So P.O.'d I could scream

[shewhobikes]

Beautiful 75-degree, windless, blue-sky day and the first day of DST. I pick this weekend to change to clipless pedals. Tried toodling around the parking lot which went sort of OK. Trickiest part is I just can't FEEL the dadgum place to clip in. Seems to take FOREVER. But time to go do motherly chores...

Later in the day I think, hey, it's just too pretty to not try again. Same thing. Can't clip in. Finally coast down to the main street below our house. Get one foot (my left, the weaker) in, (bad idea, I know, but I was getting frustrated), start rolling forward, not enough power to find the right pedal, wobble and fall over to the left, backwards, and smack the back of my head on the road. Horrified car stops asking if I'm OK. I yank my damn left foot out, smile and say, yes, thanks I'm really fine, new pedals, yada, yada. Thank God I bought a really good, new road helmet with these pedals. I'd like to yank them off and throw them in the dumpster about now.

I know someone will ask what kind they are, and frankly I can't remember. I did have to get some that look more like BMX type with a bit of a platform because of my lousy feet from arthritis. They are two-sided.

Maybe I should check back with LBS tomorrow and see if the cleats are loose as they can safely be?

Pshaw, after the wreck I was done for. Came back in and poured a glass of wine. Think I'll head for the tub to wash off the chain grease and come back later. Thanks for letting me rant.

[Tar-Cat]

I switched to clipless about a week ago and I've been having a lot of trouble clipping in also. I actually have just been using my boyfriend's SPD pedals with my own shoes and cleats (from his secondary bike), and I have also found that I can't feel where my foot should be. I haven't gotten the hang of it enough that I'm willing to ride on the busier roads in the area.

One thing I have found is that if I get my right foot in first, I don't have as much trouble getting my left foot in once I've started rolling. I'm not sure why that is, but it does seem to help.

[doc]

All newbies to clipless pedals:
Remember, you WILL conquer this too. Just like thousands of other problems you've conquered. I think a glass of wine is a perfect reward for alot of intense effort on shewhobikes' part.
Maybe you could borrow a trainer and practice on it? Or even just have a strong friend hold up your bike while you clip in and out and in and out. If your pedals are the same as the local gym spin bikes, maybe you could practice there. Don't give up! But let us know when you're so good you forgot what you were even talking about today.
Definitely get over to the LBS to make sure everything is set right. Good luck but you don't need it. You just need time, patience and practice.

[shewhobikes]

I know deep down that patience and practice would be the real answer. Guess I had a fantasy that it would come easily. So much for that. I will try again with a better 'tude. And maybe after my favorite LBS guy, who is soooo patient with me, takes a look again at the set up. Happy spring!

[JanT]

How well I remember those early clipless days! I have scars on my elbows, just in case I forget. What I did when I first got them was cleaned the bike up and took it into the livingroom. I held onto furniture and just clipped in and out, over and over, take a break for a couple hours, then go again. It helped me find the feel before I hit the trail. However, I still had trouble with them when I was on the trail and went into a panic mode. It just takes time and practice. Hang in there! Once you get used to them you'll wonder how you lived without them.

[Barb]

If you don't have a trainer, try balancing in a doorway. hold yourself up and clip, unclip...hang in there. I started last week. No falls yet but I have a platform on one side, so if I don't get in right away, it works out ok. I am getting better and faster.

[Jo-n-NY]

I am sorry to hear that you could not enjoy what sounded like a beautiful day to the the fullest. Like the the ladies suggested, I practiced clipping in and out for about a week with my bike on the trainer. I have spd's that were laying around in the garage. I am lucky that my husband knows how to adjust them. So he just kept on adjusting them until I could clip in and out with ease.

Maybe your lbs could adjust them with your bike hooked up on a trainer in the store.

I will say that I have not gotten many outdoor rides in with the clipless pedals as we made the change over in January, but I only clip out with my right foot when stopping and when I go I could be pedaling a bit until it actually gets in there. I do plan on changing to a different pedal (Speedplay Frogs or Look Keo) now that I know that this will work out just fine. Also, I clip out before I know I will be coming to a stop (right foot only) and pedal with more of my toe until I come to the full stop. Just a suggestion until it all becomes second nature.

~ JoAnn

[Tar-Cat]

I don't have platforms on my pedals, since my BF was comfortable with them by the time I lifted them off his bike I haven't fallen yet, but one day trying to clip in I missed terribly and slammed my shin on the pedal - that was painful. I think i'll get it, and SWB, you'll get it too!

[CorsairMac]

put clipless in the search and you'll see all the threads....and they're pretty much all about the same thing - does it ever get any better? I even posted one titled "will it ever get any better" or some such a thing coz I fell in the street - and scratched Baby and tore my knee up and I just KNEW clipless was all wrong or I was all wrong or Something was all wrong. Now??.....I whined the other day coz the road bike I just bought has platforms on him and I HATE it! It just did not feel right and I hated trying to pedal with them and - well you get the picture. Like someone said on my thread: you didn't just wake up and start walking one day either!

Corsair "been there done that" Mac

[Melody]

What I find interesting is how the feeling has changed with new shoes.

I picked up some Shimano sandals and added the extra pair of cleats to them. These cleats are the original ones that came with my bike. Because the sandals don't hug the whole foot and aren't as rigid, it's actually more difficult to get out of them than my previous shoes.

So, even when you've been using clipless for a while, something can come by and go "oops. time to get used to 'em again"

Mel

[SnappyPix]

Just a quick suggestion:
Have you tried adjusting the tension at all?
It sounds like your pedals might be shimano ones - there should be a little adjusting screw in the middle, at the front/back of each pedal (as they're double sided). The screw will have a little + and - marker, and you turn it either way to adjust.
When I first started I found it helpful to losen the adjustment a little, as my cleat initially just kept bouncing out of the pedal without engaging. Easing the adjustment allowed it to sit and engage, and also helped gain me the confidence to unclip fairly easily.
You don't want it too slack, or it might unclip unexpectedly, but the best thing would be to make minor adustments to start with and practice. You could try easing it off quite a bit to start just to get a feel of where the pedal will sit on your shoe, so you know where to aim for, then tighten it a little more when you're feeling more confident.
As time goes on, you can gradually increase the tension minimally to get more of a bite - the cleat will also wear a fraction to allow better engagement.
Just a thought, might help
I hope you have some luck - clipless are the bee's knees, but I know how frustrating it is that it takes some painful lessons to develop the technique.
Good luck!

[nuthatch]

I was about to say the same thing as Snappy - don't forget tension adjustment (because most of those two sided pedals are SPD and can be adjusted).

My poor riding parner just got a brand new road bike with SPD pedals and was having the same awful time getting in and falling over. Once she got the LBS to show her how to adjust the tension, it's made all the difference in the world and she loves them!!

[shewhobikes]

Thanks for the encouragement and the suggestions. Snappy & Nuthatch, you are right, they are shimanos and when I said something about adjusting the cleats what I meant was adjusting the tension. I will try that this afternoon. Thanks for telling me how to do this. I am already thinking about playing hooky later in the day to sneak home and give it a try...will report back.

Corsairmac, what you said about "something being all wrong," yes, that's exactly how I felt. Thanks for the tea & sympathy!