clipless pedals?

[Caddy]

^I second that. Back and saddle discomfort usually are not caused by pedals, although it's possible if your seat is in the wrong position to begin with. The most common complaint I hear is knee pain, but most people get clipless with high degrees of float and it seems to fix the issue.

Clipless was very awkward to get used to at first, but it took me about one short ride to get the hang of it.

[Rebecca19804]

I second a lot of what's been said here already.

I went through last winter planning to go clipless with my Surly Cross Check in the spring but then had some fit issues to sort out, for one reason or another, put off the whole clipless thing for a while. Then the day that all the various components got swapped out on my bike and it *fit* properly... oh boy, what a difference in that first ride! Suddenly my bike felt like an extension of myself and it just made sense to go clipless to complete that circle. Most natural thing in the world. Yes, I had the famous "clipless moment" on my third day using them. But now I don't want to cycle without them. The slight inconvenience of carrying a pair of shoes to change into at the end of even very short rides is totally worth it, in exchange for the feeling of efficiency and connectedness with my bike that clipless pedals & shoes give me.

I use Speedplay Frogs. They have adjustable float and aren't spring-tensioned. I find I can move my feet around a bit while I ride, even just as a kind of playing around (fidgeting?) with being firmly clipped in or not. On the whole, though, I do "stay put" for longer periods, which according to my physio and my fitter is what I need if I'm to improve and maintain stability through my knees and pelvis.

I'm not 100% convinced about the whole "more power" argument but I do like how being clipped in lets me change which muscle groups I use, which does mean less fatigue... and, yes, probably also scratches that little "fidget itch" that I sometimes get on long rides.

[RubyTuesday]

Ok. I am going to ask the question being I am a newbie and you can't hold it against me yet. What is "float"?

I took my first 33 mile ride and found that my legs were tired, by upper back/neck and shoulders were pretty sore and had to stop from time to time to let my lower back relax and stop hurting. Stopping actually did help. I have had my stem raised ( I am older 57 and very flexible, palms on the floor flexible), but I still end up with back pain at the end of a ride. It is my back that stops me from going longer distances, not my legs.

Suggestions?

I am using clipless pedals and after my first fall, I have to say that I do like them. I bought the book "Every Woman's Guide to Cycling" by Selene Yeager. I am reading it and trying to implement her suggestions on proper riding skills. She talks extensively about clipless pedals. If you haven't read the book, I would highly suggest it. She says that if you plan on riding more than ten miles, then you might want to invest and learn how to ride clipless. Great book!

[indysteel]

Float is how much lateral movement you can make with your foot while clipped in without actually clipping out. It's measures in "degrees." As a practical matter, it allows your knee a bit of wiggle room in how it tracks. For some people, this float helps with knee pain. For others, it makes knee pain worse. With no-float pedals, it's very important to get them set up correctly. Of course, I'd argue that it's also important to get pedals with float set up correctly, too, but they arguably offer a wider margin for error.

[indysteel]

As for our back pain issues, Ruby, it might be that your hamstrings are getting tight, either for lack of conditioning and/or because your bike fit is off. Tight hamstrings are notorious for causing low back pain on the bike. Next time you're out riding and your back starts hurting, stop and gently stretch your hamstrings fora a few minutes. If that helps at all, make a point of stretching your hamstrings both on and off the bike.

If strething helps but overall you're still getting tight hamstrings, you might consider tweaking your bike set up, but at that point, I'd recommend seeing a fitter.

[RubyTuesday]

Thank you, indysteel. I get it now. I will stick with my pretty tight pedals for now and experiment later. My knees are the least of my problems right now.

[jessmarimba]

I just wanted to chime in, as far as hamstring stretches. It's really, really easy to cheat most hamstring stretches and use your back instead. If you can lie down and stretch your leg up, you can't cheat with your back so easily.

Also wanted to mention that just because you are flexible doesn't mean that your back is necessarily strong everywhere that it needs to be to support you on the bike. There is one muscle group that I have trouble focusing on because of the fusion in my upper back - and that is where I will be aching after a long ride. The more varied your core strengthening exercises, the better!

[indysteel]

I just wanted to chime in, as far as hamstring stretches. It's really, really easy to cheat most hamstring stretches and use your back instead. If you can lie down and stretch your leg up, you can't cheat with your back so easily.

Also wanted to mention that just because you are flexible doesn't mean that your back is necessarily strong everywhere that it needs to be to support you on the bike. There is one muscle group that I have trouble focusing on because of the fusion in my upper back - and that is where I will be aching after a long ride. The more varied your core strengthening exercises, the better!

Good point. When I'm at home, my favorite stretch is to do just what you suggested. Use a yoga strap, belt or whatever and place it around your foot to get a bit more leverage. Pull your toes toward you as much as you can to stretch the calf, too.

[Caddy]

For upper back pain, I know that when I rode a bike with too long of a top tube, I stretched out further than I should have to so I experienced annoying shoulder and upper back pain about 30 minutes into each ride.

Are you riding with your hands on the top of the handlebars or in the drop position?

[Flyneagle]

I have been reading this forum for a few months now and finally registry to start posting. I am very new to cycling..I bought my first bike in June a 2012 specialized Dolce. I been average right at 20 miles a ride twice a week and short 8 mile rides in between. My question is the right sides of my feet go very numb and I wanted to know if switching to clipless pedals and shoes will help with this....any suggestions would be great! I have learned so much from all the postings....

[Flyneagle]

Hi there! I was had a fitting....and everything feels really good...just when I get about 5 miles in the outer edge of my feet along with the last two toes go numb...it's a little wierd but I can't put my finger on it...I am going to go to the LBS tomorrow and see what they say....I am planning on doing the MS ride next month and so I been considering starting in on new pedals and shoes before the ride and hoping it will help

[jusdooit]

Flyneagle.......if you don't go clipless at least get a very stiff sole shoe. It is possible your foot is being allowed to flex in a way that is cutting off circulation to parts that are going numb. Maybe MTB shoes just without the pedals.
And welcome to TE!

[sookiesue]

I love this forum. I asked a question and got so many great suggestions. Thanks so much! I did get a new saddle and used it for the first time on a 65 mile ride - yeah, probably not the best idea - but it turned out to be great! Much of the saddle-area aches were alleviated. I also tried out Hoo Ha Ride Glide and that was a great addition as well. Highly recommend that stuff. A professional fitting is probably a good idea and could help with my low back issues, although they are something I have been dealing with for years and I am actually amazed at how little my back has been troubling me with all the riding I've been doing. Getting back to the clipless pedals, I appreciate all the recommendations and look forward to monkeying around with them more after I get through this event! And I'm going to get the book RubyTuesday mentioned. I love that there's something out there written especially for women. Thank you all again for all the great responses.

[smittykitty]

Isn't this forum the Best? You can learn Everything you every need to know about biking, plus how to choose a Realtor and what breakfast foods to take take on an airplane! Really what does the rest of the world do for info?

[sookiesue]

I got Speedplay frogs and I love them! So easy to clip in and out, and very comfortable with a lot of float AKA wiggle room for me! People told me things had gotten better, but I had no idea just how much better pedals have gotten since the 1990 Look pedals I used 3 times before chucking the whole thing.