(Almost) one year on

Cafewanda

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 (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...................


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

Looking forward to the next 12 months

Clever Pun

Nice one, good to see you're still enjoying it and learning everyday

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

Cafewanda

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

Woo hoo!!

Jay dubbleU

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

Cafewanda

@ JW - will do.

Specialized Needs

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!

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

Jay dubbleU 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

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

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

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:

Jay dubbleU

biondino wrote:

Jay dubbleU 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

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

Jay dubbleU wrote:

biondino wrote:

Jay dubbleU 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

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

Jay dubbleU wrote:

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!

Cafewanda

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!

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:

Cafewanda

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)

Biondino - tut tut :P

stuaff

Cafewanda wrote:

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

The answer is simple: buy more bikes. I've managed one a year for the past three... (no more planned, honest....)

Oddjob62

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.

Specialized Needs

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: