Go clipless for tour

I know about the advantages of clipless pedals, but are they hard to
get into and out of in a hurry? If I have an emergency and have to do a
panic stop will I have a loaded bike laying on top of me with my feet
still clipped into the pedals? Sounds like a bad experience to me.

Ken

In article <[email hidden]>,

Ken M said:

I know about the advantages of clipless pedals, but are they hard to
get into and out of in a hurry? If I have an emergency and have to do a
panic stop will I have a loaded bike laying on top of me with my feet
still clipped into the pedals? Sounds like a bad experience to me.

Hard compared to what? The main advantage of clipless vs. toe clips
is easy in and out. Compared to platform pedals, you do have to think
a little more (especially to get in), but cleats are way better than
having your feet slip of the pedals on a fast downhill.

I submit that on or about 15 Sep 2005 13:28:59 -0700, the person known
to the court as "Ken M" <[email hidden]> made a statement
(<[email hidden]> in Your
Honour's bundle) to the following effect:

Quoted message said:

I know about the advantages of clipless pedals, but are they hard to
get into and out of in a hurry?

Not really, especially if you wind the tension down (which, as a
newbie, you should do anyway). Most of the common systems will (IME)
release before you realise there's a problem, unless you have the
tension right up.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

Ken M said:

I know about the advantages of clipless pedals, but are they hard to
get into and out of in a hurry? If I have an emergency and have to do a
panic stop will I have a loaded bike laying on top of me with my feet
still clipped into the pedals? Sounds like a bad experience to me.

What Bill and "caspam" said, plus...

Most (all?) clipless pedals allow you to adjust the tension on the cleat. This
descreases or increases the amount of pressure you have to apply to the akle
twist before the cleats disengage. So if your cleats are too hard to get out of
as they are initially set, adjust the tension to reduce needed pressure. (But
not so much that your cleats come out of the pedals at the slightest sidewards
motion.) Maybe less tension would help you feel more comfortable with them.

--
"Hills are our friends. They make us better."

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

Quoted message said:

Well, practice makes perfect and an experienced cyclist can hop in and out
of his clipless pedals in a jiffy.

Once you get the hang of clipless, they become second nature. I find myself
twisting my left foot to the left when I approach a stop even when riding
with platform pedals.

Quoted message said:

If you're that worried about crashing, maybe toe clips would be a better
solution for you.

My experience is that toe clips are MUCH harder to get out of when you need
to get out quickly.

Cheto

In article <[email hidden]>,

Steve Koterski said:

Most (all?) clipless pedals allow you to adjust the tension on the cleat.

Some pedals have no tension adjustment (Time, Crank Brothers), but getting
out is rarley a problem. Just don't ride in heavy traffic for your first
hour or so and you'll quickly learn how to get out quickly. Getting in
to the pedals quickly takes more practice, especially with one-sided pedals.

Quoted message said:

Maybe less tension would help you feel more comfortable with them

Perhaps, and I guess as long as i got a type of pedal with adjustment
the chance of the bike laying an top of me would be pretty small. I
think I will go clipless.

Ken

Ken M <[email hidden]> wrote:
:>I know about the advantages of clipless pedals, but are they hard to
:> get into and out of in a hurry? If I have an emergency and have to
:> do a panic stop will I have a loaded bike laying on top of me with
:> my feet still clipped into the pedals? Sounds like a bad experience
:> to me.

The more you ride, the better you get at clipping in/out. The more second
nature you become. Also, you can set the tension so that in a crash you
feet come out. I took a spill last November and did a roll, with the bike
getting thrown over me. I was out before I knew it. I don't think in terms
of an emergency, but if I have one I expect to go down.

"Ken M" wrote ...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Maybe less tension would help you feel more comfortable with them

Perhaps, and I guess as long as i got a type of pedal with adjustment
the chance of the bike laying an top of me would be pretty small. I
think I will go clipless.

Ken

My Crank Brothers Eggbeaters have no tension adjustment, but they are far
easier to get out of than my Shimanos and Ritcheys ever were, and they hold
my shoes at least as securely as those two pedals ever did. They're also
easier to get into, lighter and easier to maintain. They do cost more,
though.
--
mark

Ken M <[email hidden]> wrote:
:> >Maybe less tension would help you feel more comfortable with them
:>
:> Perhaps, and I guess as long as i got a type of pedal with adjustment
:> the chance of the bike laying an top of me would be pretty small. I
:> think I will go clipless.

The bike is typically so light that it lying on top of you isn't a big
concern, IMO. Hitting the ground is much more of a concern, IMO.

Ken M said:

Quoted message said:

Maybe less tension would help you feel more comfortable with them

Perhaps, and I guess as long as i got a type of pedal with adjustment
the chance of the bike laying an top of me would be pretty small. I
think I will go clipless.

Sorry, but my experience is limited to those pedal types that have tension
adjustments (SPD-SL, mainly). So don't let my knowledge limitations limit your
choices. I see other replies where people tout the ease and safety of these
other pedal types.

But, yes. That was my point. If you have the tension light, the foot comes out
quick and easy. And if that is the case, you'd be reacting to emergency
situations that much faster.

--
"Hills are our friends. They make us better."

bryanska said:

Ken, you won't be moving fast when it comes time to unclip. Most
clipped falls are slow tips to one side. Pretty painless most of the
time.

Unless you count your pride. But one shouldn't get too concerned with
such small matters.

Ken M said:

I know about the advantages of clipless pedals, but are they hard to
get into and out of in a hurry? If I have an emergency and have to do a
panic stop will I have a loaded bike laying on top of me with my feet
still clipped into the pedals? Sounds like a bad experience to me.

Ken

Ken, you won't be moving fast when it comes time to unclip. Most
clipped falls are slow tips to one side. Pretty painless most of the
time.

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

Quoted message said:

I know about the advantages of clipless pedals, but are they hard to
get into and out of in a hurry? If I have an emergency and have to do a
panic stop will I have a loaded bike laying on top of me with my feet
still clipped into the pedals? Sounds like a bad experience to me.

Ken

I would not willingly go back to 'normal' pedals. I use clipless (Look) all
the time and have no problem clipping in and out quickly. It soon becomes
second nature. If they were as much of a problem as you seem to think they
are, legions of cyclists across the globe would not be using them 🙂

Cheers, helen s

Quoted message said:

The bike is typically so light

I agree the bike is usually light but my OP was about clipless for
loaded touring, probably loaded with 50lbs pounds of gear.

Ken

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

Quoted message said:

bryanska said:

Ken, you won't be moving fast when it comes time to unclip. Most
clipped falls are slow tips to one side. Pretty painless most of the
time.

Unless you count your pride. But one shouldn't get too concerned with
such small matters.

I remember my first ride with clipless. I did a very slow-motion fall into a
juniper bush. My cycling buddies never saw something so funny in their
lives.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Ken M said:

I know about the advantages of clipless pedals, but are they hard to get into and out of in a hurry?

What is your alternative? Toe clips and straps? No clips at all? Those
options also have safety issues.

The more you ride in clipless pedals, the less likely you are to have a
problem. You should anticipate stops and unclip before you come to a
complete stop.

Probably the toughest scenario is if you stall out on a very steep
climb and have to put a foot down. Getting your foot unclipped and
planted before you come to a complete stop and topple over can be
tricky (especially if you're climbing out of the saddle). The solution
is either to gear down before you get to that point, or if you're
already in your lowest gear, unclip while you still have some forward
momentum. Anyway, falling over at zero mph probably isn't going to be
too painful.

Art Harris

In article <[email hidden]>,

Claire Petersky said:

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

Quoted message said:

bryanska said:

Ken, you won't be moving fast when it comes time to unclip. Most
clipped falls are slow tips to one side. Pretty painless most of the
time.

Unless you count your pride. But one shouldn't get too concerned with
such small matters.

I remember my first ride with clipless. I did a very slow-motion fall into a
juniper bush. My cycling buddies never saw something so funny in their
lives.

This year I managed a couldn't-unclip slow tip onto a sidewalk during my
racing club's weekly ride. They loved that.

That said, clipless rocks. I recently built up a retro-bike just for
fun, but couldn't bring myself to put clips and straps on it, so I doug
out a set of SPD pedals instead.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Quoted message said:

but couldn't bring myself to put clips and straps on it

IMO those toe clips and straps look funny. But I guess if you like
them.

I am going clipless, it seems to be the way to go.

Ken