I was pretty excited yesterday because I got my first clipless pedals. They're Look KEO's...pretty nice. I tried them out on the trainer first...and had no problem at all getting in and out.
Today I went for my first real ride with them with my boyfriend. I was practicing loops in the parking lot, waiting for him to show up and right as he showed up, I turned a little too sharply, forgot I was attached and BAM I was down. It was pretty amazing - I don't think I've falled off anything since I was really small - it was quite the experience! After that I remembered pretty well at all the stop signs and had worked out the technique fairly well. My they're efficient! They're SO worth the fabulous bruises on my hips and hands.
Second fall came after about mile 45. We were cruising down the bike trail and I reached down to put my water bottle back. I thought it was in, but it wasn't and dropped it.So I sort of panicked I guess and tried to stop uber fast. Again - forgot I was attached and ate it pretty good. This time, though, it was on the grass on the side of the road, so it wasn't too bad. I mostly just rolled. Then I jumped back up, ran back to get my bottle and face my boyfriend's laughter. He didn't laugh TOO hard...much to his credit.
Still - on a 50 mile ride, first time with the Looks - I try to think positively - only 2 falls!
I'm excited to try them again, - although, when I was taking my nap this afternoon, my foot kept twitching in my sleep like it wanted to pop my cleats out of the pedals.
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04-29-2006, 03:13 PM #1
Runner13
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I just got MY first clipless pedals too!
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04-29-2006, 03:35 PM #2
Don't whine
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Congratulations!
I haven't been able to try my Frogs yet, cuz the weather here really is VERY bad right now.
I am NOT looking forward to falling. Nearly fell with toe-cages a couple times, and that was scarey enough! And hey, if you've fallen and still think clipless is worth it, well, that just makes me less nervous about the whole thing.
Less nervous, mind you. Not blase!
Three cheers for both of us!
"If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark." - Richard Wilkinson
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04-29-2006, 03:38 PM #3
Runner13
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Don't be afraid!
I was - but seriously, falling is not all that bad. Besides, any by-standers that laugh are just proving that they don't know what it takes to get used to having your feet glued to the pedals.
Just get back up! And don't be afraid to try again.
One thing I found that works very well is about 30 feet before I know I'm going to stop, I click my left pedal out and make sure my right leg is (still clipped in) straight (so I can put my weight on it and get gracefully out of the saddle). I'm left footed, so this feels bizarre, but it helps me avoid getting a cat-5 mark. (Horrors!)
Yeah! We are cool!
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05-10-2006, 02:19 PM #4
rather be riding...
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Okay...can you tell that I just had my first fall with clipless pedals?
I had to come here and search the word "fall" to make myself feel better. It actually wasn't that bad. I was riding with someone and he made a turn I wasn't expecting him to make and the combination of me making a tight u-turn while trying to clip back in on one side brought me down. It was a pretty graceful fall though, as far as falls go 
I'm just glad I got it out of the way so I'm not left wondering when I'm going to eat it for the first time!
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05-10-2006, 02:31 PM #5
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If it makes you feel any better, I've been riding clipless (casual riding, not a ton of miles) for a few years and I just had a fall in January. I went bike-shoppping, brought my shoes and peddles along so I'd be able to try them out on the bikes. Well, one of the bikes had the same clipless system as mine, so the shop didn't switch the peddles. Dumb me, I didn't check the tension before riding off...let's just say they were WAY too tight and I could not clip out no matter how hard I tried. I fell over and got a tad scraped up, all the while swearing up a storm in a residential neighborhood. Oops. So the LBS heard a few words from me on the matter and in the future you can bet I'll check tension before I just clip in and ride (fall) off into the sunset.
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05-10-2006, 02:33 PM #6
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P.S. And even though I've fallen (more than once), I still say clipless is worth it.
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05-10-2006, 02:37 PM #7
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and I've been riding for 4 years but almost fell anyway on Sunday morning... at a full stop where I was ALREADY clipped out on one side
DOH!
yeah, it happens... but runner is right... they are WAY more efficient than flat pedals...
I almost killed myself in those stupid cage kind before I got clipless... clipless are easier to use by far!
There is a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness".
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