Another beautiful ride RUINED by )(&*&%$ CLIPLESS PEDALS!!! - Page 4

A good example of why I'm sticking to cage/platform pedals even on a $6500 mtb. Inefficient, yes, but the bike can go into the side of a car without me attached to it.

I deserved that for my sh$tty attitude. I apologize for the attitude. I guess I feel like the exasperated computer tech support guy: a thousand people calling up screaming about how they're computer broke when they never read the instructions.

My point is just that one shouldn't go out for a nice ride without a good command of the machine they're riding and then blame the machine when they fall. I got my share of scrapes and bruises learning to use my pedals. But one shouldn't blame the pedals. If you learn to use them, they're much more effective and in many cases much safer than traditional pedals. Don't blame your equipment. Learn to use it and it will treat you well. Would you blame the bike if you'd never ridden one before and fell the first time you tried?

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Harry

Of course I understand, but this was really meant to be more of a "vent her frustration" thread than a "blame the pedals" thread. Jess is new to riding, and has been really enjoying it, but just when she thinks she has the pedals mastered, something like this happens to her.

Interestingly, now that I've switched her pedals out from the Fortes to my old Shimanos, she's having no problems at all. We had a 20 mile ride on Sunday that included at least two unexpected stops for her, and she was out of the pedals in an instant.

If using a different pedals makes it easier for her, that's fine. I don't mind spending the money. I just don't want something like a set of pedals turning her off to cycling when she's just getting into it. It's easy for me because I've been using clipless pedals for close to 20 years, but she's 34 and jumping into cycling on the deep end, and I expect her to have a bit of a learning curve. I'm very impressed at how well she's doing actually. Last summer we did a 45 mile ride through hilly terrain, 30+ miles of which were in the rain, on a bike that she'd owned less than 6 months.

It helps her to come here and make a post like this and know that she's not the only one to have had problems getting comfortable on clipless pedals. It doesn't help her to be told that it's her fault and not the pedals' fault, because of course she already knows that.

Cheers!

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my bike page - my journal

You have to stick with it (puin intended) Clippless pedals will give you the best power tranfer than standard platform pedals and the next step up strap peddals. When I first started ridding clippless I took two embarassing falls similar to yours. eventually you will learn when to "twist to unlock" trust me it will become second nature, just like driving stick shift. Stay with it

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IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME

Hi guys! Just thought I'd write a note of thanks for all your words of sympathy, encouragement and sound advice.


For some reason bicycles and I are not getting along too well lately. It turns out that in my clipless fall I wrecked my wheel and have to have the whole thing replaced. Crazy, isn't it?

But here is today's anecdote. Today was another nice day so I thought I'd do a little mountain biking. No clipless pedals to screw me up there! (although the ones I am using now work much better for me )

As I go along the pathway, I noticed (too late) that there were a couple of broken beer bottles on the path and glass everywhere. I went through the thinnest patch, and kept an eye on my front wheel as I rode along. Looked great. Turned off onto the offroad path. Rode at least an hour until I noticed that my reer wheel was making a funny rattly thumpy sound. I stopped and looked and discovered to my HORROR that I had a flat! Flat as a pancake. Great, I thought, I brought my repair kit........but found out that I had left the pump on the other bike! DOH!!!

So................I half rode, half walked the bike for miles home. That thing is heavy! I couldn't ride up the steep hills because the wheel was just flapping so I had to hoist it up, slipping in mud etc. And even riding slowly on flat terrain I'm sure you can guess the rolling resistance of a flat tire....

I am pooped!!! If these things go in threes hopefully there will only be one more minor incident and then I can ride free and clear for the rest of the summer.

It's just extra training resistance.

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my bike page - my journal

I got the clipless pedals about a year ago for my Decathlon hybrid

because someone told me that toe-clips were dangerous as they don't let you out and could break your legs if you crash. Probably an exaggeration (and would depend on how tight you keep the things, but anyhow I haven't (yet) fallen over due to the clipless pedals. I'll keep you all posted on that one! Once I got used to them they were great. The only drawback is that my pedals are hybrids (i.e. you can use them without cleats), so I have to have a shoe with a cleat protruding, which makes walking a slippy affair. Now I'm so used to the things I can't cycle without them (I end up lifting my feet off the pedals when attempting to pull the pedals up )

I use the chevo1412 method of release (as it were ), i.e. heel of left foot inwards; watch the back wheel though...

I think the reason I've been lucky (and I've had a few of those heart-stopping moments when you go to put your foot on the floor and forget), is that I've adjusted the things to release my feet at a loose tension. But I haven't had my feet fly off when pulling up on the pedals.

I cycle 20 miles a day to and from work in London, and the cleats do add to efficiency. I suppose toe-clips would too.

Someone turned left today and nearly wiped me out, so I'm going to get an Air Zound thing I think. But that is another story (will attempt to find the correct thread)...

I've come up with a odd bit on these lines. I just purchased my first pair of road shoes. I usually use mt shoes as the clips are recessed and easy to walk on, but the road shoes were a good deal - $17 down from $99 - I wear a size 4.5 (36) so there's not such a big demand - and I have a bad habit of curling my toes up up, which I am hoping the smaller toe box on the road shoes will cure me of. I put my extra set of spd cleats on them, but boy are they hard to get into the pedals. Its easy enough to get out thankfully. I'll work around adjusting them to see if I can make it easier to clip in, but maybe I'll have to replace the pedals with a more road friendly cleat?

Anyone else have experience using shimano spd's with road shoes? I'd like to keept the spds and be able to swap shoes back and forth depending on where I'm going and if I want to walk when I get there.

Eden: I tried a Shimano recessed cleat shoe first of all when I decided to try that type of binding, and the things would not clip into the pedals at all. I had to take the shoes back to the shop for shoes with the protruding cleat.

My husband had the same problem with his first pair of recessed cleat shoes too - we had to cut the soles up pretty good to make them work, but the problem I've having now is a little weird. These new shoes don't have a recess, they are normal road shoes so the cleat just sticks on the bottom. My recessed mt bikes shoes clip in easily. I am hoping I just need to get the cleat positioned better - my new shoes are a size smaller than the old ones.

Now, that IS the most compassionate response I've seen here in a while
(said tongue in cheek, thinking a pointy shoe up someones behind is warranted).

That will truly encourage beginners to stay with it and improve the sport.

I have been riding over 50 years, racing for 7 years and I hade only 1 fall because of the clipless pedal. I bought my first clipless in 1980 and had a fall on the second day I went out to ride. It happened at a very busy intersection because I forgot that I had new pedals. I just went down on my left in front of more then 50 onlookers. I could hear some people gigling as I got up and pretending that something was wrong with my pedals, that was wery humiliating

4) Always stop directly adjacent to really soft patches of grass...

It was kinda fun and kinda intimidating reading this thread:

as a 60 year old dude who used to be a consistent rider:
now gettin back ino it:

having just purchased some "Frog" pedals
beCAUSE they are supposed to be infinitely easy
to get in and out of
:and allow the pronation i know I'm prone to....

pronation I'm prone to ain't that cute and i din't even notice..

Anyway ....
I don't think I'll fling away my trap pedals JUST yet

i just got clipless pedals in march. I have been riding with them really frequesntly and havent fallen yet at all....they are speedplay and reaaaaallly easy to get in and out of......this thread makes me think that it is only a matter of time though :-)