize the foot that remains clipped. I have thought of gluing some rubber onto the sole behind my cleat to help. but I haven't gotten around to it.

[SouthernBelle]

You can ride unclipped with almost any pedal using your toe or arch, if necessary. Some are more friendly than others. Most of us have done it when starting through a busy intersection with our unclipped foot.

[BeeLady]

Remember, with one foot clipped in you can still pedal the full circle as your foot that is clipped in will pull the pedal up. So you can even "dangle" one foot if you need to and still make progress for awhile. Not very pretty, and I find it quite tiring, but it can be done.

Shimano has pedals that have clips on one side and platform pedal on the other. So you can ride in tennis shoes if you want.

My hubby has the Crank Bro pedals, and they don't look like they could be used without being clipped in to me.

[KnottedYet]

I pedal on my Speedplay Frogs often without clipping in.

There are times when I want to have my foot ready to put down, or when I'm taking off from a red light and just want to go in a hurry, and it's just easier to pedal with my arch of my foot for a bit. No problem. :p

[aicabsolut]

As the ladies have said, it's very possible. I do it all the time getting started through intersections, especially with my new Keo Grip cleats that require an annoying level of accuracy to engage (with the older style, so long as the pedal was right side up, I was ok). Just don't put all of your weight on the unclipped side, because you won't be stable. Focus on doing most of the pedaling with the other leg.

When I was new to clipless I did the unclip and rest on top approach to a lot of traffic lights. If it turns green, stomp back down and clip back in. If not, then you don't have to worry about unclipping. Something to think about that may be a little bit more common with super easy to engage pedal systems like Speedplays -- If you do this, be sure you don't inadvertently clip back in. That happens sometimes and then you don't double check that you're still disengaged before you stop and topple over.

[Possegal]

A few weeks ago I was sort of following my niece around as she ran the Frederick marathon. At one point I was letting her run on while I rode across the street to a bit of a grassy patch where a friend of ours and two unknown to me people were standing cheering her on. I unclipped my one foot and then road up onto the grass which looked pretty smooth. Well the jarring of hitting the grass clipped me back in and then my bike came to a stop. I yelled out something like "SAVE ME" and luckily, unbeknownst to me, the two other people were cyclists and knew exactly what had happened. Both reached out and grabbed the handlebars and one said - the rough terrain clipped you back in, didn't it? :)

Moral is = in that instance, don't hover the foot over the pedal, you may find yourself clipped back in by something other than your own power. ;)

[PrincessAna]

Thanks for all the tips! :)

I put the frogs on this morning, practiced clipping in and out for a while, and decided to go for a ride. Out on the trail, I clipped in my right foot, started pedaling, and promptly fell over. Oww. I wish I had chosen a different starting place because there was a 7inch high pavement ridge to my right, which met up with my knee in an unfriendly way. The scrape isn't too bad, but I think it's kind of bruised too. I'm icing it now, in hopes that it won't be too painful for bowling tonight.

Anyways, I wasn't about to give up, so I moved my bike to a safer location and managed to get going this time :) I am still kind of clumsy clipping in, so I found that I need to do 1-2 rotations with my unclipped foot staying unclipped to get up some momentum before I try to clip that foot in as well. The good news is that I did not fall again! I practiced clipping, unclipping, stopping, pedaling not clipped in, and so on all during the ride. They're certainly not reflexes yet, but if I give myself enough time, I can get out of em :) Oh, and I did find once or twice I had unclipped and clipped back in by accident. I made a point of pedaling unclipped on the middle of my foot after that.

It was cool though actually riding in my bike shoes, which previously I'd only used on my stationary bike. And when I was clipped in, I knew I wouldn't "fall off" the pedals like I sometimes did on the flats.

Anastasia :)

[F8th637]

Anastasia, sounds like a fairly normal intro into clipless pedal riding. :D It will only get easier from here. . or so they tell me anyway. :rolleyes:

[Fujichants]

especially with my new Keo Grip cleats that require an annoying level of accuracy to engage

I also find that with my new Keo cleats that I need to be really accurate, or else my foot just slides off the pedal. I've had several "ouch" moments when this happened. All I can say it, i'm happy i'm not a guy!

To the OP: Good job on getting back on after that first fall with your frogs! Just take it easy for now, take your time clipping in and unclipping. It will soon feel like second nature to you.

[PrincessAna]

My bike is fine, btw. I cushioned it's fall ;)

[aicabsolut]

I also find that with my new Keo cleats that I need to be really accurate, or else my foot just slides off the pedal. I've had several "ouch" moments when this happened. All I can say it, i'm happy i'm not a guy!

To the OP: Good job on getting back on after that first fall with your frogs! Just take it easy for now, take your time clipping in and unclipping. It will soon feel like second nature to you.

I don't usually slip. It's like the cleat is too grippy and won't slide on in. I've almost ripped the rear rubber thing off trying to twist in. But at least I don't do the splits when I stop going down this one steep hill that has a stoplight at the bottom, and I'm not shredding the stopping foot's cleat when I work my way through traffic. It really sucks for getting started sometimes though! Either I'm clipped in right away or I'm fighting with the thing for forever.

To the OP: Are you in your easiest gear when you start? I found that to be the most helpful in getting enough momentum going while I was learning--being sure I could push off well and keep pedaling with the one leg. Some advocate being in a little higher gear to learn to put your weight on the pedal better, but that's never been my strong suit. I still have to start off in a fairly wimpy gear and panic when I get stopped in the middle of a hill.