Clipless question...

[Catrin]

Yesterday was the first time I wore my shiny new SPD pedals outside. I promptly fell over 4 times, the first time being 3.0 nanoseconds after getting on my bike That was a much gentler fall being as I was standing still at the time

The next three falls were due to figuring out what my body really wants to do when I stop. I planned it like this:

1. think ahead and unclip left foot
2. slow down/apply brakes
3. stop with left foot

That was the PLAN - apparently over-thinking things again What actually happened was that at "step 3" my body says - "stop with LEFT foot? What is up with that? I insist on using BOTH feet, or whatever foot is still clipped in".

I got the message after the 3rd fall in which I wrenched my elbow/shoulder and hit my head. The head hit even gave me a small headache at the point of impact, but my helmet seems fine. I got the point, and after that started unclipping BOTH feet before slowing down. No more falls We will see what happens this afternoon (I am practicing in a local park that has a circle drive in which there are always cyclists).

My question is this - how long should I expect it to take to become confident with these pedals? I know everyone is different, and probably everyone doesn't fall over 4 times in their first session with them

At least my derailleur should be fine - each fall was to the right but my body was between bike and ground I have some soreness today, but that isn't gong to keep me from my bike and a sunny 48F afternoon!

added: At least I learned first hand that when you fall over unclipping happens automatically

[OakLeaf]

The head hit even gave me a small headache at the point of impact, but my helmet seems fine.

Uh-uh.

Catrin, I'm glad you and your bike are okay. This sort of fall rarely results in much injury. But your helmet is not fine. Helmets are meant to take one impact. Many people won't replace a helmet if it just falls to the ground without your head in it - but this is a subject of debate. If it falls to the ground with your head in it, no matter how low the speed, there is no debate, although it may take an X-ray of the EPS to show the damage. If it falls to the ground with your head in it and sustains such a hard impact that you have a headache, you have actual physical evidence that it's done. Replace it. Before you get on your bike again.

It's money out of your budget and times are tight, I know, but if you've ever known anyone with traumatic brain injury, you do not want to be that person.

Once you've replaced your helmet and start practicing again, pay attention to the countersteering/leaning thing. That's what I see is missing from your "plan." If you want to put your left foot down, slow, unclip left, turn your bars slightly to the right to initiate a left lean, then put your foot down.

Good luck and continue to enjoy. These falls do happen to almost everyone, and I admire your persistence!

[Catrin]

Uh-uh.

Catrin, I'm glad you and your bike are okay. This sort of fall rarely results in much injury. But your helmet is not fine. Helmets are meant to take one impact. Many people won't replace a helmet if it just falls to the ground without your head in it - but this is a subject of debate. If it falls to the ground with your head in it, no matter how low the speed, there is no debate, although it may take an X-ray of the EPS to show the damage. If it falls to the ground with your head in it and sustains such a hard impact that you have a headache, you have actual physical evidence that it's done. Replace it. Before you get on your bike again.

It's money out of your budget and times are tight, I know, but if you've ever known anyone with traumatic brain injury, you do not want to be that person.

Once you've replaced your helmet and start practicing again, pay attention to the countersteering/leaning thing. That's what I see is missing from your "plan." If you want to put your left foot down, slow, unclip left, turn your bars slightly to the right to initiate a left lean, then put your foot down.

Good luck and continue to enjoy. These falls do happen to almost everyone, and I admire your persistence!

hmmmm, ok, I will head to my LBS before heading back out this afternoon. It is true that I had localized pain around the point of impact for the next hour or so...I checked out the helmet and figured if I couldn't see any damage at all that things were fine. Shows how much I know

[ny biker]

Did you usually put your left foot down first before you had the clipless pedals?

I always thought I was left foot first until my first clipless ride, when I learned the hard way that I'm right foot first when it comes to stopping. (I do push off with my left foot when I start pedaling again.)

[Catrin]

Did you usually put your left foot down first before you had the clipless pedals?

I always thought I was left foot first until my first clipless ride, when I learned the hard way that I'm right foot first when it comes to stopping. (I do push off with my left foot when I start pedaling again.)

I THOUGHT I stopped with my left foot...right now I will just unclip both and work with that..

I have my new helmet now, and am going to head back out as soon as I have lunch. Hopefully no falls today

[ninerfan]

If you want to put your left foot down, slow, unclip left, turn your bars slightly to the right to initiate a left lean, then put your foot down.

Hmmm. I also put my left foot down but I turn my handlebars towards the foot I'm unclipping, not to the right. That way the bike is leaning toward the foot that is going down.

[Catrin]

Hmmm. I also put my left foot down but I turn my handlebars towards the foot I'm unclipping, not to the right. That way the bike is leaning toward the foot that is going down.

I tried both of these approaches, and fell over equally quickly I suspect that when I am unclipped that my body is doing something that I am not catching, which is why I was falling yesterday. It is easy enough to unclip both feet until I figure out what else might be going on - as long as I don't have to stop for an emergency Until I am confident that I can stop without falling over - no major hills and I won't leave the park (thankfully it is a large park with multiple driving/riding roads).

Time to go play now

[OakLeaf]

I THOUGHT I stopped with my left foot...right now I will just unclip both and work with that..

I have my new helmet now, and am going to head back out as soon as I have lunch. Hopefully no falls today

I think maybe it's the opposite... you need to commit to one side or the other. I've fallen pretty recently from a FTU, and indecision was the only reason.

Glad you got a new helmet. Have fun this afternoon!

[Catrin]

I think maybe it's the opposite... you need to commit to one side or the other. I've fallen pretty recently from a FTU, and indecision was the only reason.

Glad you got a new helmet. Have fun this afternoon!

No head hits this afternoon No REAL fall, though at the end I had a half-a** fall from just allowing myself to become overly tired and probably indecisive. 12 miles cycling in a big circle.... but no crashes!

I need to get this figured out before I will feel safe enough to get around cars and too many other bikes. Starting is still fun, and stopping exciting, the in-between stuff is fine - but I can't do without the start/stop end of things

[pinkbikes]

I must admit I do worry a bit about you clipping out both feet.

The thing is that you then become quite unstable if you think about it. Once both your feet are unclipped (and you tend to remove them from the pedal when you do that so you don't accidentally clip back in) the only things touching your bike are your butt and your hands on the handlebars. Your handlebars move relative to the bike (duh! that's what they are supposed to do) and so unless you have a very strong core, you can tend to be a little unbalanced once you are reduced to one fixed attachment and two moving ones. Your body could wobble a little bit and it's fall time!

What I suggest is that you work out which foot you naturally have at the top of the pedal stroke ready to get started and which foot you push off the ground with? Is there one that you favour more than the other? I realise over time it would be ideal to be able to cope with either, but maybe you need to find out which is your preference and use that at least for the first little while until you have it down.

Then once you have worked it out, practice unclipping the foot you push off the ground with, and develop a little routine around it that you can commit to muscle memory. Say... gently apply the brakes to slow down, unclip the foot (while it's at the top of the pedal stroke) hang that foot down, little bit more brake, lean the bike (and you) a little that way and put the foot down, lift the other foot to top of pedal stroke (because then you are unlikely to lean that way and fall over standing there, and also you are ready to go again).

I just think that the more things you can have attached keeping you and the bike stable while you do this, the better off you will be.

[Catrin]

I must admit I do worry a bit about you clipping out both feet.........Then once you have worked it out, practice unclipping the foot you push off the ground with, and develop a little routine around it that you can commit to muscle memory. Say... gently apply the brakes to slow down, unclip the foot (while it's at the top of the pedal stroke) hang that foot down, little bit more brake, lean the bike (and you) a little that way and put the foot down, lift the other foot to top of pedal stroke (because then you are unlikely to lean that way and fall over standing there, and also you are ready to go again).

I just think that the more things you can have attached keeping you and the bike stable while you do this, the better off you will be.

hmmmm good points When I unclip, I leave my foot on the pedal - and I don't clip back in. Perhaps unconsciously I am shifting my foot slightly from the "clipping in" position. Today I seemed to notice that my right foot - which is the same foot that I use with that first pedal stroke - is the one that hits the ground a nanosecond before my left foot. So perhaps the same foot "wants" to do both jobs?

It is going to rain all week, at least that is what they say - so I hope to head back out for more practice after church tomorrow. I must admit, however, that I CAN see the advantages of being attached to my pedals while riding...so that does make all of this other stuff worthwhile. Let's just hope that my head and derailleur lasts until it becomes comfortable

[footloose]

Catrin...glad you are Ok after your falls and that things seem to be improving for you.
I will be watching your progress with great interest as I will going thru the same thing myself shortly. Have got the pedals and cleats just need to find some shoes.
There are no bike shops around here that are stocked with women's stuff so I'm going to have to find the time to search farther afield.

I've been planning on replacing my older helmet....maybe I'll just wait for while on that as I may have to replace it again anyway!

[Catrin]

Catrin...glad you are Ok after your falls and that things seem to be improving for you.
I will be watching your progress with great interest as I will going thru the same thing myself shortly. Have got the pedals and cleats just need to find some shoes.
There are no bike shops around here that are stocked with women's stuff so I'm going to have to find the time to search farther afield.

I've been planning on replacing my older helmet....maybe I'll just wait for while on that as I may have to replace it again anyway!

So far everyone I know keeps telling me that they *only" fell over one time when they got their pedals, so perhaps I am just being greedy and taking other people's falls for them - like perhaps yours? It MAY have been easier if I had waited until I had more miles under my belt, but I was having so many problems with the platform pedals that the timing made sense...

[ny biker]

I have definitely fallen over more than once due to being clipped in when I needed to have a foot free. And have come close to falling other times.

The last time I fell was last August. And I've had clipless pedals since 2002.

[Catrin]

I have definitely fallen over more than once due to being clipped in when I needed to have a foot free. And have come close to falling other times.

The last time I fell was last August. And I've had clipless pedals since 2002.

Thank you, I figured that they were trying to encourage me to make the leap, but it is good to hear someone say that. You know though, that thing that happens when you are on your bike and everything is working (translated to not falling over), well...it makes all of this other stuff worth it