slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
I lasted six minutes on my first clipless outing. I had three more over the next couple of months.
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I have just introduced my lad (he's 41 
) to clipless, he has read all the warnings and asked me for advice, his first rides have gone OK and he likes them, I have warned him the surprise may come when he stops thinking about them, I find it hard to give advice, I have been using clipless since early (1980's Look road pedals) so its all second nature to me, I use double sided SPD MTB pedals on all my bikes, so I did advise him to use these.
) to clipless, he has read all the warnings and asked me for advice, his first rides have gone OK and he likes them, I have warned him the surprise may come when he stops thinking about them, I find it hard to give advice, I have been using clipless since early (1980's Look road pedals) so its all second nature to me, I use double sided SPD MTB pedals on all my bikes, so I did advise him to use these.
Not meNor @ianrauk
In my case I think it may come from years of using ye olde toeclips.
As to which foot I unclip first I'm not sure. I let my feet take care of that. I just asked them what they do and they're pretty sure they do right first.
You, me and plenty of others.
It's a complete fallacy that everyone 'has a moment' and it's certainnly not a 'rite of passage'.
It's now gone into Cycle Chat Bingo lore.
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
I've started back on the clipless this week, after 8 months away.
It was surprisingly easy - like I'd never stopped.
IT's when I go from clipless to flats I seem to struggle for a few days, especially trying to unclip
It was surprisingly easy - like I'd never stopped.
IT's when I go from clipless to flats I seem to struggle for a few days, especially trying to unclip
T675Rich
Senior Member
- Location
- Birmingham
My spd shoes and pedals are waiting for me at my local collect+ place, nervous about using them for the first time but I'll practice a bit at low speed by my house for a bit over the weekend.
T675Rich
Senior Member
- Location
- Birmingham
First commute in them and I seem to be getting on quite well with them, the only issue I had at the first stop was focusing too much on being unclipped that I didn't get into the right gear. The shoes are really comfortable although I need to adjust the cleat on the left shoe and the right was fine my left foot ached a little, just need to work out what the actual issue was. I have the tension dialled down to the minimum at the moment.
Where does the word dialled come from when used in this context, is it yet another Americanism along with Fenders and Decals, I know what it means, but saying I have the tension set to the minmum would have made more sense.
When people state, "I have all the settings for my bike dialled in correctly" it makes me cringe.
Rant over.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
The tension setting is a hex socket with a little curved double headed arrow stamped next to it. It looks like a dial.
You could say also "turned down", or "set" or "adjusted" to the minimum. People will still understand what you mean.
T675Rich
Senior Member
- Location
- Birmingham
I apologise, I seem to have annoyed you with my choice of words, I shall endeavour never to do it again. It is due to the markings on the pedal next to the tension screw looking like a dial's markings to me and the fact that like a dial the amount you turn it affects something rather than most screws being tightened up or not..
I find it harder to unclip the left foot as well, I am wondering if I need to rotate is slightly as well.
No you haven't annoyed me, and I can see where dialled could be used with a pedal with what looks like a dial, but people use "dialled in" when referring to setting the seat, handlebars etc, as in the expression, " the bike settings are dialled "
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Try unclipping using your right foot. For some people it does feel more natural.
Don't worry about the naysayers saying you should only unclip with your left. Do what YOU feel is comfortable.
A good tip is to sit on a table with your feet hanging down, check to see where your feet are naturally. Whether facing in or out and rotate the cleats to suit,
T675Rich
Senior Member
- Location
- Birmingham
It is only due to the dial like markings and movement I said that, I wouldn't say it for seat height etc.
I seem to naturally want to unclip the right foot when coming to a stop and that foot is fine, I just noticed it when getting off the bike that it seemed a little harder to do, that is not to say it was hard just more so than the right. I'll try the table thing, thanks.
T675Rich
Senior Member
- Location
- Birmingham
I moved the cleats back a little which seemed to help my feet but my knees, well sort of just on the inside of the knee almost onto the thigh, seemed to ache more. I did the table thing and my feet seem to flair out a little so I need to rotate the cleats a little but I also think my seat could be a little higher but I am only going to make one change at a time.
Had a couple of almost falls, both navigating shared use crossings on big roads, both times caught myself on the fence so fortunately not as embarrassing as it could be.
Had a couple of almost falls, both navigating shared use crossings on big roads, both times caught myself on the fence so fortunately not as embarrassing as it could be.
