Poll for those who ride clipless

[Jo-n-NY]

I am right handed and unclip with the right foot. My left foot never unclips unless I am getting off the bike. That is the foot I get into postion to start off again and push off with. It is weird because although I am right handed, if I ride with one hand on the handle bar, I am fine with my left hand, but am not stable with only my right hand.

~ JoAnn

[IFjane]

Ok. I answered the poll by saying I'm left handed & unclip right. However, there are a few things I do right-handed - cutting with scissors & playing tennis for example. Just don't try to get me to hold a pen in my right hand. I can't begin to do it!

[SalsaMTB]

I'm left handed but right footed. My right leg is stronger and more coordinated, so I unclip with my left so I can start with my right. For mountain biking though, as others have said, I just unclip whichever is necessary, but always start with my right clipped in.

I'm a creature of habit...I always mount my bike from my right side (bike's left side) and on straight technical downhills always coast with my right foot forward.

[SouthernBelle]

Right handed, left clip out.

As to the name "clipless", we call them that because it is the proper name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_pedal

[GLC1968]

Wow, thanks for all the responses! I guess it's a pretty even split and apparently, this means it's probably not even remotely related to what hand you write or do everything else with! And I admit that I have no idea which foot I unclip first when I ride my mountain bike...I think it depends on whats around me.

I was talking about this with DH last night and it turns out that he made a conscious choice to unclip with the left foot when he first started road riding. He figured that the left foot will always land on road. If you unclip the right first and go to put your foot down, who knows what you might step in...puddle, pothole, low shoulder, glass, etc. I never thought of that, but I guess it makes sense (at least in a country where you drive on the right).

Anyway, today I'm going to try unclipping with the right foot first for a few stops just to see how it feels.

[VeloVT]

Like SalsaMTB, I'm a (somewhat ambidextrous, right-batting, right golf-swinging, tennis-backhand-switching) lefty who's rightfooted. So I unclip left so I can start off with my dominant leg. I never thought about this when I was learning to use clipless pedals, it just happened that way. I used to ride around a parking lot clipping and unclipping both feet, and ended up being a left-unclipper because it was more comfortable... Since I'm right footed though, it makes sense to me... I also coast right-forward.

The traffic explanation (safer to unclip left so you'll fall out of traffic if you happen to lean the wrong way) never occurred to me but seems like a good idea !

[sah]

Right handed and unclip right foot first

[stacie]

right handed, unclip left so i can use stronger leg to get going. someone pointed out to me once the advantage of falling away from the traffic as well. Bonus.

[Eden]

I'm left handed but right footed. My right leg is stronger and more coordinated, so I unclip with my left so I can start with my right.

I'm a creature of habit...I always mount my bike from my right side (bike's left side) and on straight technical downhills always coast with my right foot forward.

What Salsa said, but opposite. Right handed and left footed....
my left is the stronger leg so I always clip out with the right, so that I'm starting with the left.

[DDH]

You know I had to think about this for a minute before I could answer. I have always just done what felt natural and never thought about it.
But I am right and unclip left. I think it's because like some of the other girls said, I want my stronger leg to push off with. At least I guess that is what my brain was thinking cause that's what happened without me even realizing it.

[rij73]

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.

That's exactly why I'm a righty and unclip the left!

[RoadRaven]

Right-handed

Unclip on left...

Like MicheleM - its partly aesthetics... avoids chain tattoos (or cuts!)

Like Kiwi its so that if I fall I fall off the road, not onto it...

Like luvs to ride and emily, its the way my partner taught me...

[uk elephant]

I am very right handed, I do everything with my right hand. And my right leg is far stronger, although all my injuries are also on the right side. Come to think of it, everything I do is done mostly with the right half of my body....hm.....I should work on that.....I always unclip the left leg first, because coasting or pushing off I want the weight on my right leg/side which is far more stable. I also always coast with the weight on my right side.

[Andrea]

I am right handed and unclip with the right foot, but it's just because right after I started riding, my left cleat got stuck on a 55 miler and I had to keep it clipped in for the duration and only unclip my right foot. After that, I just kept doing it that way. Before that, I was an ambiped unclipper

[SadieKate]

It depends so I didn't vote.

If I'm mountainbiking, it's whatever foot is necessary to keep me upright. You have to swing both ways on a mountainbike.

If I'm on the road, I clip out on the left and am righthanded. Reasons are:

1) Putting your right foot down (in the US) means the pavement is lower (sometimes much lower). It slopes away from you with the crown of the road. Between the slope and road debris, it's easier to have your right foot slip. I've seen it happen on tandems and I don't want to be one of the victims. I was riding clipless long before there were lugged mountain bike shoes, so bike shoes did not have any traction. Plus, you do what your tandem pilot does - same foot, period, end of story.

2) Chain grease. Like Michele said, it's hard to get grease on your leg if it stays attached to the pedal.