Toe Clips??

[Geonz]

I know that *if* I go clipless, I will go with the pedals that go both ways. (I always just said I was too cheap to get them... but now that I have spent beau coup bucks on a bicycle powered blender I guess that's hard to support - but hey! I can't afford clipless, I'm broke buying the blender!) I looked at some Shimano's on a guy's bike last week - one side for the funky bike shoe, the other side if I am in my sneakers. I don't mind having to fondle the pedal with my feet to get it on the right side (as it is I do a fun little flip to get the clip right-ways up). The guy said he liked those pedals for his week-long rides, because sometimes after the main ride he'd wnat to just go a mile to a store or something, and didn't feel like walking around on the bike shoes.

(Oh, and I have a Trek hybrdid - 7500FX and a Giant Nutra Hybrid.)

[mimitabby]

I have been riding with cages or clips across my feet for a few years now.
everyone else in my family has the SPD's, my two adult sons and my husband who thinks a perfect ride is 100 miles long.
But as it has been explained to me, if i convert to the SPD's I WILL fall, and
not being the most coordinated person in the world, I will probably fall a lot.
If falling is an issue for you, that should be a consideration.
I ride a tandem with my husband. he's got those SPD's on his pedals and i have the cages and both times he's done a slow motion dump of the bike, I've landed on my feet and he's gotten scraped elbows.
I probably don't have the things on tight enough, but I am very comfortable with them and at this point, i'm not sure i'm going to change. I'm 54 years old and it hurts to fall down.
I agree with the others, do get the kind of pedals that "go both ways"
everyone i know that has them loves them.
mimi

[Grog]

But as it has been explained to me, if i convert to the SPD's I WILL fall, and
not being the most coordinated person in the world, I will probably fall a lot.
If falling is an issue for you, that should be a consideration.

Don't let people scare you too much. I have never fell from not unclipping in time. I have been scared of falling once but didn't. It's been two years now. Maybe one day I will, but I still haven't.

I started with mountain SPDs at the lightest tension, rode these for more than a year, and now I have SPD-R (road), which are tighter. The first few days were a bit difficult so I always unclipped WAY ahead of time, both feet (as I always did with the other SPDs) and clipping-in was the hardest thing to learn again. But now I'm fine.

So it's not UNAVOIDABLE that you will fall. Possible. But if you first practice in a trainer, and then on grass, or leaning on something to hold your balance, you'll be fine I'm sure.

[SadieKate]

Thank you, Grog. That needed to be said.

[mimitabby]

please don't bad guy me. I think all sides of this argument have room to be heard.
I'm a timid rider and would love to be like all the "cool folks" and their SPD's
but I don't think it's going to happen. There are plenty of people who have already posted here about how great SPD's are, and plenty of others who have recounted about their falls with their feet still firmly in place.
So please don't beat me down for being in the minority.
thanks
mimi

[Aggie_Ama]

Mimi- Whatever works for you is what you should do.

I switched to clipless last year because my husband assured me I would love it. I have some SPD style pedals now. At first the tension was too tight and I fell trying to figure them out. Adjusted the tension and I still had a few spills. I even took so many tumbles I had to replace my handlebars! That being said, I iced the bruises and kept trying. Now I would never go back because I love the way it feels.

If you are concerned about falling, you probably will. I am not very coordinated and I fell. But if you want to try them, just get an ice pack and a good attitude. If you want to stick with toe clips, go for it.

For a recommendation (going back to Greenlady). I would find something dual sided. Either Speedplay or Crank Brothers Quatro (actually these are 4 sided). I have to flip my pedals to clip in.

[Geonz]

It's a minority but they're respected here ;-) Go to other forums for the fun of mutual bashing :-)
I find that my sneakers mean people treat me a little more like a novice - and that suits me FINE because while I'm strong, it's unwise to assume I'm going to know what I'm doing. Just yesterday on my commute home I went the 25 mile route into the cornfields and at my left turn there were cars to the left, a truck to the right, okay, my turn... oops! Sorry, Jim! It wasn't even really close, but I obviously saw him a second later than I should have, tooling right at me 'cause he wasn't turning (and even if there *were* a stop sign that would have been a silly expectation). HOpefully he didn't recognize me (yea, right!)

[SadieKate]

Mimi, we are not bad guying you. We are bad guying whoever emphatically stated that you "WILL fall." This is the same negative lesson taught by my parents to me as a child: "Oh, honey, you stay here with me and we'll watch your brother do it." That's crap. Sorry. My parents only taught me fear. There are no guarantees in life about anyone's learning curve or aptitude until put to the test. If you haven't tried clipless yourself, you don't know that you will fall.

From my perspective, I see two discussions on this forum about clipless pedals: 1) which pedals to buy or 2) how much/often/hard each person will fall. Those who have mastered the pedals quickly don't say much because it sounds like bragging. There are some skills I've conquered faster than someone else but I'm not going to splash it all over the forum because I don't want others to feel inferior, yet I'm sure those others have mastered other skills faster than I. Due to this, we discuss the trials and tribulations of learning clipless but not the immediate successes.

By the way, a 65 yr old friend of mine just started riding seriously last fall. She got her first clipless pedals a couple of months ago and put in 300+(?) miles and has yet to fall. It's her attitude and the attention she gave to learning. She didn't just get on the bike and go for a ride. She spent some time doing nothing but clipping in/out and stopping/starting.

I've had this conversation with others offline and the general consensus is that the atmosphere on this forum is one of "you WILL fall" and it just teaches fear. We need to support, encourage and find ways to help each other learn, not surrender.

OK, off my soapbox.

[mimitabby]

nice posts, everyone. THank you. Good point. The fellow that told me I WOULD fall is 30 and buff, and he doesn't care if he falls or not. I would probably spend hours clipping and unclipping before i ever decided to try the spd's too.

[Aggie_Ama]

Sadie is right- I *thought* I would fall and boy did I. It is mental. After struggling, I kept waiting for the next fall. When I stopped telling myself I would fall, I stopped falling.

[DirtDiva]

It so is. I went clipless when I bought a bike that came with SPDs. I'd read all kinds of horror stories here and I just thought "Bugger that - I am not going to let myself fall!" I took all the good advice I had seen here and practiced a little in my hallway before going for a spin around the very quiet streets in my imediate neighbourhood. I am yet to fall because I haven't unclipped in time. (I have, however, found some much stupider ways to come off: cornering at speed on pavers covered in gravelly bits in the dark, for instance... )

[Hammer]

It so is. I went clipless when I bought a bike that came with SPDs. I'd read all kinds of horror stories here and I just thought "Bugger that - I am not going to let myself fall!" I took all the good advice I had seen here and practiced a little in my hallway before going for a spin around the very quiet streets in my imediate neighbourhood. I am yet to fall because I haven't unclipped in time. (I have, however, found some much stupider ways to come off: cornering at speed on pavers covered in gravelly bits in the dark, for instance... )

That's actually a good way to come off... How did you manage to fall WHILE moving at speed and NOT get hurt enough to use a emoticon instead of a THAT's what I have to figure out... the art of falling... in case it happens again.

[Grog]

That's actually a good way to come off... How did you manage to fall WHILE moving at speed and NOT get hurt enough to use a emoticon instead of a THAT's what I have to figure out... the art of falling... in case it happens again.

Tuck and roll. Stick whatever you can as close to your core as you can, especially your neck. Do not try to stop the fall with your hands (broken wrists guaranteed). Maximize the surface that touches the ground (ex: arm instead of elbow).

This being said, falling is not fun, but it makes me feel like a kid who can still play. As long as nothing's broken too badly, falling once in a while makes a good story to tell and makes me feel alive. I could stay at home and do nothing and try nothing outside of my comfort zone and I wouldn't fall, but then I would instead of . Dunno what the Neo-Zelander thinks about this though, I just speak for myself here!

[Brina]

I know that *if* I go clipless, I will go with the pedals that go both ways. (I always just said I was too cheap to get them... but now that I have spent beau coup bucks on a bicycle powered blender I guess that's hard to support - but hey! I can't afford clipless, I'm broke buying the blender!) I looked at some Shimano's on a guy's bike last week - one side for the funky bike shoe, the other side if I am in my sneakers. I don't mind having to fondle the pedal with my feet to get it on the right side (as it is I do a fun little flip to get the clip right-ways up). The guy said he liked those pedals for his week-long rides, because sometimes after the main ride he'd wnat to just go a mile to a store or something, and didn't feel like walking around on the bike shoes.

(Oh, and I have a Trek hybrdid - 7500FX and a Giant Nutra Hybrid.)

This is what I have on my hybrid. If I am going out with my boys on their bikes and my daughter in her burly to ride a few miles then I use my cycling shoes. But if the guys and I are just riding to school together, (about a half mile) I wear my sneakers. I love having the option.

On my road bike I have Keo peddles and love them.

[KnottedYet]

As of this morning's bike skills class, I've removed my toe-cages. Feels odd. Now I'm looking into Frogs.

Robyn, thanks for the info on the Sidi Mega width shoes. I've got a neuroma I need to give lots of room.

Sure do like the sound of two-sided pedals! I like putt-putting around in my sneakers.