Well, this was a workout.

[snowroo]

Hello! I'm new. New to here and new to the world of mountain biking.

Nice to meet you all!

I got such a laugh this weekend. Thought I'd share.

I'm learning to ride with clipless. Being not the most naturally coordinated, I'm doing a great job of falling. Lots of practice. LOTs of practice. I'm the comedic relief.

Anyway, I'm several km out on a trail. Find my right foot has unclipped. Can't seem to find the clip (nothing unusual). STILL can't find the clip. Come to mention it, can't seem to find the pedal. OK. Fumble around some more. Stop.

There's no pedal. Pedal has unscrewed. OK. This poses a bit of a problem. Can't find the pedal. Dedicated dutiful riding buddy starts searching for the culprit it the mucky fallen leaves. It can't be too far, right.

We find it. It hasn't gone far. I'm still clipped in. Right now, I'm thinking I should let dutiful riding buddy search a bit more, cause she does laugh just a bit too loud when I fall. The pedal is still attached to my shoe. OK, OK - it's muddy and the ground is squishy and I DID mention I'm a bit uncoordinated right.

Have you ever tried to unclip a pedal without a pivot point. Right now, I'm wishing I had man hands. Or a man's hands. Not fussy. After some unladylike cussing (maybe that encouraged some testosterone!), we get the pedal OFF the shoe but try as we might, couldn't get it screwed on the crank.

I carry allen keys, and patches, and a spare tube, and an inflator. And if we are in range, a GPS because dutiful riding buddy is a bit scary on the navigation front. I DON'T carry wrenches.

SO, I've read about single leg drills improving your pedalling. SO, I started to single pedal it back to the car. This was OK. A little peculiar looking. Good workout for my hip flexors, and dutiful riding buddy's intercostals (that would be rib muscles from laughing). Then we hit THE HILLS.

Oh shoot. Forgot about the hills. Not going to turn down a challenge, I learned that spin really does help you up the hills. Just as I was losing momentum, dutiful riding buddy would come up behind me and give me a push. Just as well cause I'm now considering sticking my non-working leg out cause she's laughing at me again.

Did you know HOW hard it is to ride DOWN a big sucker bumpy trail hill with just one pedal. My poor ol fanny! (Now I'm an Aussie, and we have a bit of mixup with anatomy terminology. Fanny is a body part, but it AINT the butt.). Yowers! Now I'm glad I'm not a dude.

We made it! I told my riding buddy that the pedal unscrewed because of all the backwards pedalling I had to do to slow down so she could keep up. She didn't buy it.

I just have one question. Being new, that's allowed, right. If you unclip to clipless, isn't that a circular canceling-out statement? I'm not clipped in to no clips. I don't know nuffin' much anyway.

Nice to meet you all.

Melissa

[Blueberry]

I just have one question. Being new, that's allowed, right. If you unclip to clipless, isn't that a circular canceling-out statement? I'm not clipped in to no clips. I don't know nuffin' much anyway.

I'm sorry - but I have absolutely no idea of what you're asking

Welcome - and thanks for sharing

CA

[Zen]

I just have one question- was it the left pedal?

[crazycanuck]

Snowroo, I like the sounds of that adventure!

Are ye in Ozzieland or on your OE?

[pinkbikes]

Laughed myself silly Snowroo! Usually I'm the comic relief as I go over the bars!

And I too have had to explain to my lovely American sister-in-law that a "fanny pack" is not something we'd like to talk about in public and how if you "root for the team" you'll be very a very popular girl indeedy!

So where in Oz do we find you to laugh at you?

[snowroo]

" just have one question. Being new, that's allowed, right. If you unclip to clipless, isn't that a circular canceling-out statement? I'm not clipped in to no clips. I don't know nuffin' much anyway."

Sorry, my wierd sense of humour playing on double negatives. No real question. It is kinda weird "unclipping" from "clipless".

It was the *right* pedal that fell off. (is that significant?). I think I'm right footed (is there such a thing), but that might be a throwback to horse-riding (always mount from the left).

I'm an aussie living in canada. Thought we'd be done on the bikes by now due to the weather but have been blessed with a warm november. I think the days are numbered. It's supposed to be near freezing this weekend.

Bike has a nice new trainer to get acquainted with. Right now, bike is too much of a dirty girl to come in the house. On sunday, I took her to the local 6km trail to find it was mostly underwater. Muttered "speed is your friend", meaning "please don't fall now" cause failing to unclip in ankle deep swamp water might be just a little too much of a hypothermic experience. Cycleaquatics?

Anyway, it's great to meet a bunch of woman who like to bike. I'm learning a ton from you.

Melissa

[tzvia]

LOL funny read. Reminds me of a story I read years ago. Cindy Whitehead was a racer from the early days of mountain biking who lost her seat near the start of a long XC race. Instead of quitting, she finished the race, almost 50 miles without a saddle, and actually won.

I think the 'clipless' part is that there are no toe-clips/straps, those old fashioned metal cages that you slipped your feet into that were popular before the 'clipless' pedals. 'Clipping' in to pedals is a throwback word to those old toe-clips.

Some pedals also have a allen key hole at the back of the spindle (my Time pedals do) so that you can tighten them back on with a multitool. It's a good idea that not every manufacturer does. And yea, mountain biking is as much about handling issues with what you have as there is no gas station at the corner to beg tools from, as it is riding.

[fatbottomedgurl]

I think I would have left the pedal in the shoe and screwed it on the crank as a unit. That way you could use the shoe as your wrench. Ought to get some good torque that way. But why did it unscrew in the first place???

The reason everyone asked which pedal is because the left pedal is reverse threaded- but you knew that.

[snowroo]

Oh you are so smart! Of course using the shoe as the wrench would have been a great idea.

Er, yes, um of course I knew it's reverse threaded {looking sheepish}

[OakLeaf]

I think I would have left the pedal in the shoe and screwed it on the crank as a unit. That way you could use the shoe as your wrench. Ought to get some good torque that way. But why did it unscrew in the first place???

The reason everyone asked which pedal is because the left pedal is reverse threaded- but you knew that.

+1 on that. Crank metal is fairly soft, but not so soft that if the pedal is fully screwed on but not torqued, unclipping would damage the threads.

It shouldn't make any difference which pedal. The left pedal is left-hand threaded because it's a mirror image of the right one. With respect to the direction of travel, the forces on the threads are identical in both pedals. As usual, Sheldon has (had? ) a good explanation.

Do make sure you clean the threads thoroughly (both the pedal spindle and the inside of the crank), make sure they're free of water and solvent, and apply some anti-seize lubricant before you re-install.

Anyway, glad you made it back and that you have a sense of humor about it. Bet you'll carry a pedal wrench now.