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New road cyclist here!
I don't have a problem clipping in or out...my problem comes when i'm trying to come to a complete stop and picking enough speed when i clip back on.
I live in Miami Beach so I have stop at red lights and stop signs every couple of blocks. It's frustrating and nerveracking-- I've decided to stop using clipless pedals. I'll reinstall them whenever I decide to ride in a race.
You might give it another chance (or a few more chances). Actually, once you're clipped in, you can accelerate much quicker than you can on a flat pedal with no toe clip - standing starts are the one situation where you're indisputably pulling up on the pedals as well as pushing down. (I ride a roadie with Look pedals and a commuter with flat pedals and street shoes, and I've ridden each of them a few hundred times through any given stoplight or stop sign within about a 5-7 mile radius, so I have the opportunity to contrast them.)
There's a learning curve to learning to clip in without hesitation or having to look at the pedal, but if you give it time, you will find you get off the stoplights much quicker.
I found this very helpful:
http://outsideonline.com/outside/bod...-20070330.html
Specifically, the idea of getting seated on the saddle as soon as you start to move, so you will be more stable as you clip in with the second foot.
I'm just starting my second season with clipless pedals. I was definitely nervous most of the first season, made a conscious effort to remind myself my feet were attached to the pedals so PLAN AHEAD. It does get better and I would never go back now. It'd be much harder to get going from a full stop if I did not have one foot clipped in to push off with. I also tend to slip off the pedal if I try to accelerate without being clipped in, due I guess to being in the habit of applying force all the way thru the rotation instead of just the down stroke. And I really notice the gain in efficiency.
I put candies on my road bike and combos (flat one side, clip on the other) on my commuter bike. I did that because my aging brain did not need the challenge of trying to remember which bike I was on and therefore which habits applied! But the combo pedals give me a choice in traffic if I need to stop and start a lot. Overall I like the Candies better, and both sets of pedals got much easier to use as they got broken in. So to new clipless riders, I'd say hang in there....
Also, I agree with bcipam that it seems easier to let the second foot just ride on top for a stroke or two until I get rolling after stop, then clip it in. No real need to do it instantly
This is what worked for me. Mark with a tape the side of the shoe just about where the cleats are (ball of your foot). Get the bike on a trainer and practice, getting on and off. Eventually your foot will just fall it. There is no going back for me now.
I also like the pedals, I called hybrids for they have serve both purposes. One side is clipless and the other is regular. I find it safer when I'm riding in areas where I don't trust the traffic, nor the drivers. I'm not concerned about power but making it through alive :D