Clipping in- It's definitely different than spin class.

[tharley]

Stupidest clipless question ever. How do you balance yourself & clip in while taking off? DH put new clipless peddles on my bike yesterday & I had a heck of a time figuring out which foot to clip in & when w/o falling over- before I even started. I finally figured I should clip in on lower peddle only, took off w/ my left foot not clipped & thought it wouldn't be hard to clip it in as I rode. However, it took forever to get that foot clipped in while slowly riding the neighborhood at -.25 mph. Surprisingly that is the slowest I have ever gone w/o falling. Once I got clipped in, it was awesome & I had no problems with clipping free (but I didn't dare stop!) and the POWER!

[tulip]

Practice. It will get easier, and eventually it'll become second nature. You'll probably fall --most of us do at one time or another. You can practice on a grassy field in a low gear. Falling's easier on grass, and you'll have to practice unclipping at some point.

[mariacycle]

Tharley you're two steps ahead of me... I've been using my clips in the trainer but haven't dared go outside yet. I'm trying to mimic real cycling by taking a few powerful pumps with my right foot and then clipping my left in once I have some momentum. Good luck!

[OakLeaf]

It's the same as riding outdoors with platform pedals or toe clips. It's the gyroscopic effect of the wheels that keeps you upright, so the first thing you have to do is push hard on the crank.

One foot down, the other foot on the pedal at about 45° forward of vertical, clip in as you're putting your weight onto the pedal. Once you're in motion, clip in the second foot. You might pedal a couple of strokes with your other foot just resting on the pedal unclipped, to get yourself stable, before clipping in the second foot. Or you may find that you can clip right in.

Just don't let the cleats trick you into thinking it's different from flat pedals, that's all.

[runningcyclist]

Ooh, glad to see this thread as I'll be moving to clipless when I get my roadbike later in the year. It's still a scary thought but I remember how I was when using toe clips and it can't be much worse can it?

[Biciclista]

make sure the adjustment is as loose as possible at first. If they're too hard to get in and out of you'll never get it.
practice riding with them NOT clipped in first.

[ny biker]

And get your butt on the seat as soon as you push off with the top foot. It's easier to stay balanced while you clip in with the second foot if you're seated.

[GLC1968]

When I first started, this is how it went.

Start on a level surface. Straddle the bike. Hold the bars still and clip in one foot while the pedal is near the ground (so it doesn't move when you push down). Doesn't matter which foot, everyone is different. Then lift that foot (with pedal now attached) to about 45 degrees forward of straight up and down. This all happens while standing still.

Then, gently push off with the foot on the ground WHILE pushing down on the raised pedal. This should give you plenty of speed to remain upright while cliping in the other foot. If not, just put the unclipped in foot on the pedal and pedal a few strokes to get going. When you are ready to clip in the other pedal, do it with the pedal in the up position (holding it there by keeping the already clipped in foot in the down position). Voila!

As you get more proficient at it, you'll get better and you'll learn more grace and the ability to do this 1) on the fly or 2) on an incline.