Clippless Pedals and Hill Starts

Timmy said:

Ok, this must be the hardest thing to do on a bike.

How do you season pro's tackle a hill start fromm a red light, whilst using
clippless pedals, and I am talking about a fairly steep hill ?

Looking forward to some tips.
Tim

1. Make sure you change to a nice easy gear as you approach.

2. Don't bother unclipping, just balance, then you're ready to go when
the light changes.

Hmmmm, no, I can't do that either. But seasoned pros do, I've seen 'em.
Okay, then change the second one

2. Unclip and stay cool, calm and collected while you wait for the
lights to change. It is important to look good.

3. Make sure your pedal is in the 1 o'clock position before you push
off, then...

4. The foolproof bit - DON'T WORRY ABOUT CLIPPING IN THE OTHER FOOT.
Focus on pulling up with the one that's clipped in instead (yep you will
want to be in the saddle for this). If you're lucky, the other one will
just slip into place but if it doesn't, worry about it on your next
downstroke.

Of course, the seasoned pros wouldn't do that... but it's a good
workaround. If you get up the front of the lights, you could hang on to
the pole to balance so you don't need to unclip...

T

Timmy said:

Ok, this must be the hardest thing to do on a bike.

How do you season pro's tackle a hill start fromm a red light, whilst using
clippless pedals, and I am talking about a fairly steep hill ?

Hardly a seasoned pro here, but I'll give it a go. :-) I'd clip in one
of my two feet, and use the other one to brace myself until the light
goes green (making sure I'm in a reasonably low gear, depending on the
gradient). The clipped in foot goes to the top of the range. When the
light goes green, I push down on the clipped in foot, and bring the
other foot up to the pedal, trying to find the right spot by the time it
hits the top of its cycle. If I fail, I still have enough leverage on
the right foot to be able to push down, even though I'm not clipped in.

Usually, I'd be clipped in at the bottom of the first push; maybe the
second or third if I'm having an off day. I've had clipless pedals for
long enough that my feet know roughly where they need to be, so there
isn't as much mucking around as there'd be if I was still getting used
to them.

Stuart (not a racer in any sense whatsoever; my cycling is purely
recreational.)

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@ to usenet".

"Timmy" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Ok, this must be the hardest thing to do on a bike.

Oh.. I dunno.. a double front flip is pretty hard...

Quoted message said:

How do you season pro's tackle a hill start fromm a red light, whilst

using

Quoted message said:

clippless pedals, and I am talking about a fairly steep hill ?

Pedal hard with clipped foot, miss clip in, look unco,
clip in, away.. done. What else is there to know?

I'm still sucky with my new shoes so I've been doing
that quite a bit lately. Practise. With SPD-SLs you
can't just slam your foot in like SPDs, you have to
clip the top of the pedal so it fips the right way (forward)
and slide the shoe in..
What sort of pedal/shoe system are you using?
It sometimes helps to make a big push with the
good foot and then look at the other foot to make sure
you clip in. You can pedal on the back of SPD-SLs
but you need to be careful not to put in a lot of force,
otherwise your foot will slip off and make you look like
me.
You can pedal one footed to get more momentum then
stop and concentrate on getting clipped in fully.
Most of the time if you mess it up you will just have to push
with your shoe on the wrong side of the pedal, and try not
to slip it off.
Not really helpful but other than practise there's not a lot
you can do. Maybe we could start a Clipless Pedal Newbie
support group? What's worse is the fact that I scrape my
yummy carbon soles every time I slip off the back of the
pedal, because the fscking thing hasn't flipped over
properly.. rant rant rant..

hippy

Timmy said:

Ok, this must be the hardest thing to do on a bike.

How do you season pro's tackle a hill start fromm a red light, whilst using
clippless pedals, and I am talking about a fairly steep hill ?

Looking forward to some tips.
Tim

This is not from a seasoned pro, more of a lightly salted amateur...
My preferred option is to remain clipped in if at all possible. This requires a trackstand (ie, think of balancing a broom on one hand), or a well placed lamppost or even a vehicle (though I don't like to touch other vehicles).

If it is literally impossible to remain upright without unclipping, I have to take off with one foot unclipped. Using Looks with carbon-soled shoes means extra care has to be taken - on take off, I try to feel for the pedal and if I get any contact, I push lightly and either clip in or have to go another revolution. The key is to avoid slipping the shoe off the pedal, which is a good way to cause an accident.

If it is *really* steep, ie, impossible to turn the pedals with a light (non-slipping) touch, you might have to walk to a spot where there is a hand-hold, or traverse the hill to take off, but this would require a clear road.

My worn-out/cracked-off cornered left cleat has just about had enough 🙂

Ritch.

"Tamyka Bell" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

1. Make sure you change to a nice easy gear as you approach.

If it's a big hill that should be a given.. ;-)

Quoted message said:

2. Don't bother unclipping, just balance, then you're ready to go when
the light changes.

Track standing is great.. it's even greater now that I can't clip
in properly! There's still occasions though when I just can't hold
it together and I have to unclip.. that sucks.. coz then I stress
about trying to clip in.. hehehe I feel like such a newbie again. :-)

Quoted message said:

2. Unclip and stay cool, calm and collected while you wait for the
lights to change. It is important to look good.

This is why it hurts so... Why do I always unclip when other
riders are behind me? Why do I get all the dodgy lights that
force me to unclip and then go green as soon as I put a foot
down.. why why why?!

Quoted message said:

Of course, the seasoned pros wouldn't do that... but it's a good
workaround. If you get up the front of the lights, you could hang on to
the pole to balance so you don't need to unclip...

Just don't miss it! Ahh.. arrrr!.. CLANG... owww...

hippy

hippy said:

"Tamyka Bell" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

1. Make sure you change to a nice easy gear as you approach.

If it's a big hill that should be a given.. ;-)

Yeah, once I was near the front of a moderate group (about 15 ppl),
drinking water and the lights changed... slamming on the brakes while
holding said bottle with my teeth, grateful it was a rubber topped
one... half an hour later they get me again, this time it's just the
plastic sip/squirt one (without the pop-up bit) and so I've got my left
hand on the brake, right one on the bottle, and couldn't change gears...
couldn't drop the bottle because of the people behind me (some of who
weren't great cyclists to start with)... so took off in 42/12 which was
a bit more painful than usual...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

2. Don't bother unclipping, just balance, then you're ready to go when
the light changes.

Track standing is great.. it's even greater now that I can't clip
in properly! There's still occasions though when I just can't hold
it together and I have to unclip.. that sucks.. coz then I stress
about trying to clip in.. hehehe I feel like such a newbie again. :-)

Yeah I get that on occasion too; on lots of occasions... like every time
I try... ahh, who cares, I'm a triathlete.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

2. Unclip and stay cool, calm and collected while you wait for the
lights to change. It is important to look good.

This is why it hurts so... Why do I always unclip when other
riders are behind me? Why do I get all the dodgy lights that
force me to unclip and then go green as soon as I put a foot
down.. why why why?!

And impatient motorists behind you, that's the other one.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Of course, the seasoned pros wouldn't do that... but it's a good
workaround. If you get up the front of the lights, you could hang on to
the pole to balance so you don't need to unclip...

Just don't miss it! Ahh.. arrrr!.. CLANG... owww...

My deepest most secret fear is now public.

tam

"Timmy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ok, this must be the hardest thing to do on a bike.

How do you season pro's tackle a hill start fromm a red light, whilst
using
clippless pedals, and I am talking about a fairly steep hill ?

Looking forward to some tips.
Tim

I try not to unclip as my pedals are dodgy and are a pain to clip in..
Also my smallest gear is a 21 so taking off from a standing start uphill
aint easy🙁
If i have to unclip, i usually do the one foot pedal to at least get some
momentum, then try clip in.
Another way is to do the snowboard/ski thing and stop while facing a bit of
an angle rather than directly up the hill, so you try to minimize the
rollback..

my two sons 12 & 14 both can track stand at lights.....me I unclip......I
wish i could track stand thou.....

TP

quote='Tamyka Bell'Timmy said:

Ok, this must be the hardest thing to do on a bike.

How do you season pro's tackle a hill start fromm a red light, whilst using
clippless pedals, and I am talking about a fairly steep hill ?

Looking forward to some tips.
Tim

1. Make sure you change to a nice easy gear as you approach.

2. Don't bother unclipping, just balance, then you're ready to go when
the light changes.

Hmmmm, no, I can't do that either. But seasoned pros do, I've seen 'em.
Okay, then change the second one

2. Unclip and stay cool, calm and collected while you wait for the
lights to change. It is important to look good.

3. Make sure your pedal is in the 1 o'clock position before you push
off, then...

4. The foolproof bit - DON'T WORRY ABOUT CLIPPING IN THE OTHER FOOT.
Focus on pulling up with the one that's clipped in instead (yep you will
want to be in the saddle for this). If you're lucky, the other one will
just slip into place but if it doesn't, worry about it on your next
downstroke.

Of course, the seasoned pros wouldn't do that... but it's a good
workaround. If you get up the front of the lights, you could hang on to
the pole to balance so you don't need to unclip...

T[/QUOTE]
One thing that makes this a bit less difficult (besides lots of practice) is to be sitting on the seat before you start off (usually means having just the toe of the unclipped shoe on the road, unless your seat's way low or you're right next to the kerb). If you're already on the saddle, the whole "push on clipped-in pedal with one foot while finding unclipped pedal with other" is much smoother. If you're off the seat when you set off, then everything tends to jerk around as you push yourself back and up onto the saddle at the same time as flailing for that (*&$&^ unclipped pedal.

TP said:

my two sons 12 & 14 both can track stand at lights.....me I unclip......I
wish i could track stand thou.....

TP

If they're really good at it, maybe you can prop between them, get them
to hold you up...

:-) T

Timmy said:

Ok, this must be the hardest thing to do on a bike.

How do you season pro's tackle a hill start fromm a red light, whilst using
clippless pedals, and I am talking about a fairly steep hill ?

Looking forward to some tips.
Tim

WARNING WARNING DANGER WILL ROBINSON, FLAME BAIT FOLLOWING ...
err don't stop at the red light.

DaveB "alternatively just stop at the red light, fail to unclip, and
just fall down"

great idea.....Ill suggest it as i pay for their racing noms each week &
never see my share of prize money from them they will have no choice

tp

"Tamyka Bell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

TP said:

my two sons 12 & 14 both can track stand at lights.....me I

unclip......I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

wish i could track stand thou.....

TP

If they're really good at it, maybe you can prop between them, get them
to hold you up...

:-) T

TP said:

great idea.....Ill suggest it as i pay for their racing noms each week &
never see my share of prize money from them they will have no choice

tp

"Tamyka Bell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

TP said:

my two sons 12 & 14 both can track stand at lights.....me I

unclip......I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

wish i could track stand thou.....

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

TP

If they're really good at it, maybe you can prop between them, get them
to hold you up...

:-) T

All of this does lead to the question I've been asking myself over the last few days (since I got the new bike) which is what do clipless pedals do that toeclips don't? My toeclips seem to hold onto my shoes pretty well, and they're pretty easy to get in and out of even since I tightened them up so that they're reasonably snug. I sort of like the idea of getting proper shoes and pedals, but wonder whether the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Don't go up steep hills with traffic lights!🙂

It's a bit like the old joke:-

Doctor doctor, my leg hurts when I bend it, what should I do?

Keep it straight!

Seriously though, I cant think of any other tips. It's one of my phobias too. Maybe theres a name for it?

"Resound" <[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

TP wrote:
>
> my two sons 12 & 14 both can track stand at lights.....me I

unclip......I wish i could track stand thou.....

Practise.

Quoted message said:

All of this does lead to the question I've been asking myself over the
last few days (since I got the new bike) which is what do clipless
pedals do that toeclips don't? My toeclips seem to hold onto my shoes
pretty well, and they're pretty easy to get in and out of even since I
tightened them up so that they're reasonably snug. I sort of like the
idea of getting proper shoes and pedals, but wonder whether the money
could be better spent elsewhere.

You can't have it both ways.. either your feet are strapped
down hard or it is easy to get out. If it is easy for you to get
out of them, then it doesn't sound like they are as tight as
they could be. What shoes do you use? Proper shoes have
stiff soles (mmm carbon..) which doesn't soak up any of your
power in compressing foam/rubber/air(tm)/gel(tm) of runners.
Proper shoes have better strap system so you can lock your
foot down tight without restricting blood flow. Better power
transmission, lower risk of pulling your foot out. This sort of
stuff is obviously more of a concern to Sean Eadie than
wreck psychs (recreational cyclists).

hippy
"now with 2% more power to the pedals!"

"Dej" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I try not to unclip as my pedals are dodgy and are a pain to clip in..
Also my smallest gear is a 21 so taking off from a standing start uphill
aint easy🙁

I thought you were going to swap that for a 23T or 25T?
How are you finding it?

hippy

hippy said:

"Resound" <[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

TP wrote:
>
> my two sons 12 & 14 both can track stand at lights.....me I

unclip......I wish i could track stand thou.....

Practise.

Quoted message said:

All of this does lead to the question I've been asking myself over the
last few days (since I got the new bike) which is what do clipless
pedals do that toeclips don't? My toeclips seem to hold onto my shoes
pretty well, and they're pretty easy to get in and out of even since I
tightened them up so that they're reasonably snug. I sort of like the
idea of getting proper shoes and pedals, but wonder whether the money
could be better spent elsewhere.

You can't have it both ways.. either your feet are strapped
down hard or it is easy to get out. If it is easy for you to get
out of them, then it doesn't sound like they are as tight as
they could be. What shoes do you use? Proper shoes have
stiff soles (mmm carbon..) which doesn't soak up any of your
power in compressing foam/rubber/air(tm)/gel(tm) of runners.
Proper shoes have better strap system so you can lock your
foot down tight without restricting blood flow. Better power
transmission, lower risk of pulling your foot out. This sort of
stuff is obviously more of a concern to Sean Eadie than
wreck psychs (recreational cyclists).

hippy
"now with 2% more power to the pedals!"

At the ball of the foot, which is after all the bit that sits on the pedal, there's not much movement up/down or side to side, but I can slide the shoes in and out of the straps fairly easily. The shoes are Dunlop Volleys, so they do have a rubber sole, but it's pretty thin so there's not much squish. I could certainly make them tighter, but not for use on public roads. I suspect that a) I'd find the difference if I used proper shoes/pedals and/or b) I'm not really getting anything like as much out of the upstroke as I should and/or c) other points about my untutored, untrained cycling suck so hard that while shoes/pedals would make a difference, there are other things that I really need to attend to as well to start moving along at a decent rate.

Timmy said:

Ok, this must be the hardest thing to do on a bike.

How do you season pro's tackle a hill start fromm a red light, whilst using
clippless pedals, and I am talking about a fairly steep hill ?

Looking forward to some tips.
Tim

Move to Perth.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

hippy said:

"Resound" <[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

> > TP wrote:
> > >
> > > my two sons 12 & 14 both can track stand at lights.....me I
> unclip......I wish i could track stand thou.....

Practise.

Quoted message said:

All of this does lead to the question I've been asking myself over

the

Quoted message said:

last few days (since I got the new bike) which is what do clipless
pedals do that toeclips don't? My toeclips seem to hold onto my

shoes

Quoted message said:

pretty well, and they're pretty easy to get in and out of even since

I

Quoted message said:

tightened them up so that they're reasonably snug. I sort of like

the

Quoted message said:

idea of getting proper shoes and pedals, but wonder whether the

money

Quoted message said:

could be better spent elsewhere.

You can't have it both ways.. either your feet are strapped
down hard or it is easy to get out. If it is easy for you to get
out of them, then it doesn't sound like they are as tight as
they could be. What shoes do you use? Proper shoes have
stiff soles (mmm carbon..) which doesn't soak up any of your
power in compressing foam/rubber/air(tm)/gel(tm) of runners.
Proper shoes have better strap system so you can lock your
foot down tight without restricting blood flow. Better power
transmission, lower risk of pulling your foot out. This sort of
stuff is obviously more of a concern to Sean Eadie than
wreck psychs (recreational cyclists).

hippy
"now with 2% more power to the pedals!"

At the ball of the foot, which is after all the bit that sits on the
pedal, there's not much movement up/down or side to side, but I can
slide the shoes in and out of the straps fairly easily. The shoes are
Dunlop Volleys, so they do have a rubber sole, but it's pretty thin so
there's not much squish. I could certainly make them tighter, but not
for use on public roads. I suspect that a) I'd find the difference if I
used proper shoes/pedals and/or b) I'm not really getting anything like
as much out of the upstroke as I should and/or c) other points about my
untutored, untrained cycling suck so hard that while shoes/pedals would
make a difference, there are other things that I really need to attend
to as well to start moving along at a decent rate.

One text I've came across described methods to get the most of your
spin, can't remember where it was though 🙁
One was the description of "an action similar to scraping your boot
across a shovel" referring to the bottom of the stroke.
I cannot see how toe straps could be used confidently with this method
as you'd probably pull straight out...

I've been using clipless now for two years (SPD) and would not go back.
The convenience and ease of getting feet in (usually) is much easier
IMHO than flipping pedals and getting shoes inside straps.
Most times, once you get used to them is simply stomp on the pedal and
you are connected. Stopping is just as easy, just twist the foot away
from the frame and your out.
The only incident where I found my feet still in the pedals is once I
stopped and forgot to unclip and gracefully toppled sideways. Every more
adventurous incident I have found the feet magically detached from the
pedals with no concious effort.

Cheers Ray