So P.O.'d I could scream

[Barb]

If you don't have a trainer, try balancing in a doorway. hold yourself up and clip, unclip...hang in there. I started last week. No falls yet but I have a platform on one side, so if I don't get in right away, it works out ok. I am getting better and faster.

[Jo-n-NY]

I am sorry to hear that you could not enjoy what sounded like a beautiful day to the the fullest. Like the the ladies suggested, I practiced clipping in and out for about a week with my bike on the trainer. I have spd's that were laying around in the garage. I am lucky that my husband knows how to adjust them. So he just kept on adjusting them until I could clip in and out with ease.

Maybe your lbs could adjust them with your bike hooked up on a trainer in the store.

I will say that I have not gotten many outdoor rides in with the clipless pedals as we made the change over in January, but I only clip out with my right foot when stopping and when I go I could be pedaling a bit until it actually gets in there. I do plan on changing to a different pedal (Speedplay Frogs or Look Keo) now that I know that this will work out just fine. Also, I clip out before I know I will be coming to a stop (right foot only) and pedal with more of my toe until I come to the full stop. Just a suggestion until it all becomes second nature.

~ JoAnn

[Tar-Cat]

I don't have platforms on my pedals, since my BF was comfortable with them by the time I lifted them off his bike I haven't fallen yet, but one day trying to clip in I missed terribly and slammed my shin on the pedal - that was painful. I think i'll get it, and SWB, you'll get it too!

[CorsairMac]

put clipless in the search and you'll see all the threads....and they're pretty much all about the same thing - does it ever get any better? I even posted one titled "will it ever get any better" or some such a thing coz I fell in the street - and scratched Baby and tore my knee up and I just KNEW clipless was all wrong or I was all wrong or Something was all wrong. Now??.....I whined the other day coz the road bike I just bought has platforms on him and I HATE it! It just did not feel right and I hated trying to pedal with them and - well you get the picture. Like someone said on my thread: you didn't just wake up and start walking one day either!

Corsair "been there done that" Mac

[Melody]

What I find interesting is how the feeling has changed with new shoes.

I picked up some Shimano sandals and added the extra pair of cleats to them. These cleats are the original ones that came with my bike. Because the sandals don't hug the whole foot and aren't as rigid, it's actually more difficult to get out of them than my previous shoes.

So, even when you've been using clipless for a while, something can come by and go "oops. time to get used to 'em again"

Mel

[SnappyPix]

Just a quick suggestion:
Have you tried adjusting the tension at all?
It sounds like your pedals might be shimano ones - there should be a little adjusting screw in the middle, at the front/back of each pedal (as they're double sided). The screw will have a little + and - marker, and you turn it either way to adjust.
When I first started I found it helpful to losen the adjustment a little, as my cleat initially just kept bouncing out of the pedal without engaging. Easing the adjustment allowed it to sit and engage, and also helped gain me the confidence to unclip fairly easily.
You don't want it too slack, or it might unclip unexpectedly, but the best thing would be to make minor adustments to start with and practice. You could try easing it off quite a bit to start just to get a feel of where the pedal will sit on your shoe, so you know where to aim for, then tighten it a little more when you're feeling more confident.
As time goes on, you can gradually increase the tension minimally to get more of a bite - the cleat will also wear a fraction to allow better engagement.
Just a thought, might help
I hope you have some luck - clipless are the bee's knees, but I know how frustrating it is that it takes some painful lessons to develop the technique.
Good luck!

[nuthatch]

I was about to say the same thing as Snappy - don't forget tension adjustment (because most of those two sided pedals are SPD and can be adjusted).

My poor riding parner just got a brand new road bike with SPD pedals and was having the same awful time getting in and falling over. Once she got the LBS to show her how to adjust the tension, it's made all the difference in the world and she loves them!!

[shewhobikes]

Thanks for the encouragement and the suggestions. Snappy & Nuthatch, you are right, they are shimanos and when I said something about adjusting the cleats what I meant was adjusting the tension. I will try that this afternoon. Thanks for telling me how to do this. I am already thinking about playing hooky later in the day to sneak home and give it a try...will report back.

Corsairmac, what you said about "something being all wrong," yes, that's exactly how I felt. Thanks for the tea & sympathy!