Please share your stories--tough first time in real bike shoes

[zoom-zoom]

This is very interesting!! Can you tell me what the movement to unclip is? Is it still the twist you do on SPDs? A salesman at a bike store I was at a few weeks ago showed me pedals with an open circular area that he thought would be better than the SPDs for me ( after i had already gotten tha spds) and i have been trying to remember their name (they came in different pastelly colors?) but from the pics i just googled i don't think they were the Look brand.

Look pedals look a lot like the Shimano SPD-SL style pedals. I'll bet Speedplays are what the guy at the shop was recommending. I stayed away from them after people I talked to said they have issues with sand and grit. Since the entire west side of our state is a big sand dune. I actually know no road riders with Speedplay and I suspect this is why.

I think pretty much all clipless pedals use that circular twist of the heal outwards to release.

[Catrin]

This is very interesting!! Can you tell me what the movement to unclip is? Is it still the twist you do on SPDs? A salesman at a bike store I was at a few weeks ago showed me pedals with an open circular area that he thought would be better than the SPDs for me ( after i had already gotten tha spds) and i have been trying to remember their name (they came in different pastelly colors?) but from the pics i just googled i don't think they were the Look brand.

I wonder if they were Candies?

I have Speedplay Frogs myself and like them much better than SPD pedals. They have a passive release system so there is no spring involved - they cannot be "too tight", and there are no accidental unclipping from having the tension too loose as there isn't any tension. I had been a little concerned about ankle flexibility when I heard you have to turn your foot more to get out of them but I can't actually tell the difference.

[Bethany1]

First time I used clipless pedals I fell right over onto the street. I didn't get enough speed going and with both feet clipped in, I tipped right over. Gave myself a concussion, a sore neck and spent the next four days feeling like I do after having a seizure.

ER doc said having my helmet on saved me from cracking my head open. I wear my brain bucket faithfully as I'd like my brain in one piece.

I still can't use them after several attempts and with some badly bruised/scraped knees and ego. When I get more coordinated I'll go back as I do love them. Wearing tennis shoes looks out of place with cycling shorts/jerseys and you don't get the pedal power of clipless shoes.

[greyhoundluv]

First time I used clipless pedals I fell right over onto the street. I didn't get enough speed going and with both feet clipped in, I tipped right over. Gave myself a concussion, a sore neck and spent the next four days feeling like I do after having a seizure.

ER doc said having my helmet on saved me from cracking my head open. I wear my brain bucket faithfully as I'd like my brain in one piece.

I still can't use them after several attempts and with some badly bruised/scraped knees and ego. When I get more coordinated I'll go back as I do love them. Wearing tennis shoes looks out of place with cycling shorts/jerseys and you don't get the pedal power of clipless shoes.

Oh my gosh! That sounds awful!!!
yes, our helmets are life savers, aren't they?
I have an email in to a cycling instructor. Hoping that it helps. I am also thinking of exploring multiple direction unclip types--thinking I will search this forum to see if anyone has experience and would recommend them to a newbie!!

[macski]

My first ride on a new bike with toe clips about 18 years ago - came to the first stop, forgot I had toe clips and just toppled over. Never did it again.

With clipless pedals I've fallen once when I started too slowly and leaned over too far to the wrong side. Hasn't happened again (yet!!!).

I have one bike with SPDs - they are very easy to get in and out of. All of my other bikes have Speedplays - I would never have any other type of pedal. Super easy to get in and out - mine are the light action ones. I've also tried Shimano SPD-SLs (105) and found them okay but I didn't like that I had to look down to get into them. With practice I think this would change but Speedplays are double sided so I never have that problem.

They are also really easy on the knees - my partner had a knee reconstruction about 6 years ago and used to get some knee pain when cycling with Shimano SPD-SLs. When he switched to Speedplay he found that the knee pain disappeared.

[sookiesue]

I love my speedplay frog pedals! Upon encouragement from my bike fitter I tried them out just 3 days before my first big road event (150 miles, 2 days) and I am so glad I did. My DH had been trying to talk me into clipless for months but I was totally gunshy. He was dubious of the speedplays because of the higher price, but he tried them out on my bike (squeezing into my bike shoes!) and he said he thought they were perfect for someone new to clipless.

[Dogmama]

Falling over whilst being clipped in is a rite of passage. Congratulations. You're now officially a cyclist!

I have the old fashioned Look clips & pedals. They are the big red triangular shaped pedal. Here's my reasoning: You have a bigger surface to push down on, so you are expending less energy. OK, it might be miniscule, but I'll take it! Granted, road bike shoes are stiff but I still think the larger sized pedal makes sense.

That being said, I know lots of cyclists who swear by their SPD's, etc. I think it's like your veterinarian. Everybody loves their own.

[cuttercoasty]

I was always intimidated by clipping into the pedal. I ended up opting for a dual pedal. Flat on one side of it, and clip on the other. I put these on my Trek 7.5FX which I used as a daily commute ride and also for longer fun rides.

My first fail came one Saturday morning in spring. The snow was just melting (Maine) and I came to a stop sign at the main street on Rte 1. I couldn't get it to unclip and I toppled right over onto the sidewalk right in front of a parked police cruiser. He of course laughed a little as I did too. I was fine, but glad there was no traffic.

Second fail, and so far the final..... Same bike a few months later and after a lot more practice I was riding on a modified lobster ride and roll. I headed up this back road between two lighthouse checkpoints and got hit with a serious head wind. I was already in an easy gear and couldn't catch the right gear. I just all around was in a bad way and a gust of wind came down my right side and pushed me straight over. No getting my feet out from the pedals or anything. Just flat out toppled to the left into the middle of the road. I was extremely thankful there was no traffic as I would have been a goner! My right foot clip was looser then the left and I had landed on my left side. I couldn't get the bike off of me for a second. I ended up having to take the shoe off to get out from under the bike and onto the shoulder quickly. Took the rest of the hill as a walk of shame.

Learned a lot from those falls. It is just going to happen.

[grouch2]

Well, my clipless story is a bit different. I decided to go clipless and went to my LBS, bought my shoes and Candy 2's. Then, I went to Target to get cat food. As I left the store, I fell in the parking lot (yes, I tripped over my own feet), and broke a bone in my hand! I had to wear a splint for 3 weeks. It's now 2 months later and my clipless pedals are on my stationary bike. I now have a fear of falling....

What did I tell people when they asked how I hurt my hand? Well, I just bought these clipless pedals and fell....

[happysurfer]

I've only been riding a month and have been really eager to get clipless pedals/ bike shoes. Today I went in to the store and got mtn shoes/ pedals for the road bike. Practiced on a trainer at the LBS,....practiced on my driveway clipping in..out...in...out...in. Felt really confident and thought "gosh, how easy, what's the big deal?". Rode up to the house to go inside and realized a second too late before.... It was all in slow motion. I remember the LBS guy telling me to fall on my shoulder (which I tried but my palm got in the way So now I have a sore palm...my head feels a little shaken up (i didn't hit it, but I was stupid and didn't even think to wear a helmet) and my ego is a little bruised. But at least I got my first fall out of the way!

[Dogmama]

But at least I got my first fall out of the way!

Congratulations. You're a cyclist. Next time, put on your helmet.

[rivergal]

Haven't gone clipless yet - I started using Power Grips two years ago and really like them. They may not give me quite as much power as clipless, but they're miles better than toe cages. Also they give me more "play" for my bad knees, so that's another plus.

My sister also became a convert to Power Grips, and just found out that my brother uses them on his commuting bike, too.

My new "Cinders" has Power Grips installed as well.

[Seajay]

Great responses. Espec Velovix.

Here's what we say at our shop...
We don't think falling is a prerequisite to learning clip in pedals. We discourage falling.
It's all about muscle memory. You need to make it automatic to keep your heel down as you twist.

New Bike. Get used to the bike for a week or so first then tackle shoes/pedals
New pedals and shoes. Some pedals come out of the box with the release setting tight. Have someone check that it's loose.
Park your bike next to the couch for an evening of TV, click in and out a bunch. Get used to the motion.
Go to the park and ride in the grass. Clip in and out a bunch more. Stop, start, try little inclines, declines, either foot, etc until you feel confident.
Next is a quiet road same drill.
You should be good to go after that.

Greyhound. The pedal you're thinking of is Speedplay. Their ROAD pedal. They have a light action release version which works well. I wouldn't try to claim that Speedplay road are necessarily easier to get out of than anything else. I think it's a personal thing. IMO Looks are easiest. But again, just an opinion.

[Catrin]

.... It was all in slow motion. I remember the LBS guy telling me to fall on my shoulder (which I tried but my palm got in the way...

This is a good way to hurt your hand/wrist/collar bone. Sometimes things happen very fast but I try to remember to keep hold of the bars when I fall - this allows our sides to take the brunt of the fall and that is a lot stronger than those little bones in the wrist/palm and so forth. That being said, hopefully this won't happen very often, especially for road riding

I broke my wrist once by trying to break a fall - it had nothing to do with the bike - just something that happened once...which helps me to remember

[KnottedYet]

I try to remember to keep hold of the bars when I fall

That was the trick I was taught, too.