Twonks and cleats

[MattDB]

Only time it's happened to me was a loose cleat on new shoes, couldn't get my foot out

Ref difficulty clipping in, double sided SPD pedals help a lot

Yes I use these, when I can't get clipped in fast I can still pedal reasonably elegantly!

My bad habit is waiting at lights and leaning beyond my centre of gravity on my clipped in foot side and then panicking and overcompensating back to my unclipped side.

I forgot to dry my wet cycle shoes after a ride a couple of weeks back and had to cycle on the flat sides with my trainers the next morning, felt really unsafe now I'm used to clips.

 

[Andy_R]

My clippless moment was crossing over the Chainbridge on the River Tweed. I'd got over and was about to start climbing out of the valley, when an elderly couple going the other way stopped and asked for directions. Without thinking, I stopped, and then started to gently reposition myslef over the front of thier car whilst gently swearing....

 

[MattDB]

My clippless moment was crossing over the Chainbridge on the River Tweed. I'd got over and was about to start climbing out of the valley, when an elderly couple going the other way stopped and asked for directions. Without thinking, I stopped, and then started to gently reposition myslef over the front of thier car whilst gently swearing....

Beautiful bridge though!

 

[Andy_R]

Beautiful bridge though!

oh yes, and the cakes at the honey farm are out of this world.......just thinking about them makes me nomnomnom......

 

[kelbel159]

Hmmm, I was considering looking into getting cleats but, although these posts have made me laugh, they have also put me off

 

[Spinney]

It doesn't always happen when you first start using them. Not to me anyway.

It can happen some time later, though - once in front of a very nice lady in a small car who was waiting to overtake me (I was strugging up a hill), and was very worried when she saw my slow motion descent to tarmac. In fact, all that was hurt both times was my dignity. Thankfully no yoofs with iphones were in evidence either time!

 

[On the huh]

I've read various posts of people having clipless moments and although being fairly new to clipless pedals thought "it's not really that difficult to unclip them is it?"

Clearly I "spoke too soon", as it were, as yesterday I had my own clipless moment. I was out on a ride and stopped to blow my nose and have a drink, I uncipped one foot and was standing astride the bike when I simply overbalanced and fell into the verge with one foot still clipped in.

Fortunately, no one was around to have a good laugh at my misfortune. That'll teach me to judge others

 

[mjr]

Hmmm, I was considering looking into getting cleats but, although these posts have made me laugh, they have also put me off

I know what you mean. I don't use them because I hate the idea of avoidable crashes (and I'm sure I'd forget I was clipped in without toeclips to remind me - not that I've used those for 20+ years now) and the effectiveness-for-efficiency benefit doesn't appeal enough.

 

[MattDB]

I know what you mean. I don't use them because I hate the idea of avoidable crashes (and I'm sure I'd forget I was clipped in without toeclips to remind me - not that I've used those for 20+ years now) and the effectiveness-for-efficiency benefit doesn't appeal enough.

I've thought about this and I feel that there are some safety benefits from having feet clipped in - especially with wet slippery pedals. That might be a personal thing though.

 

[kelbel159]

I've thought about this and I feel that there are some safety benefits from having feet clipped in - especially with wet slippery pedals. That might be a personal thing though.

I must admit that I have had a couple of slippery moment's on pedals recently

 

[mjr]

I've thought about this and I feel that there are some safety benefits from having feet clipped in - especially with wet slippery pedals. That might be a personal thing though.

Good shoe soles and good grippy rubber pedals (such as Union LU868s) makes slipping rare.

 

[Hip Priest]

Got to agree with @ianrauk here. I've managed to avoid the dreaded clipless fall. My advice to newbies is to be mindful for the first few rides, and then it'll become second nature. They're 'dangerous' in the same way my car is dangerous if I leave it with the handbrake off. But I don't.

 

[sutts]

I know what you mean. I don't use them because I hate the idea of avoidable crashes (and I'm sure I'd forget I was clipped in without toeclips to remind me - not that I've used those for 20+ years now) and the effectiveness-for-efficiency benefit doesn't appeal enough.

I so agree. Each to their own, but I had an incident earlier in the year, that whilst funny, was also potentially very serious. I was at a cross roads, car opposite, I thought he was going to let me go, he thought the same, we both started to move...as the bike started to lean to the right, I had to brake hard. There was no way that I could possibly get my foot out in time, it was just a fraction of a second and I fell to the floor, with the car opposite just a few feet away from my head!.

I guess, taking my right foot out a right junction would have helped, but I got used to the left foot out of habit. Personally, for me, never again, but as I say, each to their own!

 

[Profpointy]

in the interests of balance (see what I did there) I can certainky recall falling off or skinning my chins due to feet coming off the pedals before I adopted toe clips and straps (it was a while ago) so there are safety pros as well as cons

 

[adamangler]

It SHOULD still happen occasionally no matter how long youve been riding, you only have to get the bike going the wrong way with your foot still clipped in and your snookered. Luckily it only happens when stopped or going very slowly