Tips for using road shoes and cleats.

[lecabnoir]

So, I finally have my road shoes, pedals and cleats. I've figured out how to use them, I just need to get out of them a bit quicker.

I'm off out on a bike ride on Sunday with a group of friends so don't want to fall off in front on them....any tips for me peeps?

 

[derrick]

I can feel a clipless moment coming

lean up against a wall and practise in and out, good luck.

 

[lecabnoir]

Thanks Derrick. I meant to add that I have a cycle trainer to practice on so that should make it a bit easier for me. :-)

 

[cyberknight]

Practise while leaning against a wall, loosen the tension on the pedals to make unclipping easier without making it so its too loose to pedal comfortably.
practise being able to balance for a few seconds as if you came to a quick stop and then you can get your foot into your prefered unclip position and quickly enough to get your foot down.
I used to get clipless moments at junctions untill i learnt to do this.
Nothing will ever save you from an unexpected clipless moment but if you can read the road ahead and be prepared it will get easier.

 

[gaz]

• Always stop with the same foot on the ground, this becomes second nature and you will never fall on your 'weaker' side
• unclip before you need to stop, this may mean riding in heavy traffic with your foot resting on the pedal, a hard press will lock it in but you are free to pull it away easily.
• twist out with your heal and in with your toes. If you don't pivot around the cleat area or try to yank your foot out of the cleat, it will stay in.

 

[lecabnoir]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll have to wait until Sunday morning to practise them as I'll be busy up Snowdon tomorrow.

 

[mickle]

Don't just twist your foot to release - combine it with throwing your whole leg sideways. Much bigger muscle group = much greater release force.

 

[HLaB]

Start with a low tension to make all of the above easier and above all else relax it'll soon become second nature with practice.

 

[paulw1969]

all i can add to the above is as i am still learning with my shoes is that i slackened the tension right off on my cleats to start with and this helped me unclip more quickly......have only just tightened them up a little this last week. i have more problems getting clipped back in to be honest.
You will still have the odd moment where you get caught out I.E. you have to stop in a hurry due to traffic etc, you will be surprised how quickly you can unclip....its happened to me on my commute a couple of times this week and i have come close to having a clipless moment....try not to panic and you will be ok

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Remember to check the bolts on your cleats regularly to start with as a loose cleat may not show until you re unable to unclip.
As with others, set he tension o minimum to start with and unclip your safe leg well before a stop until it's second nature.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Anticipate. Don't panic.

 

[lecabnoir]

Well, I went tried out my clipless pedals...and yes I fell!! At every junction I remembered to unclip and in fact I came nowhere near forgetting. The bit that caught me out was when I coasted to a stop at the side of the road. I unclipped, moved in to the pavement, went to put my foot down and......bugger......it had clipped itself back in....oops.

 

[Boris Bajic]

If they are LOOK-style road cleats rather than SPDs, bear in mind that they can be slightly skittish and slippery on wet or oily tarmac.

If you're not careful it can all go a bit Newborn Bambi on a cold, wet day after you've been using them in the dry for a while.

 

[screenman]

I must have a different mindset to the rest of you as I can never remember a clipped in moment. As for learning to balance in case you get stuck forget that one spend the time practising getting in and out of the clips.

We are not talking rocket science just a slight twist and you are out, I dread to think how long it take to teach you guys something slightly complicated.

 

[Globalti]

It's fine until something goes wrong, which is when the brain reverts to the basics and can't understand why the foot won't unclip.

A rather disproportionate comparison but that's why AF447 fell out of the sky, the crew panicked and couldn't think.