Pedals without Falling Off!

psychologist1

Can you help me please.......i want to ride using clipless pedals but keep falling off because i cant get my feet out of them...can you suggest an easier to use set of pedals? I hear Mountain Bike pedals may be better than Road Bike pedals....I ride a road bike but am not fussed as to which type i use as long as i can get out of them too !!!!!! Thanks for your advice in advance

ash68

Don't say what pedals you've tried to date.Can recommend shimano m520 pedals or any similar from that range. The tensioning screw is adjustable to make it easier or harder to remove your foot from the pedal. They come with full instructions. Try clipping and unclipping a few times to get the hang of it before cycling with them. Also try to antisipate when to release i.e. when coming to road junctions or traffic lights unclip your left foot and ride with your foot resting on the pedal.If the road is clear just reclip in when cycling along and continue on your way.It takes a little practise but will soon be second nature.Hope this helps. Good luck

banana_man

I concur! I have a set of Shimano m520 pedals as my first clipless pedals and loosening the tension screws off a couple of clicks makes it a hell of a lot easier to get in and out. The m520s are mtb pedals, but i don't see any reason why they shouldn't be used on a road bike; unless you're into the gram-counting business already, i'd say they're a good place to learn.

Rich Hcp

Anticipation is the key!

I always click out early near junctions and whenm I'm uncertain
I
have Shimano 105 road pedals and have done te sideways dive once, everyone does it once!

I satred off with them as loose as they would go and have just adjusted them 2 clicks tighter, which feels better now.

I'm lucky because I can only put my right foot on the ground, the left is 20mm shorter and weaker, so I don't need to decide which foot to put down.

Maybe you should choose a particular foot to always unclip and put down?

RufusA

I went for the M540's and haven't had a single incident to date *cue falling flat on side face next set of traffic lights*

Went for MB pedals as they are double sided and fully adjustable, seen enough people struggling to clip in to single sided road pedals on the embankment to put me off them (for now). Chose the M540 over the M520 as the M520 looked a little too plastic in the flesh, and had read bad things about the end cap/spring flying off! Managed to get a very good price online though!

I nearly always anticipate and unclick before a junction / stop - coming from straps this is second nature.. Had a couple of near misses, but have *always* managed to unclip in an emergency!

HTH - Rufus.

BigLee1

As long as you learn to twist your heel out you`ll be ok! Pop in the garage & hold yourself up against the wall & clip in & out for 5 mins per side every night for a few days, it`ll then become 2nd nature

John Stevenson

Whatever you're using, it's also a good idea to back the release tension right off, if you can, until you get used to the action.

johnno_uk

banana_man wrote:

I concur! I have a set of Shimano m520 pedals as my first clipless pedals and loosening the tension screws off a couple of clicks makes it a hell of a lot easier to get in and out. The m520s are mtb pedals, but i don't see any reason why they shouldn't be used on a road bike; unless you're into the gram-counting business already, i'd say they're a good place to learn.

I'd concurr also : I have the M520's on my road bike. Loads of good reviews out there with road and MTB users.

Practice in the kitchen or indoor room first . I found they were supplied very tight, so had to really back them off quite a bit before . Case in point : I did an emergency stop 2 weeks ago and couldnt get feet out quick enough despite trying. So, another half turn and they are fine now (chain came off today whilst stepping down to the 39 whillst i was near stationary going up hill - slipped out the pedal just fine.)

richa

I think for starters it is anticipation and a little practice (in technique) that you need not a new set of pedals.

Soon you'll find it hard to believe you struggled at all.

drenkrom

Whatever pedal you go for at first, you will come out of them when you need to. I started with loose Look pedals, and no use Look Jalabert's at full tension. When I had a face to face encounter with a car last week (her fault), exactly at the moment of impact, I clipped out, preventing me from following my bike under the bumper.

The Shimanos suggested earlier are a great first pair, but don't be afraid to go for the large-platform models, as the difference on the road can be huge. It also opens up the road shoe market, as the super-stiff carbon shoes don't always have the 2-bolt scheme. And those make a world of difference out on the road.

I know the apprehension for having felt it before I clipped in the first time, but there really is nothing to be afraid of. Clipping out is as easy as thinking "turn heel outwards". Sometimes you lack the response time to do that, but you wouldn't fare any better in clips and straps. Just like any fear, getting over the lump is hard, but once you do it, you look back and wonder what the fuss was about. If you ride your bike enough, you will crash. Count yourself lucky if it's on your side at a standstill.

stevejmo7

Could be the pedals- I tried speedplays and found that I have to twist my foot nearly 90 deg to release them - luckily tried them first on the turbo. I use three varieties of crankbros on my different bikes and found them dead easy to get in and out of also good for my dodgy knees. Had previouslty used shimano (too little float), and Look which I found occasionally tricy to get into as they don't always hang correctly for easy access. The eggbeaters are great for commuting with 4 sided entry and the road cleats have a really good plastic thingy for walking which prevents damage and slipping.

1892

I've just progressed to clipless pedals only fallen off twice so far. Once @ a road junction luckily nobody about to either see me make a twat of myself or run me over.
Adds to the fun. :twisted:

drenkrom

Oh yeah... Speedplays would be downright scary as a first clipless pedal!

hopeful

psychologist1 wrote:

Can you help me please.......i want to ride using clipless pedals but keep falling off because i cant get my feet out of them...can you suggest an easier to use set of pedals? I hear Mountain Bike pedals may be better than Road Bike pedals....I ride a road bike but am not fussed as to which type i use as long as i can get out of them too !!!!!! Thanks for your advice in advance

A couple of weeks ago, I was worse off than you because I hadn't even TRIED clipless (and, at the time, had no intention of doing so). I started a thread at http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... 8c782f0d50 and, hey presto, I'm a clipless convert. I'm sure you will benefit from the generous advice of all the guys out there.

All the best.

Airfriday

Well, I read the start of this thread with great interest last Saturday, the day I Bought-them-Now (Shimano M520's) on eBay. Since re-discovering "The Bike" and cycling now for 5 years . . . I've not fallen off! Had a few hairy moments. Hit a few potholes and split the odd tyre, that sort of thing.

T.H.E.Y arrived this morning. Fitted in 5 minutes and off for a test ride. I left the plastic platforms (PD22) on one side, "Just-in-Case"! Before putting on my SPS Shoes, I tried clicking them in and out of the pedals. Seems simple enough. I never adjusted anything as everything seems to be OK.

SO . . . off I went. clicked-in left foot. Took a few seconds more to engage the right foot. Off out into the countryside. I must say that the cleats must have landed in just the right place when I fitted them to the shoes because this was becoming one of the must comfortable rides ever. Mmmmm . . . the next village is getting closer and the possibility of some traffic, so I decided to un-click early and stop alongside the grass verge. I started to slow down and tried to un-click left foot. Nothing. Tried the right foot. Nothing. Still firmly attached to my bike! Speed became "Zero" and I toppled over onto the grass verge!

I was at least smart enough to put the necessary allen key in my pocket and with it I completely backed-off the spring tension on both pedals. I would say that they were actually set to maximum tension! Should have checked before leaving home.

I set off again and clicked in and out on demand! This is GREAT. Stopped at a cross roads or two, un-clicking just a second or two before needing to stop. Perfection.

For me, the tension set to minimum is perfect. My shoes click-in and out easily but have not come out by accident. It's probably been said before many times in various SPD threads BUT, regardless of what the instructions say, probably best to set the tension to minimum and increase if need be. I must say that they do seem to require a fare amount of "Twist" to disengage but I'm sure it WILL get easier with practice.

I turned around and head straight for home - 10 miles. pulled up on my drive and promptly forgot all about the "SPD" pedals and fell off!

Great fun this cycling!

pneumatic

As well as loosening off the tension, don't forget to lubricate them from time to time. Like any other moving part of the bike, and especially one so close to the road, they get gritted and salted good and proper. I had a lot of trouble with mine not releasing. When someone suggested a couple of drops of lube on the spring coil at the back, the difference was remarkable.

topcattim

You may also want to check that your cleats are firmly attached to your shoe. I put a new set of cleats on tonight and when I tested them in and out of the pedals, I found it really hard to get them out. Then I realised that the cleats were moving sideways on the shoe, meaning that they weren't moving so much relatively to the pedals. I tightened them up so there is no lateral movement, and heypresto.

Airfriday

SPD - day-2 Never fell off!

Now cycled about 25 miles and I feel that clipless work for me!

Todays route: www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=159344

Had to clip-out and stop 10 times which is better in getting used to them than doing a straight run of many miles.

Psychologist1 ~ take note of all the suggestions on here re loosening off the SPD tension, adjusting the cleats and making sure they are tightly fitted to your shoes and if you haven't already, I'm sure you will master your SPD clipless pedals quite quickly.

psychologist1

The adventure has begun...........i am the proud owner of a pair of Shimano M540s......they are easier to clip in and out of..........will my reactions work wheni need to unclip myself in an emergency?????? remains to be seen!

thank you to all who contributed to this facinating thread!

D

Lif30057840

Ull b fine m8y
Remmber when all the ppl said to u about toe clips "how will u get out of them at traffic lights etc?" (what do u mean no1's evr said that!!) Its easier to get out of clipless than straps - itll become second nature to u really quickly and actually iv pulled out of loosened clipless in blind panic in an upward direction! (came off in Backpool on the tramlines, was out of my pedals b4 i hit the floor - but perhaps thats not th best tale to tell in this thread! )

nolf

Have a pair of M540's on my galaxy (my 1st ever road bike) and found them great for a beginner on minimum tension.

So anyone looking to start would defo recommend these.

However- I found that as I got fitter and more confident the maximum tightness of them wasn't really enough.
Had a few very scary moments (when practicing sprints) where I was really laying the power down and my foot unclipped, with my foot flying off and totally destabilising the bike. Luckily the road was quiet and I managed to steady the bike.

So great for starters, but if you want to get into racing I would 100% say get some proper single sided pedals at a tightish tension to keep your feet firmly in your pedals.

psychologist1

A seriously big thank you for the advice i have had from all of you!! i bought a pair of shimano 540.............its been great!! where did all that extra power come from ????? going up those hills was half the effort..........and i spent a lot of time on two things..........PRACTICING getting in and out of the pedals...........and ANTICIPATION.......seems to have worked as i havent felt the road as yet!!

I am not going back now!

1892

psychologist1 wrote:

A seriously big thank you for the advice i have had from all of you!! i bought a pair of shimano 540.............its been great!! where did all that extra power come from ????? going up those hills was half the effort..........and i spent a lot of time on two things..........PRACTICING getting in and out of the pedals...........and ANTICIPATION.......seems to have worked as i havent felt the road as yet!!

I am not going back now!

Just keep practicing, when I changed to clipless, I was perfect for about 2 weeks then came unstuck @ a junction :oops: :oops: