How to unclip?

[thekarens]

So, the new entertainment is trying to get clipped back in without looking at my feet. I took my bike to my bike shop and the manager put it on the trainer and I practiced clipping in and out. He loosened the tension and tightened the bolts on my cleats. Anyway, after the adjustment and Sheila's advice I was able to get out from both clips. Then I started practicing clipping back in without looking and so far I can't do it. I am having visions of running into someone or something because I have to look at my feet to get back into the clips.

[Owlie]

Practice. Practice, practice, practice. You will eventually learn by feel where your pedals are. Do you have some bike paths or very lightly-traveled roads near you where you could practice?

[thekarens]

I was thinking of an empty parking lot. We have bike paths, but they are hike and bike and usually pretty crowded. If hate to run over a pedestrian.

[Owlie]

Empty parking lots work well too.

[OakLeaf]

Parks or athletic fields work even better (as long as they're not muddy - do a little test ride and make sure your tires won't leave ruts or tear up the turf). It's a whole lot more comfortable to fall on grass than it is on asphalt!

[thekarens]

It's been raining for a few days do no park at the moment, but maybe in a couple days :-)

[OakLeaf]

Honestly, it took me 3,000 miles to reliably clip in without looking, and I still occasionally miss. There is more than one picture of me with a group of much more experienced riders launching from a stop, and I'm the only one not looking at my pedal....

Still, being able to glance at something while still keeping your focus on the road ahead is a really important skill, whether that "something" is your pedal, a critter in the road, a traffic control device, etc.... So that's something to practice too. Look at the road ahead (12-14 seconds ahead), glance down at your pedal if you need to, return your soft focus and 210° peripheral vision to the road ahead.

Basically, it's all about avoiding tunnel vision. Your vision shouldn't tunnel to look at your pedal, any more than it should to look at a pothole or left-turning traffic, things that can lead to target fixation.

[thekarens]

I truly appreciate all the advice from everyone. Yesterday when I was trying to clip in without looking my foot would slip off the pedal forward and I was thinking I was glad I wasn't a guy because I would have injured some important parts.

And if you find that post I'd definitely be glad to have it.

[Catrin]

It takes time to learn how to clip in that second foot without looking, after over 2,000 miles of riding I still do that occasionally. Nothing says you HAVE to clip in that foot until you feel safe glancing down - it only takes a second or two. Personally I don't feel secure pedaling without clipping in, and with my frogs quite often the cleat will find the right place on the pedal on it's own...but I've a different system that doesn't have a spring.

Frankly I am a bit jealous you have the chance to get out and play on your bike right now - I've only been on mine once since New Years so have fun

[thekarens]

Yay for looking down :-)

The winter weather is definitely a blessing when it comes to living in Texas. Come summer I will be crying because I'll be trying not to die of heat stroke.

[luvmyguys]

Yay for looking down :-)

The winter weather is definitely a blessing when it comes to living in Texas. Come summer I will be crying because I'll be trying not to die of heat stroke.

Ain't that the truth.

I got good at looking down briefly just because I started out with the dual use pedals, so I was looking down to flip to the platform side. I'll usually get almost up to speed before I'll clip in completely.

Oakleaf, I'd be interested in that post as well!

[ny biker]

I truly appreciate all the advice from everyone. Yesterday when I was trying to clip in without looking my foot would slip off the pedal forward and I was thinking I was glad I wasn't a guy because I would have injured some important parts.

And if you find that post I'd definitely be glad to have it.

Are you sitting on the saddle? You want to sit as soon as you start to pedal with your clipped-in foot. You will be more stable that way so it will be less of an issue if it takes a few revolutions to clip in with the second foot.

Also start with the clipped-in foot as high as possible, at about the 2:00 position, so you will get enough speed with that first revolution while you're clipping in with the second foot. If needed you can pedal once or twice more with just the one foot clipped in to maintain your momentum.

Also make sure you're in an easy gear before you stop and unclip, which will make it that much easier to pedal once or twice with one foot clipped in.

[Owlie]

A few tips:
1) Shift down before you stop. I am terrible at remembering to do this consistently, but it helps a lot when it's time to get started again.
I'm going to use myself as an example. I clip out with my right foot normally, so my left stays clipped in at all times. Substitute your foot preferences as necessary.
2) When I'm getting ready to get going again, or I want to be in a position where I can get going quickly again (like at an intersection), I pull my left pedal up to 1:00-2:00 (if you're looking from the right side of the bike).
3) To get started again, I use the momentum from pushing that left pedal down to get myself back into the saddle...and once I'm going again I clip my right foot back in. It's okay to use only one foot to pedal if you need to, or to pedal with one foot clipped out but still on the pedal (if that makes sense) if you're trying to get across an intersection. It is a bit harder to do the latter with road pedals, I will give you that.

It really is all down to practice and getting the process into muscle memory.

[Catrin]

+1 on importance of practice and muscle memory - that latter one takes time.

Develop a routine that you do every time you prepare to stop until your body starts remembering. Anticipate when/where you will stop and prepare in advance - there was a time when I would start thinking about stopping a block or more in advance. Of course there isn't a way to anticipate emergency stopping - so practice, practice, and practice some more

Spinning class did help a bit with this (I clipped in), but only to a degree since balance isn't an issue. What helped the most was making certain that simply riding was part of my muscle memory before moving to clipless. I had a failed clipless experiment 2 months after I learned how to ride and I returned to platforms for 6 months and I rode a LOT in those 6 months. When I tried again the move was a non-event and I ascribe that to muscle memory.

You will need to experiment to see how easy a gear you want to start in. Some like to start in a very easy gear, for me I feel more unstable if the gear is too easy. Experiment

[thekarens]

Everyone has given great advice and I truly appreciate it! I had hoped to go on a group ride this weekend, but I may put it off for a bit.