cleats and beginners

hannahw

hi all
am just about to buy my first road bike and hopefully get into the sport a bit more seriously than i have been. are there any thoughts on cleats and which (if any) are the best for beginners?
my bike is a giant OCR 3....
are cleats worthwhile for someone like me or should i wait a few months? i have heard that they are dangerous for people who dont know what they are doing?
(i learnt to ride when i was a kid and am 23 now) and have ridden on busy roads for years....

any thoughts?

johnsav

after a while they become 2nd nature and are totally worth while.

A good practice before youventure onto the roads would be a wise move though. Mainly for when you stop and release

nferrar

As for brands I'd just go for something like Shimano 105 (around £35), paying more you're just getting lighter really.

Clipless pedals make a big difference IMO, especially if doing a lot of miles. They do take some practice before clipping in and out is second nature (back the tension adjustment off a bit to when starting so you can unclip with less effort). I also find once you're used to them the less you think about them the easier they are to use (like when setting off at traffic lights if I look down and try and clip in it usually takes me a couple of goes, if I just look ahead then I usually clip in fine first attempt).

Twisterboy

Welcome to the Forum.

David

sniper68

I use Crank Bros on the MTB and have had Look KEO on the road bike for a year.I hate Look and just can't get used to them.They're one sided and you always have to flip the pedal to clip-in.I suppose you just get used to double sided clip-ins riding a MTB.I'm putting Shimano SPDs on the roadbike.
I found i got used to the Crank Bros very quickly,and can also ride easily in SPDs. .

Anonymous

if you dont feel comfortable with riding when clipped in, just fit flat pedals. convention suggests that a road bike should be fitted with some kind of clipped pedals but it is your business and whatever makes you more comfortable is the right way to do it.

i have flat pedals on my roadie and dont feel like i am missing out, i really dont like clipped pedals though and cant get past the worry of falling off due to them.

sniper68

Most people worry about falling whilst clipped in.It take about 3 rides before it just becomes 2nd nature to clip/unclip.You also get a more economical pedal stroke as you are getting power through 360o as opposed to 180o on flats.This is especially beneficial on roadbikes,but hey what ever you prefer go for it.

hannahw

cheers all!!!
big help...
hopefully i wont kill myself too bad

nferrar

Getting used to using clipless pedals is a bit like riding without stabilisers for the first few times It feels awkward and the temptation is to go back to your comfort zone but the perserverance is worth it.

Stephen-Hawking

I've never used clips, but am interested. Two questions, is the benefit worth it on a MTB? and secondly, when you're hacking around rocks and slippery muddy bits sometines the bike goes down quicker than you can expect. Can you get your fet out quick enough when this happens, sometimes I can hardly get my feet off flats quick enough - or do you just accept it's going to hurt??

sniper68

Stephen-Hawking wrote:

I've never used clips, but am interested. Two questions, is the benefit worth it on a MTB? and secondly, when you're hacking around rocks and slippery muddy bits sometines the bike goes down quicker than you can expect. Can you get your fet out quick enough when this happens, sometimes I can hardly get my feet off flats quick enough - or do you just accept it's going to hurt??

It benefits when climbing especially,but for me now i don't feel confidient unless i'm clipped in!!!I just feel one with the bike(i use Eggbeaters).Recently i was struggling with tyres,grip and had a few crashes and lack of confidince,so i decided to give flats another go.God it was awful i absolutely hated it.I promised myself a half dozen rides to give them a fair run.2 rides later and the candys are back on I've never not unclipped when crashing,it just becomes 2nd nature 8)

MarvintheAndroid

Hi,

Even though it's a road bike, many people find MTB pedals and cleats easier to use because they are double sided. I would say you need around an hour to get used to using them, and about a week to forget they are there.

Marv

Stephen-Hawking

I'm convinced, I'm going to get some in the new year and give em a go.

Pictures of resulting injuries will of course be posted here!

thehoff

first proper outing on cleats last sunday, crashed about 15 times. yep you guessed it there was always at least one foot left in!!! (sometimes two)

even went right over the handle bars with both feet clipped in nice an tight!

if i learn't one thing though its this...... ride around at home and adjust the cleats until you're confident you can release no problem.

then loosen them another 3 clicks!!!!

no probs getting my feet out when its a bit tricky..... (now!!!)

Bones!!

Stephen-Hawking wrote:

I'm convinced, I'm going to get some in the new year and give em a go.

Pictures of resulting injuries will of course be posted here!

Consider something along the lines of Shimano PD-M424's (basic model I know, but there are other options) as a beginner, then you have clips to get used to, but if things start to get out of your comfort zone while you're still getting used to them you have the added bonus of a cage so it's more like flats.

Stephen-Hawking

Thanks for that, they look like a good idea, also seen Shimano DX M647 Pedals, which look to do a similar job. Would I be right in thinking they're a different cleat to say Candy C's and egg beaters. My shoes are Shimano SPD type.

I had a little off at the weekend on a very muddy bank, back end went - no drama, but I just can't imagine getting my feet out of a clip as quickly as putting a foot down in these circumstances. I guess I just need to stop being a pussy and try it, I've been a bit over cautious about falling off since I had a bad one.

I'm lucky enough to be away over xmas and ny, so first day back my Wiggle order will go in.

Thanks again for your help, I'll let you know how I get on, dead good to get the Hoffs feedback btw.

nferrar

Yep get Shimano SPD cleats for their pedals.

In terms of getting your foot down in time, releasing your foot from being clipped in isn't too dissimilar from sliding your foot quickly off flats to put your foot down and with practice it becomes a lot more fluent. That said there are still times now when I go down without getting unclipped in time (like if the front wheel washes out quickly on a root), so far it's not caused me any issues but I guess there's a bit of added potential for injury there. Then again putting you foot down at speed could be just as bad on a rocky/rooty surface.

I've used clipless pedals for so long now I feel far more confident on them than on flats (apart from doing wheels or long manuals ), I have too many bad memories of tattooing my shins and calves on bear-trap BMX flats. That said plenty of people ride MTBs a lot better than I do using flats so they're by no means essential (on a road bike though I can see little reason to use flats over clipless).

Stephen-Hawking

Bear trap flats, yup permanent leg bruises.

Bet we've all go a scar that looks like a line of equidistant dots up the back of our right calves too, think i've got two strips - fcking chain rings

gbianchi9

Hi, i'm a newbie at the clipless jobbie and i'm hooked. I bought Shim M647 and they are easy to get in and out of, I have them on the loosest setting and so far so good. If a novice like me can use them, then anyone can I have already felt the difference in using them, esp uphill. They will be even better when i can spin properly, spent the last six months just pushing down on the pedal so it will take alittle while getting used to them. So far they are my best purchase and i'm very pleased with them.

LordBanks

I just got some today, already love them, i've taken to them straight away. I spent an hour or so getting them set up tension wise and positioning the cleats in the right place and just sat in the doorway into my living room practicing clipping in and clipping out. I haven't been offroad yet though, but i already feel quite confident with them.

Mickey Eye

I'm very much a beginner so I'll weigh in a bit. Literally just learned how to use them yesterday in fact.

My bike came with Crank Brothers Smarty and I decided I'd man up and give it a go. Turned out to be surprisingly easy. All you've got to remember is that you will fall over, but it's okay because everybody else did too. So practise somewhere soft, I chose a park near my house. Soft is a relative term, the ground is actually frozen here right now.

I had a mate who is an experienced rider come help me, which saved my one fall (so far) from being a bit more painful than it could have been. He also helped me position my cleats properly, if you don't have someone who knows how to help you with that you should probably ask a shop to do it.

The Smartys don't have adjustable tension, which threw my mate a bit (he has Shimano) but once the cleat was positioned right they worked fine. According to a lot of consumer reviews the Smartys will eventually break and become a bit naff but I'm happy enough with the system that I'll probably upgrade to Candys when that day comes.

munzy

Best advice I can give is looking ahead and clipping out early - for example coming up to traffic lights or just stopping, unclip about 10 meters before.

I found most of my comedy falls were due to trying to unclip at the last minute and so starting earlier gave me more time to get unclipped.

After a while they really do become second nature and the benifits far outweigh the downsides.

-liam-

My old dmr v12's caused me more damage than my spd's ever have.

As everyone that likes them says, bit of practice and use and they DO become second nature. Problems arise from having them locked up to tight. I've had mine for a while and they are still nice and loose and I see no need to have them locked up rigid either.

Stephen-Hawking

Quick update / feedback, following the advice n this thread I went out and bought / fitted Shimano XT M770 today, did about thirty miles on muddy farm track and single track, can't understand why I didnt fit them years ago. I backed off the tension six click from as they came out of the box, they're secure when riding, but easy to clip out of, I can see how it'll become second nature in no time

Nearly had one comedy fall when a dog ran in front of me - but apart from that great. I could immediately feel the benefit when I hit the inclines and when I'm pushing hard on the flat, don't think I'm getting the benefit on easy flat riding or downhill riding yet, but I need to change the habbits of a lifetime pushing down.

Also changed tyre pressures in response to another thread, and the two things together made me feel very secure and sure footed compared to how I normally am in the same muddy stretches.

So thanks guys, reading this website has helped me ride safer, better and faster - how good is that!!

Steve

Belphegor

I've just finally managed to get my stock Wellgo pedals off my bike (had to get quite frisky with a rubber mallet, and I wrecked 2 spanners in the process) and I put on my Shimano M520s with the tension as loose as they'll go.

Had a little go round the block and made sure I practised stopping next to a wall the first few times. Had a couple of twitchy moments but I was able to put my foot out straight in panic a couple of times, and I clip out accidentally, but that'll be fine until I get used to them.

MysticalSnail

I got my trek 8500 about 2 weeks ago and it came with flats and they were ok but my friend and they guy at pedelon (who are extremely helpful!) sudgested clipless pedals so i borught a pair of the crank brothers egg beater c pedals and a pair of shimano shoes and they are brilliant!

You trancemit more power to the drive train and when you lift your foot up you are also putting power to the bike, you feel muscles work you dont usualyh work on flats.

For the first day it was unsual and took getting use to but they are exclent, give them ago

gazvenn

another quick note make sure you've got the cleats set in the right place i had to stop mid ride one time with a nasty twinge in my kneed moved it just a fraction and was fine afterwards.