My first Clipless experience

14max · #**136** 10-11.-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaguar27

Well, I finally did it, I went Clipless today...

I got my Felt Road Bike back yesterday after a major tune-up, it's first after around 300+ miles....

I went out for a 10 mile ride today, and decided to drop by my LBS to thank him for doing such a great job, he was busy with other Customers so I decided to have a look at the Pedals...and asked him to screw a pair of Clipless on my Bike...

Then I realized I have to get home, I was 5 Miles away, 5 miles of busy roads

Anyway, we all have to die sometime, so I went ahead...

He put the Pedals on, put the cleats in my shoes, gave me some basic instruction and off I went into a busy Parking lot to practice...

I'm really stoooooopid sometimes....

Anyway, not only couldn't I get clipped in for ages, when I was I really struggled to clip out....so I went back to the shop....

When I got there my LBS Guy was talking to someone who had just rode up on a VERY spendy looking Bike...
They asked me how I got on, I just shook my head...

So the Guy who had just rode in said "OK, get back on the Bike, let's have a look"

He asked me to take my shoes off and stand in my normal position, my Toes pointed outwards..."So I'll set the Cleats so that when you clip in your Feet are in their normal position" said the Guy...
So he took my shoes into the workshop and I said to my local LBS Guy "Wow, he's very helpfull huh"

My LBS Guy told me "Yeah, he's one of the VP's of Shimano, North America" I then remembered their HQ is in Irvine, So Cal, pretty local....

So I'd like to thank Shimano, North America, for their excellent Customer Service!! There was no need to send a VP down on his Bike on a Saturday morning to adjust my Cleats and answer all my questions....this is waaaaaay beyond good Customer service in my Book...he was a very nice Guy and obviously very knowledgable...

But on a serious note, it's great to think that the People from Shimano are real Cyclists and love it as much as we all do...this Guy was telling us he did a Century on thursday, a 30 mile mountain Bike ride on Friday and there he was riding on Saturday, he knows my LBS Guy very well apparently...

But I rode home, 5 miles on a busy street, trying to watch the Traffic and saying over and over "Clip-out...Clip out"

I was happy to get home, now I need to take everyone's advice, practice on grass, clip in and out at least 60 times before going on the Street....again....

It would be great to hear other Riders' first time experiences, was it a piece of Cake or a near death experience?

I got my first set of clipless pedals back in 1988 for my 1987 Cannondale Criterium Series bike. They were a pair of Looks (the red spring tension model with black fixed cleats). Man, those things were interesting. You had to fiddle with the cleat adjustment just to ride correctly then really be careful with the spring adjustment or else you could be locked into your bike in a crash. Those were the days...

volenti2001 · #**137** 10-12.-2005

My experience with clipless pedals has just commenced. After a couple of years using toe clips I decided to buy a cheap new pair of Wellgo on eBay. Next I bought a new pair of entry level shoes and went for a longish ride late at night when the traffic in my town is in bed...if I fall in a heap there is nobody around to see it! Like others writing here, I felt I had progressed to a higher level of riding and enjoyed the sensation. Appears to be more output for less input.
Having fallen off a few times while hooked into toe clips, especially while trying to do the fancy balance at the traffic lights, I think I will probably have a fall sooner or later using the clipless variety...but obviously will do my best to avoid this if I can. It is a little difficult so far to extract my foot at the optimum moment to make a good stop, especially with the sensation of beginning to topple to one side while frantically trying to disengage. I guess, however, this is something we all learn to adapt to. Probably akin to driving automatic and then driving using a clutch.

Pharaoh1 · #**138** 02-12.-2006

My riding buddy and I got clipless pedals for Christmas and couldn't wait to start using them. I finally got my new road bike last week and have been practicing with them. I've been reading the many posts in this thread and realized that it wasn't a matter of if, but when I'd do the "two-wheeled topple". I tried to tell my buddy, but he kept saying that it was a piece of cake.

Well, yesterday we decided to do a 30-mile ride from our rural area to a Subway store in town. It was beautiful ride, dry, little wind and 50 degrees. We finished our sandwich and clipped in for the return ride. My buddy was ahead of me and approaching the driveway. He was looking for an opening in the traffic, which was horrible, and not paying attention to his rapidly decreasing momentum. I watched in unbelief as he came to a stop and slowly toppled over to his left!

BOOM on the pavement he went! I couldn't believe it. It was like slow motion and I didn't even have time to yell a warning. Unfortunately, I 'd failed to recognise my own lack of momentum and began to totter. I was able to get my right foot unclipped, but I was leaning to the left. ACK! BOOM!

Now I'm on the pavement right next to him.

My buddy sees my plight and we both start laughing. Three girls across the street start laughing too. An 80-year-old guy witnessed the entire event and called to us, "Hey, is that the modern way of getting off a bike?"
Only slightly embarrassed, we did what anyone would do after such a tramatic event, we went to Starbucks for a calming grande Americano! I suffered only a bloody knee and my buddy a matching elbow. My new bike got it's baptismal scratch, but wasn't too badly scarred. We love the clipless pedals too much to give them up and the rest of the ride was wonderful.

I guess the bottom line is to practice with them as much as you can and just expect to kiss the pavement sooner or later.

Scott

netscriber · #**139** 02-13.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by vkhalsa

ya so as we speak i'm icing my knee. before i got my pd-r600's i read everything single piece of i could on clipless and this whole thread. i was dertermined that falling would not happen to me. i put the pedels onto my old mountain bike so if i did fall it wouldn't mess up my road bike. i road around in the back yard thinking that if i did fall i would hit the grass so it wouldn't be that bad. after clipping in and out a million times and trying different positions i decided to take a step up to my road bike. as i pulled the bike into the garage i forgot for one second that i couldn't get my feet out that quickly with zero momentum before i hit the ground. i fell onto the concrete smacking my knee and scratching my new pedels (i guess you guys were right, we all have these marks on our first set of pedels.) maybe i need some more practice...

you sound Indian to me..are ya?

Jaguar27 · #**140** 02-13.-2006

Well, I'm happy to report that since I first posted this in Jan 2004 and around 7000 miles ago I have had NO Crashes or even a tumble due to Clipless Pedals....I just got into the habit of unclipping automatically in plenty of time even if I just have to slow down to miss a pedestrian or whatever...

tinydiabla · #**141** 05-14.-2006

I have to say that this thread has motivated me to continue cycling on my road bike. Here is my experience:

I recently purchased a used road bike with clipless pedal. After purchasing cycling shoes, cleats and asking a bunch of questions on this whole ordeal, I went off on a Sunday morning to do my 1st ride with high confidence.

The wind felt great, the weather was awsome, and it was a great ride until I got to the 1st stop light. I completely forgot about the clipless pedals and down I went. There were a few witnesses.

Recovering from my fall with as much grace as possibles, that's when I remembered, "toe in, heal out to unclip" and off I went to continue the ride.

Then I got to my 2nd stop light and was able to unclip my right foot but bike and body leaned to the left and down I went again. I recovered from my fall and did not give a damn about grace.

I continued on the ride and every stop light I came to I kept praying for a green light but kept getting a red.

Eventually I decided to make a u-turn and headed home but not after another fall right in front of a coffee shop with many witnesses. I was to much in pain to even attempt a graceful recovery.

Macross · #**142** 05-14.-2006

Humiliating aside, I fall off today while shifting my bike to a straight position at a hook turn(in Melbourne), only had my left leg down during that time, off I go, bang, the person inside the car got shock. Guess some must be laughing, but the worst part is I scratched my brand new Fi’zi:k saddle and Dura-Ace rear derailleur. Thats gonna be the last time I'm riding that bike to a city area with tonnes of traffic lights.

Jaguar27 · #**143** 05-14.-2006

OUCH!! Well, that's what I call..ermmm...determination!! I'm glad you didn't get too hurt though.....I must admit I had a good chuckle at your post, but don't give up (I'm sure you won't).
Since I started this post quite a while back I've never crashed due to Clipless Pedals, it's second nature now, I even remember to clip out just in case when I'm approaching some kind of "hazard" such as Pedestrians on a Bike Path etc...it's better than waiting till the last minute...

I'm now riding Crank Brothers Quattro Pedals and when you're in these Babies you're well and truly IN Boy!! Unless you can pull your Foot out of your Shoe you're goin' down!!

Good luck!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinydiabla

I have to say that this thread has motivated me to continue cycling on my road bike. Here is my experience:

I recently purchased a used road bike with clipless pedal. After purchasing cycling shoes, cleats and asking a bunch of questions on this whole ordeal, I went off on a Sunday morning to do my 1st ride with high confidence.

The wind felt great, the weather was awsome, and it was a great ride until I got to the 1st stop light. I completely forgot about the clipless pedals and down I went. There were a few witnesses.

Recovering from my fall with as much grace as possibles, that's when I remembered, "toe in, heal out to unclip" and off I went to continue the ride.

Then I got to my 2nd stop light and was able to unclip my right foot but bike and body leaned to the left and down I went again. I recovered from my fall and did not give a damn about grace.

I continued on the ride and every stop light I came to I kept praying for a green light but kept getting a red.

Eventually I decided to make a u-turn and headed home but not after another fall right in front of a coffee shop with many witnesses. I was to much in pain to even attempt a graceful recovery.

Baalzamon · #**144** 05-14.-2006

Well I have been clipless for a few years myself.
First started out with spd and got quickly used to the unclipping.
Went for a test ride for positioning of cleats to see if my feet still got numb, pedalling along at 30km's I see this insect fly into my helmet! After being stung by a bee like that before I wasn't taking any chances. I brake and stop. Totally forgot I was clipped in and managed to unclip and stamp my left foot down. Throw my helmet to the ground and sure enough a bee flies out GRRR.

Week later I was still sussing out the positioning and I hadn't fully tightened up the screws. I see a car coming to a corner and I wasn't sure if he was going to go straight or turn. I attempt to unclip & unclip & unclip never thinking to unclip with my right leg. I come to a stop still trying to unclip and bike starts to teeter over to the left. I give my left foot a mighty flick to try & unclip and & out it comes. My left foot is firmly on the ground like a rocket. Next set of traffic lights as I firmly unclip my left foot I hear a tinkle & immediately knew the screws were loose.

Now I have got a road bike with look style pedals.
I was going thru a roundabout and a car didn't see me!!!! The car clips my back wheel buckling it. I of course come to a stop and get unclipped but I couldn't get my balance to my left side and down I crash.
Thankfully the driver stopped and was kind enough to drive me home, pay for wheel retruing which didn't work and for the new wheel.

Mpc350 · #**145** 05-14.-2006

As ***ked up as is for a driver to hit you like that, it is really good to hear that he stopped and tried to make it right again.

When I first went clipless several months ago, I did a few practice ins and outs and decided this was all well and good and went off to have some fun on a trail with my newly built MTB. Well, by the time I got back, my new derailleur had some heavy scratches, had been bent all to hell, my new hand grips had a rips on both ends, and my right knee was bleeding, and I was in a miserable mood. I must have fallen a dozen times. It's funny, but I almost always fall to my right. It took me several more rides to dial in the pedals so they released well (and to realize that I need to make them release easer and maybe I'll be able to get out when I need to). Now, I will never go back. I wish I spent a little more time getting my release reflexes, but who wants to do that kind of boring stuff when you have a beautiful day, a new bike, and trails that are just begging to be ridden? I do pay for my impatience.

EliRaskal · #**146** 05-14.-2006

I clipped in and out a few times at the LBS on a trainer while they were fitting me, but that was my only experience before riding. First, after I drove the bike home, I had to remember (from grade school or so) how to put the rear wheel back on. Not too hard. It's funny to realize that your feet are locked to something while you are tipping over, no? Personally, I only needed to fall over once (skinned knee, no big deal. scary to hear some of the scary things that have happened to people) to get the concept into my head.

Anyway, I have a question regarding clipping out and waiting at lights/stop signs etc... Namely, are there any particular guidelines to follow? I always clip out with the same leg. Any reason to alternate? Also, it seems convenient to rest the unclipped foot on the curb, but I never seem to see more experienced cyclists doing this. Any thoughts?

kleng · #**147** 05-14.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by EliRaskal

I clipped in and out a few times at the LBS on a trainer while they were fitting me, but that was my only experience before riding. First, after I drove the bike home, I had to remember (from grade school or so) how to put the rear wheel back on. Not too hard. It's funny to realize that your feet are locked to something while you are tipping over, no? Personally, I only needed to fall over once (skinned knee, no big deal. scary to hear some of the scary things that have happened to people) to get the concept into my head.

Anyway, I have a question regarding clipping out and waiting at lights/stop signs etc... Namely, are there any particular guidelines to follow? I always clip out with the same leg. Any reason to alternate? Also, it seems convenient to rest the unclipped foot on the curb, but I never seem to see more experienced cyclists doing this. Any thoughts?

Hi

I find the best formula for getting out of clipless pedals is to position the foot your clipping out from at around the 9 o'clock position (clipping out with left foot, 3 o'clock for clipping out with the right), that is the left foot is out in front, this gives you the extra leverage to always get out of the pedal each time.

I've always clipped out with the left, it just seems a bit messier with chain ring and chain on the right.

Jaguar27 · #**148** 05-15.-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by EliRaskal

.

Anyway, I have a question regarding clipping out and waiting at lights/stop signs etc... Namely, are there any particular guidelines to follow? I always clip out with the same leg. Any reason to alternate? Also, it seems convenient to rest the unclipped foot on the curb, but I never seem to see more experienced cyclists doing this. Any thoughts?

Everyone has a predominant Foot they put down when they come to a stop, mine is my left...if you're in the US it sounds like yours is your right foot??

You should deffinately get used to unclipping either Foot as needed, so to do this, alternate, left, right, left, right etc...untill you can do it without thinking...you never know when you'll need to unclip either Foot....

It's OK to rest your Foot on the Curb but you won't always beable to...plus you have to ride into the Gutter with it's undulations and storm drains etc..

The secret is to anticipate long before you need to stop, change down to a good gear to re-start and unclip the correct Foot (the one you're gonna rest on) before your stop...
It just takes lots of practice....

curby · #**149** 05-16.-2006

i remember 2 or 3 last milli-second extractions of my new clipless cleat clad brancale shoes before this occured...

we rolled up to the traffic light in cleveland circle (lots of co-eds around on a sunny but cool fall boston afternoon) while watching the lights, the traffic, the streetcar tracks and watching for the streetcar (light-rail that runs on the street) i completely forgot about being clipless... everything went into slow motion, i verrry slowly started to tip over and somehow stuck out a knee and then a hip and back and then there i am with my merckx in the air, trying to protect all its pricey bits, in the middle of everything... water bottle is open quite a bit and is dripping on me and i still cant get my feet out, no help from my buds as they are all leading the laughter which i can feel is coming from every passing car window, college apt. window, and the ppl on the streetcar and on the street!

that was about 20yrs ago now... dont remember getting my feet out but i remember being on my backside...

all's'miles

curby

snaps10 · #**150** 05-16.-2006

i remember when i got my first roadbike (centurion ironman, remember the sweet metalflake black) my dad insisted on my doing it the right way, and promptly ordered me some time sports (the ugly white ones, on sale, didn't really look good with the bike) i was so light read probably 11 or so yrs old that i couldnt clip in, i just wasn't heavy enough to bend the spring. so my dad would kneel beside the bike, and hold it up by the saddle, and push my foot in while i stood with all my weight on it. i cried and cried getting frustrated that i couldnt do it myself, and will never forget the day that i finally was able to get in on my own. those were some brutal pedals to start on, but after falling plenty of times on those i don't think i've ever had another problem with any pedals. i still begin to click out a good distance from the light. if it ends up turning green all you have to do is pedal around and you will clip back in.

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