Clipping out up a steep hill?

[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.

[gabriellesca]

Yes - I'm in the traffic lane - not in a parking lot.

This is silly - I'm sitting here doing the worse thing I could do which is reading everyone's posts on falling and having accidents - some because of going clipless and others just because of road/riding issues.

I've now totally frightened myself into thinking that I should sell the bike and take up knitting.

[AMP]

Gabriellsca, we can do this together. What I've learned in my 57 years is to take acceptable risks. Fourteen years ago I was schooling a young gelding and wanted to get off. I thought, Oh, Cowboy UP, woman. Well I wound up with a broken neck, plates, pins, bone grafts. Not an acceptable risk.

Everybody told me how lucky I was not to be paralyzed. My husband (the ultimate man) said why couldn't I be like regular lucky people and just win the lottery? When I laughed all trussed up in a neck brace and head gear, he told me I looked like Elsa Lanchester (bride of Frankenstein) and that I was drooling.

But actually, I was lucky. I not only survived the wreck of my dreams, I got to reassess. And I get to tell the story.

So here I am with my new bike which I love, and these ^%$^% pedals. I will learn this. We will learn this. It will become intuitive and comfortable. It will become necessary for the the power we will need to get up those hills. [I]Clipping in will become fluid and balanced.

We will learn from Oak and others.

And then we will teach and train others more afraid than we are now. And we will be kind and make them laugh.

Since I'm a teacher, sometimes it's tough for me to be a student. Humbling. I need that too. It keeps me safe.

[ny biker]

Yes - I'm in the traffic lane - not in a parking lot.

This is silly - I'm sitting here doing the worse thing I could do which is reading everyone's posts on falling and having accidents - some because of going clipless and others just because of road/riding issues.

I've now totally frightened myself into thinking that I should sell the bike and take up knitting.

Go read the daily posts about the rides people do. Find the one from yesterday's about Mother's Day rides. There's lots about good rides (and challenging rides too) in addition to the ones about falling down.

And besides, who's to say you wouldn't stab yourself while you're knitting...

[gabriellesca]

AMP - what a great post. Thank you so much. I loved it. What courage you have - an inspiration for me. I know that you are correct. I know that I'm being silly to be so frightened. My doctor always yells at me for going on line - stressing that people rarely post good things on the internet.

NY - I would TOTALLY stab myself. So funny! I needed that laugh. Yes - I'm going now to read about the great rides. I've had great rides btw. Last weekend I had 2 really awesome rides. I felt so good and up riding. When I was done I felt fantastic. I'm just scared that I won't get back there now because of these new pedals.

But I'm going to take AMP's comments to heart! Acceptable risk!

THANK YOU!

[tulip]

You are psyching yourself out. You are letting your fear control you, not the other way around. Don't try 4 or 5 times. Try 100 times. Ride your bike with clipless pedals for 100 days and then make a decision.

Relax, keep your rides short, and get used to it before you go out on longer rides. And for goodness' sake, STOP focusing on these images of people crashing! There are 1000, maybe 10,000, more examples of people NOT crashing while clipped in.

All I hear you talking about is your fear, your falls, your witness to someone else crashing. How is this helping? What about the times you are not falling, what about your successes?

[ny biker]

Relax, keep your rides short, and get used to it before you go out on longer rides. And for goodness' sake, STOP focusing on these images of people crashing! There are 1000, maybe 10,000, more examples of people NOT crashing while clipped in.

I was thinking this, too. Picture yourself riding along, enjoying yourself, smiling, everything going well. Imagine yourself successfully clipping out and putting your foot down with no problems. Focus on that.

[withm]

You are psyching yourself out. You are letting your fear control you, not the other way around. Don't try 4 or 5 times. Try 100 times. Ride your bike with clipless pedals for 100 days and then make a decision.

Relax, keep your rides short, and get used to it before you go out on longer rides. And for goodness' sake, STOP focusing on these images of people crashing! There are 1000, maybe 10,000, more examples of people NOT crashing while clipped in.

All I hear you talking about is your fear, your falls, your witness to someone else crashing. How is this helping? What about the times you are not falling, what about your successes?

This is excellent advice.

When I was learning - I rode around the block for a couple miles (it was only 1/4 mile for the loop) seemingly endlessly, coming to a full stop, unclipping, and putting my foot down even though it wasn't required at every corner. Going through that entire drill some 20-30 times in a single afternoon was boring but was all I needed to develop that muscle memory. The key is to practice, practice, untill you are comfortable. It does not take long.

No pole vaulter ever cleared 10' on the first try. And every attempt ends up in a fall. Yet they continue to practice until they get it right. As cyclists we don't have near that kind of challenge. Clipping in/out is so ingrained that most of us never give it a second thought.

It's not rocket science. It's learning a little coordination in order to become a skilled rider. If it were really as hard as some people make it out to be, nobody would be riding clipless.

[TrekTheKaty]

The advice I got when I went clipless (surely, from here) was to practice clipping & unclipping while leaning against a wall--both sides, please. Then try it on some grass. Then I did a few laps around the neighborhood. Once, I did a whole organized ride with one foot clipped out, because there were so many unexperienced riders and children (St. Louis Midnight Ramble). However, I don't advise that--I ended up with blisters :-)

[AMP]

Hmmm... I don't think this is a whiney post at all. Naturally I'm rivited because I'm in the exact same space.

I read some old cycling forums on this topic and I can confidently report that fear of pedaling clipless is pretty universal. But there is some great advice : so far I've learned that 1) I don't have to use clipless if I want to, 2) I need to make sure the tension is easy; 3) anticipate problems and clip out early; 4) if I fall, I can get back up and start pedalling again: and here's the best bit of advice: if I'm riding up a steep hill and am losing power, I need to clip out and WALK.

That made me laugh. I forgot I had that option. How sensible. I get to ride my bike and keep myself safe.

I haven't read this anywhere, but is it possible that my ankles are weak in that area?

When I fell, my arms supported me pretty well because of strengthening from yoga and I didn't get hurt.

There doesn't seem to be any crossover exercise because the outward movement of the heel clipping out is so peculiar to this sport.

Maybe I need to crush out cigars or do the twist like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. Maybe I just need to get stronger ankles.