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