Please share your stories--tough first time in real bike shoes

[greyhoundluv]

So last week I had SPD pedals put on my Trek. So today, I went out for the very first time in real bike shoes with cleats. If you had told me a year ago that I would be doing this, I would have said you were totally nuts, I will NEVER be attached to a bicycle, that looks like the craziest thing to do!! My DH kindly offered to teach me. He was great. I crashed twice. The first time, not so bad, the second time, I heard my neck crunch. So I am sitting here after taking a good dose of ibuprofen, really mad at myself!!! Hoping I didn't do any real damage to my neck (it actually is not really sore right now, but we'll see what tomorrow brings) but lots of damage to my pride.;)
Please tell me your horror stories of learning how to ride with these crazy things, so I don't feel like the only one who choked at a stop sign and crashed in order to avoid rear ending her husband (who had stopped without telling her!!!:mad:)

[turbojackie]

Oh no! I, too, want to hear the horror stories. I haven't switched yet, but plan on it soon.

I did get stuck on a Spinning bike once, couldn't get my foot out. The instructor couldn't get it lose either, and had to unstrap the shoe to pull my foot out. Kind of embarrassing.:o

[Owlie]

I think we've all done it. ;)

My first time out with both feet clipped in, I fell twice on the same knee. (I did the old "clip one foot out, lean the bike the other way" thing the first time; the second time was me being stupid.) And again later, when I ended up sitting on the rear triangle of my bike.:confused: I've had a few near misses since--I can't talk and unclip at the same time, apparently.

It'll probably become second nature soon enough. Make sure the tension on your pedals is set low enough so that it doesn't take a whole lot of effort to get out. You might want to look into the multi-release (gold) SPD cleats if getting out of the pedals is a problem.

Hopefully your neck feels better soon!

[Velocivixen]

Years ago when I bought a bike with clipless pedals I went to a very quiet street with no traffic and no people and just rode up and down the street. All was well until I decided to start from a stop, was going to slowly, started to tip over and didn't think to unclip in time and I sort of just tipped over and fell. Nothing hurt but my ego though. I wasn't even going. I'd say to stay out of traffic, maybe practice in your yard hanging onto something and slip in/out/in/out for awhile. Then maybe move up to a grassy area and practice. I think if you're trying to do too many things at once (i.e., watch for traffic and road signs, watch for people, clip in/out, etc.) it may be too much at once. Hang in there.

[rose]

I hope your neck is ok!
My boyfriend has just got the clip on shoes. He hasn't ridden very much in his life and he thinks he is a professional. lol it does come at a cost though. He bought a new bike and was given shoes and everything. I told him over and over to practice in the driveway, just going up and down, slowing down, unclipping and stopping. But no, he 'knew' what he was doing. We went for our first ride together on our new bikes. About 1km down the road he went to put his foot down. lol it was quite an elegant fall and he stopped his bike getting hurt. He got back onto his bike after a quick check (and a little giggle from me), started off, and about 2 metres later, was back on the ground. He was very grumpy after that. After checking he was ok, we set off again. He still didn't listen to me about practicing, or loosening the clips.
We went for a 50km ride yesterday. All went well. I live on quite a large hill. We were about 2 houses away, and he managed to stack it again. He grazed his knee and was sad for the rest of the day.
It all happens. But I think you can prevent it by at least practicing for a bit. Its like going from a manual car to an auto, and just throwing your foot in for the clutch and its not there. I think you need to really just do it before thinking about it.
I'm getting my clip on shoes soon. So maybe we will be lying on the ground laughing at each other soon lol
Its all part of the experience, and adds to the stories, its just a pity it has to hurt so much!
Good luck with your pedals, don't give up :)

[Biciclista]

I, too, swore I would NEVER get myself attached to my bike. Rode with others for about 2 years when finally i decided I would try. Had the SPD cleats as loose as possible. Fell once.
It hurt like hell. So I rolled that bike back home and found a class at Bicycle University.. that is, I had a private lesson with a 22 year old instructor. Cost $90.00 (more than the SPD's) but she took me out in the grass and taught me slowly but surely. I have never had another clip in related fall and it's been about 5 years.

[greyhoundluv]

Such great responses, thank you all SOOO much! :o
I don't think I have been as mad as I was in a long time!! Mad at myself mostly, though I know this takes time and lots of practice, I really do. It was just so infuriating--the first fall was almost immediately as I started to practice, just landed on my knee from a tip-over, no real harm done. The second was at the end of the ride, about two blocks from my house on a small, quiet side street, no traffic. I had just started to congratulate myself, patting myself on the bike for just one little tip-over and wham!! DH came to a stop with no warning in front of me, I wasn't thinking and fell while still riding (from panic really). Head snapped back from impact of the fall. As soon as I got home I sent an email to my Physical therapist and have an appt set up for Tuesday, mostly because my neck is a weak spot for me (I just finished up about 9 months of PT for neck and shoulder pain!!).
But all the suggestions are excellent--I think I will find an instructor, that is a really good suggestion, someone with lots of patience who will go over and over it, preferably on some soft grassy surface! DH was helpful but he is not known for his patience :p. He did have some pretty good horror stories he told me while I wheeled the bike up the road, cussing up a storm, before I was able to get back on again. He had several rather colorful crashes, most during some major triathlons he has done over the past few years (that he never really told me about!!).
Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!! It was much needed:o

[Flyneagle]

This is a great (not so great thread). I am fairly new with the clipless pedals. I have had them now about 4 weeks and the first two outings weren't really good ones. I have KEO pedals on my 2012 Specialized Dolce compact...anyways my first outing I was doing really good and I stopped and unclipped one foot before I stopped but forgot to set that foot on the ground when I stopped and down I went....scrapped my leg up pretty good and bruised my knee....4 days later I went for another ride and fell before getting out of my driveway....I didn't push off hard enough and couldn't get my other foot clipped.... Fell on the same scrapped up leg! Needless to say I got going and did well the rest of the ride until I got home and fell again in the driveway and again same leg...I was so frustrated and mad I slammed my fist on the ground and cried! I can say I have been on numerous rides since and haven't fallen! My advice don't get discourage it will come and everything will start happening naturally :)

[azfiddle]

My first time I carefully clipped and unclipped multiple times on the street in front of the house. DH and I rode about 2 blocks, I stopped well before the stop sign, unclipped, set my foot down (toe first) and lost my footing because the shoe was slippery. I went down hard on my hip. I was careful to set my heel down after that.

I did have a number of unpleasant falling over experiences later on, but that is another story.

[greyhoundluv]

Thank you so much for the great (not so great!) stories thusfar! So helpful also to hear that it does get more natural with practice, which I plan to do! I also have found an instructor and am getting a lesson set up. This morning I am a bit stiff, bruised and sore, but am getting ready to take a spinning class--sort of back in the saddle!

[greyhoundluv]

This is a great (not so great thread). I am fairly new with the clipless pedals. I have had them now about 4 weeks and the first two outings weren't really good ones. I have KEO pedals on my 2012 Specialized Dolce compact...anyways my first outing I was doing really good and I stopped and unclipped one foot before I stopped but forgot to set that foot on the ground when I stopped and down I went....scrapped my leg up pretty good and bruised my knee....4 days later I went for another ride and fell before getting out of my driveway....I didn't push off hard enough and couldn't get my other foot clipped.... Fell on the same scrapped up leg! Needless to say I got going and did well the rest of the ride until I got home and fell again in the driveway and again same leg...I was so frustrated and mad I slammed my fist on the ground and cried! I can say I have been on numerous rides since and haven't fallen! My advice don't get discourage it will come and everything will start happening naturally :)

I also slammed my fist (ow!!), smacked my bike and cried!! By the way, your bike is the kind of road bike i am thinking of getting, once I get more comfortable on my Trek. Do you love it?

[Flyneagle]

I love it! I just started riding in July. I got motivated to do the MS Ride and to loose weight and I'm addicted!

[Catrin]

I tried to go clipless about 3 months after getting on a bike for the first time...after 3 days of many, many falls I went back to my beloved BMX pedals for another 6 months. The second attempt went much better, and indeed I've only fallen over twice since then, doing something silly both times ;)

I was also going to spinning class before and during that 6 months break and that really helped I think. The main problem the first time was that I didn't have normal riding stuff in my muscle memory yet and I think adding clipless at the time was just overload for my body.

[zoom-zoom]

I never really had major issues with clipless pedals until I went from mtn. SPDs to Shimano SPD-SLs. Even on the loosest setting I had a b*tch of a time getting out of those things, much of the time. After 2 bad falls in a 2 week period (this was after riding 3k miles without a single fall with my SPDs) and hearing that 2 other people with the SAME exact model of pedal bought within a week of mine had issues...I sent 'em back. Switched to Look KEO plus and haven't had a single issue--I don't even have them on the loosest setting and they release just fine. I think those 105 pedals I had were just bad news.

[greyhoundluv]

I never really had major issues with clipless pedals until I went from mtn. SPDs to Shimano SPD-SLs. Even on the loosest setting I had a b*tch of a time getting out of those things, much of the time. After 2 bad falls in a 2 week period (this was after riding 3k miles without a single fall with my SPDs) and hearing that 2 other people with the SAME exact model of pedal bought within a week of mine had issues...I sent 'em back. Switched to Look KEO plus and haven't had a single issue--I don't even have them on the loosest setting and they release just fine. I think those 105 pedals I had were just bad news.

This is very interesting!! Can you tell me what the movement to unclip is? Is it still the twist you do on SPDs? A salesman at a bike store I was at a few weeks ago showed me pedals with an open circular area that he thought would be better than the SPDs for me ( after i had already gotten tha spds) and i have been trying to remember their name (they came in different pastelly colors?) but from the pics i just googled i don't think they were the Look brand.

[zoom-zoom]

This is very interesting!! Can you tell me what the movement to unclip is? Is it still the twist you do on SPDs? A salesman at a bike store I was at a few weeks ago showed me pedals with an open circular area that he thought would be better than the SPDs for me ( after i had already gotten tha spds) and i have been trying to remember their name (they came in different pastelly colors?) but from the pics i just googled i don't think they were the Look brand.

Look pedals look a lot like the Shimano SPD-SL style pedals. I'll bet Speedplays are what the guy at the shop was recommending. I stayed away from them after people I talked to said they have issues with sand and grit. Since the entire west side of our state is a big sand dune. I actually know no road riders with Speedplay and I suspect this is why.

I think pretty much all clipless pedals use that circular twist of the heal outwards to release.

[Catrin]

This is very interesting!! Can you tell me what the movement to unclip is? Is it still the twist you do on SPDs? A salesman at a bike store I was at a few weeks ago showed me pedals with an open circular area that he thought would be better than the SPDs for me ( after i had already gotten tha spds) and i have been trying to remember their name (they came in different pastelly colors?) but from the pics i just googled i don't think they were the Look brand.

I wonder if they were Candies?

I have Speedplay Frogs myself and like them much better than SPD pedals. They have a passive release system so there is no spring involved - they cannot be "too tight", and there are no accidental unclipping from having the tension too loose as there isn't any tension. I had been a little concerned about ankle flexibility when I heard you have to turn your foot more to get out of them but I can't actually tell the difference.

[Bethany1]

First time I used clipless pedals I fell right over onto the street. I didn't get enough speed going and with both feet clipped in, I tipped right over. Gave myself a concussion, a sore neck and spent the next four days feeling like I do after having a seizure.

ER doc said having my helmet on saved me from cracking my head open. I wear my brain bucket faithfully as I'd like my brain in one piece.

I still can't use them after several attempts and with some badly bruised/scraped knees and ego. When I get more coordinated I'll go back as I do love them. Wearing tennis shoes looks out of place with cycling shorts/jerseys and you don't get the pedal power of clipless shoes.

[greyhoundluv]

First time I used clipless pedals I fell right over onto the street. I didn't get enough speed going and with both feet clipped in, I tipped right over. Gave myself a concussion, a sore neck and spent the next four days feeling like I do after having a seizure.

ER doc said having my helmet on saved me from cracking my head open. I wear my brain bucket faithfully as I'd like my brain in one piece.

I still can't use them after several attempts and with some badly bruised/scraped knees and ego. When I get more coordinated I'll go back as I do love them. Wearing tennis shoes looks out of place with cycling shorts/jerseys and you don't get the pedal power of clipless shoes.
Oh my gosh! That sounds awful!!!
yes, our helmets are life savers, aren't they?
I have an email in to a cycling instructor. Hoping that it helps. I am also thinking of exploring multiple direction unclip types--thinking I will search this forum to see if anyone has experience and would recommend them to a newbie!! :)

[macski]

My first ride on a new bike with toe clips about 18 years ago - came to the first stop, forgot I had toe clips and just toppled over. Never did it again.

With clipless pedals I've fallen once when I started too slowly and leaned over too far to the wrong side. Hasn't happened again (yet!!!).

I have one bike with SPDs - they are very easy to get in and out of. All of my other bikes have Speedplays - I would never have any other type of pedal. Super easy to get in and out - mine are the light action ones. I've also tried Shimano SPD-SLs (105) and found them okay but I didn't like that I had to look down to get into them. With practice I think this would change but Speedplays are double sided so I never have that problem.

They are also really easy on the knees - my partner had a knee reconstruction about 6 years ago and used to get some knee pain when cycling with Shimano SPD-SLs. When he switched to Speedplay he found that the knee pain disappeared.

[sookiesue]

I love my speedplay frog pedals! Upon encouragement from my bike fitter I tried them out just 3 days before my first big road event (150 miles, 2 days) and I am so glad I did. My DH had been trying to talk me into clipless for months but I was totally gunshy. He was dubious of the speedplays because of the higher price, but he tried them out on my bike (squeezing into my bike shoes!) and he said he thought they were perfect for someone new to clipless.

[Dogmama]

Falling over whilst being clipped in is a rite of passage. Congratulations. You're now officially a cyclist!

I have the old fashioned Look clips & pedals. They are the big red triangular shaped pedal. Here's my reasoning: You have a bigger surface to push down on, so you are expending less energy. OK, it might be miniscule, but I'll take it! Granted, road bike shoes are stiff but I still think the larger sized pedal makes sense.

That being said, I know lots of cyclists who swear by their SPD's, etc. I think it's like your veterinarian. Everybody loves their own.

[cuttercoasty]

I was always intimidated by clipping into the pedal. I ended up opting for a dual pedal. Flat on one side of it, and clip on the other. I put these on my Trek 7.5FX which I used as a daily commute ride and also for longer fun rides.

My first fail came one Saturday morning in spring. The snow was just melting (Maine) and I came to a stop sign at the main street on Rte 1. I couldn't get it to unclip and I toppled right over onto the sidewalk right in front of a parked police cruiser. He of course laughed a little as I did too. I was fine, but glad there was no traffic.

Second fail, and so far the final..... Same bike a few months later and after a lot more practice I was riding on a modified lobster ride and roll. I headed up this back road between two lighthouse checkpoints and got hit with a serious head wind. I was already in an easy gear and couldn't catch the right gear. I just all around was in a bad way and a gust of wind came down my right side and pushed me straight over. No getting my feet out from the pedals or anything. Just flat out toppled to the left into the middle of the road. I was extremely thankful there was no traffic as I would have been a goner! My right foot clip was looser then the left and I had landed on my left side. I couldn't get the bike off of me for a second. I ended up having to take the shoe off to get out from under the bike and onto the shoulder quickly. Took the rest of the hill as a walk of shame.

Learned a lot from those falls. It is just going to happen.

[grouch2]

Well, my clipless story is a bit different. I decided to go clipless and went to my LBS, bought my shoes and Candy 2's. Then, I went to Target to get cat food. As I left the store, I fell in the parking lot (yes, I tripped over my own feet), and broke a bone in my hand! I had to wear a splint for 3 weeks. It's now 2 months later and my clipless pedals are on my stationary bike. I now have a fear of falling....

What did I tell people when they asked how I hurt my hand? Well, I just bought these clipless pedals and fell....

[happysurfer]

I've only been riding a month and have been really eager to get clipless pedals/ bike shoes. Today I went in to the store and got mtn shoes/ pedals for the road bike. Practiced on a trainer at the LBS,....practiced on my driveway clipping in..out...in...out...in. Felt really confident and thought "gosh, how easy, what's the big deal?". Rode up to the house to go inside and realized a second too late before.... It was all in slow motion. I remember the LBS guy telling me to fall on my shoulder (which I tried but my palm got in the way :) So now I have a sore palm...my head feels a little shaken up (i didn't hit it, but I was stupid and didn't even think to wear a helmet) and my ego is a little bruised. But at least I got my first fall out of the way!

[Dogmama]

But at least I got my first fall out of the way!

Congratulations. You're a cyclist. Next time, put on your helmet. ;)

[rivergal]

Haven't gone clipless yet - I started using Power Grips two years ago and really like them. They may not give me quite as much power as clipless, but they're miles better than toe cages. Also they give me more "play" for my bad knees, so that's another plus.

My sister also became a convert to Power Grips, and just found out that my brother uses them on his commuting bike, too.

My new "Cinders" has Power Grips installed as well.

[Seajay]

Great responses. Espec Velovix.

Here's what we say at our shop...
We don't think falling is a prerequisite to learning clip in pedals. We discourage falling. :)
It's all about muscle memory. You need to make it automatic to keep your heel down as you twist.

New Bike. Get used to the bike for a week or so first then tackle shoes/pedals
New pedals and shoes. Some pedals come out of the box with the release setting tight. Have someone check that it's loose.
Park your bike next to the couch for an evening of TV, click in and out a bunch. Get used to the motion.
Go to the park and ride in the grass. Clip in and out a bunch more. Stop, start, try little inclines, declines, either foot, etc until you feel confident.
Next is a quiet road same drill.
You should be good to go after that.

Greyhound. The pedal you're thinking of is Speedplay. Their ROAD pedal. They have a light action release version which works well. I wouldn't try to claim that Speedplay road are necessarily easier to get out of than anything else. I think it's a personal thing. IMO Looks are easiest. But again, just an opinion.

[Catrin]

.... It was all in slow motion. I remember the LBS guy telling me to fall on my shoulder (which I tried but my palm got in the way...

This is a good way to hurt your hand/wrist/collar bone. Sometimes things happen very fast but I try to remember to keep hold of the bars when I fall - this allows our sides to take the brunt of the fall and that is a lot stronger than those little bones in the wrist/palm and so forth. That being said, hopefully this won't happen very often, especially for road riding :)

I broke my wrist once by trying to break a fall - it had nothing to do with the bike - just something that happened once...which helps me to remember ;)

[KnottedYet]

I try to remember to keep hold of the bars when I fall

That was the trick I was taught, too.

[Seajay]

That was the trick I was taught, too.

Plus you stand the best chance of "saving it" if you never let go.

[Catrin]

Plus you stand the best chance of "saving it" if you never let go.

This has worked a time or two for me, and believe me, after having fallen learning how to mountain bike a gazillion + 1 times, the only time I've actually hurt myself was when I let go...lesson learned again!

Our natural instinct is to try and stop our fall, our hip/side is so much stronger than our hand...

[happysurfer]

This is a good way to hurt your hand/wrist/collar bone. Sometimes things happen very fast but I try to remember to keep hold of the bars when I fall - this allows our sides to take the brunt of the fall and that is a lot stronger than those little bones in the wrist/palm and so forth. That being said, hopefully this won't happen very often, especially for road riding :)


Never thought of holding onto the bars! Will try to remember that! but honestly, after that first fall, it's been very easy to clip in/ out and the pedals have helped me be a better rider. Now I know what people mean when they say different muscles engage when you're clipped in.

You're right about the injury...wrist bone fractures are very difficult to diagnose and can go untreated if there aren't any symptoms.

[Rebecca19804]

I'll bet Speedplays are what the guy at the shop was recommending. I stayed away from them after people I talked to said they have issues with sand and grit. Since the entire west side of our state is a big sand dune. I actually know no road riders with Speedplay and I suspect this is why.



That surprises me to hear. From the very design of them, dirt/sand/grit are pushed out of the cleat when you push to engage. That's true at least for the Speedplay Frogs - which I use and love! (Can't comment on any other Speedplay models.) The Frogs are highly recommended by lots of TE members, because the (easily adjustable) degree of float and passive nature of the engagement is really easy on the knees.


ETA: I've caught up on the thread now and see a lot of others have pitched in in favour of Frogs!