Must be a really wide road if you cycle there.Have I mentioned I live across the road from a pub.
Using clipless pedals for the first time
- Thread starter markmcloughlin1
- Start date
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raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
vickster
Legendary Member
And a bottling once in a while? (After £20 worth of pints?)
BigMeatball
Senior Member
I'm about to switch from flat to clipless pedals (amazon order delivered like 10 minutes ago) and I'm planning to do quite a bit of practice. First I'll use my spd shoes on the wattbike just to get used to the ankle twisting motion, then I'll go out of town, in the countryside to try it for real on my bike. Less cars, less people around, I can do all the practice I need in a more relaxed environment. And where nobody will be able to see me falling on my fat ass 
CanucksTraveller
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
- Location
- Hertfordshire
You can overthink these things, and you can definitely read too much about it. And then if you're a worrier, you selectively remember all the comedy stories you've seen, the tales of trouble, and you easily convince yourself this must be a fiendishly difficult thing to learn, or like Skipdiver you convince yourself it's something for the hard core / demented cyclist only. In 1985? Maybe. But really, they're pretty commonplace now, they're not just for the hard core, and they're easy.
My wife only really started cycling at 38, unfit and overweight by her own admission, far, far from being a natural, and shaky on a bike to begin with. She went clipless early, within a couple of months. It took her a grand total of about 30 minutes or so of practice in the front room, propped against the wall. Her very first clipless ride (the next day) started with a tiny bit of nervousness, and a bit of fumbling to get the second foot in, then after that she enjoyed using them and wondered why so much is written about it. In her words, "they're like ski bindings really, but much easier".
Have a practice for a bit in benign surroundings by all means, but definitely don't overthink it. Just ride them.
My wife only really started cycling at 38, unfit and overweight by her own admission, far, far from being a natural, and shaky on a bike to begin with. She went clipless early, within a couple of months. It took her a grand total of about 30 minutes or so of practice in the front room, propped against the wall. Her very first clipless ride (the next day) started with a tiny bit of nervousness, and a bit of fumbling to get the second foot in, then after that she enjoyed using them and wondered why so much is written about it. In her words, "they're like ski bindings really, but much easier".
Have a practice for a bit in benign surroundings by all means, but definitely don't overthink it. Just ride them.
Mo1959
Legendary Member
- Location
- Perthshire,Scotland
If I can manage, anyone can. I’m not blessed with the best balance or co-ordination. I swore I would stick with flats but now all the bikes apart from the mtb have spd,s on. I actually find flat pedals awkward now. Touch wood, no topples!
anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
I object to the very first sentence – coasting is what it’s all about! Pedalling is a necessary evil.
Toeclips for me, even though I think they’re more likely to cause an off than clipless (and I don’t even cinch them tight).
12boy
Guru
- Location
- Casper WY USA
I've had quite few clipless moments, especially riding fixed, but now I disengage my right foot before I need to and sometimes both if riding on bumpy ice. I have 2 pair of the kind that are regular flat pedals on one side and clippers on the other for my favorite 2 bikes, so I can ride in bike shoes or Crocs or Sorel snow boots or flipflops as I wish. I use anti seize compound on the pedal threads so I can switch SPDs for flat pedals easily. My SPDs have held up well for many years, BTW. I am a grinder, not a spinner, and as such pull up as well as push down going up short steep hills. To open up another can of worms, I prefer stiff shoes to soft bendy ones and so my bike shoes have the SPD cleats attached. I recall the very light, very tight "italian" bike shoes with lead cleats and toe clips and don't miss those at all. We used to get them wet so they would stretch to fit and always reminded me of Chinese foot binding.
RoadRider400
Some bloke that likes cycling alone
Yes because those are utter bollox.
I'm having physio to try to get my knee to bend enough to be able to clip in again comfortably...I need at least 10 degrees, 20 would be perfect.
I'm ok on flats for short distances currently, but I'm meant to be doing a 100 in August and going that far with my heel or at best arch on the pedal is going to give me hip and ankle pain (all I can manage at present on the left side), while being clipped in will put my foot in a far better position.
Nothing to do with being a proper cyclist
What position can you achieve using clips that you cannot achieve with flat pedals?
BigMeatball
Senior Member
Riding fixed without being clipped in is particularly difficult when you hit a downhill stretch, and you don't see track riders that are not clipped in.
I'd advise anybody thinking of going clipless to do it first with mtb pedals,since they tend to be a lot easier to get in and out of than road pedals, with the benefit of being able to walk when you get off the bike, and therefore better for a commute. The learning curve is higher with road clipless.
Sterlo
Early Retirement Planning
- Location
- East Riding of Yorkshire
I'll second that. Went clipless early when I got back into cycling but didn't fancy road cleat as I like to be able to walk, so went MTB. Got the hang of unclipping quickly, only fell over twice, fortunately onto grass both times and nobody watching.
vickster
Legendary Member
I can’t pedal with the front of my foot (ie ball of foot just behind toes) which is where clipless positions the foot (even with cleats as far back as possible). I don’t have the required flexion to turn the pedal without excruciating pain. On flats, I can position the pedal below my arch or heel as less flexion is needed. However, that then affects other joints like hip and ankle
vickster
Legendary Member
Never done thatThe one where you lay on the road on your side still clipped in
