Dismounting with cleats

Ricardo said:

I have just started riding with cleats. When it comes time to stop
and I need to put a foot down I feel like an accident waiting to
happen. Any suggestions regarding technique will be appreciated.
Thanks

Practice, practice, practice! Go find a nice smooth grassy area and ride
around, trying different stopping scenarios.

Also, out in "real world" traffic (assuming road bike?), try unclipping one
foot a bit ahead of the intersection -- even pedaling with just the one
"attached" leg a few turns if necessary. (Mountain biking is trickier...but
at least you won't get run over by a freaking car if you fall!)

Finally, of course, set the pedals' release tension low if so equipped.

Happy Arte Johnsoning,

Bill "showing age with THAT reference" S.

On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 20:28:19 GMT, "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Ricardo said:

I have just started riding with cleats. When it comes time to stop
and I need to put a foot down I feel like an accident waiting to
happen. Any suggestions regarding technique will be appreciated.
Thanks

Practice, practice, practice! Go find a nice smooth grassy area and ride
around, trying different stopping scenarios.

Also, out in "real world" traffic (assuming road bike?), try unclipping one
foot a bit ahead of the intersection -- even pedaling with just the one
"attached" leg a few turns if necessary. (Mountain biking is trickier...but
at least you won't get run over by a freaking car if you fall!)

Finally, of course, set the pedals' release tension low if so equipped.

Happy Arte Johnsoning,

Bill "showing age with THAT reference" S.

"Arte Johnson" was exactly the name that went through my mind as the horizon
slowly tilted.

Back in the strap and clip days I was strong enough to rip out of the pedals
pretty much no matter what, even if I forgot to loosen them - just a matter of
strength and angle of force. Clipless pedals have no respect for my strength or
force vector. Now, they are entirely automatic and I'm sure toe straps would put
me back on a horizontal trackstand..

Anybody ever go back to clips for a vintage bike or commuter or whatnot and fall
over.

Ron

On 11/13/05 2:10 PM, in article
[email hidden], "Ricardo"

Quoted message said:

I have just started riding with cleats. When it comes time to stop and I
need to put a foot down I feel like an accident waiting to happen. Any
suggestions regarding technique will be appreciated. Thanks

A few suggestions:
If your peddles are adjustable make sure that you have them set for the
lightest release tension.
Any time you anticipate that you are going to have to stop unclip one foot
early.
Practice peddling with just one leg - if you find that you unclipped one
foot a little _too_ early, such that you need to peddle a few more turns, it
is actually pretty easy to continue with just the one clipped leg.
Practice unclipping in various ways to find what is easiest for you. For
example, twisting with no downward or upward pressure versus twisting with
some additional pressure in either direction. With my cleats it seems
easier to unclip if I apply just a little downward pressure along with a
twist.
It _will_ get easier!
Chuck

Most of the problem is that it takes time for the signal to twist out
to make it from your brain to your foot. We aren't usually aware of
this because the brain does a good job of masking the delays in our
control and sensory systems. This problem is exposed for instance when
you stub your toe and it takes a few seconds for you to feel the pain
signal or when you knock over a saltshaker you were sure you were going
to miss as you reached across a dinner table.

Over time you will enhance the neural pathways and benefit from
improved reaction times. Experience will also help you know how far in
advance to unclip although this doesn't apply to panic situations where
you are caught off guard.

The only advce it to practice. You have to accept that sooner or later
you will fall because you didn't unclip in time. This will pass with
time.

I have had my first set of clipless pedals (Crankbrothers Candies on a
road bike) for about one month now. I have not had any difficulty
getting used to them at all. They release very easily and only when I
want them to. I do release on anticipation of a stop but have not had
any emergencies yet. I keep reading that I will tip over sooner or
later but I am trying to convince myself that it is all between the
ears.

They are more comfortable and I suppose more efficient than my toe
clips.

Ted.

Ricardo said:

I have just started riding with cleats. When it comes time to stop and I
need to put a foot down I feel like an accident waiting to happen. Any
suggestions regarding technique will be appreciated. Thanks

I've long since done my "fall over", and other replies have covered the
basics of getting used to the pedals and cleats. By the way, I don't
think that falling over is truly inevitable; if you practice enough,
you'll get used to qucikly releasing from the pedals.

One thing that I observe is that riders seem pretty evenly split between
right- and left-footed releasers. If you ride where the rules of the
road say "traffic keep right", I believe that right-footed releasing is
more convenient, because you can often rest your foot on the curb,
saving you from getting off the saddle to steady yourself.

If I rode in Great Britain, Oz, etc., I'd have to learn to become a
left-footed releaser - practice, practice, practice.... I'm terrible at
it now; a couple of years ago, I got mud in my right pedal / cleat, and
had to extract my left foot first when I got home. I did, and promptly
fell over on the grass to my right!

"Colin Campbell" wrote: (clip)if you practice enough,

Quoted message said:

you'll get used to qucikly releasing from the pedals. One thing that I
observe is that riders seem pretty evenly split between right- and
left-footed releasers. (clip)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If you are not used to riding "clipped in," in an emergency you will try to
put your foot down the old fashioned way. In the net fraction of a second
you will feel trapped, and your brain will become paralized, and you will
not get your foot out of the pedal--you will land on your shoulder. You
need to unclip enough times that the sequence of twisting your foot BEFORE
pulling occurs automatically.

There will be times (DAMHIKT) when you think ahead, and unclip in advance,
and then fall to the opposite side. Right-footed or left-footed releasers
are not immune to falling.

There are lots of reasons to make it routine to unclip and ground with
the one foot, and equally routine to push off with the other--that is,
the foot which stayed clipped while you waited at the stop sign, or
wherever. It becomes instinctual to unclip the designated foot as you
approach a light, say, or in an emergency.

Many people make their left foot the "unclip" foot. It keeps your leg
away from the chain, for one thing. For another, on many roads because
of crowning the right foot may have to reach farther to touch the
ground, and the farther to the right you are the more debris, including
dog [censored], you're likely to be stepping in with the right foot. And for
many right-handed people their right leg is their "stronger" leg for
pushing off as they remount. But I know lots of folks who unclip the
right foot, mostly because that's how they started out. I suppose in
theory we should be equally adept at unclipping/pushing off with either
foot. But klutzes like me have only so many neural pathways to work
with.

Quoted message said:

Anybody ever go back to clips for a vintage bike or commuter or
whatnot and fall over.

Nope... other way around. I was in a group road ride a few weeks ago and
felt it coming when a lug on my shoe wouldn't let me unclip. I thought to
myself, " I've been riding for 3 years and this still *thud* happens?!?!"
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Leo Lichtman said:

"Colin Campbell" wrote: (clip)if you practice enough,

Quoted message said:

you'll get used to qucikly releasing from the pedals. One thing that I
observe is that riders seem pretty evenly split between right- and
left-footed releasers. (clip)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If you are not used to riding "clipped in," in an emergency you will try to
put your foot down the old fashioned way. In the net fraction of a second
you will feel trapped, and your brain will become paralized, and you will
not get your foot out of the pedal--you will land on your shoulder. You
need to unclip enough times that the sequence of twisting your foot BEFORE
pulling occurs automatically.

There will be times (DAMHIKT) when you think ahead, and unclip in advance,
and then fall to the opposite side. Right-footed or left-footed releasers
are not immune to falling.

You pretty well described my first fall using Look pedals.

A buddy and I were riding to work. We came to a stop light, and a car
had pulled so far to the right that we had to pass it on the left. Then
we headed back toward the curb. As I made the right turn, I realized I
wasn't ready to make the left turn to straighten out. I froze, and down
I went!

C Wright wright9_nojunk@nojunk_mac.com said:

On 11/13/05 2:10 PM, in article
[email hidden], "Ricardo"

Quoted message said:

I have just started riding with cleats. When it comes time to stop and I
need to put a foot down I feel like an accident waiting to happen. Any
suggestions regarding technique will be appreciated. Thanks

A few suggestions:
If your peddles are adjustable make sure that you have them set for the
lightest release tension.

[snip]

A few weeks ago I found that at times I couldn't unclip my right foot
(Time pedals). At first I put it down to suddenly developing clumsiness;
then I had a look at my cleat and found it had acquired a hook on one
side. Filing this down restored sanity and safety.

Anthony

--
Anthony Campbell - [email hidden]
Microsoft-free zone - Using Linux Gnu-Debian
http://www.acampbell.org.uk (blog, book reviews,
on-line books and sceptical articles)