Clipless Entry at Stoplight

Kerry Nikolaisen' [email protected] said:

I've had this recurring problem as of late with clipping into my Shimano Look-style pedals at
stoplights. I have had these pedals for over 10 years and recently put them back on my bike after
the Exus clipless pedal that came with my newer bike shot craps.

It seems as if the pedals spin too much before I try to clip in, and when I do steady them with my
foot, I always seem to get the back side and have to futz to get them turned over. Of course all
of this in front of people waiting at all 4 corners of the intersection.

I rode Shimano Look-style pedals for 15 years and would occasionally experience this, especially on
uphill starts where I had to crank hard to get moving.

Quoted message said:

I have been riding with clipless pedals for over 13 years, so I will not admit to operator error.
Any suggestions?

Switch to a pedal with dual-sided entry, such as Speedplay :-) I made that move last year and
haven't regretted it.

--
Michael Fuhr fuhr.org~mfuhrOpen ↗

Switching to a dual sided pedal seems to me like "admitting user error". And speedplay seems to be
the most overpriced clipless pedal i've seen. lots of other ones are dual sided.

Did you check to see if the cleat came loose on your shoe and maybe moved around? When I switched
the location of my cleats, I had a reallly hard time clipping in (this is with an SPD system). Also
did you check your pedals for anything strange? Anything loose, sticky, etc? the shoes clip in
perfectly fine when stopped?

Mike mikebeauchamp.commikebeauchamp.comOpen ↗

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

Quoted message said:

Kerry Nikolaisen' [email protected] said:

I've had this recurring problem as of late with clipping into my Shimano Look-style pedals at
stoplights. I have had these pedals for over 10

years

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and recently put them back on my bike after the Exus clipless pedal that came with my newer bike
shot craps.

It seems as if the pedals spin too much before I try to clip in, and

when I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

do steady them with my foot, I always seem to get the back side and have

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

futz to get them turned over. Of course all of this in front of people waiting at all 4 corners
of the intersection.

I rode Shimano Look-style pedals for 15 years and would occasionally experience this, especially
on uphill starts where I had to crank hard to get moving.

Quoted message said:

I have been riding with clipless pedals for over 13 years, so I will not admit to operator
error. Any suggestions?

Switch to a pedal with dual-sided entry, such as Speedplay :-) I made that move last year and
haven't regretted it.

--
Michael Fuhr fuhr.org~mfuhrOpen ↗

put a weight on the bottom, lead sinkers etc. will do the job. then itll spin upright much
more often

On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 02:54:41 GMT, "Kerry Nikolaisen"

[email protected] said:

I've had this recurring problem as of late with clipping into my Shimano Look-style pedals at
stoplights. I have had these pedals for over 10 years and recently put them back on my bike after
the Exus clipless pedal that came with my newer bike shot craps.

It seems as if the pedals spin too much before I try to clip in, and when I do steady them with my
foot, I always seem to get the back side and have to futz to get them turned over. Of course all of
this in front of people waiting at all 4 corners of the intersection.

I have been riding with clipless pedals for over 13 years, so I will not admit to operator error.
Any suggestions?

Kerry

Just recently got new ARC cleats and I have positioned them maybe just a tad different than before.
Also newer shoes. I should have mentioned that before - maybe that makes a big difference.

Once clipped in - they are fine. Will check the shoes for foreign debris - and pedals as well.

It really has more to do with the "leveling procedure" before clipping in.

Kerry

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

Quoted message said:

Switching to a dual sided pedal seems to me like "admitting user error".

And

Quoted message said:

speedplay seems to be the most overpriced clipless pedal i've seen. lots

of

Quoted message said:

other ones are dual sided.

Did you check to see if the cleat came loose on your shoe and maybe moved around? When I switched
the location of my cleats, I had a reallly hard

time

Quoted message said:

clipping in (this is with an SPD system). Also did you check your pedals

for

Quoted message said:

anything strange? Anything loose, sticky, etc? the shoes clip in perfectly fine when stopped?

Mike mikebeauchamp.commikebeauchamp.comOpen ↗

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

Quoted message said:

Kerry Nikolaisen' [email protected] said:

I've had this recurring problem as of late with clipping into my

Shimano

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Look-style pedals at stoplights. I have had these pedals for over 10

years

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and recently put them back on my bike after the Exus clipless pedal

that

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

came with my newer bike shot craps.

It seems as if the pedals spin too much before I try to clip in, and

when I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

do steady them with my foot, I always seem to get the back side and

have

Quoted message said:

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

futz to get them turned over. Of course all of this in front of

people

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

waiting at all 4 corners of the intersection.

I rode Shimano Look-style pedals for 15 years and would occasionally experience this, especially
on uphill starts where I had to crank hard to get moving.

Quoted message said:

I have been riding with clipless pedals for over 13 years, so I will

not

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

admit to operator error. Any suggestions?

Switch to a pedal with dual-sided entry, such as Speedplay :-) I made that move last year and
haven't regretted it.

--
Michael Fuhr fuhr.org~mfuhrOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>, Arpit

Quoted message said:

put a weight on the bottom, lead sinkers etc. will do the job. then itll spin upright much
more often

Add weight to your ride? Put a -lead- weight on your bike? Have you lost your marbles? Are you
insane? An toy umbrella shy of a cocktail? What will they do next... ;-)

-B
--
Email Replies to johnson<nospm>01j <att> ntelos <dott> net

Mike Beauchamp said:

Switching to a dual sided pedal seems to me like "admitting user error". And speedplay seems to be
the most overpriced clipless pedal i've seen. lots of other ones are dual sided.

You're assuming that the problem is user error. It's not -- it's pedal design and physics that can
occasionally cause the wrong side of the pedal to be where you want to clip in. Learning to "do it
right" is "user compensation" and adds no value to the activity. In any case, wherever you want to
lay blame, a dual-sided pedal eliminates the problem, and that's what counts.

I chose Speedplay for several reasons; dual-sided entry was only one of them. If cost or other
features lead you to a different decision then that's fine -- use whatever pedal meets your needs.

--
Michael Fuhr fuhr.org~mfuhrOpen ↗

Michael Fuhr said:

Mike Beauchamp said:

Switching to a dual sided pedal seems to me like "admitting user error". And speedplay seems to
be the most overpriced clipless pedal i've seen. lots of other ones are dual sided.

You're assuming that the problem is user error. It's not -- it's pedal design and physics that can
occasionally cause the wrong side of the pedal to be where you want to clip in. Learning to "do it
right" is "user compensation" and adds no value to the activity. In any case, wherever you want to
lay blame, a dual-sided pedal eliminates the problem, and that's what counts.

I chose Speedplay for several reasons; dual-sided entry was only one of them. If cost or other
features lead you to a different decision then that's fine -- use whatever pedal meets your needs.

Speedplay is a bit overpriced, but they work well (other than entry, which I find hard). The amount
of rotation is great, however.

--
Bob M in CT Remove 'x.' to reply

Bob M said:

Speedplay is a bit overpriced, but they work well (other than entry, which I find hard). The
amount of rotation is great, however.

How long have you had Speedplays? After 15 years of using Look-style pedals I found entry awkward at
first too, but within a couple of days I was getting into them easier than I had with my old pedals.

If the screws on the outer cleat plate are too tight then the spring can't work correctly and entry
can be difficult, so make sure the screws aren't overtightened. Speedplay also recommends using a
dry lube on the springs.

--
Michael Fuhr fuhr.org~mfuhrOpen ↗

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

Quoted message said:

Switching to a dual sided pedal seems to me like "admitting user error".

It seems more to me like "acknowledging design error," letting go of one's brand hangups, and moving
on to something that works.

Single sided pedals are a PITA because they're almost always upside down when you're trying to clip
in. This is because even if they spin freely enough, the weight is all on top. To complicate
matters, the shape of both pedal and cleat with the Look system makes it harder to flip them over.

I know several people who use their mountain bikes around town because they don't like their road
bikes' special, "road" pedals in traffic. Of course, it doesn't occur to them to just put dual sided
MTB pedals on their road bikes. That would be sacriledge!

Quoted message said:

And speedplay seems to be the most overpriced clipless pedal i've seen. lots of other ones are
dual sided.

Sub-$50.00 mountain bike pedals work fine for most people. Stronger riders may like a more solid
connection, and some riders get hotspots, but for most people they work fine.

Quoted message said:

Did you check to see if the cleat came loose on your shoe and maybe moved around? When I switched
the location of my cleats, I had a reallly hard time clipping in (this is with an SPD system).
Also did you check your pedals for anything strange? Anything loose, sticky, etc? the shoes clip
in perfectly fine when stopped?

All good advice. Cleats sometimes move around. Also, check for wear, and nicked/dinged plastic.

Look-style pedals still work as well as they did when they came out, but better solutions have come
along in the last 10 years.

Matt O.

Personally, I use dual sided pedals and can't even understand single sided ones, or why they still
really exist. But the original poster said he's used single sided pedals no problem..

Mike mikebeauchamp.commikebeauchamp.comOpen ↗

"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

Switching to a dual sided pedal seems to me like "admitting user error".

It seems more to me like "acknowledging design error," letting go of one's

brand

Quoted message said:

hangups, and moving on to something that works.

Single sided pedals are a PITA because they're almost always upside down

when

Quoted message said:

you're trying to clip in. This is because even if they spin freely

enough, the

Quoted message said:

weight is all on top. To complicate matters, the shape of both pedal and

cleat

Quoted message said:

with the Look system makes it harder to flip them over.

I know several people who use their mountain bikes around town because

they

Quoted message said:

don't like their road bikes' special, "road" pedals in traffic. Of

course, it

Quoted message said:

doesn't occur to them to just put dual sided MTB pedals on their road

bikes.

Quoted message said:

That would be sacriledge!

Quoted message said:

And speedplay seems to be the most overpriced clipless pedal i've seen. lots

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

other ones are dual sided.

Sub-$50.00 mountain bike pedals work fine for most people. Stronger

riders may

Quoted message said:

like a more solid connection, and some riders get hotspots, but for most

people

Quoted message said:

they work fine.

Quoted message said:

Did you check to see if the cleat came loose on your shoe and maybe

moved

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

around? When I switched the location of my cleats, I had a reallly hard

time

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

clipping in (this is with an SPD system). Also did you check your pedals

for

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

anything strange? Anything loose, sticky, etc? the shoes clip in

perfectly

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

fine when stopped?

All good advice. Cleats sometimes move around. Also, check for wear, and nicked/dinged plastic.

Look-style pedals still work as well as they did when they came out, but

better

Quoted message said:

solutions have come along in the last 10 years.

Matt O.

Kerry Nikolaisen said:

It seems as if the pedals spin too much before I try to clip in, and when I do steady them with my
foot, I always seem to get the back side and have to futz to get them turned over. Of course all
of this in front of people waiting at all 4 corners of the intersection.

I've been riding PD-7401's for about 14 years or so. Yes, they do tend to spin around a bit when you
take off and yes it is a pain. I've grown used to it and can usually compensate for the spinning and
step onto it just as it spins to the right spot. It's a basic design problem with all Look style
pedals. I'd have switched to Speedplays a long time ago if it weren't for the fact that the 7401's
are practically bomb proof. They just keep working. I have a hard time dumping something that works
that well for that long. As I do with most bike parts, I'll dump them if and when they wear out.

--Bill Davidson
--
Please remove ".nospam" from my address for email replies.

Support the Electronic Frontier Foundation eff.orgeff.orgOpen ↗ Petition Congress to stop the RIAA
lawsuits eff.orgpetitionOpen ↗

"Kerry Nikolaisen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've had this recurring problem as of late with clipping into my Shimano Look-style pedals at
stoplights. I have had these pedals for over 10

years

Quoted message said:

and recently put them back on my bike after the Exus clipless pedal that came with my newer bike
shot craps.

It seems as if the pedals spin too much before I try to clip in, and when

I

Quoted message said:

do steady them with my foot, I always seem to get the back side and have

to

Quoted message said:

futz to get them turned over. Of course all of this in front of people waiting at all 4 corners of
the intersection.

I have been riding with clipless pedals for over 13 years, so I will not admit to operator error.
Any suggestions?

I assume you keep one foot clipped in, and the fumbling is just with the "second" one?

I usually can muster enough oomph to get going with just the one pedal, pushing down on the wrong
side of the other if necessary until it comes round again and I can snap in cleanly.

Bill "still not sure why I got Looks when had Eggbeaters first" S.

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

Quoted message said:

Personally, I use dual sided pedals and can't even understand single sided ones, or why they still
really exist. But the original poster said he's

used

Quoted message said:

single sided pedals no problem..

Mike mikebeauchamp.commikebeauchamp.comOpen ↗

I have used Look style pedals for years. Its seems that lately I have had a bit? more trouble than
usual getting into them. Not necessarily the "click in" portion, but the steadying of the pedal.

Could be the shoe change - I find some shoes narrower and thinner (from sole to top) at the toe/top
making it easier to guide the pedal to a horizontal position.

I had a pair of Nikes that have a plastic reflective "lip" on the front and they always got
caught on the front of the pedal. I always knew I had the right side up, but had to pull back
slightly to engage.

Kerry

Sorni said:

I assume you keep one foot clipped in, and the fumbling is just with the "second" one?

I had this problem, too, with some Wellgo R4 SPD-Rs (supposed to be similar to Dura-Ace; I hated 'em
-- they came on the bike). They were always upside-down, and if I was able to devote enough
attention to flip them over, I had a hell of a time getting in -- they were not in any way
intuitive, and there were loads of positions that felt like pressure would result in clicking in but
in fact were nowhere near correct. Occasionally, they even would seem to enter, but had no retaining
power; also occasionally, they would click in with my ankle at some weird angle.

Quoted message said:

I usually can muster enough oomph to get going with just the one pedal, pushing down on the wrong
side of the other if necessary until it comes round again and I can snap in cleanly.

That was what I did, all the way up to "can snap in cleanly". There was no clean entry into those
pedals. Additionally, doing that, it was common to slip right off the upside-down pedal -- it was
sloped down-out, and I could either put the metal cleat on the smooth metal surface of the spindle
housing, or I could put the plastic arch. Either one happily slid off.

I bought some $20 Nashbar Special SPDs that weighed the same, were double sided, AND were easy
to get in.

Quoted message said:

Bill "still not sure why I got Looks when had Eggbeaters first" S.

--
Rick "I'll trade some Wellgo SPD-Rs for the Eggbeaters" Onanian

Some of us find it difficult to give up old gear.. Time for some eggbeaters or a decent new dual
entry pedal.Better to spend a few more bucks than to worry about "dorking out" in traffic. Murray

On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 02:54:41 GMT, "Kerry Nikolaisen"

[email protected] said:

I've had this recurring problem as of late with clipping into my Shimano Look-style pedals at
stoplights. I have had these pedals for over 10 years and recently put them back on my bike after
the Exus clipless pedal that came with my newer bike shot craps.

It seems as if the pedals spin too much before I try to clip in, and when I do steady them with my
foot, I always seem to get the back side and have to futz to get them turned over. Of course all of
this in front of people waiting at all 4 corners of the intersection.

I have been riding with clipless pedals for over 13 years, so I will not admit to operator error.
Any suggestions?

Kerry

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

Quoted message said:

Sorni said:

I assume you keep one foot clipped in, and the fumbling is just with the "second" one?

I had this problem, too, with some Wellgo R4 SPD-Rs (supposed to be similar to Dura-Ace; I hated
'em -- they came on the bike). They were always upside-down, and if I was able to devote enough
attention to flip them over, I had a hell of a time getting in -- they were not in any way
intuitive, and there were loads of positions that felt like pressure would result in clicking in
but in fact were nowhere near correct. Occasionally, they even would seem to enter, but had no
retaining power; also occasionally, they would click in with my ankle at some weird angle.

Quoted message said:

I usually can muster enough oomph to get going with just the one pedal, pushing down on the wrong
side of the other if necessary until it comes round again and I can snap in cleanly.

That was what I did, all the way up to "can snap in cleanly". There was no clean entry into those
pedals. Additionally, doing that, it was common to slip right off the upside-down pedal -- it was
sloped down-out, and I could either put the metal cleat on the smooth metal surface of the spindle
housing, or I could put the plastic arch. Either one happily slid off.

I bought some $20 Nashbar Special SPDs that weighed the same, were double sided, AND were easy
to get in.

Quoted message said:

Bill "still not sure why I got Looks when had Eggbeaters first" S.

--
Rick "I'll trade some Wellgo SPD-Rs for the Eggbeaters" Onanian

Yeah, I do the same here. Sometimes the cleats skate off the bottom of the pedal as I put just
barely enough pressure on them to get me through the intersection.

It's probably not a big deal except I have this perception that hundreds of eyes are on me from all
sides of the intersection looking at me fumbling with my pedals, sometimes glancing off the back
sides of them. They must be thinking "what a friggin amateur - can't even clip in."

Kerry "should be caring about what the motorists think" Nikolaisen

Fri, 24 Oct 2003 15:19:30 -0400, <[email hidden]>, Rick Onanian

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Bill "still not sure why I got Looks when had Eggbeaters first" S.

--
Rick "I'll trade some Wellgo SPD-Rs for the Eggbeaters" Onanian

Ya gotta watch out for the "roll" with Eggbeaters.

When cliping-in, it's fairly easy to roll your foot right off the pedal. It's a small pedal and a
small cleat.

They're great on the fixey because you can squirm into any of the four sides if you miss the first
clean click.
--
Zoot "Eggbeater's the only clipless pedal that ever looked right" Katz

Quoted message said:

It's probably not a big deal except I have this perception that hundreds of eyes are on me from all
sides of the intersection looking at me fumbling with my pedals, sometimes glancing off the back
sides of them. They must be thinking "what a friggin amateur - can't even clip in."

Probably they're not looking at your feet. After a year of city riding I ditched my normal clips and
straps in favor of double sided pedals with no retention system. I found I was spending too much
task load on the pedals and not enough time on the awareness.

This makes sense to me in terms of utility and safety. I also use normal running shoes, which aren't
ideal for cycling but which are a big plus in terms of the not uncommon grocery stops and so forth.

I still use my SIDIs, but not commuting in traffic, and not on that bike. FWIW.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------
__________306.350.357.38>>[email hidden]__________

In article said:

Some of us find it difficult to give up old gear.. Time for some eggbeaters or a decent new dual
entry pedal.Better to spend a few more bucks than to worry about "dorking out" in traffic. Murray

I went the opposite direction, and spent *fewer* bux.

A nice pair of cheap-o VP pedals, plastic Zefal toeclips and cordura straps, & I'm off 'n runn-,
erm, riding.

And they're good enough to one-legged pedal up some fairly imposing slopes. At least, you can set
them so you'd rip your lungs out before your foot detaches. And getting into/out of them is a
piece of cake.

Granted, they're not as pretty as those slight little nubs of Look road pedals, but they do the
trick. And that's what ultimately matters.

"Dorking out". Pffft ;-)

cheers, Tom

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