My clipless experience!

[Catrin]

Sounds like you've made the right choice for you at this time - and you will kick butt in 3 weeks

To be perfectly honest, I saw NO speed difference with/without clipping in. Then again, I am slow on the bike anyway due to my riding position.

[kajero]

Helene2013

My first two falls with clipless pedals were almost identical to your situations, except on the second one I also fractured my elbow. I won't wear clipless now. If you look at my posts you can see that I can do enough damage with platform pedals.

I do wear some really nice biking shoes without the clips. They make a big different from my tennis shoes or regular shoes.

As for speed, I am a slow. I average between 10-12 mph if I am lucky. I finally decided going faster wasn't that important to me. I am riding a lot more miles than people who sit home on their couch! I can't ride in a lot of groups because of my speed, but I did find friends to go riding with. Last year I rode out to my Dad's grave -- about 42 miles. I didn't go all that fast but I got there and back. Dad would love that I biked out to see his grave. He wouldn't have cared how fast I got there.

Even being as slow as I am I rode in the MS150 after I had been biking about a year. I rode the entire route without using a sag wagon. I was the last of our team in, but I wasn't not even close to being the participant in. Most of my team wears clipless and tell me all the time that I could go faster and be more efficient if I wore clipless. My question is, "How fast can I ride if I am all bruised up and/or have broken bones"?

So enjoy riding. Clipless is not for everyone; nor is a riding at a million mph.

[Helene2013]

Sorry Kajero about your experience, which is worst than mine. At least I only have bruises, bad ones, but still, no broken anything. My thumb/palm is still very sore today, but was ok yesterday. Guess I stretched it during the night. Still fragile. Shoulder seems to be good. Crossing fingers.

I could be fast, but I feel I can't control my bike so I slow down. I prefer safety to "cowboy". hihi Anywhere, I get where I need to go. What's the rush!

My husband is going to the bike shop today to have his spare back wheel checked (it goes for the trainer) and he brought the clips to them. Will see what they say about it.

[Helene2013]

Last night I bought a pair of spinning shoes http://www.artscyclery.com/Giro_Wome...age-GIWWS.html (not at this place but they are the same). They are very comfy and grip to the new flat pedals I bought. At same time I got toe clips similar to those https://www.google.com/search?q=toe+...86773582894248

I did an hour training on my trainer (still raining and cold here for the season) and I could have a cadence of 120rpm and nothing slipped. I had enough "torque" to push when I needed speed, etc. So far very happy. And ah!! The shoes match my bike (pink and white - some black). hihi Talk about coincidence. They had no colour but that one for the shoes. And at $115 it is affordable. I will be using my clipless in the winter on the trainer.

Hubby mentioned my clipless falls to our dealer and he looked at the pedal and it was fine. He wanted to see the shoe (for the cleat) and he did not have it. He's sure it is something with the cleats. Anyhow, I went back to store today to get an aeroful triathlon bag and he freaked out when he saw my bruises. And it was only the back leg he saw. hihi I told him not to worry as I would not put clipless on the road again. I'm not THAT suicidal. hihi

I tried the Gu Vanilla gel. I hated it. Only took 2 small "squirts" and it was getting to me. I tried a big bite of the peanut butter bar and same. It was like chewing cardboard but at least it was not super sweet. It was ok for that. So I will stick to "real" food. It's only a 4h ride (90km). If I eat well for breakfast, and have fruits, nuts, gatorade or electrolyte tablet in juice water (same flavor) I could be fine. It's not as if I was riding 12 hours at 40km/h. I'll adjust on the road.

But I am happy with the shoes and toe clips. At least this is working well. The sole of shoes and the grip of the new pedals are a good combo.

[Boudicca]

I gave a friend a lesson in riding clipless this week, and she says she's getting the hang of it quite nicely after an initial tumble (into a nice, soft mudbank) when she was already standing still. She says she noticed the extra power, which surprised me. We rode along the trail, and I stopped every couple of hundred yards so she could have an unclip lesson.

My message:

BUFLU

Brake
Unclip one foot
Put that foot on the ground
Lean in the direction of the foot that's on the ground
Unclip the second foot.

But hey, if toe clips are working for you, Helene, that's just fine too.

[MarieV]

I've been riding for just over two years now, and it was only after riding for 500+ miles using clipless pedals that I finally felt confident that I could clip in and out of them if I had to make a sudden stop. Part of the reason is experience and the other is my SPD pedals are worn enough that it's easier to clip in and out of them. Like everyone else I fell at least 4-5 times and bloodied and bruised my knees, elbows, ankles, and legs a few times learning how to use the clipless pedals. I actually thought about swapping them out for platform pedals, but we live in Seattle, and it's just so much easier climbing hills when you're clipped in.

These are the tips I wish someone had given me when I was first learning how to use them:

It's easier to clip out when your foot is at the bottom of the pedal stroke, but it's much easier to lean and step your foot down on the ground when your foot is at the top of the pedal stroke. That means 50-100 feet (or more) before you need to stop, clip your foot out when it's at the bottom of the pedal stroke, then rotate your pedals until your foot is at the top of the pedal stroke (unclipped), so when you stop and lean slightly towards the foot you're stepping down on, you can step down on that foot.

When you start moving again, it's easier to get going when one foot is clipped in, which is why I usually keep my right foot clipped it. It's easiest to get going when the foot that's clipped is at the top of the pedal stroke, so you can press down on that foot to start moving while you're trying to get the other foot clipped in. That means when you're stopped and your unclipped foot is on the ground, backpedal your clipped foot until it's at the top of the pedal stroke. When you're ready to start moving again, lean forward and press on the clipped foot to get going, then you can get your other foot clipped in while you're already moving.

Once you get more confident, you can decrease the distance between when you clip out and when you actually have to stop. Even now I'm more comfortable clipping in and out just my left shoe, and I only ever clip out my right shoe if I have to stop suddenly and I'm leaning right.

Just some ideas.

[thekarens]

Something interesting (to me.) I am right handed and right footed so I was taught to clip out with my left foot first, so my "power" foot would be clipped in for take off. I kept falling trying to do it that way. So I switched to unclipping with my right first and haven't had any problems since then. Trying to unclip with my left first just felt unnatural to me. I could do it now if I had to, but I'd have to make a serious conscious effort at it.

[shootingstar]

Helene, I like these toe clips the best: https://www.google.com/search?q=toe+...54355028428557 They tend to be wider and more shallow.

Some of the other styles are bit more complicated to disengage.

No, I haven't gotten around the clipless. I'm not going to feel a lesser cyclist because of it. How can I feel that way, when I've been cycling well over for past 2 decades? Besides, I'm the type of cyclist that gets off the bike and walks around a lot to do my errands, etc. And I only want to carry 1 pair of shoes (flip flops), when I bike tour. So I walk around a lot in my shoes, off bike. I do tend to prefer a narrow style mountain bike shoe with a tiny amount of sole flex.

[Catrin]

Something interesting (to me.) I am right handed and right footed so I was taught to clip out with my left foot first, so my "power" foot would be clipped in for take off. I kept falling trying to do it that way. So I switched to unclipping with my right first and haven't had any problems since then. Trying to unclip with my left first just felt unnatural to me. I could do it now if I had to, but I'd have to make a serious conscious effort at it.

This was me as well, never COULD get the left-foot-clip/unclip first thing figured out...

[CyclChyk]

I realize this post is late to the thread, but I have been gone awhile...

I tried to go clipless way back when, and had my fair share of falls as well. As a matter of fact, 6yrs later I still have a big hematoma on my thigh that I guess will never go away..... Maybe one day I will try again, but for now am staying with platforms.

Glad to hear you did not break any bones. 😊

[Helene2013]

I don't think I'll go back to clipless. I did my "extreme condition" ride last Saturday with my plaform/toe clip and even if it was pouring rain, slippery, etc, my spin was very good. But to be honest, yes my right foot slipped once out of it while I was going fast but under the circumstances I think it went very very well.

I'd doubt riding under such weather condition again. At least voluntarily. I'm not that bike crazy yet! Once in a lifetime is enough. hihi

So for me it works really well and I'll keep at it. No regrets!

PS. I still have the marks (2 different ones - short and long) of chain left into my calf skin from fall this past Easter. I'd doubt it will ever go away. So I am definitively tatooed...for free.

[CyclChyk]

Well Helene, look at it this way.... Guys dig chicks with scars �� AND tats

[brigada]

I started riding clipless a couple of months ago and now that the initial period of getting used to it has passed, I love it. I have some knee issues so I decided I'd get the Crankbrothers Eggbeaters due to the float and I think it was a good choice for me.

It was rough at the beginning, my first mountain descent was pure horror, especially since it was a combination of a brand new trail (to me) and my first time on the trails riding clipless. But I survived both and it kept getting easier. I hit the same trails the other day and the difference was immense. I felt confident and I rode right through most of the parts that I had walked the first time. Now that I was more confident about being able to clip out if needed, I could actually appreciate my feet staying planted when going through rock gardens instead of having mini panic attacks. It took me three months (and just as important - multiple cleat adjustments to find what suited me best!) to get comfortable riding clipless. But it's worth keeping at it in my opinion

[nuliajuk]

I've never fallen in clipless pedals, but I've given up on them for general purpose riding. I used SPDs for more than 10 years, riding through downtown, getting in and out more than a dozen times in each commute, and STILL found them hard to get into. I have found Look pedals easier to get into, but they are more of a road bike on the highway thing - I don't want to ride downtown in them.
My previous commuter bike came with pin platform pedals and I've been sold on them ever since. Partly because they're great in traffic, but mainly because I don't have to have very special shoes to ride them - anything with a soft enough sole for the little pins to dig into is fine. Now I've got these on my touring bike and Looks on the road bike. Perhaps the grip with pin platforms isn't as good as with clipless, but it's good enough.
Speaking of clipless, does anyone remember Aerolites? I must have been among the very few to buy them, back in the 80s, and to my surprise they're still made. I'm selling mine on eBay right now and discovered this when I went searching to see if replacement cleats were still available. I can still remember my right foot sliding off sideways in a track race and not being able to do a thing about it.

[CyclChyk]

My previous commuter bike came with pin platform pedals and I've been sold on them ever since. Partly because they're great in traffic, but mainly because I don't have to have very special shoes to ride them - anything with a soft enough sole for the little pins to dig into is fine. Now I've got these on my touring bike and Looks on the road bike. Perhaps the grip with pin platforms isn't as good as with clipless, but it's good enough.

Thanks for the info about pin platform pedals, but I wonder do they feel much different from regular platforms? I am vertically challenged and do not do well with clipless - truthfully I do horrible but I have only tried Shimano SPD's so maybe I need to try something like Crankbrothers Mallet? I'm thinking maybe the wider platform and better float would make me feel more stable.... I am a road biker BTW....

Oh... The reason why I don't want to stick with regular platforms is that my feet sometimes come off the pedal and because obviously, of the improved power transfer....

I appreciate any insight and advise..... Thanks in advance