Clipless pedals

It has been three years since I have tried them but now
that my trail bike is setup I would like to give them a
shot again.

I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never learned
how to truely "spin". They also made me wreck more often on
stunts. I am starting to get interested in laid back XC
rides that have no ladders or air time and I would like to
become a better climber.

I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano SPD.
Is this clipless design OK or should I get better pedals
with a better clipless design?

What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?

Loomer <wew@sadas.com> wrote:
> It has been three years since I have tried them but now
> that my trail bike is setup I would like to give them a
> shot again.
>
> I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never learned
> how to truely "spin". They also made me wreck more often
> on stunts. I am starting to get interested in laid back XC
> rides that have no ladders or air time and I would like to
> become a better climber.
>
> I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano
> SPD. Is this clipless design OK or should I get better
> pedals with a better clipless design?
>
> What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?

Use google and search on the numerous conversations on
this subject!

--
- Zilla Cary, NC (Remove XSPAM)

> I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano
> SPD. Is this clipless design OK

Yes - ride the piss out of them.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Loomer wrote:

> It has been three years since I have tried them but now
> that my trail bike is setup I would like to give them a
> shot again.
>
> I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never learned
> how to truely "spin". They also made me wreck more often
> on stunts. I am starting to get interested in laid back XC
> rides that have no ladders or air time and I would like to
> become a better climber.
>
> I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano
> SPD. Is this clipless design OK or should I get better
> pedals with a better clipless design?
>
> What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?

http://members.cox.net/jhnmorgan/mtb/CliplessFAQ.txt

John M

"Loomer" <wew@sadas.com> wrote in message
news:LicIc.12201$sD4.8659@newsread3.....earthlink.net...
> It has been three years since I have tried them but now
> that my trail bike is setup I would like to give them a
> shot again.
>
> I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never learned
> how to truely "spin". They also made me wreck more often
> on stunts. I am starting to
get
> interested in laid back XC rides that have no ladders or
> air time and I would like to become a better climber.
>
> I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano
> SPD. Is this clipless design OK or should I get better
> pedals with a better clipless design?
>
> What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?
>

Loomer,

I just started riding clipless a couple of weeks ago on an
old pair of SPDs that I had laying around. Despite the pain
in the ass it was for the first week or so, they were
absolutely fantastic on the trails this weekend. They
weren't so laidback, so I learned to unclip quite
efficiently.

It took me a bit to remember to spin, i.e. push *and* pull,
but once I did I found myself climbing sections I couldn't
have cleared before.

The only drawback I've found so far is the fact that they
only release to one side. Someone had mentioned this to me,
and although I thought it a minor drawback, a particular
incident Saturday made me realize what a problem this can
be. I laid down on my right side in a rocky stream, and was
unable to get out. Imagine being cleated in on one side with
your bike pinning you down, and trying to stand up so you
can unclip. It was an interested puzzle.

I can't yet compare to other designs, but when my eggbeaters
get here I'll let you know what I think.

cc

On 2004-07-12, cc penned:
>
> The only drawback I've found so far is the fact that they
> only release to one side. Someone had mentioned this to
> me, and although I thought it a minor drawback, a
> particular incident Saturday made me realize what a
> problem this can be. I laid down on my right side in a
> rocky stream, and was unable to get out. Imagine being
> cleated in on one side with your bike pinning you down,
> and trying to stand up so you can unclip. It was an
> interested puzzle.

What's the number designation on your cleat? If you haven't
yet, you might try the multirelease SH55 and see how you
like 'em. They seem to stick to your pedals in all normal
situations, but let go when you're doing something weird
like toppling.

--
monique

John Morgan <jhnmorgan@NOSPAMcox.net> wrote in message news:<kceIc.11576$yc.7943@fed1read06>...
> Loomer wrote:
>
> > It has been three years since I have tried them but now
> > that my trail bike is setup I would like to give them a
> > shot again.
> >
> > I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never
> > learned how to truely "spin". They also made me wreck
> > more often on stunts. I am starting to get interested in
> > laid back XC rides that have no ladders or air time and
> > I would like to become a better climber.
> >
> > I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano
> > SPD. Is this clipless design OK or should I get better
> > pedals with a better clipless design?
> >
> > What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?
>
> http://members.cox.net/jhnmorgan/mtb/CliplessFAQ.txt

This sounds more like a scare tactic than anything else.

""Platform" pedals are flat pedals with no means of keeping
the rider's foot attached to the pedal, other than friction.
The problem with this design is that when going over
technical terrain, the foot often may slip or bounce off the
pedal and cause the rider to lose balance and fall."

Unless you're wearing teflon soled shoes, you won't "often
slip or bounce off the pedal". Some of us run nothing but
platforms and have never experienced this phenomenon of
losing balance and falling off often.

Lots of good info otherwise.

I realize this digresses, but a similar thing happened to me
last Fall. Stopped on a trail that threaded through a dense
blackberry thicket to gorge myself. Unclipped only one foot,
as normal. When I saw more clumps of berries on the other
side, I reached for them without thinking (and unclipping).
Fell into the thorns rather painfully, and had to endure the
laughter of my co-riders when they caught up and saw my
predicament. They had to lift me out of the bushes to
prevent further bloodletting - I was literally trapped.

But I must say going clipless has, for the most part, been
a huge advantage for me. I can pedal longer, easier, and
with tons more power. Plus it keeps my feet well
positioned for cornering, hopping and near-stopped
switchbacks. I use fairly low-end old SPDs and clean 'em
out when they get clogged.

"cc" <ccreese@stanford.edu> wrote in message
news:ccth7q$1tt$1@news.Stanford.EDU...
>
> "Loomer" <wew@sadas.com> wrote in message news:LicIc.1220-
> 1$sD4.8659@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> > It has been three years since I have tried them but now
> > that my trail
bike
> > is setup I would like to give them a shot again.
> >
> > I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never
> > learned how to truely "spin". They also made me wreck
> > more often on stunts. I am starting to
> get
> > interested in laid back XC rides that have no ladders or
> > air time and I would like to become a better climber.
> >
> > I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano
> > SPD. Is this clipless design OK or should I get better
> > pedals with a better clipless design?
> >
> > What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?
> >
>
> Loomer,
>
> I just started riding clipless a couple of weeks ago on an
> old pair of
SPDs
> that I had laying around. Despite the pain in the ass it
> was for the first week or so, they were absolutely
> fantastic on the trails this weekend.
They
> weren't so laidback, so I learned to unclip quite
> efficiently.
>
> It took me a bit to remember to spin, i.e. push *and*
> pull, but once I did
I
> found myself climbing sections I couldn't have
> cleared before.
>
> The only drawback I've found so far is the fact that they
> only release to one side. Someone had mentioned this to
> me, and although I thought it a minor drawback, a
> particular incident Saturday made me realize what a
> problem this can be. I laid down on my right side in a
> rocky stream, and
was
> unable to get out. Imagine being cleated in on one side
> with your bike pinning you down, and trying to stand up so
> you can unclip. It was an interested puzzle.
>
> I can't yet compare to other designs, but when my
> eggbeaters get here I'll let you know what I think.
>
> cc