Clipless Pedals and Shoes

[MollyJ]

I have been clipless for a short amount of time and these are my short term impressions.

I love my clipless shoes on the open road. I am not sure that I would love them for a commute. But I am pretty dedicated to my Madone bike now and IF I decided to ride it to work--which for me would be eminently feasible--I am only one mile from work, I would bring a change of shoes with me in a back pack on my back OR as others have suggested I would leave a pair there.

I have been on web sites that promote biking to work and they remind you of things like you don't have to do it every day. There will be days when you will find it easier or just more logical to drive. But every day you bike to work is a victory. Depending on weather, you may need a hygiene plan. I would go to some of those web sites.

Going clipless is like a dive into cold water. It's not something that comes naturally and has to be practiced. Once acquired, I would guess you don't like going back. I'm not there yet but pretty close. When I was first clipless, I rode low traffic roads in town and headed for open roads where you experience the benefits without the pains _as much_. I have fallen on my bike about three times. It sucks. It's the free fall of the felled tree. Very helpless feeling. Always occurs in town. Period. No exceptions. Occurs when I either failed to pull out in time OR something happened that distracted me from my need to unclip. With time, I am more anticipatory and have not fallen recently. (Knock on wood.) All of my falls have been at low speed which I would guess is the rule rather than the exception. When you have momentum, you have more time to plan and react. Like yesterday, I came to an intersection and there was a car that I wasn't sure had seen me. If I had tried to stop, I would have been more likely to get in a no win situation. As it is, I just turned down a road I didn't want to go on and prepared to unclip but it didn't turn out I needed to.

So my advice is take the dive during a time when you have some time to do non commute driving and do practice rides. Also go to the commute web sites and problem solve your commute to work issues there. Give yourself extra time to plan your unclip. It is easiest for me to unclip at the top of my cycle (when my knee is flexed rather than extended). Practice unclipping both sides but you will have a preferential side.

FWIW.

[indysteel]

I have been clipless for a short amount of time and these are my short term impressions.

I love my clipless shoes on the open road. I am not sure that I would love them for a commute. But I am pretty dedicated to my Madone bike now and IF I decided to ride it to work--which for me would be eminently feasible--I am only one mile from work, I would bring a change of shoes with me in a back pack on my back OR as others have suggested I would leave a pair there.

Heck, if I were a mile from work (and I have lived in that type of proximity of my job in the past), I'd almost be more inclined to walk rather than ride.

[MollyJ]

I generally hate walking but I do it best with a destination. I hear ya though. I LOVE cycling and prefer it to a walk any time. Just a preference.