My first (and last) attempt at going clipless.
Comments
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Rolf F wrote:You see this sort of thing is why nobody takes you seriously. Anyone with any common sense would, instead of ripping their feet from the pedals, have just released the Velcro and taken their foot out of the shoe (you could do that whilst still moving!), had a nice cup of tea and worked out less destructively what they were doing wrong.
It wasn't quite like that. I thought I had unclipped my foot first time but looked down to see the clip was still in the pedal and I realised I'd ruined one shoe.That was when the red mist descended.0 -
Sell those Shimanos on ebay and buy some better shoes/pedals!
Get some nylon or carbon stiff soled MTB shoes and eggbeater pedals. You can get all this for between £60-80 if you try hard enough.
Please do not winge about cost, you have spent at least £40 and admit you wasted your money.
Maximise on your experience and Aldi refund and try again.
Also think you may have used screws that were too long and bottomed out. Eggbeaters come with 2 sets. Use the shorter ones first and do not bother with longer ones unless the short ones are clearly not screwed in much. The thing you are screwing into is not that thick so it is no advantage to have thread sticking out the other side of it.0 -
CiB wrote:
I'm a liar then. 8)ct8282 wrote:For anyone to say they haven't had that 'oh fu*k' moment when you haven't managed to release your foot and the bike is starting to fall is a liar.
Me too! in a dozen years or more riding the MTB with SDPs and now my first 40 miles with SPD-SL I am yet to have a clipless moment!
I seem to remember sitting for 30 mins or so practicing indoors first, then several circuits of the garden before taking to the trail which probably helped.
I actually switched to SPDs as a saftey measure - I still have the 5 inch scar town the back of my right calf from my foot slipping of flats after hitting a rock and the big chain ring slicing into me!!
I've swithched to SPD-SLs on the road bike this week as I was getting a nasty pain in the ball of my foot from my SPDs. Never been a problem on the MTB, but I was probably not on the bike for so long, or pushing so hard. From my initial go last ight the SPD-SL system does seem much more comfortable. But a bit harder to clip in/out. But I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.
[Edit] i did once watch my mate have a lovely clippless moment though. On a trail we stopped, he failed to unclip (his maiden voyage with SPDs), and did a slow and graceful topple into the biggest clump of stinging nettles you have ever seen. I have to admit to nearly rupturing myself through excessive laughter : D0 -
philwint wrote:CiB wrote:
I'm a liar then. 8)ct8282 wrote:For anyone to say they haven't had that 'oh fu*k' moment when you haven't managed to release your foot and the bike is starting to fall is a liar.
Me too! in a dozen years or more riding the MTB with SDPs and now my first 40 miles with SPD-SL I am yet to have a clipless moment!
I seem to remember sitting for 30 mins or so practicing indoors first, then several circuits of the garden before taking to the trail which probably helped.
I actually switched to SPDs as a saftey measure - I still have the 5 inch scar town the back of my right calf from my foot slipping of flats after hitting a rock and the big chain ring slicing into me!!
Never had a clipless moment properly, had a few wobbles when I came pretty close. Had the tension at the lowest point when starting out, so not sure if my panics ended with me clipping out or more likely just wrenching my foot out of the pedal with brute force. I'm a big guy with big legs so maybe I can put a bit more panic force into pulling my foot out of the pedal than most? Not sure.
Also switched to SPDs when slipping off flats left me with a lovely pyramid shaped big ring tattoo.0 -
I think many people (me included) practice unclipping the wrong foot. You instinctively practice getting your dominant foot out of the clip first, but have always cycled putting the other foot on the ground when you stop.
Everything works while you're thinking about what you're doing, but as soon as your unconscious takes over, you lean to wrong side as you stop and topple over...0 -
ct8282 wrote:For anyone to say they haven't had that 'oh fu*k' moment when you haven't managed to release your foot and the bike is starting to fall is a liar.
Another liar here, never once had a clipless 'moment'. Hill starts are the hardest part, still pretty straightforward though.Edinburgh Revolution Curve
http://app.strava.com/athletes/19200480 -
Well curse you all. I hope you all have a clipless moment in the very near future. You're not a true rider until you've had one, so damn it get out there now and experience the horrid gut wrenching feeling as you fall to the pavement with no way to stop yourself. Go on, you owe it yourselves...
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I've had 3 clipless moments. Two were at traffic lights, I prefer to unclip my left foot but my weight shifted to the right :shock: Started to fall but managed to pull right foot free in a panic (thank you Time).
The other time I was on SPD's and went up the Rake (Rammy), I was so knackered that I didn't have the energy to carry on pedalling or unclip, so just fell over 0 -
been riding clipless since 1995 an never had a 'moment' until i had brain fade on the turbo the other night and sent myself into the wall - still dont know what i was thinking
fully expect to wake up at the beach wearing my pyjamas soon0 -
Oh dear Mr buster! Did all this take place on your halfords bike? 0
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I'm still at the halfway house. I use SPD shoes with plastic toe clips!!! B'TWIN Triban 5A
Ridgeback MX60 -
Every time I sell SPD's to a new user I tell them tighten the bolts to what you would think is normal tightness, then tighten them a fair bit more until the bolts start to creak. To then practice clipping in and out a few times, ride around the block and then unclip and tighten them some more in case they settle a little bit. Buy from Aldi and the internet and you don't get any advice, so fair play I can fully understand that a new user wouldn't think tightening them that much would be a good idea.
I'd stick with them as I personally think they're essential kit.0 -
Yep. You got a problem with Halfords bkes? Snob! My Halfords bike took me 52 miles today flawlessly and not an SPD in sight!philvantwo wrote:Oh dear Mr buster! Did all this take place on your halfords bike?0 -
For the small amount of time I used them I didn't really notice any benefit? Is it not a possibility that my pedals have seized up due to non use? They seemed to need a lot of pressure to clip in even on the 'loosest' setting.Salsa wrote:I'd stick with them as I personally think they're essential kit.0 -
Looking at the pictures, it seems clear that the cleats have been sliding around in a circular motion, gouging the sole with a circular mark - this must have been before you sheared the bolts off. This can only because they were not tight enough in the shoe. Now this may not have been your fault - maybe the bolts were too long (unlikely because I imagine they were the standard bolts that came with the pedals and only come in 1 length) or maybe the bolt hole in the shoe was not deep enough (more likely but still strange unless there was a quality control issue with your paid of shoes - surely not all the ALDI shoes would have this problem or they would all be coming back) or maybe the cleat holder in the shoes was soo tight that they wouldnt allow the cleat to move (unlikely as they probably wouldnt have clipped in without massive force if the pedals were set that tight).
Whatever the cause, it seems totally clear that the cleats were rotating in the shoes - so you turning your foot to release wasnt working because the cleat was rotating against the shoe rather than rotating in the pedal.0 -
I started on SPD-SLs and had a good two years without any clipless moments.
The clipless moment that came was probably from me being a bit silly with what I used SLs for. I went cycle touring pulling a trailer on a compact double and found hill starts a little tricky and hence fell over a few times.
Had I not tried to go touring with them I'm sure I would still yet to have had a clipless moment.0 -
So the retailer has to take a loss for your crass stupidity, and all you can think of is pouring beer down your neck. Salt of the earth BustacRapp.Bustacapp wrote:Good news! Aldi gave me my money back in the form of a £20 note so I've actually made a 1p profit from this ordeal.
I now intend to spend the lot of it on ale!!0 -
Bustacapp, your getting a bit roasted, some of it unfairly but most of it is deserved if you want my honest opinion.
Hey look, I am on your side and hope you take the advice to try again properly.
The Aldi shoes are just not up to the job IMO and the Shimanos are unnecessarily tight/complex for what you want (also just my opinion). The combination of those two things and it seems a few errors (all of which I can kind of understand) have led to an epic and scary fail (am glad you survived
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I think (as you know) that some things are just too cheap/cheaply made to offer an enjoyable cycling experience.
The Aldi shoes have kind of proved my point. I know a lot of people have had them and love them, but they seemed too soft/flexible to me (even if secured and ridden properly) and they have played their part in your problem.
I just wonder how jelly like they would need to be before everyone would pass on them.
I did think they might be good to get people to try clipping in, but was also worried they would just end up putting people off like they have you.
I also mentioned earlier, in a different thread, that I feared the shimano pedals they would probably be paired with may be a recipe for disaster :shock:
If people used eggbeaters there is no worry of being partially clipped in and they are a doddle to clip in/out of (maybe not with loose cleats but I still feel you would have got out).
With a solid soled shoe the experience would be a completely different one to what you have had.
I would have thought that one of the points of this site was to take advice from people, not call them a snob for giving a reasonable opinion on cheaply made, badly performing products.0 -
I have never tried aldi shoes but use lidl shoes in the bad weather on the mtb. You generally have to replace the mounting platform as the metal is quite thin and the bolts can sheer the thread. I normally run multi release anyway, so the replacement cleats come with a better plate.
Its never happened on the fist outing though.0 -
I paid about 70 ukp for my shoes and cleats and extra for the pedals from my LBS who fitted and adjusted and advised. After a fairly steep learning curve I have it Sussed and wouldn't never go back. Bless lidl or aldi or whatever but I think some things are best not done on the cheap. Several thousand miles later its all still working as it did out of the box...0
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Carbonator wrote:I would have thought that one of the points of this site was to take advice from people, not call them a snob for giving a reasonable opinion on cheaply made, badly performing products.
I was reading your post with mild agreement until I read the above. What part of this is a 'reasonable opinion' :philvantwo wrote:
Oh dear Mr buster! Did all this take place on your halfords bike?
As a result I now have you earmarked as an elitist snob too.0 -
Navrig wrote:How can the truth be abusive?
Name calling (BustacRapp) is abuse and I am highly offended. At least that's what a mod told me when I got a warning for the same.
What's good for the goose!!
Anyway - I enjoy all this stuff. Some of you people need to lighten up. This thread was made with the sole purpose of amusement.0 -
Bustacapp wrote:Navrig wrote:How can the truth be abusive?
Name calling (BustacRapp) is abuse and I am highly offended. At least that's what a mod told me when I got a warning for the same.
What's good for the goose!!
Anyway - I enjoy all this stuff. Some of you people need to lighten up. This thread was made with the sole purpose of amusement.
We need to lighten up, but you are reporting people for nothing and getting offended by people telling you the stuff you bought was crap and that you didn't tighten them up properly and that caused the failure? You seem a little confused. You seem too eager to call people out as snobs rather than focusing on the problem you have had.0 -
MountainMonster wrote:We need to lighten up, but you are reporting people for nothing and getting offended by people telling you the stuff you bought was crap and that you didn't tighten them up properly and that caused the failure? You seem a little confused. You seem too eager to call people out as snobs rather than focusing on the problem you have had.
No confusion here pal. I get reported I'm gonna report back.
All part of my fun winding you bunch of uptight snobs up!0 -
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MountainMonster wrote:You are an interesting one bro.MountainMonster wrote:getting offended by people telling you the stuff you bought was crap
The bit I got 'offended' about was the completely unrelated comment implying my bike (same as yours) was crap.0
This discussion has been closed.
