I did it! I'm clipless now too!

[fatbottomedgurl]

Still see them as a little "scary" -- I guess it's a "loss of control" thing.

Clipless pedals add control.

[Bikingmomof3]

Congratulations! Someday soon I hope to be able to follow.

[emjae]

I believe it now, that toeless clips add control. Everyone's input on this site, the sharing of initial fears and experiences and, most importantly, successes, is inspiring me to believe that clipless pedalling could be my future.

[Deb W2]

I'm with emjae...the "loss of control" mental issu comes from the lack of confidence in getting my feet out of the clipless pedal in time to prevent the fall. I tried out clipless last summer...promptly had a nasty fall after not being able to get either foot out in time. They now sit in a bag in my closet. I'm in the process of getting a new bike...I'll try to get myself used to them on the trainer next winter (although that was a goal for last winter...but laziness, then a ski accidet got in the way!).

-Deb

[mimitabby]

is there an easy way to find out which is the foot you want to land with?

[DebW]

is there an easy way to find out which is the foot you want to land with?

Is there a foot you like to start pedaling with? The opposite foot should unclip. When you stand on a moving bike with one pedal up and one pedal down, which is up? The up pedal should unclip, and you coast to a stop while standing on the down pedal. That's assuming you always want to unclip on one foot. I guess some people can go either way, but I'm strictly one-footed (right unclips).

[mimitabby]

Hmm, not sure. I'm a typically confused lefty.
but i'll be in the back of the tandem for the next two days as we ride to Canada, so i will have plenty of time to think about it.

[DebW]

Hmm, not sure. I'm a typically confused lefty.
but i'll be in the back of the tandem for the next two days as we ride to Canada, so i will have plenty of time to think about it.

I presume that you don't have a choice on the tandem. You'd have to unclip the same as your captain. So if you can go either way and your captain always goes one way, maybe you better adopt that for both tandem and single.

[mimitabby]

I presume that you don't have a choice on the tandem. You'd have to unclip the same as your captain. So if you can go either way and your captain always goes one way, maybe you better adopt that for both tandem and single.

it's different on the tandem. I don't have clips on any of my bikes. i have
"power straps" and believe me when the tandem goes down; i don't wait for cues from the captain!!!!!

[Bikingmomof3]

is there an easy way to find out which is the foot you want to land with?

I have no ideas if this is correct procedure, so take it with a grain of salt. I begin pedaling with my right foot and stop/unclip my left foot first-always. I never, ever deviate so I remember start right, stop left.

[eclectic]

is there an easy way to find out which is the foot you want to land with?

For what it's worth

I am left foot dominate so I always leave my right foot clipped in and land and take off with my left.

to find out which foot is dominate stand w/ both feet together and have someone come up from behind and give you a firm push. which ever foot goes out first to catch you is your dominate foot. (usually it is the foot also that you step up with first onto a stool ladder etc.)

It has nothing to do with handedness, I am right hand dominate

[KnottedYet]

Mimi-

I'm a lefty, too. (and can't tell left from right, but that's another story.)
I'm left dominant in hand, foot, and eye. I find that I prefer to keep my left foot clipped in and just use my right to land. Which is kind of the opposite of what I "should" do, but my brain seems to reason that it's more important to control the bike with the dominant side!

I also reach for my water bottle with the right hand, probably for the same reason.

Dominant side controls the bike and stays with the bike in my little world.

Hey, I guess I have my priorities.....

[kiwi girl]

is there an easy way to find out which is the foot you want to land with?

When I first went clipless I was way over analysing this and couldn't work it out. What I did was went for a short round the block ride on my other bike that had platform pedals (well actually the underside of a bike with toeclips) and just noted what came naturally (which is I am a left foot down person)

[VeloVT]

a word of advice, as someone pretty new to clipless (well, to cycling) too -- the first, most important thing to do is to find your "clip-out" foot and make unclipping on that side automatic. (It feels like you'll never get it, then all of the sudden you don't think about it). But also important -- DO develop the ability to reflexively clip out quickly on the other side too, or else you'll go down if you happen to lose your balance for some reason on that side (I took a stupid, completely avoidable tumble about a month ago and learned this lesson!).

[xeney]

Okay, I think I have finally done it. Last year my husband tried to get me converted to SPD's, and after many tears I gave up. I never even tried them on the road because I couldn't reliably clip in even in the house -- I missed about a third of the time. Unclipping was easy, it was clipping in that I couldn't do. We adjusted the tension, we tried different pedals, but I found them so painful to my ankles and knees that I just couldn't make my foot work that way. Instead he tried me on toe clips and straps, and unlike the rest of the civilized world, I liked them a lot.

I just bought myself Speedplay Frogs for my birthday, and we put them on the bike on the trainer last night, and this is totally different. Clipping and unclipping isn't even an issue, it is so easy. We are going for a ride tonight, and I hope I don't fall ... I fell on my first ride with toe clips, but unclipping (uncaging? this clip/clipless terminology is maddening) before a stop is already really ingrained with me, so I hope this won't be too different.