Cleats are great...and evil!!!!!!!!

carsarescary

hi everyone
Went for a ride this morning. Cleats for the first proper cycle. Still struggling. have read various forum about people who fall off. that wouldn't happen to me? So I thought. coming towards the end of a loop is the hill. par olds hill in Lancashire if you know it. tiredness crept in. Over I went. what a wally!

Had to retire from running. hip injury. gutted
so new to cycling and still nervous out there

Still the positives

second ride.
Covered 25 miles
Think it was in 90 minutes average over 15 miles an hour.



is this ok?

redvee

The falling off whilst attached to the bike is a rite of passage for clipless pedals.

carsarescary

well, I guess I'm in the gang!!

redvee

Until you've done it in front of a big crowd, you ain't in the gang

Escadrille Ecosse

Or in the middle of a queue of cars

ednino

I learnt to ride clipped up riding Nant-y-arian & Coyd-y-brennin. Its easy on the road compared to mtb trails

Mikey23

The issue is not that you will fall off, but who you will fall off in front of! A rite of passage

antooony

I saw someone fall of today while sat behind them at a set of traffic lights. They just lost balance and couldn't unclip in time and down he went with quite a thump. Happens to the best of us I guess....though never done it myself (but been oh so close a couple of times)

DougL

Everyone says you will fall off with cleats the first time you use them. I didn't believe. Silly me. I did all the things you are supposed to do, leant up against a wall, on the bike and practiced unclipping and clipping in tens of times to get muscle memory working. I then did a mile locally, not in traffic. At that point I started to think that I was a natural. I then rode ten miles into town without mishap. I got tired and fell off three times on the way home :oops: I haven't fallen again as three times in under an hour hurt.

carsarescary

Very good and thanks for the comments
I think I was more embarrassed at the experienced rider who whizzed up the hill checking I was ok?
I hope to 'like' cycling more
At the moment its for fitness and not pleasure
I am sure it will grow on me

ednino

and over 15mph average is pretty good, my local rides i do 13mph average but its pretty hilly!

Inutero

redvee wrote:

Until you've done it in front of a big crowd, you ain't in the gang

Did it last week for the 1st time after 6 months of riding. Lean left, unclip left. Except this time for reason i dont know, i unclipped and leaned right. Over i went in front of a queue of traffic and people waiting to cross the road. :oops:

Could only smile about it as i got back up

Mikey41

redvee wrote:

The falling off whilst attached to the bike is a rite of passage for clipless pedals.

indeed it is. It is also a fantastic incentive to not let a hill defeat you.

gethinceri

It's not fun when you get struck by a vehicle if you fall to your right clipped in.

Pituophis

I really hated them on the mountain bike and reverted back to flats after having a few painful "dismounts"!
As soon as I got on the road bike I found them a great help and wondered how anyone could have an off on the road ? :?

On Saturday I was riding through Todmorden and came to the mini roundabout right in the centre it's self, traffic was very heavy and moving very slowly. When it came for my turn to take a right across the roundabout, I turned a little too sharply as I clipped in and caught my foot on the front tyre. The bike stopped dead in the middle of the road, the back wheel came up in some kind of mental bmx stunt, and flicked me violently to the left :shock:
I actually had time to think "shite, this is going to hurt" when my foot popped out and some frantic hopping about saved the day
It must have looked quite good as I managed an "Ooooooh" from some passing walkers, and the young guy in the car behind gave me the thumbs up (If there had been less traffic, and things were moving quicker, the outcome may not have been quite so amusing :oops: )
Luckily only my pride was injured this time!

Secteur

At risk of being inflammatory, falling over when coming to an expected stop (e.g. traffic lights) due to being clipped in is NOT a rite of passage, and suggests a lack of attention in the rider.

I have never fallen of due to not unclipping, because at every set of lights etc, I am deliberately conscious of the fact that I am clipped in.

Obviously, I am not talking about emergency stops here (although I still always manage to unclip there too)

Andyh1710

I've just started cycling and having looked around on here I took the advice of hanging onto a solid object in the house and clipping in and out, it all seemed pretty easy.

I came to my first set of lights 100 metres from my flat, in front of two very crowded pubs, unclipped as I got there and then as it went green, pushed off, missed the clip with my free foot, didn't have enough momentum, panicked momentarily and finally accepted my fate as the world started to rotate pretty quickly.

Since then I've realised that clipping my free foot on the first, second or even third rotation doesn't really matter, just get the bike going and then sort your feet out, which has made life a lot easier. Although apparently I haven't quite mastered it as yesterday grabbing a fence post was the only thing that stopped me toppling over at one point. Luckily no one passed whilst I hung at a 45 degree angle by my arms....

Getting there though!

MrSweary

I managed a fall on my first proper clipped in commute. I unclipped on the left as I cam up to a junction then somehow managed to overbalance to the right and down I went. No one saw though so it didn't happen!

cyclingsheep

It happens to the best of us. I've been riding for years without an issue until one day while heading off with my daughter in her trailer I accidentally caught the wheel of said trailer on the mudflap of my car, in the driveway, off balance, falling forward unexpectedly, I unclipped the opposite side to the one I was falling. I hadn't even reached the road, daughter giggled like mad though

Step_7

My worst one is a bit different - there's a set of traffic lights on my commute to work with a plastic bollard just the right height to lean on so you don't need to unclip - over time I got used to rolling up and stopping perfectly with my hand on top of it.... Until just before Christmas, rolled up, reached over and me, bike and bollard fell in a heap on the ground! As I scrambled up I could see the tyre marks etc. where a car had crashed into the traffic island and hit the bollard - presumably plod or whoever just straightened it up again so it looked OK.

tiredofwhiners

I ran out of steam going up one of the Surrey Hills climbs - Winterfold I think, on my first cycle out after moving into the area. Both feet clipped in, without the energy to unclip and slowly fell off sideways, staying clipped in, onto a bank, laughing as I went.

feemackenzie

Just replaced mtb cleats with road cleats, so cannot wait for Saturday and the rite of passage. LBS sold me the entry level Look Keo Flex pedals and "promised" they are easy to clip out of!!!!!!

Upside between the old pedals aad shoes I have saved 1/2 kg in weight. Incredible :P