Quote Originally Posted by velouria View Post
Another newbie here, on a bike after decades off. I'm still trying to figure out how to get both my feet into the straps/cages . Gravity dictates that their natural position is hanging upside down. I can generally get one foot in before take-off (still a bit awkward, but hey, I'm beyond using my hand now), but for the life of me, I can't get that second one in! I'm not going to stress about it too much; too busy familiarizing myself with more important things like brakes and gears and not running over pedestrians. It's just funny how, even though my general ability to ride a bike has remained intact after all these years, the "naturalness" of it hasn't quite come back yet.
Like you said, you get the first one in before you start forward, and use it for the first hard push to get rolling. I just put my foot on the other pedal any old way for the first few strokes to pick up some speed....and THEN I can stop pedaling for a second while i flip the other pedal and slip my foot in. (I use PowerGrip straps). Sounds more complex than it is though- only takes a second.
My husband uses cages but he has them adjusted so that he doesn't have to adjust the buckles to get in or out.