I'm a full member of the club!

[Mimosa]

Because of all the posts about the pedals I started to look consiously how I do it. I mean, I drive clipless for over 15 years now (yep since the very beginning that they created those things, I felt being clipped the old way was far more scarier), so I tend to forget how I use them.

I almost allways unclip the left foot, very rarely the right. When I hit a crossing with traffic lights I allways look for something to lean against so I do not have to unclip. Here in holland we got the special poles near the traffic light specially made for bikers to signal to the traffic control system that a biker is requested passage and they are at exactly the right hight to lean against.

[quint41]

WOW! I had no idea Holland had special poles for bikes, and they allow you to request permission to proceed? Talk about a pro-biking community. And here I was last night wishing the town would sweep the trash out of the breakdown lane so I could ride without gettng hurt!

[latelatebloomer]

I unclip right because my right foot is a little smarter than my left. I also prefer the feeling of leaning AWAY from traffic. I did my first clipless fall in the parking lot of the Velodrome as all the Sunday rides were organizing. I had practiced in the cemetary next door so only the dead would laugh. But no, the gods scheduled my fall in front of as many riders as possible. The gods think they are funny.

Just make sure you "tuck" when you go down. I got hurt because my knee stuck herself out to help.

[Mimosa]

Yes, with the pole you can request passing. If you look good at the picture you will also see the markings of a pressure loop below the bike. This loops also detects that a bike is standing in front of the traffic light. The orange part of the road is the 'bicycle lane' indicator, so a special lane exclusive for cyclists. Holland is very pro-biking, it almost has to be, there are so many cyclists here. It is for most people the most used means of transport in the towns and almost all children learn to ride a bike from about the age of 4.

[Bad JuJu]

The orange part of the road is the 'bicycle lane' indicator, so a special lane exclusive for cyclists. Holland is very pro-biking, it almost has to be, there are so many cyclists here.

Almost makes me want to move! You're so fortunate to live where cycling is so respected, Mimosa!

By the way, I still ride with old-fashioned toeclips--yes, I know, I know, I've gotta enter the 21st century one of these days. But I just want to add that I've always disengaged my right foot when I stop--not sure why, it just seemed natural to me, from the time I started using clips.

[SouthernBelle]

I unclip left.

[quint41]

Holland is very pro-biking, it almost has to be, there are so many cyclists here.

I think the two go hand-in-hand ... if there were bike lanes everywhere in America, and they were maintained properly, and there were aids to help us at intersections, etc., I have no doubt you'd see many more people using bikes as their major means of transportation.

My town takes great pride in it's paved bike path, which runs through town in three directions. The afternoon that I tipped, I had ridden out on the road, but decided to take the path home as I hadn't been on it in a while. What a MISTAKE! It was covered with leaves, acorns, twigs, sand, puddles ... it was an absolute mess! I crawled down that path very carefully on my slicks until it intersected the road again, and immediately got off. I was on another section of the path a month or so ago, and it was just covered with grass growing from cracks in the pavement; it was like riding on a washboard. So, we have motorists who grumble that the bicyclists are always on the road when they "should be" on the paths. Obviously, the complainers don't ride and have no idea what condition the paths are in.

I live 10 miles from work. I would love to ride to work. To do so, I would ride part of the way on the washboard path, which ends at a very busy four-lane heavily-developed street, which then intersects with another heavily-developed four lane local highway, which then crosses the river on a newly developed pedestrian walk, which then snakes through downtown Hartford with all the commuters racing into work. I might need body armor for the journey.

OK, OK, I'LL GET OFF MY SOAPBOX NOW .....