First ride on clipless pedals.

cesco
cesco Posts: 252
edited August 2013 in Road beginners
Wow, talk about a night and day difference. Even though I didn't average much faster apparently*, it felt like I brought an extra pair of legs. (Also proven by the muscle sores I'm feeling at the moment). Still need to gain more experience with clicking them in, as well as stop worrying that they might come off when I stand on the pedals.

As each ride has its moment; at one point I overtook a MTB'er and nodded friendly. I'm not really competitive on my own rides, but I don't think he was too pleased, as he passed me later on without any acknowledgement whatsoever. And he only passed me because I tend to stop for traffic lights. Instant karma: his chain came off. Out of habit I asked if he was ok, which he was, so I moved on, but felt terrible for the smirk I must have had across my face ten seconds later.

* Disclaimer: says Strava. Rides are hard to compare. Roads were wet, I hadn't eaten but I did have a drink beforehand. Going for a ride was sort of a spontaneous decision. Also, there was this long section where they're repaving the road, but was only covered in loose grid yet, accumulating in deeper layers right before and after speed bumps. I am not going to lie, I was anxious there. Anyway, I use Strava to compare myself, and busted many PRs this ride! I used to be bottom of the rankings there, and now I'm top half mostly. The most important difference is how it feels though, which is like a totally new experience!

Comments

  • Mikey41
    Mikey41 Posts: 690
    cesco wrote:
    Going for a ride was sort of a spontaneous decision.
    As it should be when the weathers like this :D

    I got back from work and went out for an hour just to unwind, was a nice ride :) I also had an interesting moment. Cycled past a group of lads with their bikes who were lounging at the roadside. A few minutes later, a Land Rover comes past me with one of said lads hanging onto the door frame on his bike :shock:

    Err... right.

    I know what you mean on clipless though. I wouldn't be without them now.
    Giant Defy 2 (2012)
    Giant Defy Advanced 2 (2013)
    Giant Revel 1 Ltd (2013)
    Strava
  • cesco
    cesco Posts: 252
    Ah, just found another reason for being slower than it felt; turns out I have a puncture. That would never happen on my old rusty Peugeot, which only means one thing: back to good ol' Contis or Vredesteins asap!
  • lakesluddite
    lakesluddite Posts: 1,337
    cesco wrote:
    Also, there was this long section where they're repaving the road, but was only covered in loose grid yet, accumulating in deeper layers right before and after speed bumps. I am not going to lie, I was anxious there.

    Ah yes, the good old 'Road Dressing'...been discussed on here a few times - and never in good terms! It seems the whole country is being 'dressed' at the moment, Cycling Weekly even had an article on how the wretched stuff is a nightmare for cyclists.

    Well done on going clipless, it's a rite of passage, as is the odd 'forgetting to unclip in time' moment, in which you resemble a falling tree once stationary (or was that just me!).
  • Schoie81
    Schoie81 Posts: 749
    Ah yes, the good old 'Road Dressing'...been discussed on here a few times - and never in good terms! It seems the whole country is being 'dressed' at the moment, Cycling Weekly even had an article on how the wretched stuff is a nightmare for cyclists.

    It aint much good for cars either - which raises the question - why the hell do they do it?? I assume its cheap, but where its been used around here, it lasts a couple of months at best, even less if it gets a lot of traffic, especially if that includes buses and HGVs. Haven't noticed it being done for a while, so thought they'd seen sense, but as you say, it seems to be back in fashion at the moment. :(
    "I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated"
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    It's exactly because it's cheap. It can reseal the surface for another 10 years where the alternative would be a full on resurfacing; I don't know the numbers but I would imagine a proper resurfacing would be many times more expensive?

    Of course the assumption with all this is that all vehicles using the road are motor vehicles and/or the cyclists aren't important.
  • cesco
    cesco Posts: 252
    cesco wrote:
    back to good ol' Contis or Vredesteins asap!
    What tyres had you on instead?

    I didn’t find clipless pedals hard to get used to, perhaps because I had used toe clips and straps for years (they took a while to get used to, and I did have the occasional fall while learning). Clipless pedals are so easy to get out of that falling requires a serious and sustained lapse of attention.

    Clipless pedals (or even straps) help a lot with high-intensity efforts, but they seem to have little or no effect on long-distance speed – presumably because muscle strength is far from being the limiting factor in long-distance riding. I still like them for the secure feeling they offer on the pedals, though I think there’s some value in learning how to pedal on flat pedals before moving to foot-attachment systems.

    What pedals and shoes did you opt for, if you don’t mind my asking?

    I bought this bike second hand a week ago, and it came with Michelin Dynamic Sports. Could be coincidence or the wet roads or the mentioned road dressing. Mind you, this is the first ride on which I brought my own pump haha. I mentioned Continental and Vredestein as those are the two brands I'm used to, and I realise they may not necessarily be better tyres. It's all subjective in the end.

    I'm used to riding with strapless toeclips. If anything, it definitely helps with that feeling of flipping your pedal rightside up with your toes and shove your foor into the right place. I will awkwardly fall over someday. I am well aware of that, and although I'm not particularly thrilled, I'm not to worried either. Needless to say I would prefer a country road to a full bus on my right and a just dismissed school on my left.

    My bike came with Look Keo pedals. I went and bought the gray cleats. Since I didn't have much budget left, I went el cheapo on the shoes. http://www.decathlon.co.uk/road-5-mens- ... 43683.html These were on sale last week, £24 rather than £60. I usually don't buy shoes without trying them on (except familiar brands and models), but figured that I wouldn't have much (money) to lose. I'm happy they ended up being true to size. Not a great design, but beggars, choosers, etcetera. I don't have anything to compare the with however, except for my trusty trainers. I'm sure you can guess which pair feels better.
  • cesco
    cesco Posts: 252
    cesco wrote:
    I bought this bike second hand a week ago, and it came with Michelin Dynamic Sports.
    You could check for a telltale ‘snakebite’ in the tube, which would suggest your puncture was a pinch flat from hitting the sharp edge of the tarmac at the roadworks.

    Nope. But what I thought I checked well enough was the tyre. Went for a ride today, and after 7 minutes I learned the hard way that what I believed to be just a hairline crack turned out to be a tiny rock. Long story short, I discovered that mini pumps aren't the greatest. Screwed off my cleats and walked (tap-walked, on could say) home.
  • I remember the first time trying clipless, felt disconcerting at first but adapted slowly.

    Got fed up of using in inner city areas though.
  • cesco
    cesco Posts: 252
    cesco wrote:
    Screwed off my cleats and walked (tap-walked, one could say) home.
    And on your new shoes too! Ouch.

    Scratching cheap plastic soles v. potentially ruining a Mavic rim: not the hardest choice! Plus being only a mile or so long, that was a darn good work out in a way. (Cue Monty Python's most well-known song).