(Almost) one year on

Cafewanda
Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
edited August 2009 in Commuting chat
So I've been commuting for almost a year and have made great progress from the very wobbly starts, panic attacks at E&C roundabout where I stopped in the middle of it and walked to the side, and great moments of that nature :shock: :oops: (wobbling is a great way to have vehicles give you a very wide berth I discovered)

My filtering is not the greatest (practically non-existent in heavy traffic) but slowly getting better and that sick feeling in my stomach is slowly reducing, especially when it comes to hand signals (need to work on those more though :oops: ).

Am still not great at gear changes so leave the left hand thingy* on 2 (it goes up to 3) and crank up or reduce on the right. I have discovered that I am a (frustrated) speed merchant and have a strong desire to go as fast as I can, but either my bike can't handle it or my legs aren't up to it :roll: :).

Anyway, having had enough of feet slipping off pedals especially when going over the 'smooth' London roads, I decided my feet needed to be tethered to the pedals. I thought long and hard about going clipless - well, maybe not long exactly, but I certainly thought about them and read lots of posts on here and elsewhere.

I came to the conclusion that clipless/SPDs on Trek wasn't a good idea but worth considering for the next bike, so yesterday evening I stopped off at my local LBS and asked the longsuffering owner - Al - for his thoughts on toecages, remembering to blow kisses at Steve whilst he was working on a customer's bike :D (they really love me, honest) :roll: I know I could have purchased them cheaper on Wiggle, but I like the relationship I have with those guys (they may disagree!). So one purchase of plastic toecages and a late night affixing of said tc, I set out this morning a little early just in case I had problems adjusting to them.

I think they made a difference. I was in '5th' gear/cruise control for most of the journey (often without realising it) and and only wobbled once when coming to a stop due to lights. Left foot caging will take some getting used to though and I can now understand why some cyclists seem to take an age setting off due to left foot caging attempts.

On arrival at OYB parking I asked a member of staff if there was some way of fixing left pedal so it wasn't such a meal to get my foot caged and he said no, in any event I'd set it up wrongly. Something about the metal 'tooth' on the pedal hooks into the shoe and I'd attached the cage to that part of the pedal so will need to switch it round when I get home this evening. Oh well, my cycling education continues................... :D


*'thingy' is the word I use when I can't remember the correct term :)

Looking forward to the next 12 months :wink:

Comments

  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    Nice one, good to see you're still enjoying it and learning everyday

    you'll soon progress to whatsit and little metal thingy's :wink:
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
    Fixed Pista- FCN 5
    Beared Bromptonite - FCN 14
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    Clever Pun wrote:
    Nice one, good to see you're still enjoying it and learning everyday

    you'll soon progress to whatsit and little metal thingy's :wink:

    Woo hoo!! :lol::lol:
  • Jay dubbleU
    Jay dubbleU Posts: 3,159
    Well done - Think I must have been riding about the same length of time as you - started in September last year.

    Just bought a rack for the MTB which meant I had to walk in and collect it as I don't have a rack .............................

    Stick to it :D
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    :D @ JW - will do.
  • Well done CW. I'm sure it won't take long for you to perfect a drag of the sole of your shoe back over the edge of the pedal to be able to kick your foot into the toeclip (hmm - that's easier to do than to describe :? ). Don't forget to start practising pulling the pedal up as well as pushing down now, although I found it better to try this first when trying to gain speed on a longish flat section of road.

    Do your toeclips have webbing straps, or are they open at the side? Is the main body of the clip plastic, or is it metal? Is the toeclip holding the ball of your foot in the most effective place on the pedal?

    Sorry - I sound like DDD with all of these questions! :wink:

    I'm waiting to pluck up courage to move on from toeclips to clipless. I already have the pedals and use Lidl's SPD shoes. Perhaps when I get my next bike? :roll:
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    Well done - Think I must have been riding about the same length of time as you - started in September last year.

    Just bought a rack for the MTB which meant I had to walk in and collect it as I don't have a rack .............................

    Stick to it :D

    Oh, you're a noob - for some reason I thought you'd been riding for ages. At least that explains your strange ideas about road bikes not being the One True Faith :)
  • prawny
    prawny Posts: 5,440
    Wanda, you'll soon discover that thingy usually is the correct technical term for an item.

    Technical weights and measures are (from smallest to largest)

    Smear
    Smidge
    Tad
    Bit
    Blob
    Load.

    That should cover all the technial speak with the guys at the bikeshop :D

    Glad to be of service.

    Edit: well done on the year BTW, keep up the good work. I'll be at my year in november time, or June depending on what you class as commuting. :oops:
    Saracen Tenet 3 - 2015 - Dead - Replaced with a Hack Frame
    Voodoo Bizango - 2014 - Dead - Hit by a car
    Vitus Sentier VRS - 2017
  • Jay dubbleU
    Jay dubbleU Posts: 3,159
    biondino wrote:
    Well done - Think I must have been riding about the same length of time as you - started in September last year.

    Just bought a rack for the MTB which meant I had to walk in and collect it as I don't have a rack .............................

    Stick to it :D

    Oh, you're a noob - for some reason I thought you'd been riding for ages. At least that explains your strange ideas about road bikes not being the One True Faith :)

    Road bikes are for people who don't know how to PARTY
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    biondino wrote:
    Well done - Think I must have been riding about the same length of time as you - started in September last year.

    Just bought a rack for the MTB which meant I had to walk in and collect it as I don't have a rack .............................

    Stick to it :D

    Oh, you're a noob - for some reason I thought you'd been riding for ages. At least that explains your strange ideas about road bikes not being the One True Faith :)

    Road bikes are for people who don't know how to CONSERVATIVE PARTY

    Fixed yr post.
  • stuaff
    stuaff Posts: 1,736
    Road bikes are for people who don't know how to PARTY

    Well, speaking as a guy who just likes riding bikes regardless of what size their wheels are, whether they fold, whether they have flat bars, or who made the mechs, I have a road bike, and I know how to party. And I do. So there, yah boo sucks! :)
    Dahon Speed Pro TT; Trek Portland
    Viner Magnifica '08 ; Condor Squadra
    LeJOG in aid of the Royal British Legion. Please sponsor me at http://www.bmycharity.com/stuaffleck2011
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    duncedunce wrote:
    Well done CW. I'm sure it won't take long for you to perfect a drag of the sole of your shoe back over the edge of the pedal to be able to kick your foot into the toeclip (hmm - that's easier to do than to describe :? ). Don't forget to start practising pulling the pedal up as well as pushing down now, although I found it better to try this first when trying to gain speed on a longish flat section of road.

    Do your toeclips have webbing straps, or are they open at the side? Is the main body of the clip plastic, or is it metal? Is the toeclip holding the ball of your foot in the most effective place on the pedal?

    Sorry - I sound like DDD with all of these questions! :wink:

    I'm waiting to pluck up courage to move on from toeclips to clipless. I already have the pedals and use Lidl's SPD shoes. Perhaps when I get my next bike? :roll:

    Hey DD - In answer: Will practise, webbing straps but took them off, plastic all the way and dunno. Will try to check en route home later this afternoon :)

    Ditto on "the next bike" delaying tactic :roll: :wink:
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    JW - the 'year' is 12 months from the first day you got on the bike for regular(ish) commuting and don't let anybody tell you otherwise 8)

    StuAff, eventually I'd like to get to your position (non-political partying included) :D

    Biondino - tut tut :P :)
  • stuaff
    stuaff Posts: 1,736
    Cafewanda wrote:
    StuAff, eventually I'd like to get to your position (non-political partying included) :D

    The answer is simple: buy more bikes. I've managed one a year for the past three... (no more planned, honest....) :)
    Dahon Speed Pro TT; Trek Portland
    Viner Magnifica '08 ; Condor Squadra
    LeJOG in aid of the Royal British Legion. Please sponsor me at http://www.bmycharity.com/stuaffleck2011
  • Oddjob62
    Oddjob62 Posts: 1,056
    duncedunce wrote:
    Well done CW. I'm sure it won't take long for you to perfect a drag of the sole of your shoe back over the edge of the pedal to be able to kick your foot into the toeclip (hmm - that's easier to do than to describe :? ). Don't forget to start practising pulling the pedal up as well as pushing down now, although I found it better to try this first when trying to gain speed on a longish flat section of road.

    I'm waiting to pluck up courage to move on from toeclips to clipless. I already have the pedals and use Lidl's SPD shoes. Perhaps when I get my next bike? :roll:

    Problem is (at least with the pedals i have with my powergrips) is the when it gets wet, the soles of your feet get slippery and it gets harder to flip the pedals (made harder as i ride fixed gear). I've gone back to SPDs as the double-sided pedal makes it very easy to clip in. Seriously, give it a go, find a quiet road, practice clipping in and out for 10-15mins, you'll realise how silly you've been.
    As yet unnamed (Dolan Seta)
    Joelle (Focus Expert SRAM)
  • Cafewanda wrote:
    webbing straps but took them off, plastic all the way
    Good. I think it best not to have the webbing at the start if there is a lot of traffic - it is easier to pull a foot out in a panic without the straps (although on the flip side it does reduce the rigidity slightly, not that this is likely to be much of a problem for a petite person).

    Getting my foot stuck in the cage led to my one accident on my bike (so far), at precisely 0mph :oops: . The toeclip version of a clipless moment :roll: