How do spds work?
jed1978
Posts: 87
are they easilly clipped/unclipped.
if i need to stop will i fall over?
silly questions i know
but in the dark here
if i need to stop will i fall over?
silly questions i know
but in the dark here
0
Comments
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jed1978 wrote:are they easilly clipped/unclipped.
if i need to stop will i fall over?
silly questions i know
but in the dark here
Yes you will fall over at some stage, I think we all have. You get used to it very quickly. My advice is not to stay clipped in at traffic lights and dont lean on things!!0 -
DONT lean on things
how quickly/easilly can they be unclipped?0 -
thanks0
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Get used to unclipping BEFORE you come to a complete stop. PLAN AHEAD when you see
a situation in front of you that requires unclipping. I usually unclip only one foot. It's a good
idea to use the same one all the time so you get used to it. Be ready to lean the bike toward the unclipped foot as you come to a stop or you may fall over. When starting off again don't put a lot of pressure on the unclipped pedal until you are sure it's clipped in.
Slipping off a pedal can hurt in more ways than one.
Dennis Noward0 -
You do get used to it quicker than you would think but it is taking me a long time to get as confident at the lights as I used to be.
I have noticed the difference pedalling too.
And I lean on things like railings quite often at the lights, can't see the problem with that?Current steed is a '07 Carrera Banshee X
+ cheap road/commuting bike0 -
Steve_F wrote:You do get used to it quicker than you would think but it is taking me a long time to get as confident at the lights as I used to be.
I have noticed the difference pedalling too.
And I lean on things like railings quite often at the lights, can't see the problem with that?
Even after all these years it seems that clipping back in at stop lights is not as easy
as the old toe clip and strap pedals. The foot placement is more critical with clipless
and with toe clips and straps you could actually pedal on the wrong side of the pedal
for a bit until you got yourself moving along in a straight line.
Dennis Noward0 -
i DO lean on stuff - all the time
it is part of planning head - approaching a junction - can I keep rolling? is there something to hold on to to avoid unclipping - last resort is to unclip in advance of getting near the line - just unclip one foot - really for a good start off the lights!
i love clipless pedals and wonder how I got on without them
how did we get on without them?
anyway - they are easy to clip and out of and give a great feeling when clipped on. If you are riding a fixed gear bike then they are even more important!0 -
Leaning is fine, just avoid parked cars. You can bet the one car you'll opt for will be the one with the loudest anti theft system on the block. You have no idea of what embarassment is until you're on your arse in the street, all decked out in lycra, next to a wailing car that just happens to be parked in front of a packed bus stop.
Though everyone has a clipless horror story, clipless pedals and shoes are an absolute must,0 -
SPuDs are one of the alltime great cycling innovations. Shoes you can walk in with out lookiing very wierd, but they are a magnatude better than bloody toeclips and straps (or muzzles as one female rider used to call them)
To start off with set your tension on the pedals lower than normal to make it really easy to unclip until you get the hang of it, then gradually increase the tension. The other thing is to be really with your cleat position as until they are spot on it is easy to twist a knee. I used to carry an allen key in my pocket for fine tuning the cleats on a ride.
You could always buy pedals which are Spud on one side, and are a normal road pedal on the other. I got some with my moulton, and I find them much better than double sided, especially for urban cycling. Just unclip when y ou think you may need to swap and use the other side if you can carry on. Also great for nipping to the shops in trainers or sandals.
And yes I have fallen off, usually stalling on a hill I've suddenly fund myself in too high a gear for.0 -
just answering another post about clipless on mountain bikes reminded me that I did not mention powergrips.
http://powergrips.mrpbike.com/pg_benefits.shtml
They are a very good alternative to clipless and toe clips and work with any shoe. I've always used them for mountain biking with walking boots. they'll fit most normal pedals, and are a lot cheaper than clipless pedals and new shoes
Gaz0 -
I switched to clipless at the weekend and have imediately felt the difference. I can see that there will be no going back to toe clips. They are very easy to use. Yes you do have the think ahead slightly more and you just have to remember to un-clip before you stop.
I have only had one close shave when was moving at very low speed, had unclipped but rested my shoe back on the pedal. What I didn't realise was that it had clipped itself back in so I almost did the classic slow motion topple but just managed to get the foot back out in time.
I have got a pair of Adidas cyclone shoes - maybe not the most high performance shoe in terms of power transfer but they look like a failry normal pair of trainers and you can walk in them like a normal pair of shoes.
Goos luck.0
