spds at last!

jmeadows

finally got my spd on friday. had my shoes for a couple of months and finally got round to getting the pedals! got the shimano m540s, really impressed, set them up sat after my ride and spent 5 mins clipping and unclipping and they felt great. just got back from the first ride with them and they are fantastic, would recommend to anyone unsure of them. give them a go. i got used to clipping in in no time, becomes second nature quickly!
get some!

pdid

Ha ha, don`t speak too soon. They are worth the effort but it took me a good six months of riding to become fully accustomed ( i only ride once or twice per week).

And yes you will look silly when you fall off, and yes it will hurt.

Phil

kegs

And it will happen in public, with lots of people watching, its the law

Bleedproof

In the rain at a junction when an a$$ of a car driver pulls out on you and you un-clip the wrong side

But dust yourself off and laugh it off as the benefits outweigh the bruised shoulder, hip and knee...

taliesyn

...and in my case the nettles :oops: :P

indysmith

first time i went out with my SPDs, i thought I'd take a nice slow ride by the canal with my girlfriend to play it safe.
all was going fine until my girlfriend randomly stopped to look and say "awwww! look at the cute baby duckies!" At which point i slammed on the brakes to avoid going into the back of her, and fell sideways into the canal.
Take that yu stupid bloody ducks.

omegas

It will take months of riding until you turn your foot rather than lift without having to think about it. You will be part way there when you been out on a ride and you have stopped thinking about it.
The next barrier to overcome is the unexpected emergency stops when you go in to panic mode, only when you have experienced a number of these and not fell off will you be able to say it is a natural reaction to turn your foot and not lift.

Keep with them though as you will see the long term benefits over time.

Matt-B

My friend swears against SPDs and I provided many hours of amusement when I first got mine. He had the pleasure of seeing me fall off (mostly due to stopping and not unclipping) in various locales around London. Every time he laughed. A lot.

But I still am glad I have them - wouldn't go back to flats, especially for road riding.

toby_g

I have been using SPD's since about 1997, and have to say, I would never go back to flats ever.

ratty2k

Still like my flatties ta very much! Got spd's on the roady, dont like 'em off road- certainly not on some of the places we go to. Mind you, I know plenty that ride 'em clipped in- personal preference. I'd rather lose out on some of the pedalling efficiency for the extra confidence of some seriously techy descents.

dirtbiker100

Road riding - spd
XC racing - spd
trails and anything where it gets technical, especially DH - Flats

jmeadows

thanks fellas some inspirational responses! no its good to hear that everyone has come a cropper cause i dont doubt eventually i will, dont fancy the canal route tho, or the public one!
they do feel great to ride in tho'

peanut

first time I used my SPD's was on a club run . I proudly pulled up at the first set of lights alongside some of the clubs top racers 5 abreast .....failed to unclip and took the whole line down :oops: :oops: :oops:
I'd recommend you get into the habit of twisting your right foot out first . It should ensure that you never fall in front of a vehicle . Oh and watch out for stopping on gravel

edzio

Got mine recently, went down the subway to cross a busy road, still in my work outfit. Was faced with 4 chavs coming towards me on bikes and weren't moving so I pulled a trackstand and waiting for them, just as they were passing me I lost my balance and forgot I was clipped in. Managed to unclip one foot but I was falling the other way. Not good. Really hurt, scraped my pedal up, but I won't do it again. Best way to learn. Now I always unclip one foot at the hint of danger, can always clip back in again! Going to use them on the trails this week, that should be fun!!

ratty2k

See, thats why I dont run SPD's.... I spent a lot of time unclipping when it got techy downhill. Didn't see the point in the end and after 18 months of trying to convert myself to SPD's I am really happy to get back on flatties.

jmeadows

yeh i suppose its just personal preference, for my type of riding they are a huge bonus but for other types of riding they could add a lot more risk factor, anyways i luvs them

edzio

I think a lof of it is the way you can handle a bike are. I think on tchy bits they actually won't hinder you at all, if you are going to fall off then you will fall of, whether you use SPD's or not. I think when the skill level of the rider is sufficient enough, then it shouldn't really matter whether you use SPD's, there is not a situation I can think of when I have seen my mates doind donwhill in SPD's that if they weren't clipped in would of been different.

Englishsid

Glad to find a post about SPDs :-) was just about to post some questions...

I've bene riding with SPD for the past 2 months and have fallen off about 4 times (The first time my whole left hand side was caked in mud :oops: ). Reached the point where I was considering not wearing them when I go for a ride tomorrow with some friends.

But the reply here seems to be "it takes time to master" so I will continue and warn them of a pending fall at some point during the ride.

Question : Is it worth, easing the spring a little to make the un-clipping a bit easier?

Surf-Matt

ratty2k wrote:

See, thats why I dont run SPD's.... I spent a lot of time unclipping when it got techy downhill. Didn't see the point in the end and after 18 months of trying to convert myself to SPD's I am really happy to get back on flatties.

Same as me - I stuck with them for nearly two years, finally gave in after several major crashes, stuck flats on and began seriously enjoying MTBing again!

jmeadows

if spds are going to comprimise your safety then stick with flats, it depends on your riding type are personal comfort zone.
i have mine fairly tight as i feel locked in more if you know what i mean?
had my first off last night tho! was approaching a gate on tpt when i unclipped left foot and slowed down and was thanking another rider for letting me thorugh. i think i must have unclipped the other by accident and ended up on the crossbar groin first heading straight for this rider so i hit the anchors and nearly ended up over handlebars!
ended up with scrapped knees and shits and hurt pride!
the other lads face was a picture, he seemed more scared than me!
lucky escape, but made me laugh too!!!

GHill

Englishsid wrote:

Question : Is it worth, easing the spring a little to make the un-clipping a bit easier?

Yep. You can tighten it back up again once you get more used with them (to stop any ghosting).

Wag$ter

I've been using SPD's for the last 2 weeks on my local trail and i must say i love them.
I was a bit worried before i got them about falling off but i;ve had no problem getting my feet out (did spend about 30 mins outside my house lent against a wall practicing unclipping them tho lol) I would highly recommend them