Clipless

[Smokin Joe]

I've used clipless pedals since they came out and never had a problem, rode fixed extensively in my youth and took to it like a duck to water. However, never having used clipless on a fixed I've been practicing on the turbo and I am a bit worried about clipping in to a rotating pedal, at the moment needing a few stabs before I get the cleat engaged. How easy did people find it to master out on the road?

 

[Sharky]

Not too difficult. On some rides, there is somebody to hold me up, so I can get my feet in and then they shout 5-4-3-2-1 and let go.

 

[Sharky]

Seriously though, just pedal slowly for the first rotation. If you miss, you can use the other leg to propel yourself until the pedal comes round and you can try again.

 

[Hugh Manatee]

Found it easy too. I use Time pedals. Stopping in less distance than a super tanker is my issue with fixed.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Single sided shimano click R's on my fixed, only put clipless on it a couple of years ago, no problems so far, as others have said get clipped in as soon as possible, whilst the pedals are moving slowly.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Single sided shimano click R's on my fixed, only put clipless on it a couple of years ago, no problems so far, as others have said get clipped in as soon as possible, whilst the pedals are moving slowly.

Cheers all, I'm probably just a bit nervous about it at the moment. I'm still a couple of weeks away from being able to ride on the road anyway so I'll have time to practice on the turbo.

 

[HLaB]

Not perfect but its always been my tact with the fixed and free bikes to be able to pedal a bit unclipped if I miss and clip in later.

 

[colly]

Never seemed to be a problem if I'm honest. I sometimes miss but just a couple of rotations and I can find it ok. Uphill if I miss can be interesting.

 

[Slick]

You'll probably get it more first time than you would imagine.

 

[Kempstonian]

I've never ridden fixed with clipless pedals but I never found it much of a problem with toeclips. If it was a bit tricky I would find a convenient lamppost or wall to hold onto while I clipped in. Didn't happen very often though. Another trick was to start with my left pedal on top of the kerb (if it was the right height)... left foot in the clip, straddle the bike and put the right foot in the clip and then just ride away.

 

[rogerzilla]

It's easy. The pedal is always where you expect it!

(I thought this was going to be a thread of the advisability of clipless for certain styles of fixed riding; apparently they're not ideal for skid stops because your feet can come out when you kick back hard).

 

[Ian H]

Touring, audax and fixed, I use single-sided SPDs. For me they're the easiest to get into first time; they seem to hang just right and the cleat connects easily.
In the days before clipless I used toeclips and shoe-plates. Stopping with the straps tight took a little forethought.

 

[12boy]

When I rode fixed it was always with SPDs and felt more secure knowing my foot wouldn't slip off the pedal, especially when standing up to climb a hill. My downfall, literally, was forgetting to unclip as I approached a stop, winding up with my foot in a place where unclipping wasn't easy and slowly toppling over, to the amusement of anyone who happened to see this. Nice to be able to pickup the rear wheel by lifting with a foot clipped in to a pedal..

 

[mangid]

I've always ridden single sided SPD's on the fixed, never had any real issues. Left foot always stays clipped in, right foot invariably engages on first / second turn very rarely mess up. Mostly though I've become pretty proficient at track standing, and gauging speed so I don't have to unclip ...

 

[fossala]

I'm using Look blades my Bob Jackson and PD-520 on my Specialized singlecross. I wouldn't say I find either any harder than on a bike with a freewheel.