SPD or standard

Have you got them on the lowest tension, i used SPD's for the first time a month ago and at first found them difficult to get on with, but reduced the tension and now i wouldn't go back to flat pedals.

psychological barriers are worse than physical ones.

When you fall off, as I did, you will be almost stationary if not stopped performing an impromptu track stand, it wont hurt, worry more about preventing a scratch to your bike!

Always wear gloves so that when you automatically reach out your hands you dont take the skin off your palms. Always unclip on the pavement side first and always fall that way too! Learn the spd roll!

Always shout "here I go!" as you fall helps with the inevitable damage to your pride.

You will worry at first but as graham1426 said you wont go back to flats, it feels strange not to be clipped in, like being in a car without wearing a seat belt or riding without a helmet - strange.

More through luck than judgement I managed to get used to using SPD pedals without having one of those SPD moments. I did loosen them off to the lowest setting though and haven't seen any need to tighten them up since.

For general purpose riding I'm not convinced SPDs are really much better than good old-fashioned toe-clips and straps .. except the reason I started using SPDs in the first place is I couldn't find any toe-clips small enough to fit my feet whereas with SPDs they are infinitely adjustable. I have in the past over-tightened the strap with a traditional toe-clip and embarassingly fallen sideways when I stopped, so personally I wouldn't say SPDs are any worse than those.

I actually took a tumble last week going too fast around a corner. I can't say that having SPDs made any difference one way or another. I was certainly glad to have been wearing gloves as I wouldn't want may dainty hands to have been ripped up like the palm of my left glove was! :roll:

Setting off, have one foot clipped in and ride on the arch of your other foot until you're going fast enough to clip that one in too. Coming to a halt, unclip one foot and rest it on the pedal well before you stop (if you always unclip the same one then you're a lot less likely to lean the wrong way).

When you say that your feet slip off when it's wet, do you mean to say that you're unclipping unintentionally when it's wet?

Greer_ wrote:

team47b wrote:

psychological barriers are worse than physical ones.
Always wear gloves so that when you automatically reach out your hands you dont take the skin off your palms. Always unclip on the pavement side first and always fall that way too! Learn the spd roll!

I was always told to unclip outside foot first as if you fall it stops you falling into the lane of oncoming traffic :?

Well spotted! Tried so hard not to confuse the issue by using left and right as I cycle on the other side to the UK, but screwed it up anyway! :oops:

You are correct.

1) The tension on the pedal - I set mine to the loosest & am totally happy, confident and safe in them - it is not the front to back grip that is affected per-se, it is the ease of rotating your foot out. if you can pull your foot up and unclip, there is something faulty with the pedal, or your spd cleats are incredibly worn.

2) It is surprising how tight you have to screw the cleats into the shoe - do them until the bolts squeak. My clipless fall happened with my first set, I thought they were tightly screwed in but when I twisted my foot first time out, nothing! I was pulling and twisting to nearly 90 degrees by the time I toppled over and hit the pavement. It was clear when I did manage to get myself sorted that the cleat had remained gripped by the pedal and had not twisted with the shoe, Tightened it up until it creaked and I've never had a problem since.

they are a bit of an acquired taste but are worth it in the long run. I use MTB shoes all the time too for the same reasons off the bike.

Must admit I've always unclipped to the pavement side as I instinctively lean to get off the bike to the first unclipped side, so if I did fall (as I did) it is with my centre of gravity taking me to the side not the middle of the road.

I can see the logic of unclipping the traffic side foot first a long as it does unclip (i.e. 9999 times out of 10000) but if it did stick then that pulling and tugging would be more likely to see you veer out and potentially fall into traffic not away from it.

I try and unclip from the clutch pedal when I change gear and the brake after stopping at a red in the car.

Despite a trip to casualty and a bunch of stitches due to a combined indexing and SPD fail it has become second nature, like riding a bike!