Poll for those who ride clipless

[GLC1968]

Ok, I have a question. I was leading a training ride for beginners last week when one of the riders who was trying out her new clipless pedals for the first time asked me a question for which I had no answer. She asked if the foot that a person unclips with is related to what 'hand' they are (i.e. hand they write with)?

I couldn't say for sure because I unclip with my left foot and I'm right-handed EXCEPT for sports. I do gymnastics, iceskate and play tennis left-handed. So I'm a bad example. My husband is truly ambidexterous for athletics (all of them) and he also unclips the left foot.

So I need to ask some people who are truly left-handed or right-handed...

So here's the poll...

(bear with me, I've never done a poll on TE before!)

[Jiffer]

I'm right handed and unclip the right first. My right leg is stronger and that's the leg I want stability with for stopping and holding up the bike. I snowboard "regular", which is typical for right handed people. However, my daughter is right handed and snowboards "goofy", which is typically how left handed people board. She also skateboards like a lefty.

I think unclipping with the leg on the side that is your "stronger" side (that you write with, etc.) would probably be the norm, but certainly not a rule to live by. Each person has to go with whatever feels right to them.

While we're on this subject, I don't get why it is referred to as going "clipless", when in fact, there ARE clips! It seems to me that clipless would refer to pedals that you don't clip into. Is this just a TE term that some confused TE person came up with or is this actually how it is referred to in the cycling world. DH has been cycling a long time and has never heard of using clips as being "clipless".

I've been going to ask for some time, so this seemed an opportune time!

[makbike]

It simply depends on which bike I'm riding. If I'm on my "little blue bike" (DF) I unclip my right foot first. If I'm on my recumbent I unclip my left foot first. Go figure!

[Chile Pepper]

While we're on this subject, I don't get why it is referred to as going "clipless", when in fact, there ARE clips! It seems to me that clipless would refer to pedals that you don't clip into.

Well, before there were clipless pedals, there were pedals with toe clips--the old straps that you just shoved your feet into. So when the toe clips were eliminated, the pedals were called clipless.


I'm right handed and I clip my right foot out first.

[GLC1968]

Nope, 'clipless' is definitely not a TE thing. It refers to riding without toe clips as shown is this picture (sorry, it's the best one I could find):

[Tri Girl]

Interesting question... never really thought about it.
I'm a lefty and unclip with my right foot. I do so because my left leg is stronger, and when I get going again I want to start my downstroke with my strongest leg. Just the opposite of others it seems. I don't want my strong leg down, I want it on the pedal so I can take off strong.

[northstar]

Right handed, clip out right foot first.

I think it's important to do what comes naturally! Thinking too hard makes clipping out way harder than it should be! But I did notice the other day that it feels "funny" to me if I unclip my left foot first. Hmmm...

[NJBikeGal]

I am a righty who unclips right foot first.

Oddly enough, nearly my entire team unclips left first. When our coach is talking to us about getting off the starting line, he always says things like, "Don't look down, your left foot will find the pedal." Which is funny because it's my right foot that has to find it! So, I've started to practice both, thinking that there may be times when I'll have to use the other foot?!

[short cut sally]

I am right handed, and would say 99% of the time I unclip right leg first. Sometimes, I have unclipped both at same time depending on situation. I always clip in with my right foot, bring up to the noon position so I can start my pedal stroke to get going.

[spokewench]

If I'm riding a road bike, i unclip with my left foot (i'm right handed)

If i'm riding my mountain bike, it just depends on the terrain and sometimes when you have to get out quickly, so I can unclip either side, any time. I can't clip in backwards though or I don't think I've ever tried. What I mean is I start clipped in with my left foot and then mount the bike and clip in my right foot.

Oh, I guess there is one exception to the clip in thing. When I am doing cyclocross, I jump on the bike unclipped so when I swing my foot over the bike and slide down, I guess I do clip in first on the right side since that is the pedal that is up and I engage that pedal first.

spoke

[dex]

...when I get going again I want to start my downstroke with my strongest leg. Just the opposite of others it seems. I don't want my strong leg down, I want it on the pedal so I can take off strong.

That's my rationale, too. (I'm also a right-hander who unclips on the left first.)

[Jiffer]

Thank you Chile Pepper and GLC1968. It still doesn't make sense, but thanks for the explanation. This site is the only place I hear the term "clipless", so I had to ask. Everyone in my world refers to it as "clipping in" or "using clips", which is the exact opposite of what "clipless" SHOULD mean!

[Flybye]

I am right handed and unclip my left foot first.

I once unclipped my right foot and tried to put my left foot down and ended up falling over - ouch and DOH!!!

[Aggie_Ama]

I am right handed and unclip left first. I use TriGirl's logic about the stronger leg being my "push off" leg. When I started riding clipless I never thought about it, taking the left out first just seemed right. DH is right handed and usually unclips right first.

[maillotpois]

I'm right handed, but my left leg is stronger (and the left calf slightly bigger judging from how my boots fit ) so I like to power off with the left left first - same as Trigirl. So I always unclip the right first and don't unclip the left unless I actually have to get off the bike for some reason.

DH always gives me a safety lecture about it and we generally try to teach our new riders to unclip with the left foot, because if you're going to fall, you will fall towards the side that is still clipped in, which means falling into traffic if the left is still clipped in. One of many "Do as I say, not as I do" things - but habits are hard to break.