First SPD Experience!

Only a few miles round to the shops and back, and not a huge amount of
traffic to contend with but I completely failed to mess up and land on
my face this time. Some wouldn't agree but I think that's a positive
thing ;o) You lot really did have me worried about this.

It felt pretty good though. Not sure I like it yet but I'll keep with
it for a while.

Chris
--
Chris Eilbeck

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

Quoted message said:

Chris Eilbeck said:

Only a few miles round to the shops and back, and not a huge amount of
traffic to contend with but I completely failed to mess up and land on
my face this time.

That's OK. It's not normally on the first outing - it's the occasion
with most potential for embarrassment when the clipless fairy strikes.

Exactly what I was going to say ... it's the moment when you've forgotten
that you are wearing them that you go. After 5 years of having them, I
almost went again last week.

Ian Smith said:

Chris Eilbeck said:

Only a few miles round to the shops and back, and not a huge amount of
traffic to contend with but I completely failed to mess up and land on
my face this time.

That's OK. It's not normally on the first outing - it's the occasion
with most potential for embarrassment when the clipless fairy strikes.

It's when you get to the stage that you think you've got it cracked. My
moment happened behind the number 94 bus going west along Bayswater
Road. :-( The shame of it all.
--
Chris

On 02/06/2006 21:24, Chris Slade said,

Quoted message said:

It's when you get to the stage that you think you've got it cracked. My
moment happened behind the number 94 bus going west along Bayswater
Road. :-( The shame of it all.

I've been clipless for a bit over a month, and haven't fallen off yet.
I've gone from "why bother with clipless?" to "why didn't I do it
before?" in that time. My only narrow escape so far was when getting
home tonight, and seeing that the recycling people had taken my green
bag around to the back of the house. I was so surprised that I forgot to
unclip when I stopped, and had that brief moment of panic! At least
no-one would have seen me if I had fallen off, except my cat!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd said:

bag around to the back of the house. I was so surprised that I forgot to
unclip when I stopped, and had that brief moment of panic! At least
no-one would have seen me if I had fallen off, except my cat!

There you are then. Of _course_ you won't fall off if there's no-one
to see you.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Response to Ian Smith:

Quoted message said:

At least

Quoted message said:

no-one would have seen me if I had fallen off, except my cat!

There you are then. Of _course_ you won't fall off if there's no-one
to see you.

And if the cat is like any cat I've known, Paul falling off in front of
it would in no way alter its opinion of humans in general and its owner
in particular.

--
Mark, UK
"My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I am right."

Mark McNeill said:

Response to Ian Smith:

Quoted message said:

At least

Quoted message said:

no-one would have seen me if I had fallen off, except my cat!

There you are then. Of _course_ you won't fall off if there's
no-one to see you.

And if the cat is like any cat I've known, Paul falling off in front
of it would in no way alter its opinion of humans in general and its
owner in particular.

Are cats actually physically able to tut? I've no proof but I'm
certain they do even if they can't.

Chris
--
Chris Eilbeck

Mark McNeill said:

Response to Ian Smith:

Quoted message said:

At least

Quoted message said:

no-one would have seen me if I had fallen off, except my cat!

There you are then. Of _course_ you won't fall off if there's no-one
to see you.

And if the cat is like any cat I've known, Paul falling off in front of
it would in no way alter its opinion of humans in general and its owner
in particular.

s/owner/staff/

...d

Chris Eilbeck came up with the following;:

Quoted message said:

Only a few miles round to the shops and back, and not a huge amount of
traffic to contend with but I completely failed to mess up and land on
my face this time. Some wouldn't agree but I think that's a positive
thing ;o) You lot really did have me worried about this.

Rest assured, no-one else is worried, just waiting for that fateful post ..
'cos it _will_ come. 'The Fall' happens generally in front of people you'd
really rather impress than appear somewhat akin to a fool.

Quoted message said:

It felt pretty good though. Not sure I like it yet but I'll keep with
it for a while.

I took to them very quickly, though I'd been riding with straps for years.
A friend took about three weeks of solid riding to become familiar and happy
with them. It's worth persevering.

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!!

Paul Boyd said:

On 02/06/2006 21:24, Chris Slade said,

Quoted message said:

It's when you get to the stage that you think you've got it cracked. My
moment happened behind the number 94 bus going west along Bayswater
Road. :-( The shame of it all.

I've been clipless for a bit over a month, and haven't fallen off yet.
I've gone from "why bother with clipless?" to "why didn't I do it
before?" in that time. My only narrow escape so far was when getting
home tonight, and seeing that the recycling people had taken my green
bag around to the back of the house. I was so surprised that I forgot to
unclip when I stopped, and had that brief moment of panic! At least
no-one would have seen me if I had fallen off, except my cat!

That wasn't the cat! That was the clipless fairy watching you and
planning the next strike!

Cats are so bloody inscrutable in positions like this. "Clipless
pedals, you wouldn't catch me using that tripe. Bet he falls off".

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

Quoted message said:

Only a few miles round to the shops and back, and not a huge amount of
traffic to contend with but I completely failed to mess up and land on
my face this time. Some wouldn't agree but I think that's a positive
thing ;o) You lot really did have me worried about this.

It felt pretty good though. Not sure I like it yet but I'll keep with
it for a while.

It's when you stop unexpectedly that it gets you. My first ride with SPDs, I
got flagged down by an old woman for directions for the first time EVER.
Promptly tried to set off with the left foot clipped in and fell into a
hedge (normally set off with my right foot, and was somehow hoping to
balance long enough to clip in my right foot)...

Mark McNeill said the following on 02/06/2006 23:05:

Quoted message said:

And if the cat is like any cat I've known, Paul falling off in front of
it would in no way alter its opinion of humans in general and its owner
in particular.

Very true! I fell down the stairs a while ago, which was embarassing in
itself, but when I looked back up my cat was sitting their neatly with
/that/ look on his face!

You know what they say, "Dogs have owners, cats have staff!".

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul - [censored] said the following on 03/06/2006 08:14:

Quoted message said:

I took to them very quickly, though I'd been riding with straps for
years. A friend took about three weeks of solid riding to become
familiar and happy with them. It's worth persevering.

Same here - straps for 20 years first must have helped. It did take me
a lot of trial and error to get the cleats just right, but now using
clipless is second nature (i.e., the dangerous stage!)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Chris Eilbeck said:

Only a few miles round to the shops and back, and not a huge amount of
traffic to contend with but I completely failed to mess up and land on
my face this time. Some wouldn't agree but I think that's a positive
thing ;o) You lot really did have me worried about this.

It felt pretty good though. Not sure I like it yet but I'll keep with
it for a while.

The first ride is generally ok. And the ride after that, and the one
after that...

Beware the ride where you stop thinking OMG! CLIPLESS! *That's* when
you stop slowly at the lights and keel over with a mob of bemused peds
all gazing at your perplexity.

Ian Smith said:

Paul Boyd said:

bag around to the back of the house. I was so surprised that I forgot to
unclip when I stopped, and had that brief moment of panic! At least
no-one would have seen me if I had fallen off, except my cat!

There you are then. Of _course_ you won't fall off if there's no-one
to see you.

But if you _do_ fall off with no one to see you, make sure you do it
in a forest, so it won't make any noise either.

Tim