Encouragement for going clipless
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!
Question on bike shoes & thanks to ACG
Garneau mountain bike shoes-saw these mentioned in one of the post, so I looked on the internet, there were several different kinds:
Ergo Eco Cycling
Montana
Trail Cycling
Do you know which style might be better?
Also to ACG, the tip on riding with one side clipless and the other side with a regular pedal has worked wonders. First time out I used clipless, fell with one large chain scratch. The next time out with clipless I fell, leg somehow ended in the crankshaft so it looked like a chainsaw had gone through the back of my leg. So a doctor visit, tetanus shot later I'm trying to decide if I should sell the bike and then I saw your suggestion.
This website is incredible. All suggestions/encouragments have been great. Thanks so much to all :cool:
leftey loosie, rightey tightie
xeney "Fortunately I haven't spent anything at all on pedals so far because I've been taking my husband's castoffs and the ones that came with various bikes"
question: why did hubby castoff the pedals? worn out? old? not the hubby, the pedals ;-)
if there's signs of wear and tear that could be why things don't mesh. clean and lube those puppies and make sure your shoes are clean too. I've almost fallen over, couldn't unclip after getting some mud in there.
same thing with the cleats on wear. I wear ATB shoes on a road bike because they are easier to walk in, because of that the cleats wear faster. Check them carefully, if they show signs of pitting that could be why.
when I started clipless my LBS put the pedals on their loosest setting. Chris said "If you so much as sneeze these are going to unclip" and he was right. I've kept them that way. They are plenty tight for pedaling, I can stand for a climb and they don't come out, but they clip and unclip easily (Spazz, I don't want to hear about the time I fell ;-)
on spd there's a hex thingy toward the rear of the cleat. lefty loosie, righty tighty (gosh we're techinical here). remember to do both sides on both pedals.
Here's the catch: depending on the age of your pedals if your pedals are newer there now is a "stop mechanism" where when you've adjusted it to the loosest setting, as far as it can go it just stops. If they are old it just keeps going untils SPROOOOOIIIIING goes too far and the whole thing falls apart like a smashed watch. My mechanic says at that point you'll never get it back together. So if you think it's too tight, and you think the pedals are older, do this very slowly, gradualy and incrementaly.
