never ridden clipless should i start out on flats first?

xchudy_1325

i have ordered my bike today gets delivered to the shop on thurs/fri i cannot wait!!!!!

that said i havent ridden a road bike before let alone be strapped into a bike, so my Q is...

do i do a cpl of days on flat peddles to get used to the bike?

or

install the 105's put on the shoes from the get go?

advice very much appreciated, with regards to this dilemma

oh and ive watch all the videos on how to unclip lol

danlikesbikes

It's a tough one really as everyone struggles to some degree when using clipped pedals for the first time. I was quite lucky that mine were an old pair & I was able to slacken then to the lightest position (but that was years ago).

If your confident in your bike handling & only going for a short spin would suggest you'll be fine with the pedals as you have to get used to them. Plus I had a little practice at home in the hallway just clipping in and out to get used to movement needed.

slowbike

How about put the 105 pedals on and ride it with trainers on for a couple of orientation rides (ie round the block to get used to the feel of the bike) ... ?

chrisvanderkaap

just get on and go. Its not too hard and in my opinion it's quite a bit safer too.
Just remember to click out a little in advance of a traffic light. The 105 peddles also
allow for clip-in/out adjustment with a 3mm allen bolt. Set it to low (-) at first and then tighten (+) whilst you get more confident.

Enjoy the wait!

Anonymous

I would defo get used to the bike first, if only for a day. Assuming you have riden an MTB recently, you will find the bars a lot narrower and poss a bit 'twitchy'.
Why not put the pedals on your old bike (if you have one) to try on that first.
You have nothing to lose by taking it one step at a time. Can all be done in a day

simon_masterson

Flat pedals with clips and straps will help you to master clipless pedals. They are great in their own right, but with the straps very loose you can just withdraw your foot; no unclipping needed. If you aren't going in at the deep end, I would recommend this setup over plain platforms.

It has to be said that SPD pedals with loose springs are extremely easy to get out of, but nevertheless people fall over because their 'default' is having their feet 'free' and not attached to the pedals. It won't be all that long before you instinctively clip in and out.

Peddle Up!

Slowbike wrote:

How about put the 105 pedals on and ride it with trainers on for a couple of orientation rides (ie round the block to get used to the feel of the bike) ... ?

Sensible advice.

You can do the "spudfall" later.

xchudy_1325

Peddle Up! wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

How about put the 105 pedals on and ride it with trainers on for a couple of orientation rides (ie round the block to get used to the feel of the bike) ... ?

Sensible advice.

You can do the "spudfall" later.

think i may do this..

the wait is killing me tho, already have a ride with a friend planned for saturday, cant wait, altho im not looking forward to my first time in lycra, haha :roll:

bianchimoon

xchudy_1325 wrote:

Peddle Up! wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

How about put the 105 pedals on and ride it with trainers on for a couple of orientation rides (ie round the block to get used to the feel of the bike) ... ?

Sensible advice.

You can do the "spudfall" later.

think i may do this..

the wait is killing me tho, already have a ride with a friend planned for saturday, cant wait, altho im not looking forward to my first time in lycra, haha :roll:

get used to the bike for half an hour or so, then clipless, then spend 10 mins riding a quiet road practicing clipping in and out, dont worry about the lycra, the only person that'll be thinking about you in lycra is yourself and your other half! <FIXED>

simon_masterson

Not (much) to be pedantic, but 'clips' are toe clips. Clipless pedals are so named for a reason!

Philly8mt

chrisvanderkaap wrote:

just get on and go. Its not too hard and in my opinion it's quite a bit safer too.
Just remember to click out a little in advance of a traffic light. The 105 peddles also
allow for clip-in/out adjustment with a 3mm allen bolt. Set it to low (-) at first and then tighten (+) whilst you get more confident.

Enjoy the wait!

Rightly or wrongly I just dived straight in and went clipless. I'd not ridden for 25/26 years, put a bit of weight on and wobbled like hell on my first couple of rides. In reality the pedals were the least of my problems and not at all hard to master. Fwiw I spent a little time in the house clipping in & out before I ventured outdoors.

goonz

Carbonator wrote:

I would defo get used to the bike first, if only for a day. Assuming you have riden an MTB recently, you will find the bars a lot narrower and poss a bit 'twitchy'.
Why not put the pedals on your old bike (if you have one) to try on that first.
You have nothing to lose by taking it one step at a time. Can all be done in a day

I agree with this, if you have used a mtb or hybrid before then I would probably get used to the bike first. I swapped from mtb to road and the difference was massive, I felt like a total novice on it and actually pretty frightenend on the roads.

Luckily re the pedals I already had installed clipless on the mtb so I was used to them so using them on the road wasnt too bad. However when learning them on the mtb I practised in the park on some grass and I advise you do the same first. Its better to fall on something soft and safe then on the main road at a traffic light and if unlucky into the road. Not good. Unfortunately for me there were a bunch of kids in the park who found great amusement in me falling over, still better that, then injuring myself in the road.

If you haven't been using a bike at all and this purchase is a fresh start, then either use flats or install the clipless and use trainers as mentioned above. You will definitely need time to get used to the bike and jumping straight in with clipless is not what you want.