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Clipless pedals - what have I been doing wrong?

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  1. allebong
    Member

    I'm going to have to make a confession here that may result in many of you looking down on me as a substandard cyclist:

    I've been using SPDs for a year now, and I've not yet had a 'clipless moment'. I'll let that sink in.

    Oh, I've come close, certainly when I was first getting used to them I had several hairy incidents and traffic lights and the like. More recently I tried to dismount a laden bike while on a slope and one of the pedals failed to disengage, dragging me down with it. But damn and blast, that low release tension I set saved me at the very last second. This was at least in full view of many people so if I had went down it would have counted.

    I'd have thought that with it being winter and every path being covered in a layer of slippy mulch that might provide the perfect setting for a slide of doom to the ground while still secured to the pedals. No luck.

    Really, it's humiliating. I'm dreading the day I'm next meeting with some roadies or whatever and they start recounting their best clipless moments. Sure I've got a whole load of tales about slips, slides, falls and such but none of them are really valid.

    I will now hang my head in shame. I have let you all down.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  2. stiltskin
    Member

    Think of sentences in which the words 'fall & 'pride' occur together. Along with the rest of the forum I await the inevitable conesquence of your post with interest.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  3. Charterhall
    Member

    Clipless pedals are easy, I've never understood why people have difficulties with them. In getting in for 25 years I've never had a 'clipless moment'. I did however, have numerous 'moments' in the good old days of racing cleats and toe straps.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  4. allebong
    Member

    I remember when I was first researching options for going clipless online. It's pretty much impossible to do without coming across countless tales of peril involving the things. Warnings about 'it's not a matter of if, but when' you're going to go down at traffic lights. I also vividly recall the first time I set off with both feet clipped in, that feeling of being solidly attached is very nice and comforting now but downright odd and slightly scary to get used to at first.

    I might be blessed with luck on clipless as I've already had a 'flat spiky pedal' moment a few years ago. Turns out if you land a BMX from a hard jump and one of your feet slips off the other pedal gets slammed into your (bare) shin with immense force. Also turns out if that pedal is covered in sharp pointy pins for grip then you get a good idea of how close your shin bone is beneath the skin. It has left a few nice scars that perfectly and forever correspond to that pedal.

    I await the inevitable consequence of your post with interest.

    In getting in for 25 years I've never had a 'clipless moment'

    Going by this you may have to wait anytime between tomorrow and 2039 to find out how hard my pride will fall.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  5. gembo
    Member

    @allebong

    If you are seeking a clipless moment I think you should adjust the tensioner? You just managed to get your foot out in the post you started the thread with but that was with a very loose setting. You will stay stuck if you make it tighter maybe?

    Posted 10 years ago #

  6. allebong
    Member

    You don't seek a clipless moment, the clipless moment will seek you.

    I had tightened them slightly earlier in the year as I got more confident with them. The pedals on the road bike are quite tight as they were found in the bikestation drawer for all of £3 and have seen better days. I once almost went down because they accidentally released due to being too loose and floaty - that'd be something!

    Posted 10 years ago #

  7. Arellcat
    Moderator

    When your SPDs have done about 10,000 miles and the metal cages have all but worn out, that's when you'll twist your foot out and find that for some reason it hasn't disengaged.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  8. Kenny
    Member

    Destroy your knees in some way, for example play a high level of some racquet sport on a hard floor 3 hours a day, 6 days a week for 15 years. That'll make it difficult to get out of clipless pedals no matter how loose they are, since you won't be able to twist your knees much. It is a long term plan, but guaranteed success.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  9. wingpig
    Member

    "When your SPDs have done about 10,000 miles..."

    My cleats must be getting close by now but my first set of pedals died from rust after a year, so the current pair must be on about 7k.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  10. allebong
    Member

    7k? 10k? I have some catching up to do clearly...reckon I put in about 1.5k on the cleats so far between 2 bikes. Been focusing on running since early summer so less time on the bike these days (running might provide my long term knee-implosion plan though).

    I think Shimano recommend the bearings on the pedals be serviced annually so I'll have to get round to that at some point - I'm currently in a winter induced procrastination phase with respect to any sort of servicing more involved than turning an allen bolt.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  11. wingpig
    Member

    I resisted cleats for ages on the grounds of not wanting to risk falling over sideways, but eventually relented a couple of years ago when zip-ties covering my pedals and Vibram-soled trainers still resulted in occasional slippy feet, mostly due to not being able to find a pair of pedals as spikey as they were when I was small.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  12. Kenny
    Member

    "running might provide my long term knee-implosion plan though"

    Yeah, that should also help your knee from twisting successfully to get out of your pedals. Ideally, though, try to do your ACL, MCL or meniscus; or even better, do the terrible triad all at the same time. Once you've done that, good luck getting out of clipless pedals. Although I ride with SPD shoes using SPD pedals, I rarely clip in to them because getting out is really difficult, even when they are at their loosest setting! I end up having to twist my ankle inwards to unclip, as I can't get enough rotation outwards.

    I'm totally jealous of your inability to topple over, allebong. Long may your incapableness to hit tarmac continue.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  13. allebong
    Member

    Is there not a system of clipless designed for very easy entry and exit? Know I've heard of one but the name eludes me just now.

    Speaking of slippy pedals, back in summer the commuter was running this set of unbranded metal pedals that had seen year upon year of use between about 4 different bikes. The bearings were remarkably still okay but the original concave platform had worn at the sides and edges to basically convex. There was absolutely no trace of the original pins/spikes, indeed the pedal became steadily more like a shiny smooth slippery mirror each day. Strangely enough there remained a serviceable amount of grip so long as you stayed seated. One day I inevitably pushed my luck too far while standing up and slid off. I happened to have these very thin canvas shoes on with no sort of support or protection around the toe area - yes you can begin to sense where this is going. Whole body weight down on the toes onto rough tarmac while moving. Crunch. Lesson learned and new pedals with actual pins were duly fitted.

    I will also advise against running a google search for what happens if you ride barefoot or in flip flops and slide off.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  14. Smudge
    Member

    Hmm must be using the wrong search terms, nothing too silly found :-)

    Posted 10 years ago #

  15. Greenroofer
    Member

    Talking of SPD pedals and servicing, I'm having a problem with mine. They are relatively new, but I find that the right (drive-side) pedal keeps tightening up so that it won't rotate freely.

    Here's the exploded view
    I've loosened the nut on the spindle on the outside of the outer ball race which lets the whole thing spin freely. I've had trouble tightening the lock nut on the end. It won't budge, and I suspect there may also be a reverse thread on it. Anyhow, it all works fine then I put it back on the bike and in a short while it's tightened itself back up again.

    Any ideas?

    Posted 10 years ago #

  16. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    "Ideally, though, try to do your ACL, MCL or meniscus; or even better, do the terrible triad all at the same time."

    Ouch! I've only done my ACL (complete tear, got a bit of hamstring now doing the job, surgery 10 years ago) and fortunately that hasn't impacted on my use of clipless (if anything all of the physio work I did afterwards that leg tends to feel stronger).

    "Clipless pedals are easy, I've never understood why people have difficulties with them"

    I'm afraid not everyone is perfect, and we all have something we find ridiculously easy that other people find hard.

    I've had two moments. One a lovely graceful and gentle fall to the left as it appeared I had the pedal set too tight and the cleat just wouldn't disengage, and by the time I noticed the weight was already shifted too far left to save it; the other was unfortunately to the right, going up the Mound on the inside of some thankfully stationary traffic, a cone appearing out of nowhere in front of me in the cyle lane, sudden stop, and similar problem - I was new to the pedals and in my panic of realising my weight was going right just tried pulling up to get my foot off the pedal. Hand on the bonnet of the car next to me kept me upright - thereafter profuse apologies to the driver.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  17. steveo
    Member

    Multi release cleats have saved my blushes a few times, usually emergency stop situations. I'm now no longer confident I'd be able to go back to normal cleats.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  18. Stickman
    Member

    I didn't cycle to work this morning as I've just fitted my first set of clipless pedals (bought with Xmas amazon vouchers) and haven't had a chance to practice with them yet. I thought that a trip through traffic on my first attempt may be a bit reckless! I did go for multi-release cleats though. Will have a test ride at the weekend.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  19. skotl
    Member

    I've been on SPDs for six months now (not quite 25 years!) and so far have had the same results as the OP - a few close calls but panicked swinging of the leg at the last minute got them disengaged.

    I am in no hurry to increase the tension!

    Posted 10 years ago #

  20. gembo
    Member

    I use clipless on longer cycles and if on unfamiliar route prefer them to full on road cleats, which I use on familiar routes.

    However, I do not use them on my commute. I see many smooth operators, some track standing or holding on to fences but I also see lots of clumsy re-entry into the cleats.

    My commute is approx twenty miles round trip. For me the efficiency of being cleated is not such a big deal compared with the inefficiency of getting in and out of cleats at every traffic light.

    They should bring back wingpig's jaggy pedals that stuck into your Adidas kicks or gola gutties.

    EBC does sell a fantastic old school pedal, weight about a kilo, costs a ton. Looks great.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  21. dg145
    Member

    I'm afraid I had a couple of embarrassing 'clipless moments' when I first started using them, but nothing recently as I've become more used to them.

    I fitted EBC's dual-sided pedals (clipless one side and flat on t'other) to both my bikes - although I have to say that, even in town, I tend not to bother with the flat side. Clipping in and out is pretty natural now.

    I'll probably just go for straight SPD pedals next time I buy any.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  22. Baldcyclist
    Member

    Have had some 'moments' with clipless, usually when setting off rather than stopping. That, you think you're in when you're not and your foot slips off, followed by close handlebar inspection moments.

    Came off a couple of times on racing cleats and toe straps, worst one was going up Hollyrood Rd, and having to stop at the lights. I tried to get my foot out a few seconds before the light, and discovered I had done the staps up too tight. Knew I was going down and nothing I could do to stop it. Just fell over side ways. Even I was laughing when I got back up. What made it worse was a colleague following me about 50 meters back who witnessed it.

    Almost came off on 'normal' pedals recently, first time having to get out of the saddle to push up a hill on the Pashley, led to all sorts of not being able to balance properly because of hand position, and feet almost slipping off of the pedal nonsense. At leas there were no witnesses tio that calamity.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  23. PS
    Member

    Apart from the first one, my clipped-in incidents have been caused by distraction while either moving very slowly or coming to a halt. Like this:

    a) Pulling up to red traffic lights on the Gilmerton Road I hear one hell of a loud engine suddenly revving behind me. The time it took me to think "what the hell is that?" was enough for me to come to a stop and, as I'd only used cleats for a couple of rides before that, unclipping wasn't a unconscious action. Down I went. Looked up to see a blonde lady leaning out of the vintage car behind me asking if I was alright...

    b) Riding up Broughton Street with fully laden panniers, lights are red in front as I approach the entrance to Broughton Street Lane, but there's room beyond the box junction so I keep riding on at a walking pace. Van driver waiting to pull out of B St Lane has a good look at me and either decides I'm going even slower than I am or that I will cede priority to him and turns out across me to go down the hill. This forces me to halt and turn my wheel to the right, no momentum and extra weight on the bike -> fall down in the middle of the road. If I hadn't been clipped in I'd have got my foot down to stop my fall, but I was and I didn't.

    c) Riding with a group through the Barnton Avenue cycle path. In the narrow bit between wall and hedge/fence it's a little two narrow for two cyclists to pass comfortably, especially if one or both have wide handlebars. As we're heading East another cyclist enters the narrow bit heading West. Chap on the front of the line brakes a little too keenly, there's a domino effect of us all braking a turning a little to avoid the wheel in front, but one of the guys behind has ropey brakes and he barrels into my side. I topple to the right but manage to grab a big handful of hawthorn to stay upright. I was glad of the leather palms on my gloves that day...

    Good on you if you avoid falling over, mind.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  24. chdot
    Admin

    "They should bring back wingpig's jaggy pedals that stuck into your "

    This sort of thing?

    http://bit.ly/Jyecwf

    Posted 10 years ago #

  25. neddie
    Member

    allebong, if clipless pedals aren't enough for you, you need to go a bit retro and get toe-clips.

    The toe-clip leather straps need to be pulled really tight once you set off to maximise efficiency. This also means you won't be able to get your foot out until you reach down to the pedal buckle & loosen the strap, which you neatly do as you roll up to a red light...

    Good luck ;)

    Posted 10 years ago #

  26. gembo
    Member

    @chdot - quite jaggy

    Posted 10 years ago #

  27. allebong
    Member

    Quite jaggy

    Jaggier

    If you have a pedal with replaceable pins there's always these aptly named spikes.

    As someone once asked on a mtb forum: 'Why don't they make the pedals soft rubber and put the spikes on the shoe'? (clever if impractical)

    Posted 10 years ago #

  28. gembo
    Member

    Nice and jaggy

    Posted 10 years ago #

  29. sallyhinch
    Member

    I've got pedals a bit like that and they do more or less grab the tread of my boots when I'm cycling in those. Never could face the idea of clipping in as I know my life would be one long succession of clipless moments

    Posted 10 years ago #

  30. gembo
    Member

    In the olden days eddy Merckx would be caught at the end of the race by his support team to prevent him falling over as tied into his toe clips. Presumably stopping during a race could be achieved by leaning over and puling at the strap as mentioned by charterhall. I do not like the sound of that and roll with very loose straps on my toe clips.

    In the pictures he looks too big for the thin tubed bikes. Wiki cites him as 1.85m and 85kg

    Is that six foot two and thirteen stone?

    Posted 10 years ago #

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