clipless pedal woes

[VeloVT]

Don't assume that you automatically need a WSD bike because you're small. If you have a relatively long torso, you may be better on non-WSD bike if you can find one small enough.

I have noticed that a lot of WSD bike come stock with very tiny stems. (80mm and smaller sometimes). This can make a bike twitchy feeling -- you might pay attention to that and ask if you can try a bike with a stem that is 90mm or so (I would guess most of the bikes in your size won't come stock with anything much longer than that). Remember that this is something that is easy and inexpensive to change. What you might find on WSD bikes that might be important for you -- short-reach shifters and shorter cranks.

But otherwise, fast bike + quick handling = good ! With the 5-10 lb weightloss and lots of extra gears, you'll fly up (and down!) those hills!

[DMB]

thanks Liza, so much to think about and learn..........what an adventure!

[SouthernBelle]

Define old.

[xeney]

I've yet to meet anyone who's tried them who doesn't like/love Speedplay Frogs.

My husband. He has a knee injury (with a huge titanium plate running down his shin) that makes it impossible for him to unclip from Frogs. They are supposed to be good for bad knees, but not his bad knee. He tried mine and literally could not use them.

He used SPDs for years and now uses Look style pedals, I think. He loves clipless pedals, but not Frogs (or other Speedplays).

I am a failure at clipless pedals ... I finally got them down, after an injury that scared me away from them for a while, but then I got pregnant, stopped riding my road bike for a while, and haven't gone back to them since my road bike is currently set up to haul a trailer and I'd just as soon have my feet free for that. Once my new trailer-puller is set up (probably with toe clips) I am going to put the Frogs back on my Bianchi and this time they aren't coming back off.

I did find Frogs to be a thousand times easier than SPDs, which I could never clip into, much less out of.

[Crankin]

Yes, define old....
I've had a few injuries, nothing major and it didn't take me a long time to heal. You just can't be afraid of getting hurt. I mean, I am a cautious rider, but i expect that as in any sport, there will be injuries. I have crashed pretty hard, once going down a 20% grade hill. Other than road rash and soreness (not to mention embarrassment), I was fine. I've learned to treat these things on my own. One of my first cycling injuries was when I was still riding the old Voodoo mtb on the road. I was going up a hill, when my son came down the hill on his cross bike, heading for the woods. He asked me to hand him my water bottle for a drink and I did. But when he went to give it back to me, I freaked and went down. About 5 days later I woke up with a huge lump on my knee. I did go to an ortho doc for that, but it turned out to be nothing but a hematoma. In other words, a huge bruise. I stretched, iced and took Advil and was riding again in 2 weeks.
I am going to be 55 in 2 weeks and while that might be old to some, it's not to me.

[SouthernBelle]

Yes, define old....
I am going to be 55 in 2 weeks and while that might be old to some, it's not to me.

I'm 53. We're just babies.

[DMB]

Well, okay - I'll be 57 in December. That's like ALMOST 60!!! Maybe I'm reading too many bike magazines? All those 20ish people. I just have to be smart about this. I have to admit that most of the people I see riding around are really not that young. I'm just afraid of an injury. I ride by myself and just act pretty foolish sometimes (go fast, jump over things, go faster than fast, wiggle from side to side on the painted lines (as if going through an obstacle course) on the bike path.....while going really fast) and I always say....stop that, you shouldn't be doing that, you're going to hurt yourself. I think I found my lost childhood or something. Anyway, All these stories of people falling down with clipless just has me worried. However, I WON'T GIVE UP....I'm sure if I felt confident and at ease with the motion I'll take on the challenge. Everyone has been so nice and helpful here - I wish I had found this site when my seriousness about biking began this spring. I probably would have saved myself a lot of grief. I have to tell you - I did fall down once. I mean right in the middle of a busy intersection after I crossed the street. There were people and cars everywhere. Somehow my tire got caught in a rut and there was nothing I could do but go down. Hit my head on the cement, just laid there - dazed. Do you know that no one, not one single person asked me if I was okay - and I laid there a good 5 minutes or so. That really scared me. So, all this talk about falling down while you learn to go clipless - well, kinda scary. Now that I know there are easier ones I'll give it a try for sure. I like those egg beater ones, they do look easy. I'll let you all know for sure.