Quote Originally Posted by pooks
Kathi, the idea of clips is freaking me out, so your Speedplays sound good since they sound easy to escape from!

Does that work with mtb shoes?

ETA: Do the cleats come with the pedals?

Yes, but they're called Frogs, a little different system. The frog cleats are recessed so you can walk, you slide your foot into them. With the Speedplay road cleats basically you step down and clip onto them. It does take some getting used to but after a while it becomes second nature. If I'm unsure of a situation I unclip my left foot.

I learned by putting my bike on a bike trainer, in the LBS, and practiced clipping in and out. Then I went out on a bike trail that I was very familiar with and unclipped before I got to a road crossing. There were lots of crossing so I got a lot of practice.

You'll learn which foot you prefer to unclip first. I unclip with my left foot, put it on the ground and then unclip my right. To start pedaling, I clip in my right, start pedaling and then clip my left foot in.

I've only fallen 2x. Both were my own fault and very embarassing. One time I was on a bike ride and stopped at the sag stop. I just forgot to unclip and fell over in front of a group of people. The other time I fell I was trying to learn how to reverse my procedure. I clipped in with the left but when I tried to clip in my right foot it slipped and I fell. It was at a road crossing, the only traffic was a motorcyclist, he stopped to make sure I was ok.

At this point just get comfortable with riding and don't worry about clipless pedals. You'll know when your ready to try them.