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Oct 2007
8:07pm, 24 Oct 2007
18,234 posts
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mad4purple
I must admit i really do like using them, I do occasionally get a bit scared about them, but that was only just after I had my fall.
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Oct 2007
8:23pm, 24 Oct 2007
23,281 posts
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Hanneke
I reckon I will be ok once I have loosened them up...
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Oct 2007
10:29pm, 24 Oct 2007
1,246 posts
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Jason1969
Mind if I butt in?
Clipless pedals (ie Look) take practice to get the hang of.
It's also a good idea to be very good at cycling slowly or even track standing (staying still with both feet on pedals) to help balance.
Also: plan which foot you're going to take out and release it well before hand, but leave it on the pedal. Taking both feet off is a recipe for disaster; your bike is much more steady if both feet are on.
Maybe I should do a master class or something? Everyone round to mine!
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Oct 2007
10:46pm, 24 Oct 2007
23,295 posts
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Hanneke
That is exactly what I do Jason, still amanged to fall over twice, both occasions I had to make a deadmans stop as we call it in Holland, because of a stupid pedestrian and because of a stupid pizza delivery boy on a moped...
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Oct 2007
11:32pm, 24 Oct 2007
26 posts
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this is what worries me about clipless , just started using, can see the benefit but what freaks me out is the potential to mess myself up with a clipped in crash - I got a little carried away in Richmond Park on the off road trail a coupla weeks ago doing foot high jumps on my MTB at walking speed - wondering whether to use them for races only - also I started using them 2 weeks before I did the London Duathlon, put my seat a few inches higher ,and am 99% that instigated hamstring tendonitiis - "arse!!" I believe is the phrase
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Oct 2007
11:51pm, 24 Oct 2007
2,231 posts
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Kieren
Clipless pedals have to be one of the single best things I have bought ever!
You can get power on the whole pedal stroke to either put more effort in and get more speed out or keep the same speed but rest different parts of your legs.
For climbs they are awesome - just stand & let your bodyweight do the downstroke, then scrape back your toes and use your hamstrings. I have a fixie so particualrly like having clipless pedals as they stop my feet flying off the pedals on fast descents. I had them spinning at almost 180rpm in Richmond park one week which is quite an experience - kind of removes all fear of running fast downhill after experiencing that
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Oct 2007
11:54pm, 24 Oct 2007
2,232 posts
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Kieren
Oh for the record, I have crank bros candy chrome pedals. I find they have more float but hold the foot better than the shimanos I used. They are also, imho, easier to twist out of when you need to.
mtb type clipless pedals are far more practical than road bike type. You can walk in the shoes for a start and most mtb pedals are double sided so you don't have to flip them to get your foot in
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Oct 2007
8:06am, 25 Oct 2007
2,610 posts
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not sure of the make/model but I got my pedals and shoes from Lidl!, pedals £9.99 and shoes £12.99, and I think they're blimmin excellent. During my recent car related road kissing incident my feet came out of the clips automatically-ish.
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Oct 2007
10:42am, 25 Oct 2007
1,203 posts
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Kieran - do you mean the famous egg beaters? Cool!  I have Time ATACs because they don't clog in mud and usually stones don't get stuck in them either - if they do I use the toe studs to bash the pedals to clear them (obviously this is on a mountain bike). They also have a nice amount of float.
You do feel like an idiot when you land on your side with both feet still clipped into the pedals... but it's never hurt my ankles or feet... like Jason says I unclip early on one side when I'm approaching lights/junction or I'm likely to fall off soon.
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Oct 2007
5:38pm, 25 Oct 2007
1,249 posts
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Jason1969
You're not a proper cyclist until you've had a fall due to not taking your feet out.
When I worked in the bike shop, a customer fell over, into a rail of clothing and disappeared underneath a pile of shorts. Laugh? I nearly ruptured something.
Clipless pedals replaced clips and straps because:
1. They're more secure.
2. You're attached tightly, but don't need to use your hand to undo them.
3. If you do fall, your feet come out. (Mine do)
4. Those straps don't make a tight spot on your feet.
Clipless pedals are the single best invention for bicycles since the bicycle itself. I can live without gears and indexing, hyperglide, suspension, tubeless tyres and all that carbon fibre stuff. But I'd be really annoyed if I had to give up my clipless pedals.
Egg beaters on the mountain bike, Look on the road bike.
Use them all the time!
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