Road Cycling - Clipless Pedals how long did it take

for you to feel comfortable to twist out & stop?

I have the speedplays, and the bike shop said these were some of the easiest to come out of. I love when I am pedaling continously w/o stopping, but I dread everytime I am finish.
I know that I wouldn't want to be riding where it is a lot of stop & go. I have been using these about 2 months, maybe 3 times a week. It just seems so awkward, and plus the road shoes have slick heels. So on new asphalt they sometimes slide a bit. I guess they will roughen up some in time.

Its called a trackstand :)

I was comfortable with them (Speedplay) at about where you are. Now, I have to make a conscious effort to remember to click out, but doing so is very easy for me.

I have the Speedplays and I have used various clipless pedals for about ten? years. I think the Speedplays are very easy to get in and out of. You should just twist your ankle outward and they should come out.

You should uncleat from just one pedal when you stop at a light or whatever.

You will get used to them and they will become second nature.

Believe it or not, I was pretty comfy right off the bat. And that was with cheap SPD pedals. I tried the Speedplay Zeros the other day and they are very easy to get out of. Now I want a set. ;)

I started using SPD's on my mountain bike. It took me 3 bad falls to learn how to quickly unclip. Now, it's automatic.

When I got my Speedplay's, it only took one ride to fiqure out the engagement/disengagement point of the pedals.

L8R

I use the speedplay X2 pedals as well, and they are like second nature, I agree to unclip only one pedal at stop lights. It is much easier(in my opinion) to get in and out of than Look pedals.

Right away. I've had a couple of near misses in stopping before unclipping, but haven't fallen and am comfortable with them now.

Yes I will be glad when it becomes 2nd nature. I remember the folks at the bike shop, telling me that I would fall down at least once. Well it wasn't because I forgot to twist, in fact, I decided to come out of both pedals. Which I did, and I decided I wanted to see if it was easier to lean to the left. Well all of a sudden the left pedal clipped back in, and you got the picture.

A Look user here and haven't had any trouble unclipping. I've had one fall only because I expected somebody to start moving at a green light after they sat there for about 10 seconds as I approached. My biggest issue is I can't seem to clip in as quickly as I like. I've been using them for a few months now and several hundred miles. I suppose it'll all 'click' sometime.

Speedplays are the only clipless pedals I have had. I picked it up on my first ride. I rode a friend's bike with Look pedals, and, for me, those were more difficult.
I think clipless pedals are like manual transmissions. A big, empty parking lot might be the best place to learn.

Look pedals were like I was born with 'em. SPD took a little while because the release isn't so smooth.

The trick (for me) was to learn to unclip about 10 ft before a stop. Once you drill that into your head you'll never fall over (unless it's to the side that's clipped in). Emergency ejections should come naturally after a few weeks once your brain learns the motion from repetition.

Bottom line... you will fall at least once but just be glad you're not dealing with tight toe straps and cleats like we did back in the day.

it took about 5 metres to get accustomed to them.
ride click out click in click out click in confidence builds and off you go.

I began using SPDs back in 1991 on my MTB (I've recently switched to Time ATACs though). It took me about 2 weeks of riding (and some falls) before it became second nature. Now it seems as if I'm falling only if I try and think about how to unclip rather than letting instinct take over. I switched from Speedplay Frogs to Zeros on my roadbike. I really believe that once you've got the hang of things, it's like the standard joke:

Q: How do you get a caterpillar to come to a crashing halt?
A: Ask it in which order it moves its legs.

I use the Frogs. One day I didn't feel well enough to ride so I just spent the day learning how to use them, clipping in and out propped up against the picnic table. I find the Frogs very subtle and I am glad I spent the time practicing with them.

I first used Look cleats back in the late 80's, but since I'd already been using toeclips, it didn't take long to get used to them. In fact, after one ride, I decided to replace all my toeclips.

I've used only Look/Look compatible on the road and SPD's while spinning indoors. I much prefer the Look-type. I'm back on the road after taking many years off (3 kids) ...

Regarding getting in and out, I don't understand what the issue is in terms of "learning". You want out? Twist your foot.

there is no good reason, only tradition, why road shoes are so slippery to walk in. If you persevere with clipless pedals- and most people do, for whatever reasons- you may like to look at MTB shoes and Shimano pedals, which are a better choice for touring, commuting etc IMO......

Just take care until the action of clipping in and out becomes more natural............

Kind of off topic, but does anyone find themselves trying to "unclip" from the gas or brake pedal when driving?
I catch myself doing that some times.:D

in think it's strange that people fall at stop lights... i mean, it's a stop light. regardless of how tight your pedals are and how much of a newbie you are on clipless, you can twist your ankle and get out of that pedal long before you have to come to a dead stop... do people wait until they are stalled to unclip? i mean i do, now that i unclip subcousciously, but it seems completely strange to me that new clipless riders fall at lights.

situations when you'd fall are uncommon... the only time i almost fell was when i got on the bike in front of a building and was slowly creeping towards the street watching for traffic. all of the sudden two men walked in front of me. i hit the brakes and found myself stalled and clipped in. while falling, i unclipped and put my foot down in time, fortunately.

but yeah, as far as falling while learning, I agree with Markedoc. if you want out, twist your ankle. if you're afraid it won't work, twist your ankle 30 feet before you think you'll stop, put your heel on the pedal and coast. if the light turns green, clip in again.

I didn't find it too much trouble to get the hang of it. But early on I had this funny experience. I was coming up to a left turn from a smaller road onto a main road, so I had to stop. But I just couldn't get unclipped. So I decided to go right until I got unclipped. It wasn't happening. When I had the opportunity I turned right onto a road into an orchard. The I slowly rode off the road and grabbed a lower limb of an apple tree. I just was hanging on there until I finally clipped out and went back onto the main road.

I'm still not sure what happened with the pedals, the cleats, and me, but it's now just a funny memory.

Rich

The only times I have not had my feet automagically unclip during a crash were when I overlap one of my feet against my front wheel. That particularly foot will just lock up against the wheel and I can't twist left or right to get it out of the pedals. I usually end up having to work it a little after I've fallen to get it free. My other foot however will have disengaged so it's not a matter of not wanting to or going through the motions but of physically being blocked from doing so. If I'm fortunate, I'm able to shift my weight to the side with my free foot to keep from going down but oftentimes I'm unsuccessful in that attempt so I just fall down with my bike pinning the attached foot. Luckily these crashes only happen at really low speeds. Unluckily, these crashes are most embarassing to observe and seem to only happen in front of a large group of people. :(

I use MTB shoes for the roadbike.. Used MTB pedals too..

I use the specialized shoes w/ specialized pedals..
I love these shoes because I can walk in them(those road shoes are.. nevermind).. These have football(soccer) like rubber studs.. They won't slip(not yet)..

I have my share of crashes..

I unclip my left foot and stop.. Then I shifted my weight to the right, but forgot that my right foot was still clipped in.. BLAM!!!!
:D :D
I was lying on the pavement, and laughing:D !

I'm about to try mine out for the first time this weekend. I think I'll be alright, as I usually leave my left foot on the pedal (with toe clips) when I stop anyway. So it should be second nature to me to lean to my right. I hope, anyway ;)

I got my Shimano 324 (SPD on one side, platform on the other) in April. I have done over 4000k since, and though I have had quite a few close calls I have haven't fallen yet.

/Csson