Made me smile. "what could possibly go wrong?" My first foray with clipless pedals was a fall. All I was worried about was protecting my bike. Knee, elbow and hands took the brunt. They are the way to go though, just takes practice.
Yep, I've fallen. And I can also say after a long time of only riding inside, you get rusty! It's important to get outside! It's really a critical bike handling skill that can't be ignored.
Alex, you are my inspiration! I definitely wish I saw this video before I rushed in to clip in a parking lot. I fell a lot and had bruises for days. I'm so glad that there are other people like me out there! ❤ this
U did awesome!! Yup! The traffic light fall is definitely a rite of passage!! But, Ive had many a fall…everywhere practically🤣I started off with toe clips-they were a death trap!! Clipless pedals when they became more affordable…SO much better!!
That eases my fear a little. Especially all the comments about falling being normal. 🙈 I will getting my first racing bike soon, up until now I only ever sat on my husband's bike indoors using zwift (before that I only did tours and mountain biking). I really enjoy it though and love the effortlessness of the clipless pedals and now he has me accompany him this summer on the streets. First ever marathon will be the Bodensee Marathon in Germany/Switzerland at 220km. 😁
I have tried clipless pedals and found them uncomfortable, the fact your feet are locked into one position is not natural, I fell over several times thus could never relax & enjoy a ride. After a great deal of research I decided on MTB pedals with a carbon fibre road shoe, the power is the same, the comfort is brilliant and I no longer fall over . I believe there is a lot of peer pressure in Triathlon and cycling to conform to what everyone else is doing especially with clipless pedals and the so called increased power you get from the shoe. There is a growing amount of research which points to a very simple fact. it is the power of an individuals legs pushing downwards through the crank and not pulling upwards with clipless shoes that does the job. I apologise if I have upset anyone with my findings, this is my personal opinion .
My advice would be to get 0° clips: they still move a little, but when you want them out, they're out! I've never had them accidentally unlock, but if they did I'd just lock in again, no big deal. On the other end of the spectrum, I also have a pair of 6s (I have tweeky knees and was told that allowing more movement in the cleats will be easier on the knees: I now find the 0s move enough that I don't have problems), and those damn 6s...6 degrees is a lot more than you think when you're trying to wriggle out while you're on your way down! Twice I've been horizontal IN TRAFFIC because of those devils!
I still manage to smash my left shin occasionally into the pedal after a quick get away at the lights but not properly clipped in. And yeah, it hurts ……
The term "clipless" is because they replaced "toe clips," which were the cages that went over the front of the foot, usually, but not always, accompanied by a strap.
"I don't know what happened there" - that was a tremendous save from toppling over. They may seem scary at first, but after ~20 years of being clipped in most of the time, I feel less safe when my feet are not fixed to the pedals.
Oh Ya. I've raked both my calves and my shins, and my friend ended up with stitches. That was the day I bought clips! I refuse to ride straight flats anymore! I still have a couple pairs of old school clips when I have to go somewhere with sneakers (shopping etc), but clipless is definitely preferable.
Ive been using clipless for over 20 years and last season rode close to 15000 km, I hadnt really had a cliptastrophy until last year though, on the verge of bonking about 2km from home on a long ride, got to a stop light and couldnt get out, that was certainly a bit embarassing...
Hello friends of GTN! This video seems to be in sync for me! Do you have any recommendation for me? My right foot is slightly deviated, the toes point off. I only have a mountain bike, so I wear mt bk shoes, pedals and cleats. But even with the simplest cleats it is extremely difficult for me to unclip that foot, which makes me feel very insecure, especially when there are other people riding with me, or if I have to cross traffic lights or streets with traffic or pedestrians. I practiced a lot, indoors and outdoors, but I didn't get it. I even tried moving the location of the cleat on the shoe. That made it a little bit less difficult but definitely not easy. I have dominated the clip-unclip with the other foot, but the right is not always working properly! Please help!
1) In the video they show heel out: I can't pidgin toe like that so I go heel in, either kicking the back tire or kicking my water bottle rack. 2) Also, what degree movement do you have? I started with 6s because someone told me they were easier on the knees, but now I use 0s because I've found (contrary to popular belief) there's still plenty of movement in them but they unlock much easier. 3) they don't have to be cranked on too tight: only tight enough that they don't come undone unintentionally. Even with no tension at all, you'd still be inherently more secure than straight flats, so don't be afraid to back them off a bit.
