To do Clipless or Not to do Clipless ! ?????

Hi Ladies! :)

Thanks for the ideas for practicing the inevitable "fall!"
I will take it all into consideration, for sure!
And very soon!
Please see the "news" I want to share under "Am I in heaven?"

With Gratitude,
Julie

my first set of clipless shoes were shimano mountain bike shoes--MO38s. they were recommended to me as a good shoe for not-so-seasoned clipless riders and spinning class afficianados. that sounded like me, and in retrospect, it was a good suggestion. the advantage of this sort of shoe is that the cleat is recessed into the bottom of the shoe, which otherwise looks like a regular old hiking shoe (i.e.: it has a tread). this helps for two reasons: the shoe doesn't slip on the ground (when you put your foot down, or when you're off the bike) and it doesn't slip off the pedal. i used them with a set of combination pedals (SPD on a platform) and within about a month i was completely comfortable engaging and disengaging the cleats.

i didn't appreciate these "non-slip" features until i got grownup clipless road shoes a few months ago. there is nothing quite as embarassing as trying to get going from a dead stop, and having your foot swipe off the top of the pedal 6 or 7 times. suave.

i still use my "beginner" shoes for touring and commuting because they're very comfortable to walk around in, though they're a bit clunky for fitness/distance rides.

Hope this helps anyone who may be nervous about switching to a clipless pedal.

I had toe clips and straps and was very nervous about switching because I had tried my DH's Look 5.1 pedals on the trainer and I couldn't get my foot unclipped no matter how hard I tried (Yikes... I'll never be able to use clipless pedals!). After reading all the clipless pedal threads (thanks everybody) I decided to go with the Speedplay Zero's (non-recessed, road bike pedals).

I've had the Zero's about 1 month now and they are excellent. Easy to clip out and easy to clip in (once the screw tension on the cleat was set properly). I practiced for about 30 minutes on the trainer and knew I would not have problems clipping out. I have absolutely NO ANXIETY about not being able to clip out in time, even in an emergency stop. They definitely give me more pedal power overall and especially going up those $%!#$ hills. Also, if you are not yet clipped in you can still pedal with your foot just sitting on the pedal. I've had one foot slip off the pedal but since the other one was clipped in I just pedaled with that foot until I could get my act together.

I had one "Artie Johnson" fall at the beginning (I was clipped out with one foot but fell to the clipped in side, on the George Washington Bridge, in front of 3 experienced riders) and last weekend I fell because when I put my unclipped foot down as I was coming to a stop the cleat (which is metal) slid on the pavement and I went down. My first road rash! Advice: put your heel down first (my shoes have a rubber heel thingie) when you're stopping, not the ball of your foot.

For Do-It-Yourselfers: The pedals and cleats were easily installed by my DH in about 20 minutes. (Our LBS took 2 hours trying to install them, but they couldn't figure it out so I went home with my toe clips and straps. What losers.) Some minor adjustments were necessary – one cleat needed to be moved a little for comfort and the screws on the cleats needed to be loosened to make clipping in easier.

I wish I had switched sooner because it really has made the cycling experience much better.

Carol

What LBS didn't know how to install pedals and cleats? I need to know which one to avoid on my next trip into the city. Egad.

Wendy:
Appalling isn't it? It was Sid's on 34th street.
I've always had pretty good service there and the person I usually deal with, Alan, was not there that day. I'm sure if he was I would have had a totally different experience. They've put on new handlebars, a new crankset, etc., for me and lots of major stuff done on my husbands bike, and everything worked out well. So this was a real surprise.

Perhaps this was a defective pedal/cleat set. It was the only Speedplay Zero they had in stock. Or, the woman who was trying to install it was just a moron.

Carol

I still have toe clips but only because I am CHEAP and forgetful and don't need to go any faster than I do.

Falling - years of swimming meant I automatically went into "water entry" mode - which, very very fortunately is an artful belly flop (don't want to dislodge the goggles). Head up, arms taking the 'splash'.. took a lot of gravel on the elbow (long sleeve jerseys rock ) and yea, a little on the navel ... but just road rash.

I knew I was hopeless for training my self to fall unless I did it a few hundred times (this body takes a little longer than most to acquire motor habits), but I wanted to be like a stunt guy and roll with it... ah, well... belly flops work, too.

Hello all,

reading your threads was a treat as I nurse my wounds after my first fall in clipless pedals. Getting in and out works okay for me, but the problem came up when I got ambitious and decided to try getting in on an incline (not a very steep one, even!). I freaked out when my right foot would not clip in, and fell over to the left side. Result: scrapes on knee and elbow plus very achy and swollen wrist. Drat because that means I can't ride tomorrow!!! If i'm lucky I'll do my workout on a stationary bike at the gym.

How long should it take to get adjusted? i was hoping to be ready to use them in a triathlon coming up in 2 weeks. (And to be able to bike safely in preparation rides until then!) I am scared thinking of going on hills--what if I need to clip out in the middle? It seems like it will be very difficult to get started again and clip in on a medium to steep incline. Any advice? One of my friends responded: I just don't unclip when I'm on an incline! Well, obviously! but what if it's unavoidable?

Any advice in getting over the psychological and technical aspects alike will be appreciated. Since the pedals are already on, no use in the method 2 of you mentioned, of "pretending" you have clipless, before actually making the switch. Well, on the bike I ride in the city for transportation, that would work....

Thanks all,
Miriam

I've ridden with clips for years; no reason to rush into clipless, just to be cool or whatever.

I went from platform pedals to toe clips then on to SPD clipless.

I used toe cages with the straps loose and never had a problem. I still use toeclips occasionally on a commuter bike.

When I went clipless I made sure the tension on the pedals was very loose, I still use them this way. It's easy to unclip, but I have never had them unclip when I didn't want to. I fell once or twice when I first got them. Climbing was a bit scary at first as I could not coast to unclip, but I do fine now and can unclip while pedaling to stop on a hill. If I'm in a rough spot I can unclip one side and just put my foot on the pedal while pedaling if I feel I might need to stop.

My mtn bike is not clipless yet, but I am ready to go clipless on it soon. I have half clips on it, just a little little plastic part that slips over the toe of my shoe and keeps my foot from going off the front of the pedal. These have worked ok, but are sometimes tricky to flip over the pedal and get into while going down a rough spot.

I have a pair of the Nashbar SPD pedals, $20 on sale, on the way to try on the mtn bike and I am going to try the "chicken cleats" that come unclipped very easily.

Hey JerusalemBiker... a couple of things you might try:

When you're clipping out, turn your wheel away from the foot your unclipping. It will make the weight of your bike fall toward your clipped out foot. I've seen some people say do the opposite and that works for them, too. For me, I've always done clip out right, turn wheel left and I've never fallen doing that.

Also, when you're getting going again on a hill, try going back down a little to give yourself a chance to get clipped back in, then turn around and start climbing again.

Hope your wrist is okay and I hope your tri goes well! Please give us the report!!