Clipless for commuting

[Leodis]

Hello all,
I am pretty new to road bikes and drops as well as clipless, I am getting there with clipping in on longer rides on my best bike but what is getting to me is the commute. I have to cycle through Leeds center and back and so go through 15-20 sets of lights over my commute and tbh its starting to annoy me the clipping in, the times when I miss or it doesnt "click" in with traffic around and this week my foot slipped and my nads took the full force of the steal top tube!!

Should I go back to flats for the commute and keep the SPD SL on the road bike for weekends?

 

[Spinney]

Why not get double sided pedals - clippy thing* on one side, flat on the other. If you already have pedals with clippy bits on both sides, you can get flats that clip into them. They even come with pedal reflectors!**

*this is a technical term you may not have come across before

** I realise that this will not be a plus point for many people!

 

[smokeysmoo]

Should I go back to flats for the commute?

Not IMO, the more you do it the easier it will become, and then one day it'll just become second nature.

You can also practice timing your approach to lights and junctions to limit the amount of unclipping required.

 

[Kies]

I use Shimano M324 dual sided pedals. Sometimes i need to wear trainers (flat side) sometimes i can wear cycling shoes and clip in.
SPD-SL is best kept for longer rides on the weekend.

 

[helston90]

Keep at it- you'll get better at doing it reliably, and also your track standing ability will improve.
Clipless are so much better in the wet as well as your feet stay firmly connected to the pedals.

 

[MrGrumpy]

could not commute without being clipped in, and I use SPD-SL cleats. Learn to track stand and it doesn`t matter about clipping in and out

 

[Gez73]

I only wear spd pedals and mbt shoes with recessed cleats. Stick with your set-up. It'll become second nature to you in no time. Fortunately I began wearing clipless in Summer when the weather was better and there was more light. Second nature to me now but did fall over the other week having underestimated a drivers need to stop! Very few traffic lights on my commute too so I get to concentrate on the pedalling.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Stick with them, I could not cycle anywhere without them anymore, for fear of my foot slipping off the pedal, best biking invention since the rubber tyre!

 

[Leodis]

I commuted for the past two years on flats and not slipped... Grrrr thanks for the responses

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

I have Clipless on all my bikes but prefer standard SPDs for the commute as they are so much easier to get in and out off given the amount of stops or slow riding necessary - using the new CX fir the commute.
On my roadie it's SPD-SL

 

[gaz]

Take your time, you'll get used to it. I use SPD-SL through London and have over 120 traffic lights to go through.

A top tip to avoid the issue with the nads. When setting off, have your pedal at 2 o'clock. Put all your weight on it when wanting to move and get your ass straight onto the saddle, then clip in, that way if you mess up you don't land on them. Then you can get up and out of the saddle to accelerate.

 

[gaz]

I have Clipless on all my bikes but prefer standard SPDs for the commute as they are so much easier to get in and out off given the amount of stops or slow riding necessary - using the new CX fir the commute.
On my roadie it's SPD-SL

Which is easier is dependent on which you prefer. I definitely find getting into my SPD-SL's a lot easier than my SPD's

 

[sreten]

Should I go back to flats for the commute and keep the SPD SL on the road bike for weekends?

Hi, Why not ? I get on fine with flats on my folder and toeclips on my road bike, rgds, sreten.

 

[buggi]

stick with it mate, it will become 2nd nature. i used to find the towns hard when i first started. Now i don't even think about it. You might want to release a bit of tension on the pedal though (there is a little screw) so that it is easier to clip in and out while you're new to it.

 

[HLaB]

I find spds are better for commuting, with unexpected stops it easy to pull your dominant foot to the position to push off. I like to use an SPD pedal with a cage, keep the dominant foot clipped in and often the other isn't until I get to a clear section.