To do Clipless or Not to do Clipless ! ?????

[yzylan]

my first set of clipless shoes were shimano mountain bike shoes--MO38s. they were recommended to me as a good shoe for not-so-seasoned clipless riders and spinning class afficianados. that sounded like me, and in retrospect, it was a good suggestion. the advantage of this sort of shoe is that the cleat is recessed into the bottom of the shoe, which otherwise looks like a regular old hiking shoe (i.e.: it has a tread). this helps for two reasons: the shoe doesn't slip on the ground (when you put your foot down, or when you're off the bike) and it doesn't slip off the pedal. i used them with a set of combination pedals (SPD on a platform) and within about a month i was completely comfortable engaging and disengaging the cleats.

i didn't appreciate these "non-slip" features until i got grownup clipless road shoes a few months ago. there is nothing quite as embarassing as trying to get going from a dead stop, and having your foot swipe off the top of the pedal 6 or 7 times. suave.

i still use my "beginner" shoes for touring and commuting because they're very comfortable to walk around in, though they're a bit clunky for fitness/distance rides.

[ccnyc]

Hope this helps anyone who may be nervous about switching to a clipless pedal.

I had toe clips and straps and was very nervous about switching because I had tried my DH's Look 5.1 pedals on the trainer and I couldn't get my foot unclipped no matter how hard I tried (Yikes... I'll never be able to use clipless pedals!). After reading all the clipless pedal threads (thanks everybody) I decided to go with the Speedplay Zero's (non-recessed, road bike pedals).

I've had the Zero's about 1 month now and they are excellent. Easy to clip out and easy to clip in (once the screw tension on the cleat was set properly). I practiced for about 30 minutes on the trainer and knew I would not have problems clipping out. I have absolutely NO ANXIETY about not being able to clip out in time, even in an emergency stop. They definitely give me more pedal power overall and especially going up those $%!#$ hills. Also, if you are not yet clipped in you can still pedal with your foot just sitting on the pedal. I've had one foot slip off the pedal but since the other one was clipped in I just pedaled with that foot until I could get my act together.

I had one "Artie Johnson" fall at the beginning (I was clipped out with one foot but fell to the clipped in side, on the George Washington Bridge, in front of 3 experienced riders) and last weekend I fell because when I put my unclipped foot down as I was coming to a stop the cleat (which is metal) slid on the pavement and I went down. My first road rash! Advice: put your heel down first (my shoes have a rubber heel thingie) when you're stopping, not the ball of your foot.

For Do-It-Yourselfers: The pedals and cleats were easily installed by my DH in about 20 minutes. (Our LBS took 2 hours trying to install them, but they couldn't figure it out so I went home with my toe clips and straps. What losers.) Some minor adjustments were necessary – one cleat needed to be moved a little for comfort and the screws on the cleats needed to be loosened to make clipping in easier.

I wish I had switched sooner because it really has made the cycling experience much better.

Carol

[Wendy]

What LBS didn't know how to install pedals and cleats? I need to know which one to avoid on my next trip into the city. Egad.

[ccnyc]

Wendy:
Appalling isn't it? It was Sid's on 34th street.
I've always had pretty good service there and the person I usually deal with, Alan, was not there that day. I'm sure if he was I would have had a totally different experience. They've put on new handlebars, a new crankset, etc., for me and lots of major stuff done on my husbands bike, and everything worked out well. So this was a real surprise.

Perhaps this was a defective pedal/cleat set. It was the only Speedplay Zero they had in stock. Or, the woman who was trying to install it was just a moron.

Carol

[Geonz]

I still have toe clips but only because I am CHEAP and forgetful and don't need to go any faster than I do.

Falling - years of swimming meant I automatically went into "water entry" mode - which, very very fortunately is an artful belly flop (don't want to dislodge the goggles). Head up, arms taking the 'splash'.. took a lot of gravel on the elbow (long sleeve jerseys rock ) and yea, a little on the navel ... but just road rash.

I knew I was hopeless for training my self to fall unless I did it a few hundred times (this body takes a little longer than most to acquire motor habits), but I wanted to be like a stunt guy and roll with it... ah, well... belly flops work, too.

[gretassister]

I've ridden with clips for years; no reason to rush into clipless, just to be cool or whatever.