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  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Kentucky
    Posts
    32

    When & Why

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    So how long was it after you began riding did y'all go clipless?

    I'm curious b/c my friend goes clipless & highly recommends it...although he has similar stories of falling over & that embarrassment potential sorta terrifies me.

    We went for (my maiden voyage) a ride yesterday & I couldn't keep up with him cuz my feet kept slipping off the f'n pedals. He says clipless allows you more power b/c you can pull on the ups & push on the downs.

    Thoughts?

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    socal
    Posts
    1,852
    Quote Originally Posted by Diggles
    So how long was it after you began riding did y'all go clipless?
    my first road had clipless on it when i brought her home! hubby highly suggested i start out fresh with them.... so i listened to him.... i did have to return the look pedals and get speedplays (i cuouldn't clip out of the looks... i LOVE my speedplays!)

    so to answer your question... my very first ride!

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Huntington Beach, Ca
    Posts
    1,004
    Quote Originally Posted by Diggles
    So how long was it after you began riding did y'all go clipless?

    I'm curious b/c my friend goes clipless & highly recommends it...although he has similar stories of falling over & that embarrassment potential sorta terrifies me.

    We went for (my maiden voyage) a ride yesterday & I couldn't keep up with him cuz my feet kept slipping off the f'n pedals. He says clipless allows you more power b/c you can pull on the ups & push on the downs.

    Thoughts?
    I put clipless pedals on my road bike before I took my first ride. I had been taking indoor cycling classes and used cycling shoes with clipless pedals in there, so I didn't need to be sold on the effectiveness! I say go for it

  4. #19
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    1,351
    Quote Originally Posted by caligurl
    so to answer your question... my very first ride!
    Me too! (Six falls to my credit, but none in the last year - thank goodness!)
    Keep calm and carry on...

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Corpus Christi, TX
    Posts
    85
    Me three!!

    It just seemed more logical to start from the beginning with clipless, than getting used to something else & switching to clipless later.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    806
    I went clipless about a month after I got my 1st road bike (2003). Would never go back to cages. I find those are harder to get out of than the clipless pedals are.
    "Only the meek get pinched, the bold survive"

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    425
    I went clipless after about 5 weeks. I wanted time to get used to the road bike (my first) and be comfortable shifting and braking. However the toe clips (cages) weren't necessarily easy to get in and out of either. I think the clipless are definitely easier to get into, and getting out just takes a little practice (the trainer is great for this if you have one). I had gotten to the point where I hated my toe clips and I would never go back, but I still think it was worth it for the first few rides . . .

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    2,208
    Quote Originally Posted by Diggles
    So how long was it after you began riding did y'all go clipless?
    When I bought my new bike, she didn't come with pedals... so I went all-in, and bought clipless pedals and shoes right away. Before that, my only experience was on platforms, and with mountain/hybrid bikes. So, my first day on a road bike and I'm having to figure out everything from shifting to getting ON and OFF the bike in the first place!

    The motion of clipping in and out itself isn't really difficult, it's knowing when to do it and where the rest of your body should be. It's something you definitely have to adjust to, and pretty much plan on the fact that falling can happen, will most likely happen, and will not be fatal. I think even being aware that this is a possibility might help you loosen up a bit

    The more time you spend on the bike, the better you'll get. I had a minor victory recently just figuring out how to pedal without clipping in (an AHA! and DUH! moment all in one), and another today when I had to clip out really quickly, leaned the wrong way, nearly fell, but clipped my other foot out and recovered in an amazing and magical movement that I may never be able to repeat.

    One of the funny things is how many other clipless riders I've noticed now that I have been riding them. People at stop lights, crossing the street, on the trails, on the road... whether I'm driving, riding, or running, I am a lot more aware of what it takes to be a put-together rider

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Boise, Idaho
    Posts
    1,104
    Quote Originally Posted by colby
    and pretty much plan on the fact that falling can happen, will most likely happen, and will not be fatal. I think even being aware that this is a possibility might help you loosen up a bit
    See, now I'm not so sure I agree with this, Colby! Riding around with "sooner or later I'm gonna fall" rolling around somwhere in the back of my head is what's making me say, "Hmmmmm, do I really want to do this?" every time I give thought to getting the pedals, even though I KNOW how much of a performance booster they are!

    (the knowledge that it will happen when I'm on skis tends to affect my skiing too, but snow is usually softer than chip-seal and I've got more clothes protecting my skin!)

    Karen in Boise

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Middle Earth
    Posts
    3,997
    I rode for about 4 months using toe cages - no straps or buckles...

    I would never go back to that now, clipping in gives me soooo much power and control.

    And Kano... dunno how many times I have heard this litttle bit of biking wisdom...

    There are two types of riders... those who have crashed... and those who are going to crash...

    May all your falls be low-impact at low speed .... (like the time I headed off, put so much power in to the first thrust down that my wheel spun and I flipped forward over my handle bars... the only thing that was damaged was my pride...)


    Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying,
    "I will try again tomorrow".


  11. #26
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    2,208
    Quote Originally Posted by Kano
    See, now I'm not so sure I agree with this, Colby! Riding around with "sooner or later I'm gonna fall" rolling around somwhere in the back of my head is what's making me say, "Hmmmmm, do I really want to do this?" every time I give thought to getting the pedals, even though I KNOW how much of a performance booster they are!

    (the knowledge that it will happen when I'm on skis tends to affect my skiing too, but snow is usually softer than chip-seal and I've got more clothes protecting my skin!)

    Karen in Boise
    That's true, Karen, it could be a little bit disconcerting as well. I think the real point is to relax about it, instead of stressing every time you clip in and out. That's helped me a lot -- if I worry about falling too much, I think about what I'm doing too much, instead of listening to what my body and feet are doing and going with the simplest solution. The more you do it, the less you think about what you're doing.

    You're probably pretty likely to fall, but you'll want to practice everything at a slower speed. All of the times I've fallen (just twice) were when I was at a complete stop! It doesn't hurt much to fall when you're not going anywhere.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    25

    Am I crazy to love my toe clips?

    Given that I can't afford special shoes and/or new pedals, this question is probably moot -- at least until I have disposable income again -- but am I nuts to love my toe clips? It took me a couple of rides to get used to them but I've never had a problem getting out of them. A couple of false starts getting in, depending on conditions when I get moving, but that's it...

    My mom always taught me that if you can't play well, at least look good -- does sticking with my toe clips make me look stupid?

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    The middle of North America
    Posts
    776
    Quote Originally Posted by chartman64
    Given that I can't afford special shoes and/or new pedals, this question is probably moot -- at least until I have disposable income again -- but am I nuts to love my toe clips? It took me a couple of rides to get used to them but I've never had a problem getting out of them. A couple of false starts getting in, depending on conditions when I get moving, but that's it...

    My mom always taught me that if you can't play well, at least look good -- does sticking with my toe clips make me look stupid?
    I have friends that use toe clips - You do what you have to do and what works

    I used toe clips for one season, I took the plunge to clipless because my left foot and leg were falling asleep after about 12 miles. After determining it wasn't my seat but how my foot was pronating in and putting pressure on the inside (I had to very consciously straighten it out - impossible over 60 miles) I went to a mtn bike shoe- helped somewhat

    Went to clipless and a very snug fitting road bike shoe and now can ride the 60 miles quite comfortably (I just have to remember now to keep my heels down)

    Falling AHHH yes! my first time out the 2 guys I was riding with offered to go on either side of me at stop signs I lasted a month and half before falling
    I was going all of 1mile an hour, thought my right foot wasn't clipped in, it was and oops over I go, a little road rash, a little embarassment, a little relief that the first fall was finally over and no injuries

    I LOVE riding clipless but it is a pain to dress out each time you want to go so I have a back up bike with regular pedals, and a wicked witch of the west basket on the back for little in town jaunts to the grocery store


    It's about the journey and being in the moment, not about the destination

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    18
    I started riding clipless this year. I really hadn't thought about the possibility of falling, until I did it...

    I think it was my second ride. When I biked up to the house, I was a bit tired, and I didn't ride up the driveway because I was worried about safely dismounting on the steep angle. So I stopped at the bottom, and just couldn't get out in time...and went down... so slowly... The most embarrassing part was my teenage neighbor was skateboarding in the street not 5 feet from me! He asked if I was OK (and I was impressed by the manners of it). I was just embarrassed because I figured he didn't know why I fell (I was attached to the bike! I couldn't help it!!) because I had no clue people rode this way until recently.

    I was really lucky though. Staying at the bottom of the driveway allowed me to land on grass. Not too painful. I've had many close calls since, but that's been the only fall...for now.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    I'm the only one allowed to whine
    Posts
    10,557
    Grass is good. I like grass. Soft, cushy grass...

    I've been impressed by how many times I thought I was falling, but my Speedplay Frogs disconnected "automatically" and saved my sorry buns. (I have actually fallen, but we won't mention that...) Something about the way my foot reaches for the ground as I go over is just right to disengage and let me touch the ground. Not graceful, but I ain't complainin'.

    Edit: P.S. I feel safer and more in control using my Frogs than I did using my clips/cages for 10 years.
    "If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark." - Richard Wilkinson

 

 

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