Clipping into pedals on a hill

phreak

Previously I've had mountain bike shoes/cleats so I could clip in to both sides of the pedals, which when stopped on a hill is pretty handy for getting going again.

Recently bought a new bike with proper road cleats/shoes and it's been a bit tricky getting going on hills with the new setup. The non-cleated side of the pedals seem very slippy so if I miss the clip I can't really get any leverage to keep me going whilst I get clipped in on the next rotation.

Is there a secret to doing this that I havn't figured out? If it helps, the pedals are Shimano 105 5610 SPD-SL.

mcrine

Hello
I'm fairly new to cycling and have also had this problem. In particular when cycling up a large hill in Arran and my chain kept coming off. Plus I was blowing out my a**e at the time. I found the best way was to clip one foot in and then cycle across the hill at right angles. This allowed me to gain enough momentum and clip both feet in. Not ideal especially if busy however it works .

phreak

It's a whizzy new bike so no real problems getting up the hills, but traffic lights are a bit of a pain, and zig zagging around would cause quite a scene at a set of lights

phreak

I wonder if a bit of one legged pedalling may be the tactic to use? Of course if you're struggling on a hill with both legs this may not be an option.

sjburbidge

Don't stop on hills!

nferrar

First off the more you think about clipping in the harder it is, so don't But yeah if I miss the clip-in on a hill then I just do a one-legged pedal rotation and try again, I usually find putting my unclipped foot on the wrong side of the pedal just makes things worse.

Bhima

It's easy!

The pedals I use must be entered at a 45 degree angle (going down and forward) - so you just have to put your foot on the pedal and twist it 45 degrees round - meaning that you only push DOWN to get into it.

It's difficult if you've never done it before but practive makes perfect! Not timed it, but it must take me about 0.2 seconds.

Try and get the pedals in a horizontal line so that when you push down, the push is putting the majority of the energy into pushing the bike forward to stop you falling off. Most people have the pedal at the bottom of the stroke, meaning that, when they push down, they're not pushing the bike forward and stop moving.

The alternative is to just concentrate on pedalling (you can pedal without being clipped in) and, sometimes, you end up accidentally clipping in anway. Once you get a bit of momentum going, you can afford to have a go without falling off.

chuckcork

Keep going with one foot clipped in and one foot not, pushing with a different parrt of the foot.

Not exactly impossible is it, or am I missing something?

pneumatic

It does feel a lot different from SPD's which are more forgiving of a missed entry. I agree with Bhima, though, you sort of "toe" into road pedals rather than try to find the flat of the foot as you do with SPD's.

The good news is that it does become intuitive (especially after a break from using them). I finally got the Summer bike out at the weekend and was in an out of the pedals without even thinking about it. Last year it was much more difficult to make the adjustment.

jeepie

I have this problem as well. I have Look pedals which are one sided. The bit that Chuck might be missing ( I stress might....) is that one side of the pedal is very very slippery so if you press on the wrong side hard you are in danger of and off....I just tentatively rotate the pedals in a low gear and clip in when I'm sure the pedal is the right way. Not ideal..........

u01akrg

Sorry, going to be smug here... Just got Look Keo Classic pedals after having used MTB SPDs for the last 3 or 4 years, and taken to them straight away.

I tried them briefly on the rollers, and then in a (flat) car park before embarking on a hilly 50+ miles from Aberfoyle. There were a few gates that forced me to unclip on hills, and I only came lose to a cropper once (with the slippy side of the pedal!). It is possible to pedal lightly when not clipped in - helps if you're in a light gear, and doing most of the work with the clipped in leg.

I did loosen the tension on the clips before I did anything else (a bit beyond halfway - they've got a guage on the rear of the pedal). Once I get a bit more used to them I'll increase the tension bit by bit. Also had to move tham a bit to the back to get them more under the ball of my foot and comfy, and still find the clipping in point much more towards my toes than the old pedals.

BTW - the difference these pedals/cleats make on the hills and in sprints! Its like riding a new bike - wish I'd known before now!!

phreak

Definately, once feet are safely in the pedals it's been dreamy, I feel I've added a good few km/h compared to my old bike. Just need to practice a bit more with the pedals I think.

wolleur

I've been having similar problems, mainly when cycling through town and having to stop at traffic lights.

It's possible to cycle one legged until clipped in fully, so I normally change down a few gears before stopping then 'one leg' it away from the lights until it's practical to get my left leg in (sometimes happens straight away, sometimes takes ages but I'm getting better)

My look keo pedals are very slippy on one side so pushing down when not clipped in is a no no (= pain if you slip off)

Of course avoiding unclipping is preferable, I try and read the traffic lights/ junctions/ roundabouts from at least 50 metres out so i can time it and avoid stopping.

wolleur

I've been having similar problems, mainly when cycling through town and having to stop at traffic lights.

It's possible to cycle one legged until clipped in fully, so I normally change down a few gears before stopping then 'one leg' it away from the lights until it's practical to get my left leg in (sometimes happens straight away, sometimes takes ages but I'm getting better)

My look keo pedals are very slippy on one side so pushing down when not clipped in is a no no (= pain if you slip off)

Of course avoiding unclipping is preferable, I try and read the traffic lights/ junctions/ roundabouts from at least 50 metres out so i can time it and avoid stopping.

wolleur

I've been having similar problems, mainly when cycling through town and having to stop at traffic lights.

It's possible to cycle one legged until clipped in fully, so I normally change down a few gears before stopping then 'one leg' it away from the lights until it's practical to get my left leg in (sometimes happens straight away, sometimes takes ages but I'm getting better)

My look keo pedals are very slippy on one side so pushing down when not clipped in is a no no (= pain if you slip off)

Of course avoiding unclipping is preferable, I try and read the traffic lights/ junctions/ roundabouts from at least 50 metres out so i can time it and avoid stopping.

jeepie

My left pedal seems to come to rest the wrong way up after unclipping due to the weighting at the rear. Therefore I'm trying the flip and clip technique where I flip over the pedal as I know it's the wrong way and then clip in........I'll let you know if this works...