When to "graduate"?

[lph]

Oh, please, do raise your seatpost and stop using your feet to brake! The thought of your ankles and feet swishing around near the wheels makes me queasy just sitting here... :-)

But I understand you having to navigate rough terrain and wanting to put your feet down. I have a bit of that kind of terrain in winter, because the guy responsible for plowing our small roads only feels like doing it once in a blue moon, and in the meantime I have snow and deep, icy random ruts to deal with until I get down to the mostly clear roads. When it's really bad I unclip on the left side (and I agree with the others, you don't need clipless), stand, and pedal really slowly with my weight well back. My balance and handling skills aren't really best then, but my ability to stop fast and put a foot down is. But I count on only tires touching the ground until I come to a complete stop - then a foot.

If it takes a while to learn the skills, and it sounds like you need to go over this terrain no matter what, I'd recommend you raise your seatpost once you're down on the good roads anyway. (Buy a quick-release seatpost clamp if you don't have one.) You'll really enjoy riding with your legs stretched out, it gives you much more punch.

[Melalvai]

I really admire how you are hanging in there. I recently wrote an article for my newspaper blog about what it was like when I started biking for transportation. Writing that article took me back, remembering how I didn't know the most basic things like don't bike on the sidewalk and get lights. All that stuff about seat height (and power pedal position) and braking technique came way later. I guess I probably felt insecure and dumb when I was learning, but that's not how I remember it. I remember it as a really exciting time where there was something new to learn every bike ride, and I'm excited for people who are having those experiences now.

I had a moderately decent bike when I started, it was a bike-shop-quality hybrid (Specialized Crossroads), but it needed some maintenance and was too small for me. The great thing about riding it for 2 years before buying a new bike is that I knew exactly what I wanted by then. I didn't have a clue about what I needed in a bike when I started riding. It must be tough to ride that walmart bike right now but you are sure getting an education that'll pay off when you are ready to buy your next bike.

WAY TO GO!

[Swan]

I've never had a problem with my feet/ankles while riding so I guess I just never thought of it as that much of a hazard issue. It always seemed to me that it was a hazard prevention tactic. The more you know!

I feel better knowing that I don't "need" clipless... I ran into a group of sharp looking cyclists near the apothecary when I left the hospital and they were very disappointed that I didn't use clipless; apparently I couldn't be considered a cyclist unless I did!

Melalvai, I read your article and laughed a little. I just learned a week or so ago that bikes don't belong on sidewalks and are in fact allowed to use the actual road lanes, and your route sounds a little like the one I am faced with (narrow, steep drop offs...). It feels good to know others before me had to learn and adapt with the same learning experience.

[nuliajuk]

One option if you're nervous about clipless is the bmx style pin platform pedal. The little pins dig into any soft shoe sole that's at least 1/4" thick, so they'll work with hiking boots, running shoes, even some dress shoes. Not quite as much grip as clipless, but not bad.