Left or Right?

[DebW]

I'm left handed for fine motor skills, right handed for gross motor skills. Not sure about my legs, since I don't do alot of fine motor skills with either foot. I think my right leg is stronger (at least my right foot is larger). I unclip right and always have.

[DirtDiva]

Probably about 60%/40% left/right. Left is more my natural tendency (always went left before I went clipless), but I think that comes from years of resting my left foot on curbs (left-side driving country native and resident) and not wanting to get bike grease on my street clothes when riding to uni and stuff. I've discovered that if I'm stopped at lights where I'm really close to the cars (they're on my right), it's quite good to unclip my right foot - if I'm pushing off with my left foot and I'm in too hard a gear, I tend to wobble to the left, i.e. away from the cars (seems a better prospect than wobbling in front of 'em).

P.S. Total aside, but I always thought left-handedness was kinda hot...

[doc]

I always unclip on the right. But, my coach said you "should" unclip on the left to stay away from the chain. I just can't switch.

[Number 7]

when i first started riding, i would unclip on the left b/c it was more comfortable. but then my DH pointed out that unclipping on the right leaned me away from traffic. good enough reason, so i switched over. trying to unclip on the left would probably feel strange now.

[greenmachine]

I always unclip my left foot. My right foot requires to be more toed-in than my left one, so the left is much easier for me cuz' I'm still using Shimano PD-7401's. I think most of the people I ride with are left-clippers too, but I'll have to look and see. I'm curious now!

Happy Riding!

gm

[wabisabi]

Right side, mostly because that's the side the curb is on for bike lanes when I want to stop, and also maybe because my right leg is a tad longer than the left side so somehow it feels more stable to do it that way.

[Bike Goddess]

Now if you ever rode horses, you always mount the horse from the left. So, I also get on my bike from the left as well as clip out on my left foot.

(Just another trivia to add to the collection).

I'm left handed (most of the time). Left is right for me!

[E2theD]

I used to unclip on the right becuase of the traffic/curb thing but then I fractured my right ankle and had to switch to the left. Over the past year and a half becuase of various tendon problems in both ankles stemming from the fracture I've switched back and forth a few times. So I guess I can go both ways.

I'm ride goofy snowboarding if that matters...

Erin

[Crankin]

I unclip on the left and only unclip on that side when stopping at signs and lights. But, I just realized, when I first start, I clip in with my right foot and push off with my left. I have speedplays, which are very easy to unclip, but when I fist used clipless and I had spds, which seemed to have an "easier" left side. I don't know, maybe I should change, because I am definitely stronger on my left side, even though I am right handed, my laterality is very mixed. I can barely take my right hand off the bike to signal, while extending my left is very natural. I have a lot of issues taking off from stops that are at a slight incline, even when I am in an easy gear. This has turned into an irrational fear of going down in traffic, so i will often take an alternate route. Maybe if I was pushing off with my left foot, it would be easier. It just seems unnatural to unclip on the right now.

[CR400]

I unclip left. Not that I can't go the other way if I have to, like if for some reason the left doesn't want to come out fast enough.

Everyone else on my team unclips right so I feel like an oddball at stops. The funny thing is my left leg is bigger, stronger, and generates 4% more of my power in lab testing. Yet it feels strange to have that leg clipped in when I go to take off. I still think I get a better start pushing off with the right foot clipped in. When I tuck on decents it is usually left foreward but occasionally the other way. Oh, yeah I'm right handed too, that makes it stranger.

Even right I only get the tatoo, If I haven't cleaned the chain in more then a week. I know that's bad, it doesn't happen often though.

[Geonz]

No unclipping yet, because I still have clips!

But I un-toe-clip right side; that's the foot I like to put down.

The three people I took "Road I: Effective Cycling with" *all* leaned to the left. Supposedly leaning to the right at stop lights is a little better, since if something takes you out, you'll fall to the curb instead of into traffic, but basically changing one's wiring is harder than it looks.

[Steph_in_TX]

I'm right-handed. I unclip my right foot, though I do swing my right leg over to get on the bike. I trust my right leg more to stand down and be steady. Though, I rarely touch the chain. I suppose I do that because it's my dominant side. My DH laughs at my skiing as I hate turning much to the right because I don't trust my left leg. Is that dumb or what? (Umm, that's a rhetorical question, by the way) I'm sure they are pretty much the same strength wise since I use them equally while riding. It's all mental....or am I mental?

[bikerchick68]

I unclip right... and ride goofy snowboard too!

When I went to John Howard he specifically told me to switch at every stop, right one time, left the next, to ensure that I stretch each IT Band every other time I stop... so I tried, I really did, to unclip left... and I can do it. I look like I'm drunk as a skunk and outta control, but I can do it if I really concentrate!

[tulip]

Right. I think I would fall over if I unclipped on the left.

[Tater]

Another leftie here! I don't know why, maybe because as Bike Goddess mentioned, one gets on a horse on the left. I grew up on horses and now it just seems natural.