Renee,

Don't be afraid. To give you some light at the end of the tunnel, I was also scared of going clipless (like everyone is). But I bit the bullet, put them on my bike and took some spins around the park (on grass). Sure I fell a couple of times while getting used to them, but it was on grass and it didn't hurt! Just take it slow and the first couple times you ride have someone come with you to remind you to clip out! I think it took me a good 3 weeks before it became a habit where I didn't even have to think about it.

Now that I have fully transitioned to cilpless, I can honestly say that I'd BE A SCAREDY CAT TO GO BACK. You couldn't pay me to go back to regular pedals or cages or straps or any other pedal. Clipless may be scary at first, but after you use them for awhile they not only improve your performance, i believe they are alot safer.

Sorry, I use road cycle clipless pedals on both my road bike and cycle cross, so I can't help with the differences between them and the road. But I will say that you can adjust your clips to as tight and to as loose as you want to make it easier to clip out. On my road bike, I keep them as loose as they can go just about so i can easily clip out. On my cycle-cross I keep them pretty loose, but a little tighter because of the terrain. They are still both really easy to clip out.

Roshelle from Milwaukee
http://wisconsinbetties.blogspot.com/