Standing at stops still clipped rather than duckwalking

In article <[email hidden]>,

Roger Daniel Pease said:

I've been cycling for almost a year now. Right now I stop by unclipping
both pedals while remaining on the seat and letting my two feet balance
me when I reach a complete stop. If I need to move I 'duckwalk'.

A lot of riders I've seen will keep one foot clipped in and stand over
their bike (unseated) while stopped. Is that an easy habit to get into?

That's how I've always done it (only with toeclips these days),
but it really should be quite easy. In fact, probably easier
than having to reconnect to both pedals at once on the fly.

Quoted message said:

Should I just accept that I will fall a few times if I try to learn
that?

I don't see why anyone should fall by uncoupling one cleat/pedal.

Quoted message said:

Any suggestions for ways to master that habit?

If you're having trouble lifting off the saddle, you could
practice standing on the pedals while coasting. It's easier
to lift off the saddle if it's set at the right height. Then
it's just a matter of anticipating your stops, disconnecting
(from the pedal) the foot you want to put down, lifting off
the saddle, and ... stopping. Rather than just flopping over
and sticking your foot out to break your incipient fall, bend
your knee -- the one attached to the leg that's still attached
to your bike -- and gently lower yourself down.

The next trick is reconnecting to the pedal when you get
going again ;-)

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Wed, 09 Mar 2005 15:13:26 -0600, <[email hidden]>, Roger

Daniel Pease said:

I've been cycling for almost a year now. Right now I stop by unclipping
both pedals while remaining on the seat and letting my two feet balance
me when I reach a complete stop. If I need to move I 'duckwalk'.

A lot of riders I've seen will keep one foot clipped in and stand over
their bike (unseated) while stopped. Is that an easy habit to get into?
Should I just accept that I will fall a few times if I try to learn
that? Any suggestions for ways to master that habit?

Practice.

I also suggest learning how to do it backward in case some idiot
decides to back-up.

I generally un clip one foot and dab the other. Which foot depends on
road crown. As opposed to track stands, I believe a dabbed rider is
easier for drivers to "read". They're less hesitant about taking their
right of way and replacing your foot on the pedal sends the message
that you're going to move.

Sometimes, in some locations, I'll leave both feet on the pedals (one
un clipped) and do a track stand or stabilise my self by hanging on to
a convenient post, pole, news paper box, litter bin etc.
--
zk

On Wed, 09 Mar 2005 15:13:26 -0600, Roger Daniel Pease <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Is that an easy habit to get into?
Should I just accept that I will fall a few times if I try to learn
that? Any suggestions for ways to master that habit?

there is a knack to trackstanding.. and best practiced on soft grass
without being clipped in.. then once you have it down pat, you can
trackstand remaining clipped in..

here are some tips on how to get going:
http://pages.prodigy.com/CharlieB/trackstands.html

charlieb in ct.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Roger Daniel Pease said:

A lot of riders I've seen will keep one foot clipped in and stand over
their bike (unseated) while stopped.

D'oh! Now I'm confused. Are you talking about trackstands
(stopping with both feet remaining on the pedals,) or stopping
with one foot on the ground?

cheers again,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 15:33:41 -0800, <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] (Tom Keats), responded to Roger:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A lot of riders I've seen will keep one foot clipped in and stand over
their bike (unseated) while stopped.

D'oh! Now I'm confused. Are you talking about trackstands
(stopping with both feet remaining on the pedals,) or stopping
with one foot on the ground?

It sounded, to me, like they're questioning the difference between
double dabbing from the saddle as opposed to single dabbing while
straddling the top tube.

Their statement:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Right now I stop by unclipping
both pedals while remaining on the seat and letting my two feet balance
me when I reach a complete stop. If I need to move I 'duckwalk'.

makes it sounds like the saddle is too low.
--
zk

One foot clipped in is easy to do. I keep my right foot clipped in and at
the 10 o'clock position so I can take off quickly. What's really neat is
trackstanding, which is keeping both feet clipped in and balancing the bike
at a standstill. I'm afraid to pull one in traffic, but I've seen an oral
surgeon friend of mine do it in a turning lane. He's the man, because if he
screws up and falls it's on a busy two lane highway... :-)

In article <[email hidden]>,

Zoot Katz said:

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 15:33:41 -0800, <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] (Tom Keats), responded to Roger:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A lot of riders I've seen will keep one foot clipped in and stand over
their bike (unseated) while stopped.

D'oh! Now I'm confused. Are you talking about trackstands
(stopping with both feet remaining on the pedals,) or stopping
with one foot on the ground?

It sounded, to me, like they're questioning the difference between
double dabbing from the saddle as opposed to single dabbing while
straddling the top tube.

That's how I originally read it.

Quoted message said:

Their statement:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Right now I stop by unclipping
both pedals while remaining on the seat and letting my two feet balance
me when I reach a complete stop. If I need to move I 'duckwalk'.

makes it sounds like the saddle is too low.

I had the same inkling. If it really is too low, that would
make lifting off of it in order to stand more difficult,
hence the original poster's reservations.

Maybe there's a 'bike fit' issue here?

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Roger Daniel Pease said:

I've been cycling for almost a year now. Right now I stop by unclipping
both pedals while remaining on the seat and letting my two feet balance
me when I reach a complete stop. If I need to move I 'duckwalk'.

A lot of riders I've seen will keep one foot clipped in and stand over
their bike (unseated) while stopped. Is that an easy habit to get into?
Should I just accept that I will fall a few times if I try to learn
that? Any suggestions for ways to master that habit?

Don't fall. This is no harder than gettig off an escalator.

As you approach the stop coast while standing on one foot with that pedal down,
unclip the other. As you come to a stop put the free foot down on the ground
with a bit of a forward "step" motion that puts you in front of the saddle.
Done.

Only in a world of undersized frames can people not know this drill.

Ron

"Gooserider" (clip) He's the man, because if he screws up and falls it's on
a busy two lane highway... :
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Not only that! He's got to be able to put his fingers into a patient's
mouth. Not too easy with bandages.

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

Quoted message said:

"Gooserider" (clip) He's the man, because if he screws up and falls it's

on

Quoted message said:

a busy two lane highway... :
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Not only that! He's got to be able to put his fingers into a patient's
mouth. Not too easy with bandages.

He broke his collarbone last year in a triathlon. He couldn't work for two
months or so(broke the right one). He had to hire a temporary OS. Needless
to say, his wife was NOT happy. :-) His trackstanding ability is still cool,
though.

"Roger Daniel Pease" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've been cycling for almost a year now. Right now I stop by unclipping
both pedals while remaining on the seat and letting my two feet balance me
when I reach a complete stop. If I need to move I 'duckwalk'.

If you can put both feet on the ground while still astride the saddle, your
saddle is too low.

Quoted message said:

A lot of riders I've seen will keep one foot clipped in and stand over
their bike (unseated) while stopped. Is that an easy habit to get into?
Should I just accept that I will fall a few times if I try to learn that?
Any suggestions for ways to master that habit?

If your saddle is at the proper height, you'll have no choice.

Unclip one foot as you approach the stop. The clipped foot's pedal is at the
bottom of its travel. Shift your weight onto it and off the saddle, which
will also move you forward. Then, as the bike stops, tip over onto the loose
foot.

RichC

Tom Keats said:

...

Quoted message said:

Should I just accept that I will fall a few times if I try to learn
that?

I don't see why anyone should fall by uncoupling one cleat/pedal....

Just don't lean in the direction of the clipped in foot!

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

RonSonic said:

Roger Daniel Pease said:

I've been cycling for almost a year now. Right now I stop by unclipping
both pedals while remaining on the seat and letting my two feet balance
me when I reach a complete stop. If I need to move I 'duckwalk'.

A lot of riders I've seen will keep one foot clipped in and stand over
their bike (unseated) while stopped. Is that an easy habit to get into?
Should I just accept that I will fall a few times if I try to learn
that? Any suggestions for ways to master that habit?

Don't fall. This is no harder than gettig off an escalator.

As you approach the stop coast while standing on one foot with that pedal down,
unclip the other. As you come to a stop put the free foot down on the ground
with a bit of a forward "step" motion that puts you in front of the saddle.
Done.

Only in a world of undersized frames can people not know this drill.

I have to remind myself not to unclip when riding the trike.

All I need is a proper headrest, then I could do a "trackstand" in my
sleep. 🙂

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Zoot Katz said:

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 15:33:41 -0800, <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] (Tom Keats), responded to Roger:

Quoted message said:

>A lot of riders I've seen will keep one foot clipped in and stand over
>their bike (unseated) while stopped.

D'oh! Now I'm confused. Are you talking about trackstands
(stopping with both feet remaining on the pedals,) or stopping
with one foot on the ground?

It sounded, to me, like they're questioning the difference between
double dabbing from the saddle as opposed to single dabbing while
straddling the top tube.

Yes, if I understand your lingo correctly. :-) I've not mastered
standing over the top tube while having one foot still clipped.

Quoted message said:

That's how I originally read it.

Quoted message said:

Their statement:

Quoted message said:

>Right now I stop by unclipping
>both pedals while remaining on the seat and letting my two feet balance
>me when I reach a complete stop. If I need to move I 'duckwalk'.

makes it sounds like the saddle is too low.

I was concerned about that actually, but a bike shop I took the bike to
said I was the right height. I think I will try the 'standing on the
pedals' as a starter.

Thanks,

Roger

In article <[email hidden]>,

Tom Sherman said:

Tom Keats said:

...

Quoted message said:

Should I just accept that I will fall a few times if I try to learn
that?

I don't see why anyone should fall by uncoupling one cleat/pedal....

Just don't lean in the direction of the clipped in foot!

Been there, done that!

Just like Charlie Johnson on "Laugh In"

My next be will be a Greenspeed trike. Then I can stay clipped in
without falling...🙂

H M Leary said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Tom Sherman said:

Tom Keats said:

...
>Should I just accept that I will fall a few times if I try to learn
>that?

I don't see why anyone should fall by uncoupling one cleat/pedal....

Just don't lean in the direction of the clipped in foot!

Been there, done that!

Just like Charlie Johnson on "Laugh In"

Arte Johnson, no?

Anyway I've done that. Just think of it as a sideways trackstand.

Ron

In article <[email hidden]>,

RonSonic said:

H M Leary said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Tom Sherman said:

Tom Keats wrote:

> ...
>>Should I just accept that I will fall a few times if I try to learn
>>that?
>
>
> I don't see why anyone should fall by uncoupling one cleat/pedal....

Just don't lean in the direction of the clipped in foot!

Been there, done that!

Just like Charlie Johnson on "Laugh In"

Arte Johnson, no?

You are correct, Art it is, not a friend named Charlie.

Quoted message said:

Anyway I've done that. Just think of it as a sideways trackstand.

Ron

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 05:56:24 -0600, Roger Daniel Pease <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>Right now I stop by unclipping
>>both pedals while remaining on the seat and letting my two feet balance
>>me when I reach a complete stop. If I need to move I 'duckwalk'.

makes it sounds like the saddle is too low.

I was concerned about that actually, but a bike shop I took the bike to
said I was the right height. I think I will try the 'standing on the
pedals' as a starter.

Thanks,

Roger

Hi Roger, as others have mentioned, your saddle may be too low. that
and other info can be addressed at the following link:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html
Be sure to read "Stopping and Starting".

Another thing you could try, to become comfortable doing one footed
stops and starts, would be to stop as usual. Then clip one foot back
in and start that way. That way you will get used to being in that
position, while stopped. The whole thing is really quite simple,
easier than learning to use clipless pedals.

Life is Good!
Jeff

Rich Clark said:

"Roger Daniel Pease" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

If you can put both feet on the ground while still astride the saddle, your
saddle is too low.

I can put my toes down. I can't do flat footed unless I'm over the top bar.

RDP