First outing on my SPd sl

p1tse

Yep my road biking friends were right to say I will fall over with them.
All was going well until a traffic light on a cycle path with a bus coming. I slowed down but didn't have enough path to go any slower and couldn't unclip so beached myself lol

New 105 pedals has battle scares and so has my seat

Only did about 14 miles but my left foot around the cleat area started to get pins and needles, anyone else experience this?

Got to say for a beginner and still unfit the SPd sl makes things a lot easier and smoother, those flats I must have gained some speed and those hills weren't as painful

Those who haven't gone clipless, try it for sure as it makes things so much more enjoyable whilst in motion

KevChallis

Picked my bike up today, pedals are here waiting, just waiting for my spd sl shoes to come this week

englander

I hear you with respect to the hills, I tried out my new SPDs on some steep hills around me, and the difference it makes to be able to pull on the upstroke is amazing. I get near the top and then suddenly find I have an entirely new, fresh muscle group to pitch into the work!

RiderUk

I moved to SPD SL Pedal (Shimano Ultegra) with Shimano R107 shoes last week.My LBS set the tension to minimun to start with, for easier release.
Like many, I practiced leaning against a wall and cycled round the garden before going "public".
Yes, as expected I ended up in a heap on the tarmac when performing a slow turn and some how forget that I was connected to the pedals . This I hope will be a first and last time.
What I do based on watching other cyclist,as your approaching a junction or traffic lights where there is good chance in having to stop,start to get ready to release just in case.
Decide which foot you intend to remove from the pedals and keep to that strategy.
For me, right root stay's in,with the left foot being the foot I remove from the pedal.
So far so good, power delivery is excellent and hope to be at total ease with the setup very soon.

Mikey41

p1tse wrote:

Only did about 14 miles but my left foot around the cleat area started to get pins and needles, anyone else experience this?

I am getting that with my SPD's. It can be that the shoe is fastened too tight, or the cleat position needs to be adjusted. I think my left cleat is slightly too far forward as my left foot is slightly smaller than the right.

Buckled_Rims

Everyone's legs are a different length. Some are very slight, others more. Usually, it's not noticeable, but when you clip into clipless pedals, even a millimetre can cause problems with some riders. Using flats means you can naturally shift your feet to feel better, but clipped in, means sometimes you have to realise that one leg is longer or more splayed out then the other. Remember, millimetres are important in cleat positions.

Sometimes the simple solution to the pins and needle is very slightly lowering your seat height. You need to experiment unless you go for a full pro bike fitting.

p1tse

Thanks all

I'll try adjusting the cleat, but not sure to which way to be honest

Need to learn and anticipate more. All was going well and typical was last mile before home

Mine is out of the packet and set as minimum tension as default.
Why do people turn up the tension, do some people have so much power on minimum setting they unclip?

rick_chasey

Mikey41 wrote:

p1tse wrote:

Only did about 14 miles but my left foot around the cleat area started to get pins and needles, anyone else experience this?

I am getting that with my SPD's. It can be that the shoe is fastened too tight, or the cleat position needs to be adjusted. I think my left cleat is slightly too far forward as my left foot is slightly smaller than the right.

Most likely to be your shoes too tight. I have to have my left shoe surprisingly loose to stop that.

p1tse

Thanks
Will loosen shoe a little next time

p1tse

My poor pedal and saddle

Are there any temporary patches available for the saddle?

Davdandy

Battle scars p1tse,we all have them.I myself am new to spd sl and i too fell while clipping out,lucky for me there was only one car and that was in front of me so not too bad.best thing to learn is use a very quiet street,that way when the inevitable happens there is no danger to yourself or others.

p1tse

I did 10 miles clipping in and out on roads, paths, traffics alright.
Just a lack of concentration an didn't anticipate a clip out with no room to go but drop

Are there any clean cut leather stick on patches to temporary repair the saddle, so it doesn't get worst on the opening?

Sprool

If your bike doesnt have a few scars on it then you're not trying hard enough.....
Try a bit of epoxy to glue a small patch of leather or durable fabric over the saddle scar if you're worried about it.

dee4life2005

I'd been using SPD's for about 10 months without incident - well a couple of close calls but never a full tumble.

I upgraded my road bike to SPD-SL's with the ultegra pedals. Was clipping in/out in the shed on the turbo trainer just fine, but was aware that it required a little more force that the SPDs I was used to. Went for a 20 mile ride by myself and didn't have any issue, other that coming down hard on the seat after my foot slipped when attempting to clip in - being single sided when your used to dual sided didn't help there.

Then went out with a mate later in the day. At our usual turn around spot I hadn't shifted down a couple of gears. Had never needed to as you can pedal on the SPDs until you get enough speed to attempt clipping in. Not so with SPD-SL's and the smooth soles on the shoes, as I found out. Too high a gear meant I never got up enough speed and over I went. Luckily it was on the cycle path, hidden from view by bushes either side and my mate had gone on ahead so didn't witness it.

Battle scars, like above, on the new pedal and side of the seat.

Sheepycb

All this talk of falling off and battle scars to the bike isn't helping :shock:
I have a new (no scars) Lapierre Audacio 400 that has 'normal' peddles which are going to be changed once I pluck up the courage...wishing for good stories with no embarrassing fall offs and battered bikes please

dee4life2005

Didn't have a problem with SPD's ... being dual sided helped, although I had SPD's with normal flats on one side and they were equally fine. The thing with SPD-SL's is that they are single sided so it can be a little trickier to get clipped in, at least initially. Remembering to drop into an easy gear before coming to a stop greatly helps, especially as it allows you to pedal with one leg if needed, to get up enough speed to give you time to clip in. This technique is especially useful for uphill junctions.

team47b

Sheepycb wrote:

All this talk of falling off and battle scars to the bike isn't helping :shock:
I have a new (no scars) Lapierre Audacio 400 that has 'normal' peddles which are going to be changed once I pluck up the courage...wishing for good stories with no embarrassing fall offs and battered bikes please

get some cheap/second hand spd pedals to practice with, put your posh ones on when you have overcome this right of passage

SoSimple

Went out on my new spd-sl's for the first time on Saturday and after about 10 miles I was getting pain on the side of my foot. After loosening the ratchet closure a couple of notches all was well.

On Sunday on a longer ride noticed I was struggling a bit on hills(well, Southern hills!) that I'd previously flown up and after moving the cleats backwards to get my foot more over the pedal, it felt like I was riding a different bike!

After graduating from spd's to the SL's I can definitely feel an improvement especially with confidence around clipping in when moving off. A couple of times I missed the clip in when the pedal was in exactly the right place for me because I was so used to my spd's being in the wrong place-lesson learned - trust the pedals!

Squillinossett

team47b wrote:

Sheepycb wrote:

All this talk of falling off and battle scars to the bike isn't helping :shock:
I have a new (no scars) Lapierre Audacio 400 that has 'normal' peddles which are going to be changed once I pluck up the courage...wishing for good stories with no embarrassing fall offs and battered bikes please

get some cheap/second hand spd pedals to practice with, put your posh ones on when you have overcome this right of passage

This. You can consider yourself a "proper" cyclist unless you have at least one story of spd embarrassment

KevChallis

I got some cheap £20 Shimano pedals to practice with, one day I will upgrade lol, only been out once with no fall, definitely waiting for it to happen haha

Sheepycb

I've been practising today - I can't even unclip!!! They are wound down to easiest setting too!! Thankfully there was a wall to break my fall...a number of times! :shock:

KevChallis

I was surprised how much of a twist you had to give to unclip!!

AllanES

I've just fitted spd-sl to my bike and practising in the safety of my garage on the turbo trainer.

It "seems" straight forward enough. (Famous last words) I've got them on very little tension at the moment and I think I'll leave it there for the time being.
I'm not totally sure why folks increase the tension? Does their foot unclip at unintentional moments during the ride?

hatch87

Strangely I never had an issue when I converted to SPD's, never fallen off my bike because of it. My mates bike however, I didn't come free as easily I thought I was going to and, lets just say the girls at the bus stop had a good giggle

Sheepycb

Looking like I need to purchase a turbo trainer :shock:

CiB

Pins & Needles might be due to the angle of the cleats on the shoes. Sit on a table and let your feet hang in their natural position - that's the angle you want them to be when clipped in, so adjust the cleats to suit.

Bazinga!!!

p1tse wrote:

Got to say for a beginner and still unfit the SPd sl makes things a lot easier and smoother, those flats I must have gained some speed and those hills weren't as painful

Those who haven't gone clipless, try it for sure as it makes things so much more enjoyable whilst in motion

Got me thinking now. New bike due to arrive with flats & straps as I wanted to "get used to" the thing but now thinking I should just go for SPD straight away.

What to do...mmm!!! :?

Bazinga!!!

hatch87 wrote:

Strangely I never had an issue when I converted to SPD's, never fallen off my bike because of it. My mates bike however, I didn't come free as easily I thought I was going to and, lets just say the girls at the bus stop had a good giggle

To quote one of the greatest thinkers of our time (Sheldon Cooper - The Big Bang Theory) "[Aaahh, gravity - thou art a heartless bitch.i]

SoSimple

Bazinga!!! wrote:

p1tse wrote:

Got to say for a beginner and still unfit the SPd sl makes things a lot easier and smoother, those flats I must have gained some speed and those hills weren't as painful

Those who haven't gone clipless, try it for sure as it makes things so much more enjoyable whilst in motion

Got me thinking now. New bike due to arrive with flats & straps as I wanted to "get used to" the thing but now thinking I should just go for SPD straight away.

What to do...mmm!!! :?

You've got a greater risk of not getting your foot free in time with straps than with cleats. I'd seriously recommend you bite the bullet and go clipped from day one.

It's worth the odd tricky moment just for what it gives you on hills.

lotus49

SoSimple wrote:

You've got a greater risk of not getting your foot free in time with straps than with cleats. I'd seriously recommend you bite the bullet and go clipped from day one.

It's worth the odd tricky moment just for what it gives you on hills.

I have to say that I do not agree with this. Firstly, pulling your foot backward is much more natural than twisting your foot outwards, which is a skill you need to learn. Nowadays people don't tend to have their feet fixed firmly into toeclips so they have to reach down to unclip like riders used to in the 60s.

The other aspect is how much cycling you have done recently. If you are rusty, as I was, clipping in and out is another thing to think about that you could do without.

I kept my 105 pedals and R087 shoes in their boxes for the first fortnight. I do love them though. I really like being properly connected to my bike. I can't imagine going back now.

Fil6914

Been out 3 times on the new bike fell off twice because I couldn't unclipped and there set for the easiest get out too, so I'm worried all the time just thinking about junctions ahead etc etc i may change back to the toe clips and straps.

The other thing is once I've unclipped and then try to set off again the pedals hang downwards so I'm trying to watch where I'm going whilst trying to spin the pedal the right way round so I can try and clipped in again, I'm having a nightmare with them at the moment and its really putting me off going for a ride.

I hope it gets easy very soon

Phil