Clipping out up a steep hill?

[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!

[ny biker]

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.

They saw a woman crash spectacularly because she lost control on a descent, but they still think you're not supposed to brake on a descent?

Go ahead and use your brakes. Oak's advice is spot-on.

[Catrin]

It sounds to me like you are doing great! I had a failed experiment with clipless earlier this year - but I just got on a bike for the first time in my life in December 2009! I was overly ambitious with my timing and need to get all the other stuff into muscle memory before I start adding things like clipping in. I won't admit how many times I fell over in a 3-day period...

It DID work right for me a few times though, enough to see the advantages of being attached to the pedals. I am currently using BMX pedals - and while I will eventually make the switch again, it may not be this year, but time will tell

Anyway, I wanted to say that I think you are doing great!

[gabriellesca]

Thanks Catrin - mostly this is really p*ssing me off - I hate that there is this thing out there that is frightening me and I just want to overcome it. I saw everyone on my team ride with them and I know that there is obviously some strong benefits. I want to make this work and do NOT want to chicken out.

I'm a pretty slow and overly cautious rider anyway. I'm not into speed and rarely ride in a group or on busy streets. In the 17 weeks I trained for my century - not once did I have to stop abruptly or have a panicked moment where I had to put my feet on the ground quickly. (I had lots of panicked moments decenting though.)

So I need to grow-up and just practice - enjoy the ride while I'm doing it. And realize that if all of you could learn to do it - I can too!

[gabriellesca]

Actually ........ on my century - I remember coming up a small but semi-steep hill - it came up quickly and I was pedaling slowly and wanted to stand to get out of the saddle. I didn't have the power in my legs so I did need to put both of my feet down at that point.

I think its those kinds of moments I feel most worried about - when I don't have the power to go further - so I need to put my feet down. I'm worried that I won't have the strength to unclip that quickly.

I'm also scared of riding with cars that are parked and what if one of them backs up not seeing me - but then again - even with Toe Clips - I'd have a problem having to break suddenly.

Oh boy - I need to chill. I was so hoping this would be easier.

[OakLeaf]

I'm also scared of riding with cars that are parked and what if one of them backs up not seeing me -

You want to be in the lane of traffic, NOT in the parking area. You don't want to be weaving in and out of the traffic lane as you pass parked cars. You also want to stay far enough to the left of parked cars that you don't get "doored."

[ny biker]

I'm also scared of riding with cars that are parked and what if one of them backs up not seeing me - but then again - even with Toe Clips - I'd have a problem having to break suddenly.

Tips on safe cycling:

http://www.bikearlington.com/pages/b...n/safe-riding/

http://www.bikearlington.com/tasks/s..._Bicycling.pdf


Oak is right about staying in the traffic lane.

Also remember that you will see rear brake lights turn off in car where the driver is about to do something that you need to be alert to. They will take their foot off the brake because they're about to pull out of a parking space or back up, or they've just shut off the engine so they're probably about to open the door.

You can do this. Just take a deep breath and go.