Going clipless tomorrow...

Paul Boyd said:

...so wish me luck! For those who didn't follow the Mars bar thread,
I have sort of been encouraged to forsake my trusty clips and straps
for these new-fangled clipless thingies. (Shimano M-520)

So far, I haven't fallen off, but I have only shuffled backwards and
forwards 6ft in my kitchen getting the hang of getting in and out,
using the fridge and oven for support! From a standing start, I can
be clipped in within a yard 50% of the time, which I reckon is a
pretty good start. By the second yard, I'm danger of riding through
the kitchen cupboards!

I am using "trainer" multi-release clips for now, and already I can
see their disadvantages, but they have the huge benefit that I can
escape easily! I'll need to get more confident before going to
single-release and tightening it all up.

So, tomorrow could be an interesting commute.

Well done Paul. The pedals will feel better out on the road than they do
at home. Good luck... and don't forget to "TWIST"! :-)

Regarding cleat positioning and angle, it's worth trying at least two or
three slight variations to find what's most comfortable, so take your
allen key and stop on the way home to experiment, is my advice.

~PB

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

Quoted message said:

...so wish me luck! For those who didn't follow the Mars bar thread, I
have sort of been encouraged to forsake my trusty clips and straps for
these new-fangled clipless thingies. (Shimano M-520)

So far, I haven't fallen off, but I have only shuffled backwards and
forwards 6ft in my kitchen getting the hang of getting in and out, using
the fridge and oven for support! From a standing start, I can be clipped
in within a yard 50% of the time, which I reckon is a pretty good start.
By the second yard, I'm danger of riding through the kitchen cupboards!

I am using "trainer" multi-release clips for now, and already I can see
their disadvantages, but they have the huge benefit that I can escape
easily! I'll need to get more confident before going to single-release
and tightening it all up.

So, tomorrow could be an interesting commute.

Just do what we all do. If you miss the clip in, use the small of your foot
until ready to clip in again.

It's no fail, you don't have to be clipped in to cycle.

You do, however, have to get your feet out when you stop. I look forward to
*that* update.

Pete Biggs said:

Good luck... and don't forget to "TWIST"! :-)

or roll. 🙂 I once had a SPD cleat move from repeated twisting, only a
few mm but enough to twist my knee a little. So now I roll my feet
sideways out of my 520's and 324's.

Quoted message said:

Regarding cleat positioning and angle, it's worth trying at least two or
three slight variations to find what's most comfortable, so take your
allen key and stop on the way home to experiment, is my advice.

I'd agree, but I'd do it once per journey. If your cleats arent done up
solidly then they may move when you unclip.

Phil

Phil Clarke said:

I'd agree, but I'd do it once per journey. If your cleats arent done up
solidly then they may move when you unclip.

ITYM 'try to unclip, fail and fall over' if my experience of not
tightly done up cleates is anything to go by.

...d

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

Quoted message said:

You do, however, have to get your feet out when you stop. I look forward
to *that* update.

When I first moved to clipless, people would know I was coming, as I had a
retinue of two cyclists accompanying me with one of them, my teenage
offspring, yelling "Unclip! Unclip!" as I approached any situation which had
a potential unclipping requirement. I felt a bit like a leper from Ye Dayes
Of Yore... But it was effective help. Thankfully, cliping in and out swiftly
became second nature.

Cheers, helen s

wafflycat said the following on 21/04/2006 09:34:

Quoted message said:

When I first moved to clipless, people would know I was coming, as I had
a retinue of two cyclists accompanying me with one of them, my teenage
offspring, yelling "Unclip! Unclip!" as I approached any situation which
had a potential unclipping requirement. I felt a bit like a leper from
Ye Dayes Of Yore... But it was effective help. Thankfully, cliping in
and out swiftly became second nature.

Well, I made it in OK, without even any scary moments! It does feel
strange compared to clips, and I think I need to tweak the cleats
slightly, but I'll get used to it! My feet seem to have more freedom of
movement, and I was expecting less.

I've read all the dire warnings about cleats not being tight enough, and
found out what happens first hand when trying it all out with a pedal in
one hand and a shoe in the other - the cleat was a bit loose and it
wouldn't come out!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

elyob said the following on 21/04/2006 00:13:

Quoted message said:

You do, however, have to get your feet out when you stop. I look forward to
*that* update.

I'm not :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

wafflycat said:

my teenage offspring, yelling "Unclip! Unclip!" as I approached
any situation which had a potential unclipping requirement. [...]
Thankfully, cliping in and out swiftly became second nature.

It's said around these parts that you'll probably fall off once at low
speed while learning. Sod's Law dictatates that it will happen in front
of a group of at least twenty proper cyclists and/or bemused locals; the
embarassment factor helps the learning process, apparently [1].

Failing to clip in properly on a fixed gear and not realising can be
entertaining for spectators too.

[1] in my case, there was a nice soft bus to break my fall, and the old
dear I'd stopped for plus the entire town centre of Oxford at rush
hour to help things sink in. That helped.

--
Andrew Chadwick

Phil Clarke said:

Quoted message said:

Good luck... and don't forget to "TWIST"! :-)

or roll. 🙂 I once had a SPD cleat move from repeated twisting, only
a few mm but enough to twist my knee a little. So now I roll my feet
sideways out of my 520's and 324's.

I know there's a danger of stripping threads and rounding heads if you go
too far, but SPD cleats (on my shoes at least) can actually be done up
tight enough for that never to be a problem. Grease /helps/, as do soles
soft or rubbery enough for the cleat to dig into a bit. Be brave and
tighten those screws then you can twist as much as you like, as violently
as you like.

Same applies to Look pedals on road shoes, except that a very good
screwdriver is needed with a blade that fits well and a T handle, or use a
wrench with screwdriver bit. IME, the plastic cleats crack before the
screws fail.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Regarding cleat positioning and angle, it's worth trying at least
two or three slight variations to find what's most comfortable, so
take your allen key and stop on the way home to experiment, is my
advice.

I'd agree, but I'd do it once per journey. If your cleats arent done
up solidly then they may move when you unclip.

Advantage with doing it several times on your journey is that you can
easily remember what each setting feels like. I'd advise tightening the
cleats solidly enough not to move with normal moderate use and save the
full welly until quite happy with the position. All this is possible by
the roadside.

~PB

Pete Biggs said:

I know there's a danger of stripping threads and rounding heads if you go
too far, but SPD cleats (on my shoes at least) can actually be done up
tight enough for that never to be a problem. Grease /helps/, as do soles
soft or rubbery enough for the cleat to dig into a bit. Be brave and
tighten those screws then you can twist as much as you like, as violently
as you like.

Quoted message said:

Same applies to Look pedals on road shoes, except that a very good
screwdriver is needed with a blade that fits well and a T handle, or use a
wrench with screwdriver bit. IME, the plastic cleats crack before the
screws fail.

The thing to check first is that you have enough thread in the socket
in the shoe, especially thin SPD plates which have been made by
stretching the plate to give a socket deep enough to thread.

If you tighten these up to an appropriate torque and have not got more
than a turn or two of thread in they have a strong tendency to fail in
a 'BANG! Oh Bugger!' sort of way.

Fortunately they tend to have two cleat positions available..

...d

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

Quoted message said:

wafflycat said:

my teenage offspring, yelling "Unclip! Unclip!" as I approached
any situation which had a potential unclipping requirement. [...]
Thankfully, cliping in and out swiftly became second nature.

It's said around these parts that you'll probably fall off once at low
speed while learning. Sod's Law dictatates that it will happen in front
of a group of at least twenty proper cyclists and/or bemused locals; the
embarassment factor helps the learning process, apparently [1].

Failing to clip in properly on a fixed gear and not realising can be
entertaining for spectators too.

[1] in my case, there was a nice soft bus to break my fall, and the old
dear I'd stopped for plus the entire town centre of Oxford at rush
hour to help things sink in. That helped.

--
Andrew Chadwick

When I converted about 20 months ago -- on day 2 -- when I reckoned I had
got used to them -- I coasted gently up to some traffic lights - with a
truck coming up alongside and with a gaggle of youths on the pavement.
Quite simply I forgot all about unclipping until I came to a halt and
toppled elegantly ( NOT) on my left side. The youths howled ( naturally),
the driver of the truck asked if I was OK and I cowered in embarrassment
spluttering something about "new pedals" and moved off as quickly as I
could!
I didn't forget again!
Trevor A Panther
Departing for the Rhein on 20 May 2006

On 21/04/2006 16:53, Pinky said,

Quoted message said:

When I converted about 20 months ago -- on day 2 -- when I reckoned I had
got used to them -- I coasted gently up to some traffic lights - with a
truck coming up alongside and with a gaggle of youths on the pavement.
Quite simply I forgot all about unclipping until I came to a halt and
toppled elegantly ( NOT) on my left side. The youths howled ( naturally),
the driver of the truck asked if I was OK and I cowered in embarrassment
spluttering something about "new pedals" and moved off as quickly as I
could!

I got home safely as well on my first clipless day, but I must admit
that it is exactly the stage you describe that worries me. Used to
them, but not quite second nature yet!

Incidentally, I have discovered that I need to move my foot back on the
pedal slightly when unclipped, to stop it accidentally clipping back in
again when I thought I was free :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd said:

On 21/04/2006 16:53, Pinky said,

Quoted message said:

When I converted about 20 months ago -- on day 2 -- when I reckoned I had
got used to them -- I coasted gently up to some traffic lights - with a
truck coming up alongside and with a gaggle of youths on the pavement.
Quite simply I forgot all about unclipping until I came to a halt and
toppled elegantly ( NOT) on my left side.

Quoted message said:

I got home safely as well on my first clipless day, but I must admit
that it is exactly the stage you describe that worries me. Used to
them, but not quite second nature yet!

Incidentally, I have discovered that I need to move my foot back on the
pedal slightly when unclipped, to stop it accidentally clipping back in
again when I thought I was free :-)

Oh yeah, I should have mentioned that. Coming to SPDs on my new
commuter from old Time pedals on my road bike I found myself cliping
in again as I was doing a trackstand. It takes more pressure to engage
the Time cleats.

--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Paul Boyd said:

I got home safely as well on my first clipless day, but I must admit
that it is exactly the stage you describe that worries me. Used to
them, but not quite second nature yet!

Like that moment as a novice fixie when you start to relax about
remembering not to stop pedalling and then what do you go and do?

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

Tony Raven said:

Like that moment as a novice fixie when you start to relax about
remembering not to stop pedalling and then what do you go and do?

IME, you hit some rough surface and try to freewheel over it so as not to
lose balance... hmm.

Jon

elyob said:

You do, however, have to get your feet out when you stop. I look forward to
*that* update.

Or the one about putting your usual foot out as you stop only to have
the bike fall the other way.

--
Don Whybrow

Sequi Bonum Non Time

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