Evil Clipless Pedals, what to do?

On Sat, 23 Aug 2003 00:59:45 GMT, Steve <[email hidden]> penned:

Quoted message said:

Hi Everyone,

I was thinking today, as i was rolling down the side of a hill (not on my bike, foot still
attached) that these clipless pedals leave something to be desired.

Has anyone gone from 2 sided clipless pedals to one sided clipless/platform pedals? They seem like
a pain, but I'm really having trouble negotiating some difficult single track sections, in places
I really don't want to fall (almost went in the river today).

Any one have any experience they can share? I hate to give up and go back to platforms.

Thanks a lot,

Steve.

I've just started (both mountain biking and clipless pedals), so take what I say with several grains
of salt, but I find I can get a decent grip on my pedals by making contact along the arch rather
than the ball of my foot. On scary stuff, I do that rather than staying clipped in. My friends tell
me that this is because I have a newer shoe that has better grip than the older ones had.

It's not ideal, but then, neither is trying to find the proper side of a pedal, I'd imagine.

--
monique

Quoted message said:

Any one have any experience they can share? I hate to give up and go back to platforms.

Keep practicing with them. They will eventually become a total non-issue.

Monique Y. Herman said:

On Sat, 23 Aug 2003 00:59:45 GMT, Steve <[email hidden]> penned:

Quoted message said:

Hi Everyone,

I was thinking today, as i was rolling down the side of a hill (not on my bike, foot still
attached) that these clipless pedals leave something to be desired.

Has anyone gone from 2 sided clipless pedals to one sided clipless/platform pedals? They seem like
a pain, but I'm really having trouble negotiating some difficult single track sections, in places
I really don't want to fall (almost went in the river today).

Any one have any experience they can share? I hate to give up and go back to platforms.

Thanks a lot,

Steve.

I've just started (both mountain biking and clipless pedals), so take what I say with several
grains of salt, but I find I can get a decent grip on my pedals by making contact along the arch
rather than the ball of my foot. On scary stuff, I do that rather than staying clipped in. My
friends tell me that this is because I have a newer shoe that has better grip than the older
ones had.

It's not ideal, but then, neither is trying to find the proper side of a pedal, I'd imagine.

I was doing just that, and it was working ok but it seemed like it was at least as much of a pain as
finding the right side of the pedal.

Where I ride there are quite a few short steep drops followed by steep rocky climbs where it's a
good bet that I won't make it all the way up. I know the clips will help, but several of these are
in very bad places to fall, so I'm hesitant to try them clipped in.

I was also thinking that a 2 sided pedal with a cage around it might be a little better that a plain
2 sided clipless pedal when I'm out of the clips.

I guess I need a little more practice getting out in a hurry.

Thanks a lot for the advice.

Sincerely,

Steve.

"John Harlow" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Any one have any experience they can share? I hate to give up and go back to platforms.

Keep practicing with them. They will eventually become a total non-issue.

Yeah, you'll get used to falling because of them like the rest of us. ;^)

But seriously practice does help along with some maintenance. Keep the cleat pocket on the sole of
your shoe clear from mud and debis. Same goes for the pedal. Lightly lube the pivots on the pedal
mechanism. If the tension is adjustable try taking out a couple of turns. Be careful here because
unexpected releases can be just as bad as not clipping out.

Monique is right. Trying to find the right side of the pedal is a PITA in technical terrain. You
want something you can just stab your foot at and click in no matter which side you hit.

Mike

Steve said:

Hi Everyone,

Hi back.

Stick with it, once you clean the learning curve you'll be grateful you didn't switch.

Peace, Bill The mind serves properly as a window glass rather than as a reflector, that is, the mind
should give an immediate view instead of an interpretation of the world.
:-]

Steve said:

Any one have any experience they can share? I hate to give up and go back to platforms.

How long have you been using clipless?

"Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi Everyone,

I was thinking today, as i was rolling down the side of a hill (not on my bike, foot still
attached) that these clipless pedals leave something to be desired.

Has anyone gone from 2 sided clipless pedals to one sided clipless/platform pedals? They seem like
a pain, but I'm really having trouble negotiating some difficult single track sections, in places
I really don't want to fall (almost went in the river today).

Any one have any experience they can share? I hate to give up and go back to platforms.

Keep at it, and keep practicing. When I first started using them, when I got to a tough section, I'd
just go ahead and walk it until I got better. Eventually I was able to unclip, and put my foot down
to catch myself from falling pretty much as quickly as I could with platforms. It become second
nature, and I could ride through the technical sections without giving it a second thought.

Not very long, a few weeks at most.

Steve.

bomba said:

Steve said:

Any one have any experience they can share? I hate to give up and go back to platforms.

How long have you been using clipless?

On Sat, 23 Aug 2003 13:33:44 +0000, Steve did issue forth:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

How long have you been using clipless?

Quoted message said:

Not very long, a few weeks at most.

Ah, you're still in the prime of your falling over and dying horrifically career at the moment,
then. Keep at it a bit longer. It took me a while to figure out the whole clipless thing. I got that
nailed after a while, but now when I fall off I have to blame it on something else.

Huw "It's a faulty bottle cage, I tell you!" Pritchard

Steve said:

Quoted message said:

How long have you been using clipless?

Not very long, a few weeks at most.

Makes sense. As I'm sure everyone else will tell you, it takes a while to adapt to clipless, and you
will have the odd tumble whilst you're learning. Keep at it, it's worth it in the long run.

Are they SPD's (sorry I missed the original post). If so try the SH-55 cleats, if compatible.

--
- Zilla Cary, NC (Remove XSPAM)

"Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Not very long, a few weeks at most.

Steve.

bomba said:

Steve said:

Any one have any experience they can share? I hate to give up and go back to platforms.

How long have you been using clipless?

The pedals are Wellgo WPD-823. I'm just using the stock cleats. I think one of the probems I'm
having is that I clip out of the foot I think I'm going to put down, then I fall over the other way
and I try to twist out of the cleat while I'm standing on the pedal.

Steve.

Zilla said:

Are they SPD's (sorry I missed the original post). If so try the SH-55 cleats, if compatible.

On Sun, 24 Aug 2003 02:11:13 GMT, Steve <[email hidden]> penned:

Quoted message said:

The pedals are Wellgo WPD-823. I'm just using the stock cleats. I think one of the probems I'm
having is that I clip out of the foot I think I'm going to put down, then I fall over the other
way and I try to twist out of the cleat while I'm standing on the pedal.

Steve.

Zilla said:

Are they SPD's (sorry I missed the original post). If so try the SH-55 cleats, if compatible.

Are your pedals adjustable?

When I got my bike, the salesguy set my pedals to be extremely loose. Pretty much any panicked yank
of my foot results in escape. In fact, today, I had a pretty funny situation -- my buddies
suggested at least clipping in one foot on the uphills, so I did that, leaving my left foot out as
a "safety." Hit an awkward spot, came to a standstill, and naturally, my left foot clipped in
before I could put it down. Wiggled in panic for a microsecond and somehow yanked my right foot out
and got it down before I fell. All this without any conscious "twist my heels outward" thought.
Even at this looseness, though, I'm able to practice bunny hops in the parking lot without
accidentally clipping out.

That being said, I did a much rockier trail than I'm used to today and found myself clipped out,
riding on my arches, much of the time. With that kind of bounciness, I certainly did lose my grip
several times and have my pedals spin a round without me before I caught them again. On the other
hand, there were several places where my unclippedness definitely facilitated a toe-touch that saved
my butt ... My math for the situation is: losing my grip never caused me to fall, and presumably
being clipped out saved me from falling a few times, so if I lose my grip a few times, eh, big deal.
(My fiance tells me that it will become a big deal as I try harder trails.)

Anyway, what I said earlier in this thread about arches being pretty grippy -- take that with a
grain of salt.

--
monique

"Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The pedals are Wellgo WPD-823. I'm just using the stock cleats. I think one of the probems I'm
having is that I clip out of the foot I think I'm going to put down, then I fall over the other
way and I try to twist out of the cleat while I'm standing on the pedal.

Pick a nice soft spot to practice in.......pedal slowly, then come to a stop trying to hold your
balance for as long as possible. You'll eventually start to fall over. This is great motivation to
choose the the correct foot to unclip with. Sounds silly, but it worked for me.

When I first started using them, I also had installed a new crankset, and forgot to torque it down
properly. I get a couple miles in, and my left crank arm comes off. I'm coasting looking at my crank
hanging from my shoe, and couldn't think fast enough to unclip with the right. Over I went. I'm glad
no one was around.....

Several companies make pedals that have dual sided clipless and a larger platform for those of us that prefer something that has more foot placement options for tech situations. I used to have the Shimano downhills (they were OK, but typical shimano probs). I recently tried the Cook Bros Mallets and loved them. Saving for some now. I have heard good things about the Time offerings as well. Keep the rubber side down.

K.

By the look of the name (with "PD"😉 they seem to be SPD compatible. The SH-55 are only $20. With
them, being multi-release, you don't have to unclip a cetain way.

--
- Zilla Cary, NC (Remove XSPAM)

"Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The pedals are Wellgo WPD-823. I'm just using the stock cleats. I think one of the probems I'm
having is that I clip out of the foot I think I'm going to put down, then I fall over the other
way and I try to twist out of the cleat while I'm standing on the pedal.

Steve.

Zilla said:

Are they SPD's (sorry I missed the original post). If so try the SH-55 cleats, if compatible.

You may want to look into Shimano's Multiple Release cleats, course new pedals would have to
come with it.

Steve said:

Hi Everyone,

I was thinking today, as i was rolling down the side of a hill (not on my bike, foot still
attached) that these clipless pedals leave something to be desired.

Has anyone gone from 2 sided clipless pedals to one sided clipless/platform pedals? They seem like
a pain, but I'm really having trouble negotiating some difficult single track sections, in places
I really don't want to fall (almost went in the river today).

Any one have any experience they can share? I hate to give up and go back to platforms.

Thanks a lot,

Steve.

I had a similar experiance when I first went clipless. I realised that the silver cleats can be a
pain as you must twist sideways to get out of them, where as the black multi angle cleats will
release on a foot roll. I can get out of them pretty quick. I am looking to go to the 545 peddels on
my new bike as they are sort of like a flat with the clip in the middle.

"Destroy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You may want to look into Shimano's Multiple Release cleats, course new pedals would have to come
with it.

Steve said:

Hi Everyone,

I was thinking today, as i was rolling down the side of a hill (not on my bike, foot still
attached) that these clipless pedals leave something to be desired.

Has anyone gone from 2 sided clipless pedals to one sided clipless/platform pedals? They seem
like a pain, but I'm really having trouble negotiating some difficult single track sections, in
places I really don't want to fall (almost went in the river today).

Any one have any experience they can share? I hate to give up and go back to platforms.

Thanks a lot,

Steve.