Frustrated >:(

[Melonfish]

loosen your clips so that you can pull your feet out without having to twist too much or at all, then as you get used to them tighten them up.

 

[Old Plodder]

Mostly good advice above, practice just clipping in & out in a quiet place away from other people, it will come.

 

[DefBref]

It sounds to me you think the 'correct' way to unclip is left first. Thats not necessarily true, unclip with whatever feels natural to you first, if thats the right then so be it.

People recommend left first so you are leaning away from traffic (in the UK), but it doesn't really matter. If you are struggling unclipping left you may well fall into traffic by leaning right.

 

[Hardrock93]

I had my my first ride out with SPD pedals fitted last weekend. 15 miles in and after many clippings in and out with no problems, I was feeling pretty damned smug. Moments later I was to be found lying in an undignified heap under the bike. As I toppled through those 90 degrees, in what seemed like slow motion, it crossed my mind to wonder how my late-fifties body would take to bouncing off the tarmac. Gratifyingly well, as it turned out.

 

[lesley_x]

So there is hope then? I think the block is probably a psychological one tbh.

I have absolutely no issue getting in and out the pedals, clipping and unclipping is fine. It's just leaning the right way and consciously putting the correct foot down. I just panic.

 

[Chris1983]

What bike, pedals and shoes have you got?

The bike bit may seem a bit irrelevant but I was nervous of spd's to start with but learnt on a MTB with caged SPD pedals and MTB shoes. I found this a lot easier to start with and gets the confidence up.
the MTB is more stable than a road bike and the cages pedals means that you can unclip and keep pedaling with the cleats out as you slow and approach your stop.

After a year of riding my mountain bike clipped in the first time I rode my road bike I found stopping and unclipping more of a challenge...braking, changing gear and unclipping seems to be rushed and unstable the first few times and I was glad that I was comfortable and confident being clipped to a bike at that point, other wise I could have ended up in a heap.

Keep at it and you'll master it

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I found that if I stayed sat on the saddle after unclipping there was still a chance I would fall the wrong way, so I now use another method.

Unclip well in advance, but as I come to a stop, slide right forward off the saddle completely so it's like I'm stepping down to the ground with my unclipped foot. It has never failed so far.

Yes, I do something similar. As I approach a red light, I unclip several metres in advance, then slide forward off the saddle, and put the unclipped foot on the ground, all in one smooth, coordinated sequence. It's not only practical, it looks good .

 

[boydj]

Good advice above. Also, if you could be more comfortable unclipping the right foot first, then do that - we all have one foot that's more natural for unclipping. What foot do you put down naturally if you are not clipped in?

 

[screenman]

[QUOTE 2884993, member: 30090"]Sounds to me like you are leaving it far too late. I clip out a good 3-4 metres before I have to stop, sometimes longer, never when I've actually stopped.

Go and find somewhere quiet that is on a bit of a hill and just coast down the hill practising.[/quote]
Completely agree, although I just assumed everybody would do this without being told.

I learned about clipping in and out very quickly, well you tend to when you ride a cross race the day after buying your first pair. That was about 23 years ago, but I can remember the excitement.