Clipless, you can do it.

Since I'm new to "modern" cycling and clipless seems to be popular topic I thought I'd post my experience.

Since I'm an impoverished grad student, and still don't know if I want to do clipless, I bought shoes on eBay and pedals on internet clearance. Which meant I had to set it up myself, since I wouldn't ask the LBS to install something I didn't buy there. It wasn't very hard to get it all put together.

I tried it out in my kitchen doorway, first one foot clipped in - and out - then the other - then both... and lost my balance at tipped right over. Bounced off the stove and onto the tile floor; luckily I broke the fall with my wrist. :eek:

Today I rode to the LBS (about 1.5 miles) and back with no problems. It didn't feel any different than without them, tomorrow I will be going on a longer ride. Anyway, now I'm thinking "gee, that wasn't so bad," although I'm still deathly afraid of tipping over onto San Mateo (busy street).

Gen

You and I can go into clipless land together! My LBS guy, what a sweetie, advised me to get used to my new road bike (Cannondale SR800) for a few weeks on platforms. Good thing or I might have freaked and bailed out altogether. Having put some mileage behind me, I'm going to put clipless pedals on this week. Thought about a church parking lot, but the kitchen door might be another alternative! Let's try not to break anything! I'll report back in...

You're going to love the clipless pedals, once you get used to them and don't fear them any more. My pedaling technique isn't very good, so I don't really feel the pulling up part like I should, but man can you tell you are clipped on when you try to accelerate or climb a hill! Well worth the effort to get used to them. I was going to try toe clips on my new road bike, but I fell over in the LBS parking lot on a test ride because I couldn't get my foot out of one clip (hugely embarrassing, in front of the LBS guy who is 1/2 my age). I promptly ruled them out and stuck with my Look clipless. Don't let the pedals freak you out. I haven't fallen yet while clipped in after two seasons. (Oh, oh! I probably just jinxed myself!) You won't be sorry!

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Originally Posted by GenHawk

Since I'm new to "modern" cycling and clipless seems to be popular topic I thought I'd post my experience.

Since I'm an impoverished grad student, and still don't know if I want to do clipless, I bought shoes on eBay and pedals on internet clearance. Which meant I had to set it up myself, since I wouldn't ask the LBS to install something I didn't buy there. It wasn't very hard to get it all put together.

I tried it out in my kitchen doorway, first one foot clipped in - and out - then the other - then both... and lost my balance at tipped right over. Bounced off the stove and onto the tile floor; luckily I broke the fall with my wrist. :eek:

Today I rode to the LBS (about 1.5 miles) and back with no problems. It didn't feel any different than without them, tomorrow I will be going on a longer ride. Anyway, now I'm thinking "gee, that wasn't so bad," although I'm still deathly afraid of tipping over onto San Mateo (busy street).

Gen

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Grats on your success! The first few weeks in clipless are definitely ... exciting.

I feel the need to be a party-pooper and add a note of caution. Part of using clipless pedals and cleats is to get the cleat angle right for your particular foot. If you start experiencing knee pain on longer rides, you may want to play with the angles or even talk to a fitter. But I'm sure many people do fine without angle adjustments, so this is just me being a worry wart!

Thanks for the tip on angle. I got SPD and I used to have knee problems as a teenager so - I went to the LBS today for a fit check. The seat got adjusted, but not the cleats, so I must have done good putting them on. :D I will definitely be paying attention to it as I ride more though to make sure they feel ok.

SheWhoBikes - make sure you lower the tension setting on the pedals! Mine came with the tension all the way up - I have a feeling it would be a lot harder to start that way...

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Originally Posted by shewhobikes

My LBS guy, what a sweetie, advised me to get used to my new road bike (Cannondale SR800) for a few weeks on platforms.

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That was excellent advice on his part !

It amazes me how many people who might be unfamiliar with road bike geometries and clipless pedals are sold road bikes equipped with clipless pedals from the outset. What are these LBS folks thinking? Most mortals need a bit of time to get accustomed to the position, shifting, and braking of road bikes, and then to add clipless pedals into the mix from the beginning, yeesh.

There were a couple of people in the Intro to Road Bike Riding class I help teach who showed up with brand-new road bikes with clipless pedals. I felt so bad for them, they were having such a hard time dealing with the pedals on top of all the other information overload they were experiencing - one poor guy tipped over virtually every time he came to a stop that first day. He's doing better now, but I for one don't think I would have survived that kind of trauma :o

I wholeheartedly agree with your LBS guy - get accustomed to the bike first, get proficient in stopping and shifting and manuevering, then switch over to the clipless pedals. OK, end of rant :)

I bought my new bike with clipless pedals :rolleyes: BUT I used my bike on a trainer several times before hitting the roads. I still have worries about the clipless and falling tho. Riding Sun I rode off the side of the road and was at a stop before I could get my foot out, I was very tired and my feet were numb, so my reflexes must have been slow, I finally pulled up hard enough to release my shoe, I haven't tightened mine up at all, I think I like it that way.

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Originally Posted by GenHawk

. afraid of tipping over onto San Mateo (busy street).

Gen

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GenHawk!!! Welcome to the board!! Another Abq'er!! wooohooo......and yes I cross San Mateo every day I ride to work. If it makes you feel any better, my first clipless experience I actually fell in the bike median on Carlisle and then on the bike ramp at San Mateo so been there done that!!!!! If you get a chance, there's a thread under open title "getting to know you" gives you a chance to meet us and if you're so inclined tell us about you!

OOPS!!! Guess I should start reading new posts from the bottom!! I saw you already found the getting to know you thread!

As someone's said before, it's a rite of passage to fall over wearing clipless! Usually, sod's law will dictate that it happens in front of a captive audience - bus stop, pedestrian crossing, that sort of thing; the more people spectating, the more likely it is to happen! Rule number two is that no-one will usually come to your aid and you're often left struggling to haul yourself from under the bike, still clipped in!
Sometimes, the best way to overcome fear is to fall off - you realise it's not as bad as you expected (usually!) and that you bounce quite well! I subscribed to this way of thinking lots when I first started out!
Once you build up your confidence, you'll never go back. Traffic lights and junctions are always a challenge - especially when you get over-confident and try to bunny hop without unclipping! Pedalling backwards when you stop buys you about 15 seconds!
Seriously, it's all about anticipation. Unclipping one foot before you get to a junction will buy you time as a beginner. Gradually, as you confidence and technique grows, you'll be able to judge when and where to unclip.
If your tension is adjusted properly, you should be able to unclip whenever you need to, even at late notice - and it goes without saying to unclip at the bottom of the pedal stroke, when the leg is extended - unclipping when your knee is bent will prove almost impossible and scupper your joints to boot. Sometimes you might have to though, in an absolute emergency.
Learn to unclip with your nearside leg first - right for you guys, left for us Johnny Foreigners! Falling towards the kerb will prove second nature - in all the times I've fallen off (save for ice, when you have no control) I've fallen away from the traffic - something in my psyche knows it's the right thing to do!
Good luck GenHawk - you've bitten the bullet and are good to go!
Welcome to the board too, btw!

I know this sounds dumb. To get myself used to clipless. I rode with one foot clipped in and the other foot I wore a tennis shoe. Alternating sides when possible. Looks weird, but seemed to work.

xxx

My first post to this forum, ahem! Nice to meet you all!

I'm an experienced rider, old school in many ways, putting three kids through college & I tend to skimp on equipment to save money (t-shirts & shorts instead of biking clothes). I've been content to ride in sneakers & the old toe clips/cages for years. I bought a new bike last fall, though, and am thinking it's time to switch to real bike shoes & clipless pedals. It's very hilly in our part of Connecticut, and I'm sure the clipless would be an improvement over the rubber cages that came with my bike.

Are the shoes stiff & uncomfortable? Is it something you just get used to? Do the clips lock your feet into one position so you can't shift around? I do kinda like being able to move my feet around on very long rides. Any tips on how to pick from the many types of clipless pedals?

I like ACG's suggestion of clipping on one side & using a tennis shoe on the other until you get accustomed. Great idea!

welcome again awm!!...type clipless pedals in the search box and you should get a ton of hits. We just had one going recently about Speedplays, also type in sore knees - you should get some hits on clipless under that heading too. The only 2 times I ever fell on my clipless I was unclipped on one side - I just forgot the Other side was clipped in and tried to put That foot down too! :eek: Like someone said in another thread - it gets to the point you don't think about it anymore, I always unclip on the right so I just know I can't put the left foot down. I tried toe cages loooooonnnnnn time ago and hated them. Until clipless I just rode with nothing on the pedals.......now I can't imagine ever riding without clipless!

awm03 asked:
"Are the shoes stiff & uncomfortable? Is it something you just get used to? Do the clips lock your feet into one position so you can't shift around? I do kinda like being able to move my feet around on very long rides. Any tips on how to pick from the many types of clipless pedals?"

There are many shoes available. You can buy very stiff road shoes with protruding cleats that don't allow you to walk that much when you're off the bike, but I found mountain bike shoes (that actually look like hiking shoes) quite comfy and easy to walk with (the cleat is integrated to the sole). They probably don't give me as much power, but starting from no automatic pedals, it made a big difference. I got used to it instantly. Nearly fell twice, but managed to unclip at the last second (they're probably not too tightly set - but I never unclip unexpectedly so why change?).

Can't tell about the shifting of position - seems to me that I can move enough, but I don't know how much moving you'd like to do. In all cases, if you're like me, you could always unclip and stretch out once in a while.


ACG wrote:
"I rode with one foot clipped in and the other foot I wore a tennis shoe."

I'm not sure whether it's my specific pedals-shoes combination that does the trick (Shimano SPD, Garneau mountain bike shoes, on a road bike) but I can ride for short distances without having my foot clipped to the pedal. I also unclip long before stop signs and when I ride behind old men wearing hats. I do a lot of that in the city, especially when there's a lot of traffic. Once in a while I do get clipped unintentionally, but never on both feet, and it's easy to get out of it anyway.

I think I posted somewhere here on my recent clipless status. First day I fell over from a dead stop and bounced the back of my head on the asphalt. :eek: Thank goodness for good helmets! Problem was the tension was too tight.

Now I've gotten several weeks in clipless with solo and group rides. Tension just about all the way out and I like it that way. I, too, sometimes clip in unintentionally but it's no big deal, I just turn my ankle and voila. I also use Shimano SPD and Shimano mtn bike shoes that I can walk in, which I like alot.

Since the head-banging incident I've had a couple of close calls (get one foot out and inadvertently start to lean in the other direction) but so far I've stopped myself from falling.

All in all, I love the feeling of being "connected" to the bike and being able to use my hamstrings to pull! :) Try it, you'll like it!

Hey Shewhobikes... I've had the same problem with clipping out one foot and leaning the opposite direction. I still have a scar on my knee from a couple of those incidents.

Anyway, my husband taught me to turn my front wheel away from the foot I'm clipping out... i.e. clip out right, turn the wheel to the left. It causes the weight of the bike to fall the direction of your clipped out foot. I've never fallen since.

I'm glad you're working it all out. I can't imagine riding without clipless pedals now. BTW, I have the same setup as you... Shimano SPDs (eggbeater style... you can clip in either side) and Shimano MTB shoes.