clipless for scaredy cats?

[ReneeLynne]

Hi Ladies!!

I bought a new (my first!) road bike 6 mos. ago. When I took it out for a first ride, I was so excited by the speed compared to my old hybrid that I got a bit overzealous and crashed big time!!! Lots of betadine and several x-rays later, I am back on the bike regularly and going strong, having completed my first metric century last Saturday. I was so frieked out by the big crash that it took me a while to get to this point, but I am now ready to explore the SCARY clipless option...I recognize that it will make my ride better.

I want to balance safety and speed, erring on the side of safety when in doubt. My LBS suggested I try mountain bike clipless pedals because they're easier to get out of in contrast with road bikes. Is this true? Is that advisable for performance? Are there any brands/models you ladies recommend?

thanks for helping me get over this fear!!! I know many of you have successfuly overcome it yourselves

Renee

[roguedog]

Hey,

I too am looking and started a thread similar to this. In my research I found this link which was pretty helpful:

http://www.bicyclesouth.com/clipless.htm

[mimitabby]

I was all ready to get "frogs" for my pedals(mountain bike clipless, right?)
. right now I have power straps which are just straps. I was testing my bike at the LBS and the guy said that he could see i was having trouble getting my right foot into the straps.

he said because i didn't have enough flexibility toeing in my right foot the frogs
would not work for me and he thinks i should try the SPD's because less flexibility is needed.

so this winter, on my bike in the basement on the wind trainer, I might try SPD's. I don't want any broken bones, I am in my 50's and not as flexible as I was, so i am not in a big rush to lock my feet into my bike.

[Duck on Wheels]

I went clipless last winter. SPD, reversible pedals (platform on one side, clipless on the other). That's actually a bit of a nuisance, since you sometimes have to kick the pedal around to the right side before clipping in, but since I sometimes ride to and from the woods in hiking boots it had to be that way. First day with cleats in my shoes, I went to spin class and practiced clipping in and out. Then toodled a slow ride around town, clipping in and out at every opportunity. It soon became automatic. I don't think I'd been riding clipless more than a couple of weeks when I unclipped in a split second when my chain fell off the back cogs, or when I dodged a lunging labrador retriever. I have yet to crash (touch wood), probably because I assiduously follow my sister Trek420's advice: "when in doubt, clip out". I also followed her advice by setting the clip springs as loose as possible -- just tight enough to give a click when clipping in and to hold when pedalling, but so loose that even a slight jerk of the foot clicks the shoe free. That's really all there is to it. The other day I had to ride my old bike with platform pedals and discovered that now THAT feels unsafe. When I try spinning in a low gear to get up a hill, my shoes slip off the pedals .

My 2c: Go ahead and give em a try . Maybe a bike shop will let you borrow some shoes and try clipping in and out on a trainer. I bet you'll find you like it, one system or another. And once you're used to it, you'll never look back.

[roshelleuop]

Renee,

Don't be afraid. To give you some light at the end of the tunnel, I was also scared of going clipless (like everyone is). But I bit the bullet, put them on my bike and took some spins around the park (on grass). Sure I fell a couple of times while getting used to them, but it was on grass and it didn't hurt! Just take it slow and the first couple times you ride have someone come with you to remind you to clip out! I think it took me a good 3 weeks before it became a habit where I didn't even have to think about it.

Now that I have fully transitioned to cilpless, I can honestly say that I'd BE A SCAREDY CAT TO GO BACK. You couldn't pay me to go back to regular pedals or cages or straps or any other pedal. Clipless may be scary at first, but after you use them for awhile they not only improve your performance, i believe they are alot safer.

Sorry, I use road cycle clipless pedals on both my road bike and cycle cross, so I can't help with the differences between them and the road. But I will say that you can adjust your clips to as tight and to as loose as you want to make it easier to clip out. On my road bike, I keep them as loose as they can go just about so i can easily clip out. On my cycle-cross I keep them pretty loose, but a little tighter because of the terrain. They are still both really easy to clip out.

Roshelle from Milwaukee
http://wisconsinbetties.blogspot.com/

[midgetcycler]

I bought Shimano SPD-M505 mountain bike pedals and mountain bike shoes at the suggestion of my father. He didn't mention being any easier to get in and out of them as a reason, though. He just said it would be a good idea to get the mountain shoes because they actually have some tread on the bottoms, whereas road bike shoes are smooth. As I am not necessarily interested in speed (road bike shoes are smooth so they have less wind resistance/drag), I agreed. I didn't want to be one of those at the Stop N Go busting their butt on that hard tile floor!

[mimitabby]

I agree with Midget
everyone in my house rides road bikes but wears MTB shoes.

[Melstar]

From what i've read around and about, everyone is saying that an "initiation" fall is unavoidable... URGH... but i wanna get me some clipless!.. but the fall... clipless!! the falll... the fall the fall fall fall....NOO000oooo....

[ReneeLynne]

thanks all for the advice!!!! The link to Bike South was particularly helpful.

On the FALL, it sounds to me like the fall is likely to happen at a slow speed -- like as you come up to a stop sign and brake but forget to unclip....so that's not so bad, right? embarrassing at worst....nothing like the bad fall I took earlier this year. I hate being embarrassed, though....

[Melstar]

Some wise guy claimed he fell at the traffic lights and got stuck with the bike between his legs and couldn't unclip cuz he was side on.... but that guy i know talks crap 24/7 so its probably not true anyway...

[Kano]

For what it's worth, six weeks into clipless, I haven't had any of the "obligatory falls." Not even when I dropped my chain one day on a hill.

I try to see ahead a bit -- if I'm coming to an intersection, as I slow down, I clip my "ground foot" out so that if there's traffic and I need to stop, I'm ready for it. Clipping back in is pretty quick and easy, and that extra moment is well worth the joy of staying upright!

I've noticed reading that it seems like most of those falls are people who clip out with the wrong foot. If you're a left foot down person, it does you no good to clip out of the right pedal. Another thing that I've seen is what sounds like people trying to balance while stopped with their butts on the saddle and barely a toe on the ground. Off the seat, foot flat (and for me, making sure it's a little out from the bike) gives you a "three point" stance, which is usually pretty stable (one foot, two wheels, three points!)

Neat thing about this knowledge was figuring out before I did clipless pedals which foot wants to land on the ground first, and, well, since my foot doesn't reach the ground anyway, getting off the saddle every time I stop was an easy one to practice before the pedals!

Karen in Boise

[midgetcycler]

When I switched to clipless, my Dad told me you *WILL* fall at least twice.

I fell the first day. I did great on my whole ride, clipping out well in advance, yada, yada, and then just as I was pulling into the driveway, I unclipped and put my left foot down. Everything is great right?? Well, apparently my right foot clipped back in without me knowing it, and when I went to put my right foot down, I was still stuck to the bike. So down I went. I managed to get my foot out before hitting the ground, though, so no permanent damage. I am still to this day very thankful DH was not where he could see me. He would probably still be laughing.

I have yet to have my second fall. I know it's coming, and I know there's nothing I can do about it but wait for it to come. I just hope I'm alone.

[Trekhawk]

Hi Ladies!!

I want to balance safety and speed, erring on the side of safety when in doubt. My LBS suggested I try mountain bike clipless pedals because they're easier to get out of in contrast with road bikes. Is this true? Is that advisable for performance? Are there any brands/models you ladies recommend?

thanks for helping me get over this fear!!! I know many of you have successfuly overcome it yourselves

Renee

I love road shoes. I have road shoes for my road bike and mountain shoes for my moutain bike. My pedals for both are made by Crank Brothers and both are just as easy to clip in and out of. For mountain biking I have egg beaters and for road I have Quattros basically an egg beater with a nice size platform around it.

Once you have gone clipless you wont look back.

Happy pedal/shoe hunting.

[SouthernBelle]

I've been clipless less than a month. I fell twice on pavement the first day. I'm 51 but I still didn't break. I'm riding the spds that came with my bike. The only issue I might have with MTB shoes is that they usually recess the clip. So if you are like me and have a hard time finding the sweet spot sometimes, that may make it harder. But I'm still very glad I did it.

[rivergrl]

I was scared as well but I already had a cycleops trainer so I put the bike on that for at least a week 1/2 and practiced getting in and out of the clips. It made a world of difference for me. My first ride off the trainer I did great until I came to a stop the first time and I went straight down. So far I've been riding and I've not had another fall. The key for me is to be aware and even a bit afraid while riding any bike. If I'm aware of the fact that I'm attached to the bike then I think about how I need to start slowing down to stop ahead so I clipout early. If I'm a little afraid then I'm aware that people may not stop when I'm crossing the riding trail. I always slow down and try to watch the driver to see that they see me, sometimes even if they do they KEEP on driving which always baffles me.

I'm always aware I may have to stop at any second and I'm always a little afraid of what other people will do around me. I never assume they see me but It makes me stay aware that I need to put my feet in the position I need them in in order for me to get out safely and quickly.

I've learned I clip in the same way and I get out the same way. I put my feet in a certain position when I'm getting ready to stop. The big thing is to be aware of other people.