Clipless, you can do it.

[xeney]

Mountain or road? Well, I'm doing this on a road bike, but my husband originally suggested that I try mountain shoes because they are easier to walk in. Unfortunately the tread on the shoe made it even harder to find the cleat, so I just bought a pair of road shoes thinking maybe that would solve the problem. It hasn't, which is discouraging.

Fortunately I haven't spent anything at all on pedals so far because I've been taking my husband's castoffs and the ones that came with various bikes, so if I decide to try something else it will really be my first investment as long as it's compatible with my shoes. My shoes will work with Look pedals and I *think* the most recent Speedplay Frogs, which are the ones I'm really eying because of the thread elsewhere here about how they are good for people with knee problems. (My husband has had three knee surgeries so I might wind up converting him, too.)

Thanks for the encouragement. I think I am going to give the SPDs another two weeks, and I am going to practice every day, and if it does not start to click I am going to look into something else.

[Trek420]

xeney "Fortunately I haven't spent anything at all on pedals so far because I've been taking my husband's castoffs and the ones that came with various bikes"

question: why did hubby castoff the pedals? worn out? old? not the hubby, the pedals ;-)

if there's signs of wear and tear that could be why things don't mesh. clean and lube those puppies and make sure your shoes are clean too. I've almost fallen over, couldn't unclip after getting some mud in there.

same thing with the cleats on wear. I wear ATB shoes on a road bike because they are easier to walk in, because of that the cleats wear faster. Check them carefully, if they show signs of pitting that could be why.

when I started clipless my LBS put the pedals on their loosest setting. Chris said "If you so much as sneeze these are going to unclip" and he was right. I've kept them that way. They are plenty tight for pedaling, I can stand for a climb and they don't come out, but they clip and unclip easily (Spazz, I don't want to hear about the time I fell ;-)

on spd there's a hex thingy toward the rear of the cleat. lefty loosie, righty tighty (gosh we're techinical here). remember to do both sides on both pedals.

Here's the catch: depending on the age of your pedals if your pedals are newer there now is a "stop mechanism" where when you've adjusted it to the loosest setting, as far as it can go it just stops. If they are old it just keeps going untils SPROOOOOIIIIING goes too far and the whole thing falls apart like a smashed watch. My mechanic says at that point you'll never get it back together. So if you think it's too tight, and you think the pedals are older, do this very slowly, gradualy and incrementaly.

[xeney]

Heh. Thanks for the advice. We have pedals of all ages around this house. I have a brand new pair with my road bike, but I have had slightly more luck with a pair that my husband took off his old mountain bike after a couple of months of use (he just upgraded to better ones, they weren't worn out). If he adjusts those to the loosest setting I can clip in about 1/3 of the time -- which is still not very good. Yesterday he had me try with the brand new pedals on the bike he bought two weeks ago, and they were the hardest so far, but I don't think he had them very loose.

[Trek420]

someone with more technical skills than me will explain this better but with SPD not all pedals work with all SPD clips, so in trying different ones check the pedal directions/manual carefully.

Once I replaced worn clips at a different LBS who said "yeah, these'll work just as well". Could barely clip in, and was worse trying to get out! Yikes.

I took the shoes and bike back to my usual shop and was told the clips were wrong for my pedals so they have to match.

[shewhobikes]

As I mentioned earlier in this thread I got so disgusted and frustrated the first week I tried clipless. Then I realized that in spite of what everyone had advised here, I'd forgotten to check the "looseness" of the tension. Turns out my pedals were set very tight--no wonder I couldn't clip in (or out!) Loosened them way on out and now I LOVE THEM. Make sure hubby checks the tension for you and ask him to get them really loose, then try again! Keep us posted!

[SadieKate]

Xeney, these are Shimano SPD not Ritcheys? The cleats for the 2 look very similar but are not truly compatible. You might check this. Also, there is a spray pedal lube (was made by Schwinn) which might help. We used it with Ritchey pedals until we changed to Eggbeaters - really helped.

If you decide to go the Look route and don't have any for a test drive, I have a very old pair, nicely broken in, that you could borrow with some cleats. While they are old and heavy, the same mechanism is used so you'd get the feel of them. Let me know and I'll help you set them up using a trainer. I commute to RC 4 days a week so it'd be easy to help you.

I'll think on this some more. It'd be interesting to see how you're trying to do it.

[spazzdog]

OK, how about this analogy...

You clip in to spds or any clipless I guess like you are slipping into a pair of high heeled party shoes...

Come on, close your eyes, and those of you who actually have slipped into a 3" (or higher) pair of Jimmy Choos visualize.


Toe down - find the shoe (pedal) - slide the ball of your foot into the footbed (front clip) - and send the heel into the fine strappy back of the shoe (clipin)


Now... everybody walk this way - right left right left..... ooooomf.

sorry. I fell down

spazz

[SadieKate]

You clip in to spds or any clipless I guess like you are slipping into a pair of high heeled party shoes...

Well, Eggbeaters you just kinda stomp straight down. No dance slipper tippy toe approach .

[RoadRaven]

Anyway, my husband taught me to turn my front wheel away from the foot I'm clipping out... i.e. clip out right, turn the wheel to the left. It causes the weight of the bike to fall the direction of your clipped out foot. I've never fallen since.

Brilliant advice
I tried it yesterday - fantastic... no worries at all about going the wrong way
Thank you so very much
I anticipate that this will give me much more confidence when stopping...
Thankyou Slinke.... thank you Slinke's hubby

[shewhobikes]

OK, how about this analogy...

You clip in to spds or any clipless I guess like you are slipping into a pair of high heeled party shoes...

Come on, close your eyes, and those of you who actually have slipped into a 3" (or higher) pair of Jimmy Choos visualize.


Toe down - find the shoe (pedal) - slide the ball of your foot into the footbed (front clip) - and send the heel into the fine strappy back of the shoe (clipin)


Now... everybody walk this way - right left right left..... ooooomf.

sorry. I fell down

spazz

Spazz, you are a NUT but yeah, this sorta is the way it is for me! If I think too hard about it I can't do it...but if I feel my way along it works better. Zen on the bicycle!!!

[nuthatch]

Zen on the bicycle!!!

The bicycle IS Zen!!

[slinkedog]

RoadRaven... glad that was of help to you. It helped me immensely! My husband was tickled that you got some good out of it, too! Happy riding!!

[xeney]

Thank you so much, everyone. The pedals are definitely loosened all the way, but it is getting a little easier so I think it is just a matter of practice. Unfortunately I am not steady enough yet to go on the road, which means practice is BORING, but maybe it will rain this weekend and I can get it worked out.

[shewhobikes]

The bicycle IS Zen!!

I stand, er, sit, corrected,
Shew