new to clipless - what not to do! (long)

I decided when I bought my new mountain bike that I would like to learn how to use clipless shoes/pedals. So I bought a pair of Shimano mountain bike shoes, and the Shimano pedals that have a platform on one side and you clip in on the other. I figured that would be good for when I want to wear regular sneakers (this is currently my only bike, so I commute and run errands with it too), and also for unclipping when I was unsure of myself or scared. Well, I was right about the first count and SO WRONG about the second.

I started practicing last Sunday in a parking lot. Everything was great. Clipping in seemed really natural - on those pedals the clips consistently flip the top, so I would start pedaling and just clip in, no problem. I biked about 10 miles in my neighborhood clipping and unclipping quite often.

Then, on Monday, I decided that things had gone so great on Sunday that I might as well try using the clipless on my commute. In NYC. From Queens into Manhattan. Everything was fine until I got into a staring contest with a woman in a car at a four-way stop. She was there first. I slowed down and unclipped. I think she motioned for me to go, but I couldn't really tell. So I motioned for her to go. I'm rolling really slowly now, one leg hanging off the side of the bike. We keep staring at each other. Then I guess I thought I needed to ratchet the pedals to stay upright or something because I clipped back in and immediately fell over. Lovely. The woman drove away.

Ok, so I thought I learned my lesson. I decided to use the platform side whenever I was unsure about whether I would need to stop and my unclipping abilities. Well, that's a BAD IDEA. If you are in clipless shoes on those pedals (and you're a newbie like me), you will clip in. Repeatedly. I did the exact same thing on my ride home. There was a miscommunication between my boyfriend and myself about which route we were taking, so I got stuck on the "wrong" side of the street waiting for cars to pass so I could cross. Again, going slowly with one foot unclipped. Go to give myself some more momentum (I guess, clearly this wasn't a conscious decision), clip in, and fall over. I have two huge bruises on either thigh - I fell once in each direction - and a bunch of other cuts and scrapes.

Then I took my bike on the trails yesterday, again with clipless (I had given up for a few days). There were sections that I just didn't want to be clipped in for, and it was really tough putting the pedals platform-side up and not accidentally clipping in. I didn't fall, but I definitely spent way too much time looking down at my pedals, and it wasn't enjoyable.

So I've learned some valuable lessons. Don't get overconfident just because you can clip and unclip just fine in a parking lot and meandering around your neighborhood. That doesn't mean that your next clipless attempt should occur in NYC traffic during rush-hour. You'll get stressed, confused, re-clip-in and tip over. Multiple times.

And the biggest lesson of all: Don't wear clipless shoes unless you plan on being clipped in most of the time. The platform side is nice to have - for when you are wearing REGULAR sneakers. It's not easy to NOT clip in.

Ah, your story takes me back! We've all been there. Doesn't sound like you were hurt other than bruising (I remember that too). It's just so terribly embarrassing. Wait until you fall over from standing still. Just remember to make sure that the bike lands on top of you. That's what was going through my head the last time I fell over from a dead stop, one foot clipped and I was talking to my son in the driveway. I had a bruise, but the bike came out unscathed, and my son was laughing so hard he couldn't help me up.

Hang in there. You will get used to it.

StaRTED clipless in Jan this year, and was terrified for the first 3 months. riding was highly stressful. I still have some moments, just fell over trying to negotiate an uphill hairpin turn on a narrow running path in a park. not the best thing to do on a road bike.

funniest episode.

3rd ride in clipless, came to a stoplight that was red so slowed down and unclipped, then light turned green so thought could just clip back on and go, but lost balance. stuck my hand out to push myself back upright but at that very moment the van rolled away... So it was a very Mr. Bean moment as my hand followed the moving van and i fell over right in the middle of the lane in front of a vehicle. Thank goodness it was not moving. driver was probably busy laughing at the spectacle.

Just take it slow, it'll all be fine :D

I've noticed that it is always when you are panicky that the thing doesn't wanna let yer foot go...

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I want to try clipless pedals, but finding a place to practice in NYC is challenging. Even the bike path requires lots of sudden stops. I may wait until winter when it's not so crowded (but I will miss my hiking boots when it's cold).

I do get frustrated with the discussion of clipless in this group. I'm worried about getting killed, not being embarrassed.

Pam

PamNY - I initially started in the big parking lot at Astoria Park, and then rode around some of the quieter streets in the area. I also lowered my seat a few inches in the very beginning so that when I clipped out I could put a foot down from the seat. It helped psychologically at least!

It is scary to try in the city, but I think you should be able to find someplace to try. Roosevelt Island during the week might be a good bet - there are parking lots you could start in and then you could ride the loop around the island.

It was scary riding in traffic, and I don't think I'm going to do that again until I'm completely comfortable with the clipless. I was only getting in trouble when I would get momentarily confused (this way or that, stop or go), but of course when you're riding in NYC you're making those decisions every second of the way. At least when I did fall I kinda kept the bike upright and just crumpled underneath it, so I didn't feel like I was going to fall into the path of oncoming cars, but that's a real concern around here. I don't blame you for trying to find a way to learn clipless safely - that's my goal too! Good luck!

I don't know how much help this might be, but I've got a little trick for as I'm starting back up or for some other reason have one foot unclipped. I don't know how this would work for road shoes, but with the mountain shoes, I'm going to guess that it doesn't matter what kind -- that tread stuff on the bottom is handy!

I put the ARCH area of the unclipped foot on the pedal for those few moments of starting up, or otherwise needing the pedal for a wee bit when you don't want that foot clipped in. It means it's free, and also, the starting moments are usually more tense, so I can postpone making sure my foot's in the right place and the clip and cleat catch properly until, oh, say, I'm through the intersection and rolling smoothly in the bike lane again, rather than where there are cars on all four sides of me at once, and I'm hoping that none of them will decide they REALLY want the space I'm in at exactly that moment!

(the "Walmart exit ramp" I have to bike through on occasion is a GREAT example of the tense moments! Nothing like people wanting to get to Walmart NOW!!! to raise the old heart rate! They're behind on both the right and left, and sometimes they cut over from three lanes away when they realize where they meant to go! The bike lane goes in a straight line, but the traffic lanes... This one's spooky in a CAR!)

Karen in Boise

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Originally Posted by irrealised

PamNY - I initially started in the big parking lot at Astoria Park, and then rode around some of the quieter streets in the area. I also lowered my seat a few inches in the very beginning so that when I clipped out I could put a foot down from the seat. It helped psychologically at least!

It is scary to try in the city, but I think you should be able to find someplace to try. Roosevelt Island during the week might be a good bet - there are parking lots you could start in and then you could ride the loop around the island.

It was scary riding in traffic, and I don't think I'm going to do that again until I'm completely comfortable with the clipless. I was only getting in trouble when I would get momentarily confused (this way or that, stop or go), but of course when you're riding in NYC you're making those decisions every second of the way. At least when I did fall I kinda kept the bike upright and just crumpled underneath it, so I didn't feel like I was going to fall into the path of oncoming cars, but that's a real concern around here. I don't blame you for trying to find a way to learn clipless safely - that's my goal too! Good luck!

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My best advice is to wear comfortable long pants/tights. worse to worse u'll just tip over and land on some fleshy bum. I didn't get a single scrape on all three of my falls from the first few rides with clipless. and i was just wearing bike shorts. U'll be going slowly. I was also really fearful in the beginning but it really is not that bad. I had an easy time unclipping, but a frustrating time clipping in. so yep! good luck and have fun!

I have been riding clipless on my mt bike for years. I remember the falling bruising and how did that happen moments. Try keeping the pedals set loose until you get more comfortable. I also use pam cooking spray to lub the pedals for easy in and out.

Clipless pedals are intended to provide a more efficient transfer of power.This is particularly helpful when riding at a constant speed or up hills.

Given that the nature of city riding is stop and go, why would you want to do it in clipless pedals?:confused:

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Originally Posted by Zen

Given that the nature of city riding is stop and go, why would you want to do it in clipless pedals?

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It's because of my lofty ambitions. I want to learn to use clipless pedals for times when I go elsewhere.

Pam

Thanks for all the advice, everyone!

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Originally Posted by Zen

Clipless pedals are intended to provide a more efficient transfer of power.This is particularly helpful when riding at a constant speed or up hills.

Given that the nature of city riding is stop and go, why would you want to do it in clipless pedals?:confused:

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I want to learn clipless so that I can ride with them on trails - which is also lots of stop and go at times! I really don't like my feet sliding off the pedals when I'm MTBing, and could use the extra power and security from being clipped in. I guess there's no real reason for wanting to do it in the city, except that the only chance I get to ride during the week is my commute, and I had thought it would be easier than learning on the trails! Many of the MTB trails around here also have paved trails nearby, so I guess I'll practice there for a while before I hit the trails.

I've been using clipless pedals for over a year now and sort of had a clipless pedal fall today. Me & the litespeed toppled over into a mud puddle.

I was going to turn right at a stop sign, but a van came up fast, so I stopped, unclipped fast on my right side, put my foot down and went over into the mud puddle 'cause there was a steep shoulder & my foot couldn't reach the ground.


I really gotta learn to be able to unclip on my left quickly.

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Originally Posted by Kano

I don't know how much help this might be, but I've got a little trick for as I'm starting back up or for some other reason have one foot unclipped. I don't know how this would work for road shoes, but with the mountain shoes, I'm going to guess that it doesn't matter what kind -- that tread stuff on the bottom is handy!

I put the ARCH area of the unclipped foot on the pedal for those few moments of starting up, or otherwise needing the pedal for a wee bit when you don't want that foot clipped in. It means it's free, and also, the starting moments are usually more tense, so I can postpone making sure my foot's in the right place and the clip and cleat catch properly until, oh, say, I'm through the intersection and rolling smoothly...

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I used to ride in MTB shoes and did the same thing -- plenty of leverage, and your foot stays firmly planted on the pedal. Switched to road shoes, and OH MY what a difference! Slicker than snot! Definitely took some getting used to.

I've ridden for miles using that method :o

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Originally Posted by uforgot

Ah, your story takes me back! We've all been there. Doesn't sound like you were hurt other than bruising (I remember that too). It's just so terribly embarrassing. Wait until you fall over from standing still. Just remember to make sure that the bike lands on top of you. .

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I got my clipless pedals on Monday and the LBS first put me on a trainer to teach me how to clip and unclip and then took me out back to ride my bike. I did great! I loved them!

That afternoon I went riding with my hubby. I was so nervous and tense. I felt myself locking my arms, clenching my jaw, just waiting to fall. All was well and then I stopped to loosen one of my shoes and when I went to start back up, I fell.

I had I read all of the emails about falling and different situations and all I could remember was "make sure your bike lands on top of you". LOL! My husband didn't laugh, but he was amused. I didn't catch myself with my wrist, but rolled and lifted my bike in the air with my legs so it wouldn't be damaged. I had a slight abrasion on the leg that hit the pavement and the gears hit my other leg so I have a few cuts. All in all it didn't really hurt. I am glad I got it out of the way.

The owner of the LBS said there are two kinds of riders. Those who have fallen and those who are going to fall. <grin>

I really love the power and efficiency behind the clipless pedals. Now I have to work on starting from a stand still.

Kat

Psyclepath bought my Mountain bike shoes & gave me my first clipless lesson Saturday- not too bad having a brother that is an LCI instructor! I mad sveral loops before my first fall- unclipped on the right then leaned left & rolled over- a little road rash & a couple bruises but not too bad!

It's still pretty scary though!

Clipless! I fell the FIRST RIDE on my FIRST BIKE and now it sits, in my rec room, on a trainer because I am afraid to ride it outside. I keep telling myself that I"m going to just "do it", but I haven't.
After reading this thread, I realized that I am being so stupid. I am taking off the clipless and putting regular old pedals back on and I am getting back on the real road.
I would rather ride than sit inside, I would rather ride and emerged relatively unscathed, and not killed!
I'd rather ride than worry about not riding.
Are the pedals I use really going to make THAT much difference?

Whenever I see these clipless threads I think about my first time. I had been riding with toe clips for about a year and really wanted to ride clipless. I did what most folks do and went with MTB shoes and SPD pedals. We went out to do an easy ride on the Silver Comet Trail. We rode for 25 miles and I was clipping, unclipping like I had been doing it all my life. I was pumped!! There's a lot of street crossings on the trail, so there were a lot of stops/starts.

We are about 10 miles from where we parked and wanted to stop at a cool little creek to rest a moment. This rest area was LOADED with cyclists because it's so cool and shady. Unclipped left foot, put it down on the ground and leaned to the RIGHT... the bike started rolling and went straight into the creek with me still clipped to it. My left foot went into the creek bed up to my ankles in mud. On the way down into the creek my legs scraped down these jagged rocks until they were raw hamburger. I am totally p*ssed... cursing and yelling all the way down. I look up and there are no less than 10 cyclists standing up on the trail looking down at me. They pulled me out. I cleaned up my wounds as best as I could and rode my bike the 10 miles back to the car.

For the next 2 months, I went back to wearing my tennis shoes riding. Then one day, I decided I was going back to clipless. Unbelievably, I haven't fallen since :) ...

If you want to ride clipless, just don't be a quitter. You may fall sometimes, but practice makes perfect!

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Originally Posted by IGGY

Clipless! I fell the FIRST RIDE on my FIRST BIKE and now it sits, in my rec room, on a trainer because I am afraid to ride it outside. I keep telling myself that I"m going to just "do it", but I haven't.
After reading this thread, I realized that I am being so stupid. I am taking off the clipless and putting regular old pedals back on and I am getting back on the real road.

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Put your regular pedals on and ride!!! Once you get used to your bike you might want to give the clipless another shot, but it doesn't matter if you never even try them again. It's no fun being afraid to ride your bike, so do what you need to to get comfortable and gain some confidence!

I'll admit that I've been going back and forth - wearing my MTB shoes and clipping in when I'm on bike paths, and regular sneakers when I hit the trails. Last weekend I tried downhill MTBing for the first time and even switched my pedals back to real platforms (my other ones are clips on one side and platform on the other, but the platform is small and slippery). I'm not giving up on clipless, but I'm pretty new to MTBing and clipping in (and out!) is just one thing too many to worry about when everything else is so new too.

Maybe some people would just go for it, but I don't like being scared when I'm riding. Biking is supposed to be fun, and things like clipless pedals are supposed to be an asset, not something to stress out over. So keep it fun!

[QUOTE=irrealised;435518]Put your regular pedals on and ride!!! Once you get used to your bike you might want to give the clipless another shot, but it doesn't matter if you never even try them again. It's no fun being afraid to ride your bike, so do what you need to to get comfortable and gain some confidence!

I agree! My LBS talked me into buying SPDs to go with my new road bike, even though I hadn't ridden on the road in years and wanted to start with ordinary pedals. Of course I fell off a few times trying to use them, got too afraid to try again, and left the bike sitting unused in our spare room for a year and a half. Eventually, thanks to the encouragement of friends, I put some regular pedals on and off I went. It only took a few weeks of riding and I had enough confidence to try out the SPDs again (after practicing using them in a few spin classes). Once I was used to the bike they were fine!

I've just swapped to some Look Keo's and am going through a little learning curve again, but nowhere near as steep as the initial switch to clipless. Get used to the bike, then see how you feel!

I only fell once with my clipless, and that was because someone else fell on me. Never had any problems with my clipless pedals. I just anticipate and unclick whenever I see danger. :cool:

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Originally Posted by papaver

I only fell once with my clipless, and that was because someone else fell on me. Never had any problems with my clipless pedals. I just anticipate and unclick whenever I see danger. :cool:

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oops . . . i've been on the other side of that one. i've been ok with clipless, but i unclip probably well before i actually need to, just to be safe. i had an incident though where i panicked and didn't unclip and ran smack into another rider. we were riding with an older man (in his 70's) and came to a cul-de-sac. he was pointing out a beautiful house (with a family in the front yard..). i looked over at it, but didn't notice he had STOPPED to admire. when i looked up, seconds before impact, i tried to stop myself by putting my feet on the ground, completely forgetting i was clipped in. so, being a completely rational person, i started screaming at the top of my lungs. try the brakes? not me. keep screaming? absolutely.

the family rushed over to help us up. luckily, we were both ok . . . except my pride :p

I'm new to biking (or new since high school that is) and clipless pedals, we got the Speedplay Zero pedals/cleats for our road bikes. I've been out on the road with them 3 times so far, and yesterday was my worst falling day but also my longest ride.

The first fall was the worst and it was mostly mental, the other falls were just learning (I'm not all that well balanced to start with) and I find the anticipation of a fall is worse than the act of falling. I've started to learn to get my pride up off the ground as fast as I can get my body off the ground LOL. I know I don't have much falling left in my system and I immediately saw benefit from riding with the Speedplays verses just me in my tennis shoes with regular pedals.

Took my new Lemond out for its maiden voyage on Thursday eve to "learn" to use the spd's my husband talked me into buying (since we had the pedals at home all we needed were the cleats). I completely agree about the fear of the fall being worse than the actual event. That said, I now have about five choice bruises and abrasions ... ouch! The clipless pedals and cleats came off and platforms with toe clips went on. Went on a ride with the local club today and did fine, although I wasn't prepared for how slippery the bottoms of the shoes would be, and therefore harder to stop.

I'd like to try clipless again sometime not to far down the road, but I am thinking about Speedplays. Just could not get the hang of finding the clip-in spot on the spd's, and, of course, how to get out of them fast enough!

On a brighter note, this is my first road bike (had been riding a Trek fx 7.2 hybrid) and I was really pleased at how much faster I was able to go.

I use this pair of SPD pedals on my road bike, which also has the platform on one side:
http://www.exustar.com/image/pedal/pm811-s.jpg

I first rode on these pedals with regular sneakers and learned how to get on the platform side. When I was confident enough, I started to try cycling shoes.
Just need to practice what to do when you don't want to clip in.
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/7395/img0146b.jpg

If I put my unclipped shoe on the wrong side (depending on the situation, either not to clip or to clip), I just continue to pedal slowly meanwhile maneuver to get my unclipped shoe on the right side.

I only have one emergency so far. But that's because I didn't know what the car in front of me would do -- ahead or back (he actually wanted to make a u-turn). I was very close to the back of the car and then I realized that he didn't continue to drive (nor he put up some signal). I was lucky to get off my left foot quick enough or I would fell. This is a lesson I learned: If not sure, unclip one foot first.

IGGY - I wholeheartedly agree with irrealised - it shouldn't be so stressful to ride; just fun. After a really bad first day with clipless on a new mountain bike in 1995, I swore them off for 10 years (due to a terrible fear of falling) but still had lots of fun and got much better at biking anyway. I finally tried clipless again 2 years ago and have been generally fine, despite some trepidation and a few tip-overs. Don't be bothered by peer pressure; it's totally fine to ride the way you feel most comfortable. I found the mini-clips to be the most effective alternative (easy in/out; some stability & power). Check these out: http://www.amazon.com/Eleven81-Mini-.../dp/B001D4S9QO