Please share your stories--tough first time in real bike shoes

[greyhoundluv]

This is a great (not so great thread). I am fairly new with the clipless pedals. I have had them now about 4 weeks and the first two outings weren't really good ones. I have KEO pedals on my 2012 Specialized Dolce compact...anyways my first outing I was doing really good and I stopped and unclipped one foot before I stopped but forgot to set that foot on the ground when I stopped and down I went....scrapped my leg up pretty good and bruised my knee....4 days later I went for another ride and fell before getting out of my driveway....I didn't push off hard enough and couldn't get my other foot clipped.... Fell on the same scrapped up leg! Needless to say I got going and did well the rest of the ride until I got home and fell again in the driveway and again same leg...I was so frustrated and mad I slammed my fist on the ground and cried! I can say I have been on numerous rides since and haven't fallen! My advice don't get discourage it will come and everything will start happening naturally

I also slammed my fist (ow!!), smacked my bike and cried!! By the way, your bike is the kind of road bike i am thinking of getting, once I get more comfortable on my Trek. Do you love it?

[Flyneagle]

I love it! I just started riding in July. I got motivated to do the MS Ride and to loose weight and I'm addicted!

[Catrin]

I tried to go clipless about 3 months after getting on a bike for the first time...after 3 days of many, many falls I went back to my beloved BMX pedals for another 6 months. The second attempt went much better, and indeed I've only fallen over twice since then, doing something silly both times

I was also going to spinning class before and during that 6 months break and that really helped I think. The main problem the first time was that I didn't have normal riding stuff in my muscle memory yet and I think adding clipless at the time was just overload for my body.

[zoom-zoom]

I never really had major issues with clipless pedals until I went from mtn. SPDs to Shimano SPD-SLs. Even on the loosest setting I had a b*tch of a time getting out of those things, much of the time. After 2 bad falls in a 2 week period (this was after riding 3k miles without a single fall with my SPDs) and hearing that 2 other people with the SAME exact model of pedal bought within a week of mine had issues...I sent 'em back. Switched to Look KEO plus and haven't had a single issue--I don't even have them on the loosest setting and they release just fine. I think those 105 pedals I had were just bad news.

[greyhoundluv]

I never really had major issues with clipless pedals until I went from mtn. SPDs to Shimano SPD-SLs. Even on the loosest setting I had a b*tch of a time getting out of those things, much of the time. After 2 bad falls in a 2 week period (this was after riding 3k miles without a single fall with my SPDs) and hearing that 2 other people with the SAME exact model of pedal bought within a week of mine had issues...I sent 'em back. Switched to Look KEO plus and haven't had a single issue--I don't even have them on the loosest setting and they release just fine. I think those 105 pedals I had were just bad news.

This is very interesting!! Can you tell me what the movement to unclip is? Is it still the twist you do on SPDs? A salesman at a bike store I was at a few weeks ago showed me pedals with an open circular area that he thought would be better than the SPDs for me ( after i had already gotten tha spds) and i have been trying to remember their name (they came in different pastelly colors?) but from the pics i just googled i don't think they were the Look brand.

[zoom-zoom]

This is very interesting!! Can you tell me what the movement to unclip is? Is it still the twist you do on SPDs? A salesman at a bike store I was at a few weeks ago showed me pedals with an open circular area that he thought would be better than the SPDs for me ( after i had already gotten tha spds) and i have been trying to remember their name (they came in different pastelly colors?) but from the pics i just googled i don't think they were the Look brand.

Look pedals look a lot like the Shimano SPD-SL style pedals. I'll bet Speedplays are what the guy at the shop was recommending. I stayed away from them after people I talked to said they have issues with sand and grit. Since the entire west side of our state is a big sand dune. I actually know no road riders with Speedplay and I suspect this is why.

I think pretty much all clipless pedals use that circular twist of the heal outwards to release.

[Rebecca19804]

I'll bet Speedplays are what the guy at the shop was recommending. I stayed away from them after people I talked to said they have issues with sand and grit. Since the entire west side of our state is a big sand dune. I actually know no road riders with Speedplay and I suspect this is why.

That surprises me to hear. From the very design of them, dirt/sand/grit are pushed out of the cleat when you push to engage. That's true at least for the Speedplay Frogs - which I use and love! (Can't comment on any other Speedplay models.) The Frogs are highly recommended by lots of TE members, because the (easily adjustable) degree of float and passive nature of the engagement is really easy on the knees.


ETA: I've caught up on the thread now and see a lot of others have pitched in in favour of Frogs!

[Catrin]

This is very interesting!! Can you tell me what the movement to unclip is? Is it still the twist you do on SPDs? A salesman at a bike store I was at a few weeks ago showed me pedals with an open circular area that he thought would be better than the SPDs for me ( after i had already gotten tha spds) and i have been trying to remember their name (they came in different pastelly colors?) but from the pics i just googled i don't think they were the Look brand.

I wonder if they were Candies?

I have Speedplay Frogs myself and like them much better than SPD pedals. They have a passive release system so there is no spring involved - they cannot be "too tight", and there are no accidental unclipping from having the tension too loose as there isn't any tension. I had been a little concerned about ankle flexibility when I heard you have to turn your foot more to get out of them but I can't actually tell the difference.

[Bethany1]

First time I used clipless pedals I fell right over onto the street. I didn't get enough speed going and with both feet clipped in, I tipped right over. Gave myself a concussion, a sore neck and spent the next four days feeling like I do after having a seizure.

ER doc said having my helmet on saved me from cracking my head open. I wear my brain bucket faithfully as I'd like my brain in one piece.

I still can't use them after several attempts and with some badly bruised/scraped knees and ego. When I get more coordinated I'll go back as I do love them. Wearing tennis shoes looks out of place with cycling shorts/jerseys and you don't get the pedal power of clipless shoes.

[Seajay]

Great responses. Espec Velovix.

Here's what we say at our shop...
We don't think falling is a prerequisite to learning clip in pedals. We discourage falling.
It's all about muscle memory. You need to make it automatic to keep your heel down as you twist.

New Bike. Get used to the bike for a week or so first then tackle shoes/pedals
New pedals and shoes. Some pedals come out of the box with the release setting tight. Have someone check that it's loose.
Park your bike next to the couch for an evening of TV, click in and out a bunch. Get used to the motion.
Go to the park and ride in the grass. Clip in and out a bunch more. Stop, start, try little inclines, declines, either foot, etc until you feel confident.
Next is a quiet road same drill.
You should be good to go after that.

Greyhound. The pedal you're thinking of is Speedplay. Their ROAD pedal. They have a light action release version which works well. I wouldn't try to claim that Speedplay road are necessarily easier to get out of than anything else. I think it's a personal thing. IMO Looks are easiest. But again, just an opinion.