Fear, fear, fear, plain old fear to clip and unclip. Advice please!

[Catrin]

It does take time to train/retrain our muscle memory. The main reason I clip in on the road is that my knees are far happier with me than when I do not...

[indigoiis]

Try this in a big, quiet, flat paved area:

Put a flat (regular) pedal on the left side for this practice.


1. As you roll forward, push the right pedal forward until it is all the way down.

2. Stand up with the weight on your right foot.

3. Brake to slow

4. Take your left foot off the flat pedal and place it on the ground.

5. While stopped, move your right foot to the up position (back pedal)

6. Push your right foot down to get going again

7. Put your weight on the right pedal, standing

8. Put your left foot back on the left pedal.

Repeat.

Do this until you are comfortable with this action, and then replace the flat pedal with a clipped, and practice again, this time unclipping the left.

It is far better (in my opinion) to clip out to the left in traffic. At a stoplight, if you are clipping out on the right, you are leaning to the right, often very close to the curb, where drivers don't really "see" you. I make sure, when I am approaching a light, to get as much in the lane as possible and clip out to the left so that the drivers know I am there.

[Maye]

Indigoiis:
Thanks for the advice. This sounds like a good strategy that I will test. Maybe I should learn to clip/unclip one side first(right side, since that's my dominant leg, I know, I know, it might be dangerous) and keep using the flat pedal (left) until I master the right side and then add the left side until I dominate both. Good plan?? I'm liking the idea of being one side clipper, though. I'm planning to do this with with MTB shoes (recessed cleats) and clipless pedal (right side only) on the road bike. I want to take the stress of slipping and falling to the pavement because I'm using my road shoes with cleats. The less things that I have to worry about the better. I know I will laugh about these posts in the future Once I "graduate", I will move to road shoes and pedals. For know back to basics and one feet at a time.

[Penny4]

Indigoiis, that is a good, simple way to think of it. I've been following this thread closely because i am just learning to clip in too.
Question...when taking off from a stop, you pedal forward with the clipped in foot, raise yourself, stand...are you trying to clip in the left foot before you sit down?
In my mind, that is how i see it working, but in reality, I keep missing the pedal. Then I sit down and just keep fumbling for the pedal. I know it is fine to pedal a bit not clipped, and I am doing that at busy intersections until I get more confident. But I guess I am not really sure of the true motion that I should be shooting for....

[ny biker]

Indigoiis, that is a good, simple way to think of it. I've been following this thread closely because i am just learning to clip in too.
Question...when taking off from a stop, you pedal forward with the clipped in foot, raise yourself, stand...are you trying to clip in the left foot before you sit down?
In my mind, that is how i see it working, but in reality, I keep missing the pedal. Then I sit down and just keep fumbling for the pedal. I know it is fine to pedal a bit not clipped, and I am doing that at busy intersections until I get more confident. But I guess I am not really sure of the true motion that I should be shooting for....

Sit down on the saddle immediately after pushing off with the clipped-in foot, so you're seated while you clip in the other foot. You will be more stable while seated.

[Maye]

Indigoiis, that is a good, simple way to think of it. I've been following this thread closely because i am just learning to clip in too.
Question...when taking off from a stop, you pedal forward with the clipped in foot, raise yourself, stand...are you trying to clip in the left foot before you sit down?
In my mind, that is how i see it working, but in reality, I keep missing the pedal. Then I sit down and just keep fumbling for the pedal. I know it is fine to pedal a bit not clipped, and I am doing that at busy intersections until I get more confident. But I guess I am not really sure of the true motion that I should be shooting for....

Welcome to my struggles in the clip-less world!! I'm VERY stubborn so I'll learn this no matter what :-).

[CyclChyk]

I agree with GRITS post about not riding clip-less. I have been away from riding for the past 5 years or so and only recently returned, but I have serious balance issues(<~click on this thread link and you will see ) and riding clip-less turned out to leave me with a hematoma and lots of scars....

I ended up with the Shimano pedals that you can clip in on one side, and ride platform on the other. I ending up always riding platform and to this day, do not ride clip-less. I for one do not regret this, nor do I find I am a weaker rider, as I thought I would be.

Good luck to you - no matter how you end up riding, at least you ride!

[indigoiis]

Maye,

Forget about clipping out with the other foot completely. The other foot will always be clipped in until you are off the bike. So whether you do right or left is up to you (I recommend left, then you can use your dominant foot - the right - to be your standing-on-pedal balance and kick off leg). While you practice this, do NOT think of clipping or unclipping at all. Think of the motion

Slow,

Stand (on right)

Step out (on left.)

Practice with a flat pedal until you get the hang of slowing, standing, stepping.

Slow, Stand, Step out.

Repeat.

Once you graduate from flat pedal to clipless, you can clip back in after you sit back down on your saddle. That motion will be

Push off / Pedal, standing on downstroke.

Sit, resting unclipped foot on pedal.

Pedal one or three revolutions with the one foot still unclipped, to get you going...

Clip in.

p.s. I learned this method here. I'm not sure who taught it to me... Oak?

[missjean]

no matter how you end up riding, at least you ride!:d

+1 :-)

[smittykitty]

Do what your body "naturally" wants to do.

I wasn't sure what my "natural" side would be in a panic situation, so I road unclipped serveral times and with out thinking, just put a foot down when stopping. Turns out it was always the right foot.

My husband clips left, I clip right.

Had a real close call the other day. Just topped a hill (did my best yet on the bugger) and wasn't thinking about the intersection and the car that was coming along. Just about went down, but my foot popped out at the last second, just after I screamed OH MY GOD!!!!. So, my advice is to figure out what foot will try to clip out in an emergency.

And it will happen ever so often the rest of your riding life! Usually when you least expect it!