Fear of Cleats

cormie

Ok, so I got my shoes, I got my cleats and I just tried them there for the first time together in the pedal and boy do I not want to cycle now!

I only tried my right shoe and it's currently stuck in the right pedal. I'm just wondering, how the hell are you supposed to get them out of the pedal when you're cycling with two feet locked in?

I cycle around Dublin quite a bit, Dublin has traffic lights and pedestrians and crazy motorists. I'm afraid to cycle in them...

Are they something you get used to or should I just sell the shoes, cleats and pedals and get some other pedals more suitable for traffic, quick breaking and quick dismounting?

I think the lot are worth about €140 or so altogether, size 45 shimanos!

kenmc

is the shoe stuck in the pedal sans foot, and the pedal not on the crank? thats a bit hard to get out - just yank it. remember that when your foot is in there and the pedal is on the crank you will be able to exert a lot more leverage on the mechanism.
Just set them loose until you are used to them, and unclick before you need to be unclipped coming through traffic, up to lights etc.

cormie

Ok I think I got the hang of it, you have to put pressure down and move to the side. That's probably not what I should be doing, but it got them out anyway

I still wont feel comfortable in a built up area though.

kenmc, are you saying to unclip and just freewheel through traffic, as in, not cycle again until the way is clear?

Do many of you use cleats for cycling through Dublin?

Alkers

It becomes 2nd nature in a matter of minutes. Just make sure you have the tension set as low as possible. I can unclip and put my foot down just as quick as I can put my foot down when not clipped in. Put simply: practice!

daymobrew

cormie wrote: »

Do many of you use cleats for cycling through Dublin?

I've been using SPDs for almost 3 years. Love them.

As I approach lights I unclip my left shoe. I'll do the same if I think I might need to stop - you can unclip but leave the shoe ready to clip back in or put down as necessary.

cormie

Ok, I'll try and get used to them, be a shame not to use them after how long I waited and all that. What are SPD's?

Danbo!

SPD=Shimano Pedaling Dynamics, just another name for em... when i bought mine i clipped the pedal into the shoe off the bike and off my foot. didnt come out till i wound the pedal onto the crank. as previous posts say they just take some getting used to... as for approaching lights or lines of traffic, unclip. you dont have to free-wheel. because the cleats are on the ball of your foot, just use the toe or middle of your foot to keep pedalling. also, the position of the cleat on the shoe is adjustable for comfort, but you must remember that your legs will be a little sore at first because your foot is kept in the same position all the time.

trust me tho, they're definitely worth it

cormie

Cool stuff:) I'm taking the bike to France for the next week so hopefully there wont be too much traffic where I'm heading.

Dirk Gently

Not sure what kind of bike you have or what you use it for but if you are still having trouble with the cleats maybe try something like these pedals.

They wont be much use to you if you're looking to maximise your power while on the up stroke but if all you're looking for is a non slip, great grip and easy to get your foot free kind of solution then I find these great. They came with the last bike I picked up and I was surprised at how great they grip without actually strapping your foot in.

If you have a road bike and want to get every last bit of efficiency out of your training run then these aren't for you, but using them off road or for commuting in Dublin stop start traffic they're great. Basically they're a flat pedal with little studs which grip the sole of your shoe. I haven't even bought cycling shoes to use with them as they grip anything really well.

copacetic

sounds like you just need a chance to get used to them cormie. there is a screw at the back that you turn to allow the easiest release. Then with the red look cleat you need to twist 4.5 degrees or so before you feel the resistance then keep pushing your heel out and it will pop out. If you try to rotate your foot rather than just push it out it is much easier, so turn your toe in hard. I find it pretty easy, except after a long spin when you can find you don't have the strength in your legs!

cormie

clown bag wrote: »

Not sure what kind of bike you have or what you use it for but if you are still having trouble with the cleats maybe try something like these pedals.

They wont be much use to you if you're looking to maximise your power while on the up stroke but if all you're looking for is a non slip, great grip and easy to get your foot free kind of solution then I find these great. They came with the last bike I picked up and I was surprised at how great they grip without actually strapping your foot in.

If you have a road bike and want to get every last bit of efficiency out of your training run then these aren't for you, but using them off road or for commuting in Dublin stop start traffic they're great. Basically they're a flat pedal with little studs which grip the sole of your shoe. I haven't even bought cycling shoes to use with them as they grip anything really well.

$118:eek:

Cycling is expensive!! Sure my pedals are worth $100 and I didn't even know before I bought it:o

Dirk Gently

cormie wrote: »

Cycling is expensive!!

You can say that again. TBH those pedals are heavy and for mtb use so they wouldn't be efficient for road cycling, except if you commute maybe and don't feel comfortable with the cleats or straps.

copacetic

i moved from look to these when I changed bikes, they have an amazing amount of float and are much easier to get out of but are very hard to walk in as all the mechanics is on the cleat rather than the pedal. They are much much easier to ge into to.

http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.lightaction

kenmc

cormie wrote: »

kenmc, are you saying to unclip and just freewheel through traffic, as in, not cycle again until the way is clear?

Nope, just unclip one foot so you can put it down if you need to. you can still pedal with it on the pedal rather than clipped in. In fact you can actually pedal with just the one foot clipped in, as you can now pedal a full revolution, not just half like you can without clips or straps.

Membrane

cormie wrote: »

Ok I think I got the hang of it, you have to put pressure down and move to the side.

No need to push down, simply twist your heel outwards. If you try that with the pedals mounted on the bike but the shoe off of your foot then the force needed to release the shoe might appear to be quite high. Don't be alarmed by that, it is a lot easier to do with the shoes on your feet. I would advise you to set the release tension to a low setting if you have bought Shimano SPD pedals ("MTB" type like the M520).

Do many of you use cleats for cycling through Dublin?

Clipless systems are designed to allow a rider to pull on the upstroke, thereby increasing efficiency somewhat and/or to prevent your feet from slipping off the pedals on rough terrain. They are intended for sportive cyclists. They can of course be used for things like city riding, but IMO they don't make much sense for that application.

ednwireland

i've used look and spd for (15 years) just changed my old look red and white for keo classics the white bit of the cleats is actually teflon to aid the movement.apart from them been lethal off the bike.
but just to add to everything else everyone said make sure your cleat screws are really tight if your cleat moves at all it messes up cleat coming out of the peal, it can be quite hard to get them tight enough with the flat head screws that they come with. they can easily move on the pedal even if you cant move them with your hand (legs bigger than arms)

its just i lost a screw out of my spds (new shoes) and it was noticeable how difficult it was to take them out same with the looks.

beans

its just i lost a screw out of my spds (new shoes) and it was noticeable how difficult it was to take them out same with the looks.

This happened with my SPDs too, almost with disasterous consequences. One of the cleats became loose, so when I turned my heel to remove it the cleat moved rather than unclipping... took a few seconds to realise what was happening, scary moment. My left foot remained stuck in the pedal until I had to remove the shoe to get my left foot loose!

Moral - check your screws

t5pwr

When I first got SPD's I fell off 3 times.
Once at home on the grass, once when a pedestrian walked out in front of me and I had to stop suddenly and once when I had to stop in traffic.

When I say I fell off I mean I just tipped sideways with no foot to put down

Now using them for about 3 years and I couldn't really go back, it's 2nd nature just to clip out, even in a hurry you can be just as quick. I used flats recently and tried a bunny hop to have my leg fly off and scraped my shin on the pedal.

Stick with the SPD's as the are well worth it

Manone

Here is a point to note.

I have had the experience of unclipping and leaving my shoe back down on the pedal, I hit a bump and my foot slipped back into the clip just as I was about to stop. I began to tilt with that inevitable feeling of hitting tarmac, but managed to get my foot out just in time.

The Look pedals are excellent and can be a bit of a pain with all the stop/ start of traffic. Clipless do teach you to be more cautious in traffic which is a good thing.

Not sure what type of system you have but the Look pedals do loosen up with wear and I initially put the shoe in the clip and released it a few times.
Like all things in life a little bit of grease goes along way.

beans

I hit a bump and my foot slipped back into the clip just as I was about to stop

Very good point, it does happen from time to time.

doozerie

I use SPD's in traffic (on my work commute). Personally I find them safer as I am comfortable with clicking in and out - without my feet attached to the pedals I have less control of the bike which makes it harder to maneouvre it in a hurry when you really have to. Having said that, any proficient BMX'er probably has no problems throwing a bike around without toeclips or clipless pedals, so it depends on what you like and what you are used to.

For commuting, I find SPD's better than some of the alternative clipless options as the recessed cleat (for those shoes where the cleat is actually recessed) means that you can rest your foot on the pedal without being clicked in and still have a sufficiently large surface area of the sole in contact with the pedal that you have some amount of grip. Try that with Look cleats and your foot is likely to slide off the pedal. Some other manufacturers' pedals and cleats combinations are more forgiving than Look in this respect too. Of course, the cleat being recessed is primarily to make the shoes easier to walk in off the bike, which has its advantages for commuting too.

Also, with SPD's you have more entry options than with some of the alternatives. They are primarily designed to hook under/into the pedal at the front, and then clip in at the back (much like a lot of clipless systems) but in a pinch you can slam your foot in directly from above or even from the back (of the cleat) at a push. Some of the SPD cleats are designed to a give you more exit paths too, and these may be of benefit to anyone with SPD's who is nervous about using them.

I still prefer Look on my road bike though, but for someone new to using clipless pedals these might not be the best ones to start out with for commuting. It all depends on the individual really.

Ghost Rider

Why do you prefer Look on your road bike?

doozerie wrote: »

I still prefer Look on my road bike though, but for someone new to using clipless pedals these might not be the best ones to start out with for commuting. It all depends on the individual really.

doozerie

Ghost Rider wrote: »

Why do you prefer Look on your road bike?

I find they give a more solid feeling of your shoe's cleat being held in the pedal (even with the float built into the cleat), than SPD's.

Also, the larger surface area of the cleat, and pedal, feels more comfortable on my feet. Mind you, I recently bought a pair of Specialised mountain biking shoes and these have more solid soles than the Sidi mountain biking shoes I used to use for years, so I now feel the smaller (SPD) pedals less through the shoe. My Look ones still just feel more comfortable to me though.

Ghost Rider

I agree. The wider foot-pedal contact area feels good (compared to MTB SPDs anyway).

They're a bugger to walk in, though. Even dry surfaces can feel very slippy in them - almost like ice skates.

doozerie wrote: »

I find they give a more solid feeling of your shoe's cleat being held in the pedal (even with the float built into the cleat), than SPD's.

Also, the larger surface area of the cleat, and pedal, feels more comfortable on my feet. Mind you, I recently bought a pair of Specialised mountain biking shoes and these have more solid soles than the Sidi mountain biking shoes I used to use for years, so I now feel the smaller (SPD) pedals less through the shoe. My Look ones still just feel more comfortable to me though.

cormie

Ok, so I took a break from cycling since this thread and hadn't tested the cleats. I've been out twice on them now and I can't say I like them. Yeah they are good for when you're actually moving, but a lot of the area I cycle in is stop and start and the maximum distance between traffic lights or a junction would be maybe 1 or 2km.

I've almost fallen twice with them, once when I was slowing down at a light and then when I was actually stationary with my left foot still locked in and my balance went and I was falling to my left and I actually had enough time to think "ok this is it, I'm finally falling with them". Somehow, my left foot came loose and I just managed to get it to the ground on time

I also feel I can't be as aggressive/dedicated with the fear of not being able to stop instantly and ground myself. I find I'm cycling a lot slower and passively and not maintaining progress or pushing myself. Yes, all because of cleats!

Hmm, not too sure if I'm going to keep them or not..

kenmc

you need to practise more with them. go to a car park or something which is plenty big when there's no traffic in them and force yourself to clip in and out a load of times. Honestly, once you get used to them you won't even notice when you wear them, but you will notice when you're not wearing them. seriously. practice.

penexpers

Do you have the float adjusted so that it's at the easiest setting?

Caroline_ie

Can't cycle without the cleats ... but my legs are scared for life ... The biggest one is when I fell at the top on a hill at the strawberry bed, got scared when saw a car ... fell and bled all the way home ... with people looking at me funny in their cars ... still not asking me if I was OK.

blorg

Clipless pedals are great. You _will_ get used to them with a bit of practice. When I first got them, I practiced indoors first, leaning against a wall. Fell off, a sort of gradual lean that felt like slow-motion. That was the only time I have ever fell with the things (now around 8 years later); have never fallen on the road!

BTW welcome to the cycling forum Cormie, good to see you over here from Motors!

mikemac

blorg wrote: »

BTW welcome to the cycling forum Cormie, good to see you over here from Motors!

Cormie has been here for ages, even bought a bike from a poster here.

Yeah, I know what you mean. EVERYONE falls off a bike with clipless pedals falls off at some stage. And it usually not an a dangerous accident but instead a slow motion embarrasing fall and often school kids laughing and pointing.
Hell, the first time I used them I fell twice and a taximan helped me off the road, helpful chap!

Like anything your confidence will improve with practice. But I agree for heavy traffic conditions they are not ideal. Could you use clipless for long runs at the weekend and maybe use ordinary pedals for your commute if it's short? Up to you

studiorat

I've always found if you really need to get your feet down in a hurry you will.
I have toe clips on my commuter.