Tactical Error

Kieran_Burns

My cycling mate has just bought the 'wrong' SPD pedals. I suggested he gets the A530s (like mine: double sided flat and clipped). Instead he's got the M530s - clipped both sides.

I've sorted out the new shoes for him and loosened the tension on the clips and... he's fitting the pedals to his bike before going home tonight....

So. He's never used cleats before. He HAS to use them on the way home tonight and he won't practice (I know him, he's daft)

and he's climbing the same hill he barely made it up on Monday (the only reason he did was because I was shouting at him all the way up)

I wish I had my helmet camera working and I was cycling with him.

(I also wish that he falls safely, as he has a couple of hairy junctions to negotiate!)

veronese68

Are you going to be yelling instructions through his headphones? "Unclip in advance", "don't forget to unclip" and "don't worry, it happens to all of us at least once".

UndercoverElephant

Meh, that's how I went clipless. Still awaiting my first proper clipless moment three years later.

ToeKnee

Kieran_Burns wrote:

My cycling mate has just bought the 'wrong' SPD pedals. ...

I would suggest he bought the right ones ... there's only one way to learn.

Kieran_Burns

I'm not cycling with him, but I could send endomondo reminders

"UNCLIP You Fecking EEjit!!!"

rjsterry

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Meh, that's how I went clipless. Still awaiting my first proper clipless moment three years later.

I await tomorrow's posts. :twisted:

SimonAH

That's how I did it too. I've had two clipless moments. Once when going about half a mile an hour behind a ped who suddenly stopped dead to do something on their phone, and once when my left foot accidentally clipped back in as I was midway through stepping off the back of the bike doing the fixie dismount outside a pub to much amusement of onlookers.

meanredspider

rjsterry wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Meh, that's how I went clipless. Still awaiting my first proper clipless moment three years later.

I await tomorrow's posts. :twisted:

"Cyclist down..." thread :shock:

vermin

I had my first clipless moment within 5 minutes of setting off on my first ride.

What was the probability that Jon Ginge would have been sitting behind me, watching?

Clever Pun

I saw a lady come a cropper yesterday, I stopped to see if she was ok. It was her first clipless moment as her husband had persuaded/forced her to use them, she wasn't best impressed.

She'd just hurt her pride as is the way. she didn't come across as the most confident rider but fair play to her for giving them a go

notsoblue

vermin wrote:

I had my first clipless moment within 5 minutes of setting off on my first ride.

What was the probability that Jon Ginge would have been sitting behind me, watching?

*mutter mutter* warp 10 *mutter mutter* quite high

Greg T

You should have tightened them up to buggery . . There's nothing funnier than seeing a good friend have fall off a stationary bike.

vermin

It was the first time I met JG. I've uncomfortably avoided his gaze ever since...

And, much as I like your new contraption, you're still infringing

Pufftmw

Clipless moment out riding with my young daughter on a country lane. I was following her and a car came down the (narrow) lane, so I said "Pull over to the left" but she just stopped I had to brake hard to avoid hitting her and it was all so sudden I just toppled over into the verge to the amusement of the car driver...

Simillar thing on a motorbike once - pulled up outside the pub and put the side stand down and started to rest the weight of the bike on it. Unfortunately it was a cobbled street and the side-stand slipped down the side of a coble and toppled over onto the curb trapping my leg between the curb and the heavy bike. I was stuck and couldn't get out until someone came & lifted the bike up a bit!

mrc1

I learnt to use clipless on my MTB. I had countless "moments" but luckily most were far from prying eyes!

The one time it's happened on the roads was in front of a long line of traffic at a red light on Wandsworth Road. You have to laugh about it :oops:

One of my mates had a clipless moment on the north side of Waterloo Bridge. He started to fall but as he was next to a bus he managed to get stuck against it at about 45 degrees. Face to face with a bus full of laughing passengers!!

iPete

Despite practicing I made it as far as the end of my road before gravity stole my ego :oops:

It was pretty much as Dara explains.. make the face!
Skip to 5:30.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC8kbQc6zCc

tgotb

You guys have it easy. "When i was a lad" it was clips, straps and cleats with a slot which fitted over a ridge on the back of your pedal. Once your foot was in and the strap tightened up, that was it, you were attached to the bike until you undid the strap. I only had one clipless moment but it ended up with me in a muddy ditch, head-down, bike in the air, still strapped to both feet...

Kieran_Burns

He didn't fit 'em to the bike this evening, but he will be tonight and we're cycling in tomorrow morning.

I'll pass on updates