If a cyclist falls in the forest...

[e.e.cummings]

...and no one is around to hear it, does she make a sound? She sure does!!!!

On my 200 km tour this weekend of the P'tit Train du Nord in the Laurentians (a trail that winds through mountains and forest), I took my mountain shoes out on the road for the third time - I tried them briefly a couple of times and had no incidents. I bought them principally for spinning. I have put off getting 'real' cycling shoes because of my son - 9 years old - just stops and starts too much to make the shoes worth it for me right now. However, the spinning pushed me to buy them. Then I put the SPD pedals on my hybrid, which I used for my tour (I have the ones that clip on one side, normal on the other).

I thought I was good for a while into my ride. Then I dropped my water bottle at one point as I was taking a drink, and it started there. That suprised me, no sooner was I looking back, that I was falling - first tumble. No one around to see me hit the pavement. Man did I give myself one honking-big bruise on my thigh.

Then I stumbled approaching a stop. I was clipping out preparing for a stop ahead. Just did not have the knack down quite yet. I finished the day cursing those shoes, wondering why anyone uses them. My only blessing was that my spills were on the trail, not on any road crossings.

Then next day I thought I was going to be fine. Full of bravado, I thought had taken the falls that I would take as a learner. Nope, I took two more big ones - one was bad - I clipped out, and I had flipped the pedal to be on the non-clip side, but it spun right around- accidentally clipped back in when I went to stop! I was approaching an interpretation centre that had a washroom and a water fountain. I came within inches of hitting a parked car. That shook me up.

By the last 50 km I was okay, I was getting the hang of it. I left myself unclipped when things got busier on the path, and my clip-outs were going a bit smoother. I hope that those two days were my training for those shoes, because my legs look like I got into a fight with a very short person. I will look real cute undressing at the gym tonight.

My husband has road shoes with the different clips and he tells me that they are supposed to be HARDER to clip out than the SPD clips. Is that true? He does not have SPD clips so he cannot compare personally.

After my experience, I feel like I have gotten the hang of it, but if anyone has good tricks or hints, please feel free to pass them on. My legs will thank you...

[Cataboo]

No real recommendations - just the assurance that it will get easier and it will get to be second nature. I use speedplay frogs which are pretty easy to get out of. You can maybe loosen the clips on the spds so it releases easier.

[Kalidurga]

Is it a matter of the clips being hard to get out of, or just that you need more practice? If the former, Cat's suggestion to loosen them is your best bet. If the latter, get on your bike in a doorway or someplace else where you can hold onto something and then just clip in and out over and over with each foot until you develop some muscle memory.

Get some arnica for the bruises, it works wonders.

And I hope the sound you made when falling in the forest isn't the same one I usually make. Anyone who's around to hear me ends up with scorched ears

[Maxxxie]

The best suggestion I can make is that you plonk your bike onto a trainer, then practice clipping in and out, in and out, in and out. When I first started riding with cleats, I made a point of clicking out early when I knew I'd need to stop (eg upcoming intersection), then trailing my foot near the ground. Now I can almost dead stop before unclicking. It's just a matter of practice.

If you don't have a trainer, you can try putting the bike in the middle of a doorway, and supporting yourself on the frame of the door as you click in and out.

Hope this helps
Max

[OakLeaf]

Ouch, hope you feel better soon.

+1 on arnica or Traumeel.

[lph]

this is the best thread title ever

..."like I got in a fight with a very short person"

Good healing! It does get easier, I swear!

[kenyonchris]

I avoid clipping out on my MTB (SPDs)...I grab a tree or fence and hang on to wait for whoever I am riding with. If it is unavoidable, I clip out early. But man, I fell over a lot until it became automatic (usually on hills where I was struggling to keep momentum...once I struggled so hard up a steep incline that I actually pulled the bike over backwards on top of myself. I was a sight...head pointed down the hill, on my back, doodlebuglike, still clipped in. Someone had to come rescue me when he stopped laughing).
On the road bike, I am currently changing my dang pedal set up, so I see plenty of stop sign tip overs in my future. My mantra...protect the bike.

[bikerHen]

I know a lot of people swear by those either/or pedals. I hate them for just the reason you said. It's so easy to accidently clip back in when you think your unclipped. I would dump those pedals at the first opportunity and get some SPD only pedals. I find the SPD's are much easier to clip out of than I can still pedal without being clipped in for short distences

It does get easier. Like others have said, pick which foot your going to clip out with, unclip well ahead of your stop and it will soon become second nature. bikerHen

[ny biker]

I would just like to share this from @georgehincapie on twitter:

My wifes first bike crash with cleates on. She's fine. But let's see if she still wants to ride. This is fun.

And yes she was stopped. She did the tilt over crash we have all done.

Notice he says "we." Big George falls just like the rest of us.

[OakLeaf]

Oh that's priceless! I hadn't been following him. Guess I need to add him on.


Edit: does he spell his name differently on Twitter (and if so are you sure it's really him)? I can't find him...

[ny biker]

My bad -- it's ghincapie. I found him by going through the people Lance is following.

[OakLeaf]

Cool, thx.

[Zen]

[QUOTE=bikerHen;468371]I know a lot of people swear by those either/or pedals. I hate them for just the reason you said. It's so easy to accidently clip back in when you think your unclipped./QUOTE]

i use a platform/clip combo pedal with no problem at all.

[PscyclePath]

One of the drills that I use for Traffic Skills students is to have them ride around the little course we set up for handling skills, practicing starting and stopping, first unclipped, then clipped in. Repeat many times, until you start to build the habit of leveling your pedals, clipping out the foot you plan to put down, then braking smoothly to a stop. With the foot that's still clipped in, raise that pedal to the "power pedal" position, then take off again...

The League has just come out with a new program at Interbike, jointly with the National Bike Dealers' Association, to have a system in place to teach bike shop employees a systematic method to teach basic handling skills to new or returning cyclists. Called "Bicycling 123," it includes a program for the League to certify "Skills Instructors" at bike shops, and "Youth Instructors" at schools and other community organizations to set up and teach bike rodeos. Based on all the queries I've seen, the clipless conversion drill is a good one to add to the curriculum for our Skills Instructors...

Tom

[annielynn]

The first 2 weeks I had my bike I had problems EVERY TIME I rode. I forgot to unclip my pedal on the left side. I have some great bruises and battle scars galore on my legs and hips. It will get better I promise. After 7 weeks of riding I haven't fallen over in the last 5 weeks.