Clipping out up a steep hill?

[Crankin]

You don't have to go through any of this to put a dropped chain back on! You have to think quickly to do this, but it's second nature to me now. As soon as you feel the chain slip, you put your bike in the big ring and keep pedaling. The chain goes back on by itself. Really.
If you are on a steep hill, this might be hard, but you can carefully shift the chain down to the next lower ring as you keep pedaling once it's back on, but you have to soft pedal. The trick to steep grades is to put your bike in the granny gear (or small ring if you have a double) before you start the climb and put the cogs in a higher gear, so you can shift down as you need to.
You can put a dropped chain back on if you are off of the bike the same way. Put the bike in the big gear, pick it up and rotate the pedals by hand until the chain pops back on.
I do not like those steep climbs with a stop sign at the top, either.
Clipless pedals are not that scary. Make sure you have the tension set at the easiest setting, if you have spd pedals. All this talk of 11 falls is crazy. I never fell and as I said earlier, I am not that coordinated.

[OakLeaf]

I do not like those steep climbs with a stop sign at the top, either.

+a million. Especially if the road you're crossing is busy. Especially if it's wet. I've come close to getting in serious trouble in that situation.

What I like even less is those steep climbs with a stop sign in the middle.

Back to the OP - I think a lot of it is about anticipation, just like all the other aspects of hill climbing. Think of clipping out as your final downshift. Just as you need to shift before you run out of power, and lighten up on your pedal stroke so you're not putting a lot of torque on the chain when you shift, it's the same with clipping out. Know when you're starting to run out of steam, know the minimum cadence and maximum power where you're no longer able to keep the bike upright (by feel, not necessarily by gadgetry, although those are nice if you have them), and don't be so hung up on getting up the hill without walking that you don't clip out until it's too late.

And it's possible (but just as likely not) I might have had 11 FTU falls since I first started riding clipless in 1987. Certainly not in any short period of time after I first learned.

[gabriellesca]

AMP - I wish I had such a healthy attitude. I'm so frightened of falling and I've only done it twice and both times it really upset me. Isn't that silly? The first time I was out on a road I had no clue where I was and none of my teammates were around. I really wiped out on that one (and that was just me turning to see if they were coming). Yesterday's fall scraped up my knee but you're right - I survived - it wasn't that bad. For me its all about the memory of my friend falling into that moving car. It really scared me.

But I do have to keep trying - not give up. So many people have gone through this and have learned it - and it seems to be second nature for everyone now. Just like anything in life, its all about attitude. So its time for a better attitude.

I'm planning on going down to my old hometown Wed, Thurs, Fri, and Sat - to ride those streets. I know the hills - and the hills I can't get up - I know where all the stop signs are - where traffic gets heavier. So I'm going to go down when kids are in school and parents are at work and ride. I'm hoping it will help give me a bit of confidence.

Thanks for the tips about clipping out on hill. Oak - great points that I hadn't really thought about.

I'm just wondering how long until when you ride you go back to your regular speed and you don't constantly clip in and out? I did it over and over again yesterday as if to just double check that it all still worked.

[gabriellesca]

ps. One time we saw this woman who was flying down a super steep hill with a stop at the bottom and a super busy road at the stop. She didn't have time to stop quickly and unclip and really wiped out - she was in bad shape. We had to call an ambulance. That is really scary. When I go down super steep hills I still use my breaks (I know I shouldn't) - but how in the world do you handle a hill like that? Unclip as you're going down in case there is a stop at the bottom?

[OakLeaf]

NO, don't unclip during a descent! That really increases the chances you'll lose control.

Covering your brakes is good; feathering them when you start getting beyond your comfort zone is good; riding them until your wheels lock and your tires skid (another loss of control), or until your rims heat up and you lose braking power, is not good.

Do a search on descending, there are lots of good tips on the forum.

[Biciclista]

This particular thing has also terrorized me. In the first year I was using my SPD's, my husband led me up a very steep hill. There were cars behind me. i started to panic because I knew i couldn't unclip because i might fall over from inertia... So i headed towards the curb and threw myself to the right, bike and all, where there was some nice grass! YES! That particular fall was not painful.
I have my SPD's set up at the loosest settings so i can just yank my feet out any which way (Which i have done more than once!) and i did that day too.


I have gone through a lot of pedal types and what i have now is an SPD type that has a regular pedal that you could use with street shoes and the SPD for the other.
Gabriellesca, you should try riding with just one foot clipped in for a bit. Once you realize that you can get out of the pedals whenever you want, it gets less terrifying.

About a month after i started riding with the SPD's, i was riding with my son, he noticed i was clipping and unclipping and was concerned that the cleets were too loose. i explained to him that i was practicing... he never had to do any of that. he just got onto the bike, clipped in, and that was it... sigh...

[gabriellesca]

Thanks Oak - that is what I do - feather my breaks. But I took some heat on my team for applying them during a decent. I didn't care what they said, I felt safer using them.

Biciclista - that sounds terrifying. Its that kind of situation that really makes me wonder why, as someone that is NOT athletic and a major scaredy-cat, I chose cycling as my hobby.

My boyfriend and I have been talking - he's concerned this fear will deter me from riding. I can tell he's trying reverse pych on me because he's encouraging me to go back to toe cages and that is not like him. So I told him - I will ride 4 or 5 times on the pedals - as I mentioned good routes I know and know what to expect. Then I will reassess. If I still can't relax enough and am not enjoying the rides because I'm constantly clipping in and out and scared - then I'll go back to toe cages!

[marni]

I do not like those steep climbs with a stop sign at the top, either.

Or how about the rides in the Hill Country with t he cattle guard half way up the steepest part of the steepest hills? Just when you realize that you are in your granny granny gear and can't get up enough speed to get over it safely. And it is such fun tip toeing over those things. One ride I did had nothing but hills, and most of them, or at least 14 had cattle guards on them. I walked a lot that day.

marni