Cleat release-which direction do you?

[Cataboo]

Hrm. I might have to check which foot I actually disconnect with, because me disconnecting with my left sounds odd 'cause that's the ankle I always sprain and I usually make my other foot do everything for fear of spraining it.

Shoe tying was probably around 6 or 7, as well, I think. Telling left & right... I always wore bracelets on my left hand to make myself remember which way was left. I still will grab my left wrist to try to figure it out. I can generally tell left from right, but I always have to think about it. So if someone says turn left, there's usually a good probability I'll go right until I think about it.

Muscle memory - I am much better at doing something and getting it naturally. Someone that tries to break down what I'm doing into little steps or tells me to concentrate on one thing will usually end up "breaking" my ability to do something until I somehow manage to make it happen naturally.

I might be somewhat retarded.

[tantrumbean]

I unclip left, because even before going clipless I was told to always put my left foot down first as that means I'm leaning away from traffic, so it became a habit. Before that, my right foot always went down first. However, now leaning to the right to unclip right when necessary always instills panic in me. The clipping out is easy, but leaning to the right has become really difficult!!!

[VeloVT]

I unclip left, because even before going clipless I was told to always put my left foot down first as that means I'm leaning away from traffic, so it became a habit. Before that, my right foot always went down first. However, now leaning to the right to unclip right when necessary always instills panic in me. The clipping out is easy, but leaning to the right has become really difficult!!!

I'm assuming you're in the US -- maybe that's a bad assumption.

But... if you are... unclipping left means you are leaning into traffic, not away from it, right?

(That said, I unclip left 99% of the time because I"m right-footed and like to start with my dominant foot clipped in, although I can unclip right-first if I need to).

[Kuota Rider]

I'm assuming you're in the US -- maybe that's a bad assumption.

But... if you are... unclipping left means you are leaning into traffic, not away from it, right?

(That said, I unclip left 99% of the time because I"m right-footed and like to start with my dominant foot clipped in, although I can unclip right-first if I need to).

I did this, but only once....I unclipped right, but somehow I was leaning left...yeah it was ugly. I ended up on my back with my feet in the air with my bike still attached to one cleat. I took one on the knee and the shoulder. Anything to not scratch the bike...

[sgtiger]

I've always unclipped heal out. I'm naturally a bit duck footed and if I got lazy about how my toes were pointed on a previous cleat system, I'd accidentally pop my foot out. My frogs don't let me do that.

[Cataboo]

BF was saying that it's safer to unclip heel out - because if you unclip heel in with your pedal towards the back, you're putting your foot into your chain stays or chain, if you have the pedal towards the front, you're unclipping by putting your heel into the frame.... and depending how the bike is in motion during something like that, it could end up bad... Of course, he's a guy and has bigger feet.

[Zen]

I'm assuming you're in the US -- maybe that's a bad assumption.

You are correct, it's a bad assumption. Click on the link for her charity ride
(I wondered too)

[Crankin]

There's another Kuota rider here???
I have never met anyone else who has a Kuota, except people who have tri bikes.

[Aggie_Ama]

As I am sitting here pondering "why only the left foot", I think I have discovered why. I started bowling when I was 6 years old and did so competitively, very competively until I was 22. Probably 5 days a week, I paid for a chunk of my college by bowling. I bowled a lot, I even made it to the hall of honor or something like that they call it. Right handers in bowling slide with the left foot. I think maybe it is the muscle memory of putting the left foot bend into a slide, I did this thousands of times. You are balanced in a left lunge, so maybe that is why the left is so natural for me. But it could just be that I am a freak.

Oh and to keep on the original question. To get the right foot out, I still turn heel out. So both heels out, left must be first or I hit the deck.

I told DH about this thread and his mind couldn't even process heels in to unclip. He was truly baffled trying to even picture it. So put him down as out.

[Zen]

I told DH about this thread and his mind couldn't even process heels in to unclip. He was truly baffled trying to even picture it.

Exactly!
I couldn't picture it either!

[ny biker]

I told DH about this thread and his mind couldn't even process heels in to unclip. He was truly baffled trying to even picture it. So put him down as out.

Tell him to imagine pain in his ankle every time he turns his heel outward. Suddenly, heel in makes sense.

[tantrumbean]

I'm assuming you're in the US -- maybe that's a bad assumption.

But... if you are... unclipping left means you are leaning into traffic, not away from it, right?

(That said, I unclip left 99% of the time because I"m right-footed and like to start with my dominant foot clipped in, although I can unclip right-first if I need to).

I'm not, sorry, should have made that clear...I actually live in the UK, so I'm leaning away!