When to "graduate"?

[Swan]

I don't ride clipless.

And I know my bike seat is too low.

I don't get that nice full extension when riding my bike, and often when I pedal aggressively I bounce my way right out of the saddle. This is very frustrating for me, as before I was benched I surprised myself by genuinely wanting to ride faster, harder, and longer, and feeling happiest when I could. But more than my frustration is my fear. I wouldn't mind not being able to touch the ground straight away if the only thing I rode was a road, but I often ride washed-out dirt hills with sharp ditches taller than I am on either side, and I like being able to use my feet as secondary breaks... especially as I'm not too sure about how reliable my bike's breaks are. I'm still on Wal Mart's Roadmaster Granite Peak, after all, and I have no idea where the breaks even are on a bicycle.

So I'm still locked into a low saddle position with my feet on the ground thanks to that, but I'm wondering... when will I 'graduate' to riding at the correct height? And after that, when come the clipless? Perhaps it's whenever I feel comfortable... but I wonder if a scaredy-cat like me will ever feel comfortable like that

[indysteel]

First off, your saddle can be at an ideal height for power and comfort regardless of the type of pedal you're running, so let's take clipless pedals off the table for a moment because, quite frankly, your post raises much more fundamental concerns in my mind. Stopping with your feet Fred Flintstone style suggests to me that you're riding terrain that's over your head from a skill standpoint and/or your bike is not in good working order. Both of those problems absolutely need to be addressed long before you ever get to clipless pedals.

My first suggestion would be to get yourself to that not-so-local LBS and have them give your bike a good tune up. If you need better brakes, get them. While there, try on some helmets and get one that fits. I'd also ask them to move your saddle up to a more ideal height. It's hard to properly control a bike if the fit and set up is way off.

Once you've done that, you might do some YouTube searches for "mountain bike" and "emergency braking." There are actually some techniques you can learn that help you brake safely, but again, given your back issues and the general quality of that bike, it gives me pause that you're doing any off-road riding without some fundamental skill development first. It sounds as if one fall could really do your back in. Is there any reason you can't stick to roads while you get more experience riding your bike?

Sorry if I sound alarmist, but I think you need to go back a few steps and correct some underlying issues.

[Irulan]

you don't necessarily need clipless ever, btw

[indysteel]

you don't necessarily need clipless ever, btw

Absolutely!

[Swan]

Irulan, thank goodness!

indysteel, thanks for the input. I have to ride the dirt hills to get to the paved roads because I live in the woods. There isn't a safe place to park unless I drive for a good half hour, so it would seem a ridiculous waste of gas to me to drive out, park, ride my bike for a bit, and drive back.

My bike handles the roads (even the scary dirt hills) just fine, it's just that I'm a wuss and like the added comfort of knowing I can dig my heels into the dirt to help slow me down if I need to. When I was young and mountain biking I pressed my brakes too hard and went head over handlebars (with a helmet on) and right into a tree, so now I like to balance brakes with dragging heels to avoid that. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with the brakes or the bike since they seem to work just fine on the roads, just that I'm afraid of relying solely on brakes. Even on paved roads I brake slowly and like to make turns with one foot sticking out to catch myself just in case. Picture me as the kid who just got her training wheels off; I'm going to be using my feet to balance and stop for a while yet until I feel comfortable moving at that height and at that speed.

I'll look into the YT vids, though. I don't know why I didn't think of it myself.

[OakLeaf]

I have to ride the dirt hills to get to the paved roads because I live in the woods. There isn't a safe place to park unless I drive for a good half hour...

I live in the woods too. I would strongly recommend that you either ride out the same way you'd take your car out, walk your bike down your lane, or drive to the end and park by your mailbox. I'm not sure how long your lane is, but however long and steep it is, it's got to be safer and less technical than what you describe! I live on a 1/2-mile crushed stone lane with a couple of steep sections, and I might do any one of the above three on my skinny-tire road bike, depending on conditions (both the condition of the lane and the condition of my head).

I pressed my brakes too hard and went head over handlebars

You squeezed your FRONT brake too hard and your rear brake not enough, and forgot to shift your weight back behind the saddle. That's exactly one of those kinds of skills Indy is suggesting that you learn. I did an endo two years ago myself, after decades of believing it wasn't possible on a road bike. That belief was what made me too lazy to learn better braking technique. I was lucky enough to escape with seven stitches in my face and two sprained wrists and thank goodness a neck that was only jammed, not broken. You can bet that I've been working on my braking technique ever since then!

I would second everything Indy said, though I know zilch about mountain biking, technique is important for everyone to learn, and as someone who's also dealing with irritated spinal nerve roots, you don't need to be putting yourself at risk.

[Elphaba]

When I first brought home my Avail Inspire, all fitted at my LBS, I had such issues with falling and feeling insecure with stopping with the clipless pedal. Part of the problem was the first few times in trying to get on my bike the "right way" I snagged the chamois of my shorts on the seat and quickly became off balance. I did get to a point where once I was going I was fine, but i truly feared stopping, because that meant starting again. Finally, I lowered my seat barely 1/4 of an inch, maybe even closer to 1/8. Small change, big difference. From there I could start with one foot locked in and my butt on my seat. I do not use my feet to stop, but I do unclip, slow to almost a stop with my unclipped leg out and let it catch the ground when the bike has almost stopped with the front wheel turned slightly the opposite direction. Then I unclip the other foot, get it to the ground and come off the seat with both feet firmly on the ground. Not exactly proper, but it works for me and it sounds a bit higher than where you are at.