pro,s and cons of clipless pedals



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den911

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May 14, 2003
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after years on toe clips tomorrow will be my first outing on clipless pedals my old shoes could be used after reluctantly peeling off half of sole or so it seemed , very strange thing to do when you have never done it before . got the concept after seeing cleats in place , can any one give me any tips on how best to use them or is it quite easy , or any advice of upgrades ie shoes to match pedals . thanks
 
> can any one give me any tips on how best to use them

You don't need them set on max tension. After two or three days, you'll find them very natural to
just clip into them. Don't experiment with thme in the garden as I did, it much earier to use them
when you have some space in which to play around. When I first got mine, I wound up with my face
jammed against the garden fence with the pedals set to max tension, unable to get out of them.
During the same practice session, I also found myself on the lawn lying on my back pedalling away
with the bike above me.

Other than this, they are great. They give you a really positive connection with the bike, and you
never slip out of them, no matter how wet the conditions. Just be wary on your first few outings.
 
Wow! So many typos. I must be concussed from Friday's face plant.

> You don't need them set on max tension. After two or three days, you'll find them very natural to
> just clip into them. Don't experiment with thme in the garden as I did, it much earier to use them
> when you have some space in which to play around. When I first got mine, I wound up with my face
> jammed against the garden fence with the pedals set to max tension, unable to get out of them.
> During the same practice session, I also found myself on the lawn lying on my back pedalling away
> with the bike above me.
>
> Other than this, they are great. They give you a really positive connection with the bike, and you
> never slip out of them, no matter how wet the conditions. Just be wary on your first few outings.
 
Originally posted by Simon
> can any one give me any tips on how best to use them

You don't need them set on max tension. After two or three days, you'll find them very natural to
just clip into them. Don't experiment with thme in the garden as I did, it much earier to use them
when you have some space in which to play around. When I first got mine, I wound up with my face
jammed against the garden fence with the pedals set to max tension, unable to get out of them.
During the same practice session, I also found myself on the lawn lying on my back pedalling away
with the bike above me.

Other than this, they are great. They give you a really positive connection with the bike, and you
never slip out of them, no matter how wet the conditions. Just be wary on your first few outings.
thanks for reply , and it happened i had to cross a dual carriage way on a pedestrian crossing didnt get clear run so had to stop in middle my natural reaction was to pull my foot back out my clips , forgot to move heel to the outside and over i went to the amusement of a driver in a ford escort estate with two kids in the back . safely home now . must admit they were very good to use despite sore shoulder
 
"den911" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> after years on toe clips tomorrow will be my first outing on clipless pedals my old shoes could be
> used after reluctantly peeling off half of sole or so it seemed , very strange thing to do when
> you have never done it before . got the concept after seeing cleats in place , can any one give me
> any tips on how best to use them or is it quite easy , or any advice of upgrades ie shoes to match
> pedals . thanks

Be careful. I fell off at least half a dozen times before I got the hang of them. It was worth it
though. I wouldn't be without them now.

Practise slipping out of them on a deserted road and, until you are used to them, slip out of them
any time there is a possibility you'll have to stop,
e.g. approaching junctions. Be extra careful to change down the gears before stopping.

Mark Burch
 
In message <[email protected]>, Mark Burch <[email protected]> writes
>
>"den911" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>> after years on toe clips tomorrow will be my first outing on clipless pedals my old shoes could
>> be used after reluctantly peeling off half of sole or so it seemed , very strange thing to do
>> when you have never done it before . got the concept after seeing cleats in place , can any one
>> give me any tips on how best to use them or is it quite easy , or any advice of upgrades ie shoes
>> to match pedals . thanks
>
>Be careful. I fell off at least half a dozen times before I got the hang of them. It was worth it
>though. I wouldn't be without them now.
>
>Practise slipping out of them on a deserted road and, until you are used to them, slip out of them
>any time there is a possibility you'll have to stop,
>e.g. approaching junctions. Be extra careful to change down the gears before stopping.
>
>Mark Burch
>
Good advice. I find the most disconcerting thing is stopping when going uphill. With toe clips this
has never been a problem. With clipless I have to put on a short burst in order to be able to coast
just long enough to release. Also, even with the tension set as low as possible, I suffered sore
ankles for a few days until I got the release action right. I only fell over twice and both falls
were on the very first day (going uphill on my drive!).
--
Michael MacClancy
 
Mark Burch wrote:

> "den911" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > after years on toe clips tomorrow will be my first outing on clipless pedals my old shoes could
> > be used after reluctantly peeling off half of sole or so it seemed , very strange thing to do
> > when you have never done it before . got the concept after seeing cleats in place , can any one
> > give me any tips on how best to use them or is it quite easy , or any advice of upgrades ie
> > shoes to match pedals . thanks
>
> Be careful. I fell off at least half a dozen times before I got the hang of them. It was worth it
> though. I wouldn't be without them now.

It took several years before I took the move to spds and now regret waiting so long.

> Practise slipping out of them on a deserted road and,

I set up the bike on the turbo trainer and sat there practising clipping in and out for several
evenings before venturing out. That was three years ago, and <touching wood> have only fallen off
once due to being clipped in. That was from a standstill and embarrassingly allowing my centre of
gravity to shift. Luckily it was onto a soft verge.

I used the same 'training method' with my children and my 10-year old is now competent using them.
Even my 8yr old daughter occasionally uses them, but only on grass.

> until you are used to them, slip out of them any time there is a possibility you'll have to stop,
> e.g. approaching junctions. Be extra careful to change down the gears before stopping.

Practice on grass choosing a place to stop and riding up to it pretending it is a real junction.

Once on clipless you'll never go back to toeclips and straps.

John B
 
On Mon, 9 Jun 2003 20:59:47 +0100, "Mark Burch" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Practise slipping out of them on a deserted road and, until you are used to them, slip out of them
>any time there is a possibility you'll have to stop,

I never had any trouble getting out of them

What caught me out was unclipping them too early, pedalling a bit, then finding that they'd
re-clipped themselves without me noticing (thud).
 
den911 <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> thanks for reply , and it happened i had to cross a dual carriage way on a pedestrian crossing
> didnt get clear run so had to stop in middle my natural reaction was to pull my foot back out my
> clips , forgot to move heel to the outside and over i went to the amusement of a driver in a ford
> escort estate with two kids in the back .

Oh well. At least falling off probably made it legal.

--
Dave...
 
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