Turning right from side road (clipless pedals)

Jez2017
Jez2017 Posts: 4
edited August 2017 in Road beginners
This might sound like a silly question (remember: there's no silly questions, only silly people), but I am relatively new to cycling with clipless pedals and I seem to find it hard to cross busy junctions when I'm turning right from a side road.

There are a couple of really busy junctions on my usual commute where there there is a constant stream of cars from both directions. If I was driving, I'd go 'half-and-half' at these junctions, ie first wait for a gap in the traffic coming from my right and then cross into the first lane of the road and wait there until there until was a suitable gap in the second lane (where traffic is coming from my left). If I block other traffic coming from my right for a moment, so be it.

I am not sure if I should be doing the same on my bike and, if so, I find it difficult to get onto my bike, move forward the couple of metres into the road and then to stop again to wait for the second gap in the traffic coming from the left.

The other problem is when there is slow / stationary traffic and cars don't leave any gaps for you to ride through.

Please can anyone offer some advice as to how I can safely negotiate these road junctions?

Comments

  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    Dual sided pedals... then you can leave the 'can I clip in quickly thinking ' and concentrate on your own safety and not prompting car twitter drivers to post they have seen yet another cycling cnt.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    I don't see why you find it difficult to move forward - in that situation I'd just not clip in my left foot to get into the middle of the road. You don't need both feet clipped in to move 10 feet or so ?
  • Jez2017
    Jez2017 Posts: 4
    Fenix wrote:
    I don't see why you find it difficult to move forward

    It's not the moving forward in itself, it's the stopping so soon after I've moved off that I don't have the hang of. I'm not trying to clip in and clip out (and I happily cycle with just one foot clipped in for as long as a need to), but I haven't quite got the knack of moving forward and then immediately stopping again within 2 or 3 metres.
  • Man Of Lard
    Man Of Lard Posts: 903
    So, don't clip in immediately - sure it's inefficient pedalling with the arch of your foot, but it's to cross the road not to set a new hour record.
  • agentorange88
    agentorange88 Posts: 95
    Im new to clipless too. I find that with my right clipped in, if I push off and place the arch of my left foot on the pedal (using SPD's) I can make one pedal stroke with the cliped in right foot. I can then either slow and put down the left foot or clip the left in and pedal off.
  • GedFoss
    GedFoss Posts: 18
    Jez2017 wrote:
    If I was driving, I'd go 'half-and-half' at these junctions, ie first wait for a gap in the traffic coming from my right and then cross into the first lane of the road and wait there until there until was a suitable gap in the second lane (where traffic is coming from my left). If I block other traffic coming from my right for a moment, so be it.

    Sorry to go off topic, but when did this become acceptable practice? It's something that's become really common in the last five years or so, and it really peeves me. Really.
  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    GedFoss wrote:
    Jez2017 wrote:
    If I was driving, I'd go 'half-and-half' at these junctions, ie first wait for a gap in the traffic coming from my right and then cross into the first lane of the road and wait there until there until was a suitable gap in the second lane (where traffic is coming from my left). If I block other traffic coming from my right for a moment, so be it.

    Sorry to go off topic, but when did this become acceptable practice? It's something that's become really common in the last five years or so, and it really peeves me. Really.

    Agree. Let's obstruct the other traffic and be an 4rse.
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • Jez2017
    Jez2017 Posts: 4
    philthy3 wrote:
    GedFoss wrote:
    Jez2017 wrote:
    If I was driving, I'd go 'half-and-half' at these junctions, ie first wait for a gap in the traffic coming from my right and then cross into the first lane of the road and wait there until there until was a suitable gap in the second lane (where traffic is coming from my left). If I block other traffic coming from my right for a moment, so be it.

    Sorry to go off topic, but when did this become acceptable practice? It's something that's become really common in the last five years or so, and it really peeves me. Really.

    Agree. Let's obstruct the other traffic and be an 4rse.

    I've been driving in London like this for near 25 years and it was how I was taught. Of course not for all junctions, but at certain junctions at busy times you need to do this or else you'll never be able to turn at all.

    But my question was really about getting safely across these sorts of junctions on my bike...
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    If you can't stop just after you've started - you probably need to practice before doing it on a mainroad. Find an empty car park and practice there.
    I can't imagine the problem really. You pedal one rev and brake ?
  • w00dster
    w00dster Posts: 880
    This is normal practice, i keep one foot clipped in and use that to pedal. Dont do a full rotation, then move the pedal backwards and repeat. Its called ratcheting, i do this when manouvering the bike when offroad. The foot that is not clipped in i rest the heel on the pedal, ready to put on the floor when needed.
    Have a read of this, might help...

    http://forums.roadbikereview.com/genera ... 60230.html

    Or learn to track stand..... :wink:

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