Please help--new to clipping in

[kellylelly]

I have been riding for about a year, but didn't get a road bike until this spring. I have been holding off on getting shoes and clipless pedals becuase I was terrified of being strapped to the bike and falling over.

Well, I finally started clipping in about 2 days ago and have somewhat gotten a hold of it. I have a race in 2 weeks (I compete in triathlons) and biked the race course today. The course is 16.5 miles or so and the first ten are small hills/flat/down hills, but the last 6 miles are straight up hill, it is about 3 miles of sheer hills, some long and steep, some short and steep.

I was doing very well until I got to a very steep hill at mile 10. I didn't commit to the hill and couldn't get unclipped in time and I fell over. This happened about five times after this because I couldn't get clipped back in riding up the hill. Each time I encountered a hill I didn't think I could do, my immediate reaction was to jump off, but...still clipped.

I am very bruised and cut up. I have a triple crank bike. Any suggestions. By the way, I did this course last year with a city bike and was able to make it up some of the hills. I'm considereing trashing my road bike just for this race so that I don't kill myself. Does anyone have any advice, suggestions, or had a long learning curve when it came to learning how to clip in?

 

[dhk]

Suggest you practice clipping in and out just riding around on level ground, then on the road at stop signs, until it's automatic.

For hills, since you have a triple, I'd forget about the option of "jumping off" the bike, and start telling yourself you're going to ride up. Just go into your inner ring early, and your lowest gear, and climb slowly. If you decide you want to get off and take a break, no need to panic....just keep pedaling as you unclip one foot, then come to a stop. Good luck.

 

[keydates]

Do it on a trainer first. It'll give you an idea on how to clip/unclip, albeit it is a bit different. Also, try to unclip before you come to a stop/start wobbling.

 

[Aztec]

I have been riding for about a year, but didn't get a road bike until this spring. I have been holding off on getting shoes and clipless pedals becuase I was terrified of being strapped to the bike and falling over.

Well, I finally started clipping in about 2 days ago and have somewhat gotten a hold of it. I have a race in 2 weeks (I compete in triathlons) and biked the race course today. The course is 16.5 miles or so and the first ten are small hills/flat/down hills, but the last 6 miles are straight up hill, it is about 3 miles of sheer hills, some long and steep, some short and steep.

I was doing very well until I got to a very steep hill at mile 10. I didn't commit to the hill and couldn't get unclipped in time and I fell over. This happened about five times after this because I couldn't get clipped back in riding up the hill. Each time I encountered a hill I didn't think I could do, my immediate reaction was to jump off, but...still clipped.

I am very bruised and cut up. I have a triple crank bike. Any suggestions. By the way, I did this course last year with a city bike and was able to make it up some of the hills. I'm considereing trashing my road bike just for this race so that I don't kill myself. Does anyone have any advice, suggestions, or had a long learning curve when it came to learning how to clip in?

I'm going to sound mean here, but there's the bitter medicine anyway...

Commit to the hills. You have a triple. Unless you have a *really* tiny cassette in the back, there shouldn't be a hill in any triathlon you can't at least spin up in your lowest gear at a low speed.

To get better at in/out, nothing will help but practice. I made my wife clip in/out 20x in a row on a flat section of road the first time she rode. Maybe you should do it 100x on the flats before your next ride.

 

[gclark8]

I find it easier with the SPD pedals, I just bought PD-M540s, very easy to adjust the uncleat tension, and very easy to jump off, if you need to.

Another alternative for short course tri competitions is to use platlform pedals with toe clips.

I have MKS GR-9 Platform Pedal $39.95,
MKS Steel Toe Clips Medium $14.95
Zéfal Strapless Toe Clips-COPY Small/Medium $9.95 coming from Harris Cyclery (USA) for a Lady runner to use in her first Duathlon. She won't have a bar of cleats, large or small.

 

[keydates]

Is there any general rule for how often cleats should be tightened (ie every 150 miles or every 8 hours of riding), or is just a "feel" thing?

 

[Aztec]

Is there any general rule for how often cleats should be tightened (ie every 150 miles or every 8 hours of riding), or is just a "feel" thing?

I use Look, and find that I never need to tighten them. I have a few thousand miles on them now and they're fine.