Clipless pedals

Loomer said:

It has been three years since I have tried them but now that my trail
bike is setup I would like to give them a shot again.

I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never learned how to
truely "spin". They also made me wreck more often on stunts. I am
starting to get interested in laid back XC rides that have no ladders
or air time and I would like to become a better climber.

I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano SPD. Is this
clipless design OK or should I get better pedals with a better
clipless design?

What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?

Use google and search on the numerous conversations
on this subject!

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC
(Remove XSPAM)

Quoted message said:

I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano SPD. Is this
clipless design OK

Yes - ride the [censored] out of them.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Loomer said:

It has been three years since I have tried them but now that my trail bike
is setup I would like to give them a shot again.

I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never learned how to truely
"spin". They also made me wreck more often on stunts. I am starting to
get interested in laid back XC rides that have no ladders or air time and
I would like to become a better climber.

I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano SPD. Is this
clipless design OK or should I get better pedals with a better clipless
design?

What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?

http://members.cox.net/jhnmorgan/mtb/CliplessFAQ.txt

John M

Loomer said:

It has been three years since I have tried them but now that my trail bike
is setup I would like to give them a shot again.

I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never learned how to truely
"spin". They also made me wreck more often on stunts. I am starting to
get interested in laid back XC rides that have no ladders or air time and
I would like to become a better climber.

I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano SPD. Is this
clipless design OK or should I get better pedals with a better clipless
design?

What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?

http://members.cox.net/jhnmorgan/mtb/CliplessFAQ.txt

John M

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

Quoted message said:

It has been three years since I have tried them but now that my trail bike
is setup I would like to give them a shot again.

I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never learned how to truely
"spin". They also made me wreck more often on stunts. I am starting to

get

Quoted message said:

interested in laid back XC rides that have no ladders or air time and I
would like to become a better climber.

I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano SPD. Is this
clipless design OK or should I get better pedals with a better clipless
design?

What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?

Loomer,

I just started riding clipless a couple of weeks ago on an old pair of SPDs
that I had laying around. Despite the pain in the ass it was for the first
week or so, they were absolutely fantastic on the trails this weekend. They
weren't so laidback, so I learned to unclip quite efficiently.

It took me a bit to remember to spin, i.e. push *and* pull, but once I did I
found myself climbing sections I couldn't have cleared before.

The only drawback I've found so far is the fact that they only release to
one side. Someone had mentioned this to me, and although I thought it a
minor drawback, a particular incident Saturday made me realize what a
problem this can be. I laid down on my right side in a rocky stream, and was
unable to get out. Imagine being cleated in on one side with your bike
pinning you down, and trying to stand up so you can unclip. It was an
interested puzzle.

I can't yet compare to other designs, but when my eggbeaters get here I'll
let you know what I think.

cc

On 2004-07-12, cc penned:

Quoted message said:

The only drawback I've found so far is the fact that they only release
to one side. Someone had mentioned this to me, and although I thought
it a minor drawback, a particular incident Saturday made me realize
what a problem this can be. I laid down on my right side in a rocky
stream, and was unable to get out. Imagine being cleated in on one
side with your bike pinning you down, and trying to stand up so you
can unclip. It was an interested puzzle.

What's the number designation on your cleat? If you haven't yet, you
might try the multirelease SH55 and see how you like 'em. They seem to
stick to your pedals in all normal situations, but let go when you're
doing something weird like toppling.

--
monique

John Morgan <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<kceIc.11576$yc.7943@fed1read06>...

Quoted message said:

Loomer said:

It has been three years since I have tried them but now that my trail bike
is setup I would like to give them a shot again.

I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never learned how to truely
"spin". They also made me wreck more often on stunts. I am starting to
get interested in laid back XC rides that have no ladders or air time and
I would like to become a better climber.

I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano SPD. Is this
clipless design OK or should I get better pedals with a better clipless
design?

What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?

http://members.cox.net/jhnmorgan/mtb/CliplessFAQ.txt

This sounds more like a scare tactic than anything else.

""Platform" pedals are flat pedals with no means of keeping
the rider's foot attached to the pedal, other than friction.
The problem with this design is that when going over technical
terrain, the foot often may slip or bounce off the pedal and
cause the rider to lose balance and fall."

Unless you're wearing teflon soled shoes, you won't "often
slip or bounce off the pedal". Some of us run nothing but
platforms and have never experienced this phenomenon of losing
balance and falling off often.

Lots of good info otherwise.

I realize this digresses, but a similar thing happened to me last Fall.
Stopped on a trail that threaded through a dense blackberry thicket to gorge
myself. Unclipped only one foot, as normal. When I saw more clumps of
berries on the other side, I reached for them without thinking (and
unclipping). Fell into the thorns rather painfully, and had to endure the
laughter of my co-riders when they caught up and saw my predicament. They
had to lift me out of the bushes to prevent further bloodletting - I was
literally trapped.

But I must say going clipless has, for the most part, been a huge advantage
for me. I can pedal longer, easier, and with tons more power. Plus it
keeps my feet well positioned for cornering, hopping and near-stopped
switchbacks. I use fairly low-end old SPDs and clean 'em out when they get
clogged.

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

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

It has been three years since I have tried them but now that my trail

bike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

is setup I would like to give them a shot again.

I never got the hang of it I think becuase I never learned how to truely
"spin". They also made me wreck more often on stunts. I am starting to

get

Quoted message said:

interested in laid back XC rides that have no ladders or air time and I
would like to become a better climber.

I have an old pair of pedals that I believe are shimano SPD. Is this
clipless design OK or should I get better pedals with a better clipless
design?

What shoes and cleats do you guys reccomend?

Loomer,

I just started riding clipless a couple of weeks ago on an old pair of

SPDs

Quoted message said:

that I had laying around. Despite the pain in the ass it was for the first
week or so, they were absolutely fantastic on the trails this weekend.

They

Quoted message said:

weren't so laidback, so I learned to unclip quite efficiently.

It took me a bit to remember to spin, i.e. push *and* pull, but once I did

I

Quoted message said:

found myself climbing sections I couldn't have cleared before.

The only drawback I've found so far is the fact that they only release to
one side. Someone had mentioned this to me, and although I thought it a
minor drawback, a particular incident Saturday made me realize what a
problem this can be. I laid down on my right side in a rocky stream, and

was

Quoted message said:

unable to get out. Imagine being cleated in on one side with your bike
pinning you down, and trying to stand up so you can unclip. It was an
interested puzzle.

I can't yet compare to other designs, but when my eggbeaters get here I'll
let you know what I think.

cc

R.White said:

Quoted message said:

http://members.cox.net/jhnmorgan/mtb/CliplessFAQ.txt

This sounds more like a scare tactic than anything else.

""Platform" pedals are flat pedals with no means of keeping
the rider's foot attached to the pedal, other than friction.
The problem with this design is that when going over technical
terrain, the foot often may slip or bounce off the pedal and
cause the rider to lose balance and fall."

Unless you're wearing teflon soled shoes, you won't "often
slip or bounce off the pedal". Some of us run nothing but
platforms and have never experienced this phenomenon of losing
balance and falling off often.

Yeah, it probably could use some revision. I am biased toward clipless
myself, so it shows through. When I rode with platforms, hitting a rock or
bump often caused my foot to slip off the pedal, it's pretty scary when
going down a hill, too... that's what those gashes on your shin come from,
y'know.

Quoted message said:

Lots of good info otherwise.

Thanks! I basically wrote it from scratch.

John M

On 2004-07-13, John Morgan penned:

Quoted message said:

R.White said:

Quoted message said:

http://members.cox.net/jhnmorgan/mtb/CliplessFAQ.txt

This sounds more like a scare tactic than anything else.

""Platform" pedals are flat pedals with no means of keeping the
rider's foot attached to the pedal, other than friction. The problem
with this design is that when going over technical terrain, the foot
often may slip or bounce off the pedal and cause the rider to lose
balance and fall."

Unless you're wearing teflon soled shoes, you won't "often slip or
bounce off the pedal". Some of us run nothing but platforms and have
never experienced this phenomenon of losing balance and falling off
often.

Yeah, it probably could use some revision. I am biased toward
clipless myself, so it shows through. When I rode with platforms,
hitting a rock or bump often caused my foot to slip off the pedal,
it's pretty scary when going down a hill, too... that's what those
gashes on your shin come from, y'know.

while we're looking at revisions, the claim that a horizontal trackstand
will "hurt nothing but your ego" is ... optimistic. Sure, in the best
of outcomes, that will be true ...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Lots of good info otherwise.

Thanks! I basically wrote it from scratch.

John M

--
monique

Monique Y. Mudama said:

Quoted message said:

Yeah, it probably could use some revision. I am biased toward
clipless myself, so it shows through. When I rode with platforms,
hitting a rock or bump often caused my foot to slip off the pedal,
it's pretty scary when going down a hill, too... that's what those
gashes on your shin come from, y'know.

while we're looking at revisions, the claim that a horizontal trackstand
will "hurt nothing but your ego" is ... optimistic. Sure, in the best
of outcomes, that will be true ...

I'll take that into account. When I started riding clipless, I fell over a
few times, forgetting to unclip, but I never sustained any damage. Maybe
some people bleed easier than others.

But I still think there's something to be said for alleviating people's
fears with little white lies... people do it all the time to persuade
people to do unpleasant things for their own good.

John M

On 2004-07-13, John Morgan penned:

Quoted message said:

Monique Y. Mudama said:

while we're looking at revisions, the claim that a horizontal
trackstand will "hurt nothing but your ego" is ... optimistic. Sure,
in the best of outcomes, that will be true ...

I'll take that into account. When I started riding clipless, I fell
over a few times, forgetting to unclip, but I never sustained any
damage. Maybe some people bleed easier than others.

Did you ever actually fall onto rocks? That'll do it right quick.

Quoted message said:

But I still think there's something to be said for alleviating
people's fears with little white lies... people do it all the time to
persuade people to do unpleasant things for their own good.

No, I'm a big fan of making informed decisions, not wishful-thinking
ones. Anyway, anyone with half a brain knows that falling can involve
pain and/or damage, so saying that it won't hurt to fall is disingenuous
at best. It just makes you sound like you're pushing clipless, rather
than informing about them.

I'm slowly getting used to clipless because I think they'll serve me
better than the other options in the long run, but I think it's
important to remember that there are riders out there happy with all
sorts of pedal choices. It kind of bugs me when I go to all these
clinics and so few of the novices have any idea that there's anything
out there *but* clipless. They're herded into it. For me, starting out
mountain biking after not having ridden a bike for years, getting some
two-wheel balance was a prerequisite for any kind of comfort with
clipless. Now that I have much better balance, clipless aren't nearly
as scary. I'm not saying that you have to be able to do a track stand
-- I can't, yet -- just that some comfort with bikes is important.

--
monique

John Morgan says:

Quoted message said:

But I still think there's something to be said for alleviating people's
fears with little white lies...

Until someone falls and breaks an arm with their horizontal track stand, and
decides to sue the writer of the FAQ that assured them they wouldn't get hurt
;-(

Yeah, I know a broken arm may be a bit of an overstatement, considering, but
folks have sued for less.

Steve "pessimist"

"Monique Y. Mudama" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 2004-07-12, cc penned:

Quoted message said:

The only drawback I've found so far is the fact that they only release
to one side. Someone had mentioned this to me, and although I thought
it a minor drawback, a particular incident Saturday made me realize
what a problem this can be. I laid down on my right side in a rocky
stream, and was unable to get out. Imagine being cleated in on one
side with your bike pinning you down, and trying to stand up so you
can unclip. It was an interested puzzle.

What's the number designation on your cleat? If you haven't yet, you
might try the multirelease SH55 and see how you like 'em. They seem to
stick to your pedals in all normal situations, but let go when you're
doing something weird like toppling.

I'm not sure, but they came on my Rockhopper about 3 years ago. Zilla did
mention the SH55s . . which made my bath in the creek much more ironic. My
eggbeaters came in at REI today . *grin*

Colin

John Morgan <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<xvGIc.22186$ri.11834@lakeread04>...

Quoted message said:

R.White said:

Quoted message said:

http://members.cox.net/jhnmorgan/mtb/CliplessFAQ.txt

This sounds more like a scare tactic than anything else.

""Platform" pedals are flat pedals with no means of keeping
the rider's foot attached to the pedal, other than friction.
The problem with this design is that when going over technical
terrain, the foot often may slip or bounce off the pedal and
cause the rider to lose balance and fall."

Unless you're wearing teflon soled shoes, you won't "often
slip or bounce off the pedal". Some of us run nothing but
platforms and have never experienced this phenomenon of losing
balance and falling off often.

Yeah, it probably could use some revision. I am biased toward clipless
myself, so it shows through. When I rode with platforms, hitting a rock or
bump often caused my foot to slip off the pedal, it's pretty scary when
going down a hill, too... that's what those gashes on your shin come from,
y'know.

I'll degress a little. I'm bias towards platforms, but the particular
platform would matter as well as the shoe. I have an old pair of
Shimano platforms with the traction pins "molded" in and they are not
up to par
with the replacable pin type. I wear a skater type shoe with the gummy
soles and they hold very, very well on my Azonic A-Frame pedals.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Lots of good info otherwise.

Thanks! I basically wrote it from scratch.

John M

Chris Phillipo said:

I bet no one else has experinced the one pedal related misshap I have
had this season. Traveling through some waist high ferns I encountered
the pointy end of a fallen pine three that had been striped of branches.
It hit me in the shin, deflected off, went under my front deraileur
cable and pulled it out of the frame stop, went into and around the back
tire and jamed between the tire and frame. So there I am in the amazon
tree hold, I can't pedal forward or backward so I just fall over away
from the log and of course because this thing is 10 feet long it doesn't
come with me and it is now clamping down on my foot with such force I
can't even undo the laces to get out of the shoe. I eventually worked
my left foot out of the pedal and managed to rotate this whole mess on
my back in the mud to a position where the tree would let me go. I was
glad no one was around to see that. That fallen tree met with a much
deserved end by chainsaw last weekend.

LOL! I wish I could have been there to see that!! There's nothing funnier
than watching one of your mates in a bind.

John M