clipless pedals

Scottish Roadrunner said:

Gerry and I just bought cycling shoes and clipless pedals yesterday (Shimano double sided). Got the shoes set up and the pedals on the bikes. Hopefully the weather will hold out till Gerry gets home from work later this afternoon and we can try them out. I'm taking no bets on whether accident prone me will fall and break something or not!!! 🙄 We tried them out in the house on Gerry's bike stand thingy and we seem to be able to unclip okay, it seems harder to clip in, I think it's just getting used to judging where the clips are though. 😎

Hi! I just bought a new road bike yesterday (I did have a mountain bike with the toe straps) with the clip-in pedals. The kind I got are the time "time" vs the "spd" kind. I have never used clips before and am finding it really hard to get clipped in. It seems like I have to apply a lot of pressure/force to get clipped in. I've practiced in the house, but don't have a trainer. It seems like it is going to be impossible for me to get clipped in while I am moving! Does anyone know can the time pedals be adjusted looser like the spd pedals? I know it has to be easier than this! This is really annoying! A new bike and I can't even get out and ride it yet!

Lucky you posted this...

I assume you're brand new to a Road Bike? If so, you shouldn't go straight to clipless, you need to get used to the new riding position and the controls first, ie, changing up and down in the front/rear Durailleurs etc should become intuitive then you can concentrate on clipping out, which will also become second nature after a while, but to concentrate on clipping out AND controling the bike ate first is very hard, you'll probably fall...

THEN when you're used to your new Bike and gear changes become almost second nature go to Clipless, in the meanwhile you can figure out how to reduce the tension....

For now, just take the Pedals off your MTB because you're used to them on your Road Bike...but in my opinion (I have lots of them don't I)?? Toe Straps are also dangerous if a shoe lace or something gets caught in them....

Good luck and be safe....

brindlehyde said:

Hi! I just bought a new road bike yesterday (I did have a mountain bike with the toe straps) with the clip-in pedals. The kind I got are the time "time" vs the "spd" kind. I have never used clips before and am finding it really hard to get clipped in. It seems like I have to apply a lot of pressure/force to get clipped in. I've practiced in the house, but don't have a trainer. It seems like it is going to be impossible for me to get clipped in while I am moving! Does anyone know can the time pedals be adjusted looser like the spd pedals? I know it has to be easier than this! This is really annoying! A new bike and I can't even get out and ride it yet!

That's great!! Once you get used to Clipless you'll wonder how you got by without them, you can now Pedal properly and incorporate a whole new set of Muscles...they're the best thing since sliced bread (what was the best thing BEFORE sliced bread by the way).

It's a good idea to carry the Allen Key (wrench) you used to attach the Cleats so you can make some adjustments to the Cleats as you ride in case your foot is angled too far in or out etc...but it seems like you might have got them semi dialed in on Gerry's Bike stand thingy...

Everyone says you WILL fall at least once with Clipless, but that's not neccessarily so as long as you remember you're clipped in and anticipate when you're going to stop...it's better to clip out too early than too late (ie, when you're laying on your side at the Traffic lights)....

Even now, if I'm coming to a red light and riding between cars and the kerb I clip one foot out and rest it on the Pedal...also, if I'm on a bike path and there's a family of walkers blocking my way and I have to slow right down I clip one foot out automatically...

Of course, you don't have to do what I do..that's just me...

Oh, and when I first started riding a Road Bike I got a coach, he told me to clip out each foot alternatively so it would become second nature, so I can put either foot down in an emergency...

Clipping in and out takes practice...

Incidentally, my wife and I were on a ride a couple of weeks ago, she's been riding clipless for about a year now, we stopped at a red light next to a Car, she clipped out one foot and fell the other way, the Driver's window was open so she tried to grab for the Door..she didn't quite make it...it was like a Tom and gerry Cartoon in slow motion...nail marks down the side of this Bloke's Car...it's funny now because she wasn't hurt (just a painfull knee), but if that Car was moving it could have been...well, I don't wanna think about it....

Good luck and ride safe!!

Scottish Roadrunner said:

Gerry and I just bought cycling shoes and clipless pedals yesterday (Shimano double sided). Got the shoes set up and the pedals on the bikes. Hopefully the weather will hold out till Gerry gets home from work later this afternoon and we can try them out. I'm taking no bets on whether accident prone me will fall and break something or not!!! 🙄 We tried them out in the house on Gerry's bike stand thingy and we seem to be able to unclip okay, it seems harder to clip in, I think it's just getting used to judging where the clips are though. 😎

Jaguar27 said:

Lucky you posted this...

I assume you're brand new to a Road Bike? If so, you shouldn't go straight to clipless, you need to get used to the new riding position and the controls first, ie, changing up and down in the front/rear Durailleurs etc should become intuitive then you can concentrate on clipping out, which will also become second nature after a while, but to concentrate on clipping out AND controling the bike ate first is very hard, you'll probably fall...

THEN when you're used to your new Bike and gear changes become almost second nature go to Clipless, in the meanwhile you can figure out how to reduce the tension....

For now, just take the Pedals off your MTB because you're used to them on your Road Bike...but in my opinion (I have lots of them don't I)?? Toe Straps are also dangerous if a shoe lace or something gets caught in them....

Good luck and be safe....

Thanks for the reply. Yes, my first road bike and yes, I already feel like I will fall. This is causing me undue stress and it shouldn't be about stress at all! I know the toe straps are not the best and I've heard they are dangerous, however I've ridden with them for over a year now. A few falls, but nothing too bad. I think with the clips the thing I feel the most is confined. Most of all it's just frustrating because it seems so hard to even clip in! My husband just got a road bike also and the spd clips. He says, "it's easy" and has picked it up right away and hasn't fell yet. Do you think starting out I should try the spd clips or stick with what I have now, time? I think I will switch the pedals out for now or at least ride a little with my feet on top of the clips.

Oh, OK...I see...

It's not unusual to be nervous or confined when using Clipless for the first time, and that's good in a way because coming to a stop and not clipping out can be VERY dangerous obviously, you might be lucky and get away with hurt pride or fall under a moving vehicle, I'm not trying to worry you, I'm just being honest...

One of the reasons you have to get used to your Bike first is, let's say, you're riding along at 15mph, the light turns red, you have to stop...you need to change down (to an easier gear) so you can take off again in the correct gear before you stop...and remember to clip out at the same time...if the gear is too hard you'll be trying to start off, you won't reach an adequate speed to clip in your loose foot and you'll start wobbling and panicking...so you need to practice on your new Bike and get used to it before going clipless...

One great way is to find a quite street or bike path and practice accelerating through the gears, fix on a point you want to stop, such as a tree or something, slow down, change down through your gears and stop, then start off again and go through the same procedure..kinda like interval traing for gear shifts...

True, you can ride on top of your Pedals without clipping in, as long as your feet don't clip off...or you clip-in accidentally...it's good to know how to do this anyway for when you're peddaling through hazards such as pedestrians etc...

But don't get stressed, don't rush putting your new Pedals on, just go out the first few rides and enjoy your bike...riding should be fun otherwise you won't ride...

As for your Pedals, you should beable to adjust the tension, do you have instructions? Can you ask your LBS??

Good luck and be safe!!

brindlehyde said:

Thanks for the reply. Yes, my first road bike and yes, I already feel like I will fall. This is causing me undue stress and it shouldn't be about stress at all! I know the toe straps are not the best and I've heard they are dangerous, however I've ridden with them for over a year now. A few falls, but nothing too bad. I think with the clips the thing I feel the most is confined. Most of all it's just frustrating because it seems so hard to even clip in! My husband just got a road bike also and the spd clips. He says, "it's easy" and has picked it up right away and hasn't fell yet. Do you think starting out I should try the spd clips or stick with what I have now, time? I think I will switch the pedals out for now or at least ride a little with my feet on top of the clips.

Jaguar27 said:

...they're the best thing since sliced bread (what was the best thing BEFORE sliced bread by the way).

Quite simply... the drawing board, although I've no idea what they went back to if they encountered problems with the design of that!!!!

I've been using clipless pedals for about a week and have foungd them a lot easier than I expected to use. I have fallen three times basically due to the fact that I forgot my feet were attached to the bike. The past three rides I have really concentrated on remembering that I am clipped in and haven't fallen at all. Keep practicing . They make a big difference in your riding.

I learned to clip in and out on my buddy's trainer. I thought I was fluent enough to do it on the road ... nope. I was stopping for a car to pass by and I couldn't unclip and I just fell over. Pretty embarassing, but oh well. 😄

For everyone new to clipless here is a bit of advice taught to me that works very well. Always turn the handlebars of the bike away from the foot that you just uncliped. The rake of the fork forces the bike to lean in the opposite direction that you turned the handlebars, so the bike will automatically lean toward the foot you have unclipped already. So many people, new to clipless, fall because they forgot to unclip, but I've observed that they unconsciously turn the handlebars toward the foot they just unclipped, forcing the bik in the opposite direction. Keep this little piece of advice in mind and you will reduce your falling right away.

As far as finding the pedal to clip in while the bike is moving I started out using SPD pedals and did have problems getting myself clipped in. I even banged my shin when I stomped on the pedal and slipped off because I missed the attachment point. I've switched to Time Atac mountain pedals since I prefer the convenience of recessed cleats on my mountain bike shoes while riding a road bike. I disgress. The Atac pedals are easier for me to clip into it seems. I don't have any experience with Time road pedals. The only anecdotal information I have is I was riding with someone who has Time pedals in a town where we came to stops frequently at every other street due to stop signs. I was faster off the line because I was able to clip in faster, but that could be attributed to my practise and experience with clipping in fast.

Clipping in and out is a learned skill, like anything else. It seems frustratingly diffucult when first tried, but becomes second nature once the bodie's muscles have learned the routines. I do believe it may have been on this board that there was a long-running thread on people's first clipless experience. We ALL have fallen at one time or another. I have been lucky so far with my new bike.

brindlehyde said:

Hi! I just bought a new road bike yesterday (I did have a mountain bike with the toe straps) with the clip-in pedals. The kind I got are the time "time" vs the "spd" kind. I have never used clips before and am finding it really hard to get clipped in. It seems like I have to apply a lot of pressure/force to get clipped in. I've practiced in the house, but don't have a trainer. It seems like it is going to be impossible for me to get clipped in while I am moving! Does anyone know can the time pedals be adjusted looser like the spd pedals? I know it has to be easier than this! This is really annoying! A new bike and I can't even get out and ride it yet!

Scottish Roadrunner said:

Gerry and I just bought cycling shoes and clipless pedals yesterday (Shimano double sided). Got the shoes set up and the pedals on the bikes. Hopefully the weather will hold out till Gerry gets home from work later this afternoon and we can try them out. I'm taking no bets on whether accident prone me will fall and break something or not!!! 🙄 We tried them out in the house on Gerry's bike stand thingy and we seem to be able to unclip okay, it seems harder to clip in, I think it's just getting used to judging where the clips are though. 😎

I just invested in clipless and I am in absolute heaven...My legs are sore as hell because I am working muscles that I have not before but my avg speed has gone up several MPH because. I am also more stable on the pedals...when they would get wet or muddy my feet were constantly coming off the pedals. I feel more secure now and I will be more aggressive as a result.