unclipping on hiils

[Herlihy]

I just bought my first set of clipless pedals ( Speedplays light action) and after a couple of practice runs took them out on a hilly circuit around here.

The thing I find with these pedals is there a wide release angle so a little bit of time is need to swing foot outwards, and I do this with the foot at lowest point. On the flat or down hill no problem.I can do it whilist coasting to stop.But it is hilly around here and a number of hills top out at road junctions.

My problem is that if i can't unclip other than when foot is lowest point and I need to swivel the foot a fair degree, I can't get out. I can't 'coast' at the top.
Two falls yesterday on brows of hills.
I tried the third by leaving my left unclipped but my foot slipped harshly off the pedal.

Is it possible to unclip on hills, how is it done and are there better pedals for doing this. I wonder if the 15 degree release angle is the souce of my few bruises

Thanks

 

[gavintc]

Learn to unclip at other points of the pedal revolution.

 

[gavintc]

IMO, the harder part is getting clipped back in on a steep hill.

 

[Downward]

Not really thought about it but sounds like you need to build up some revs 1st. After you have clipped in a fair few times on the hills you will just sort of balance and unclip while stopped in one swift movement. It's all about practice

 

[Downward]

Or you could find the nearest lampost to lean on and then unclip until you can unclip without thinking about it.

 

[peanut]

I find that if I select my lowest gear ie 38x26 and approach the junction slowly I can usually balance for a few seconds to wait for a gap . This wouldn't work at traffic lights or a line of stationary vehicles of course .
I would suggest you get a pair of cheap double sided SPD's and cleats and try them. Sounds like the speedplays are more suitable for the flat open spaces and TT's

 

[Angelfishsolo]

+1

I find that if I select my lowest gear ie 38x26 and approach the junction slowly I can usually balance for a few seconds to wait for a gap . This wouldn't work at traffic lights or a line of stationary vehicles of course .
I would suggest you get a pair of cheap double sided SPD's and cleats and try them. Sounds like the speedplays are more suitable for the flat open spaces and TT's

 

[jayce]

i use speedplay light action i have no problem with getting in and out of them, when unclipping do it on the down stroke then its easy but clipping back on a hill is tricky .stick with it you will get used to them ,their one of the best pedals around ,imo,remember to give the cleats a light oiling that helps a quick release

 

[yello]

Unclipping on a hill is difficult Herlihy. It is possible the amount of float you have on the speedplays is making it more difficult than cleats with less float but, even so, I think it should become easier once you're more comfortable with the action of clipping out. It does become 2nd nature after a while and you should find yourself predicting and making allowances for circumstances (hills, junctions, etc) quite naturally and without panic.

Best advice I can give is to try and relax and let it come to you.... and practice on the flat!

 

[HLaB]

Not really thought about it but sounds like you need to build up some revs 1st. After you have clipped in a fair few times on the hills you will just sort of balance and unclip while stopped in one swift movement. It's all about practice

I've not really thought about it either, touch wood unclipping has only been a problem on the flat (clipless moment ). Clipping in on a hill can sometimes be hard with road shoes but isn't really a problem with spds.