Keep coming off my road bike!

[voyager]

Reading back through the thread

Maybe the problem is the way you have routed the toe straps these should be inserted from the outside of the pedal go through the first hole until there is only an inch of strap left , then twist 1 turn before exiting , follow throught the hole in the clip and go into the " QR buckle/" DO NOT thread the free end and let hang ,

Using this method ( like most ex bikies of my era of the late sixties ) you can tug the strap tight if required and MORE IMPORTANT flick the qr release to get your feet out to stop . For general riding ( this is the method I use on the trikes now ) i keep the strap so I can get the foot in and out easily , this still stops the feet flying off and gives a limited benefit without feeling trapped .
( The twist stops the strap from moving through the pedal ) I have been using this method from the mid sixties and still 1/2 a century later I am still not using clipless pedals

regards emma

 

[lesley_x]

I had an off the first time I used clipless and ended up doing the splits the way one should not be able to do the splits I hobbled for weeks and swore off them.

Then last year I decided it was not going to beat me and I bought decent SPD shoes and double sided SPD pedals which have a platform and allow you to keep pedalling and get your speed up even if you can't get clipped in right away. I practiced over winter on the turbo trainer and practised putting my right foot at the bottom of the pedal rotation, sliding out of the saddle and putting my left foot down on the ground and vice versa. This built up a muscle memory. Then I took a friend with me to a big soft grassy park and practised there. I was visibly shaking at the knees I was so nervous, but it was absolutely fine and after five minutes we went on a ten miler round town No falls since and now it's second nature.

With enough determination it can be done but not everyone enjoys using clipless and that's no problem either.

I feel more in control being connected to the bike. It's not that I am faster just that I feel I have to think about and commit to what I'm doing more cause I can't put my foot down.

 

[Dommo]

Not sure if this has been mentioned previously but this sounds like too many things changing at the same time? Why not put the SPD pedals on the hybrid whilst you get used to them? You won't be worrying about the more unfamiliar-feeling road bike and will get used to the feel of the SPDs in no time on the bike already you know well. Once you feel you're happy with them swap them to the road bike.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Not sure if this has been mentioned previously but this sounds like too many things changing at the same time? Why not put the SPD pedals on the hybrid whilst you get used to them? You won't be worrying about the more unfamiliar-feeling road bike and will get used to the feel of the SPDs in no time on the bike already you know well. Once you feel you're happy with them swap them to the road bike.

Very similar to what @Doobiesis has done, only they've gone for clips on the road bike rather than clipless on the hybrid.

 

[Dommo]

Ah. Good stuff. Either or, I guess

 

[Doobiesis]

Quick update. Went out today with my SPDs and shoes. Loosened them right up as well.

Best ride I've had on my road bike didn't come off once, and not even nearly came off.

 

[Bazzer]

Excellent news .
If you need to tweak your bike, do it a bit at a time and maybe even one tweak at a time. Much more enjoyable to have only one thing you are scrutinising on the ride. Plus you then have the excuse to go out more often on your bike as you tweak it some more.

 

[Smurfy]

i have been into cycling for little over a year now, I recently swapped my trusty hybrid for a super slick Specialized Dolce Sport road bike. I have had this for two months and have managed to come off it 5 times in that time.

It's knocked my confidence somewhat. My last crash was spectacular and I fractured my wrist and tore a tendon in my thumb. I'm too scared to go back out now, and the fact I'd rather do a 40 mile road route on my hybrid sort of tells you something.

I've just put my roadie in for a service and to fix the problems from my last accident and have told them to put the original pedals back on and take the SPD pedals off for a bit. 4/5 of my accidents were due to not clipping out in time. And I'm hoping to be a bit more confident to venture out and get used to the massive difference between a sturdy hybrid and a lightweight road bike.

Is this normal? I was so eager to get out on my road bike I didn't think for a minute I'd have so many problems with the transition. Has anyone else had these problems? If so, will it ever get better!

I've just got a place in the London 100 and obviously need to train using all my gear.

I think most people fall off a few times before getting the hang of clipless pedals. I know I did, although fortunately I escaped with nothing more than a cut knee.

Was your first experience of clipless pedals on the new bike. If yes then I'd suggest one new thing at a time. Try the clipless pedals on the bike you know, or try the new bike with conventional pedals. When you're comfortable with both, have the clipless pedals on the new bike.

 

[mjr]

or try the new bike with conventional pedals.

I spy a new phrase to annoy racing-is-the-only-way-ers with...

 

[LouiseSJPP]

I switched from an MTB to road bike about 18 months ago, with clips. I came off maybe six times in the first three weeks, mostly embarrassing tumbles due to the clips, but one nasty fall when I caught the front tyre in a rut in the road and it snatched the front end away. I slammed down, no time to react at all, smashed my brand new helmet and came around to a concerned crowd discussing calling an ambulance. Since, I have learnt to plan the stops as much as possible and watch the road surface like a hawk, avoiding anything that may snatch the tyres. No more MTB-style blithely ignoring anything less than a six inch kerb!

Unclipping on a steep uphill remained difficult for a long time, the trickiest thing, still not really mastered, is getting going again on a steep up, ie 15% or so. I just can't hit the clip spot on straight away, so end up trying to balance my foot on the smooth and curved pedal unclipped, without enough momentum to re-adjust.

I, too, had to spend a lot on good carbon shoes, in my case to alleviate cramp brought on by putting pressure on the instep, the clipped position of the foot on the pedal being much further forward that that used when using trainers on flat pedals. This is so that on the upstroke, when you pull, the moment arm is short and the fine muscles on the front of the calf don't have much load to support. But it gave me cramp, until I got the carbon shoes with a very rigid sole, taking the pressure off the instep.

They were worth the cost, and the clips are worth the hassle because being clipped in doubles the amount of muscle you can bring to bear on pedalling. Pushing the pedals uses the hamstrings, pulling uses the quads. For easy riding I tend to mostly just push, but on slight rises instead of changing down, use the pull as well and bring in the quads. On long uphills, and here in the Pyrénées there are lots of them, I tend to alternate, ten minutes pushing, five pulling, which gives the motors (the muscle units) time to rest and flush away lactic acids. And lastly, if some muscles or tendons are feeling the strain, the ability to choose how to apply power gives lots of flexibility to offload the problem area. I am a little worried, though, about too much use of the quads for serious climbing because as they tone up and develop, they are far from pretty Vanity collides with passion for cycling in the high mountains.

 

[Dan Ferris]

I had the same issue, came of once and thought about removing them. I sat in the kitchen clipping and un clipping and I also loosened them right of which it sounds like you've already done. I also sprayed some wd 40 on the cleats for the first few trips and that also seemed to help.

 

[Doobiesis]

I had the same issue, came of once and thought about removing them. I sat in the kitchen clipping and un clipping and I also loosened them right of which it sounds like you've already done. I also sprayed some wd 40 on the cleats for the first few trips and that also seemed to help.

I did a 30 mile ride today and didn't come off - found it so much easier to get up the hills.

 

[triandrunracing]

I remember the first time I come off with clips on, it was a case of "unclip, please unclip, please, please please, uh-oh... *CLATTER* ... S**T!!!"

I had the choice to keep cycling forwards in to oncoming traffic or chose to fall off... I chose to stop and fall sideways straight onto the tarmac to my friends amusement!