Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Going clipless is awesome!

Just got home from ride two on my new (to me) Trek that came with clipless peddles. When I bought it last Saturday I was still getting over the flu and didn't get much of a ride in. (Photo here -- http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=507419 )

I think I am really going to like my new bike. Back to the clipless thing--I would have put off buying them had they not come on it. I know all you vetran peddlers are shaking your head with a knowing look on your face but wow, I was pleasantly supprised just how much more power I was putting to the back wheel.

Of coarse up to now I have been riding an older ridged frame RockHopper and the whole transition to a rode bike is ----- well, it sure was easier to go fast! Can't wait to get a computer on it to see just how much faster I am going. And for the first ride (about an hour) on a new bike it just felt good.

When I got my first bike last summer I wasn't going to wear bike shorts. Got a pair and glad I did. I wasn't going to buy a road bike, got one and glad I did. Wasn't going to ride clipless, and love them. Whats next?

Yep, excited!

Lots of fun miles! I could make a good suggestion for a ride.....it's in my signature. ;) Wichita isn't that far from Indianapolis.

One of the best upgrades I ever made. Welcome to the the clipless world. Next, just more riding.

I could make a good suggestion for a ride.....it's in my signature.

Who, me? You mean ride with other people?!?! Who knows, maybe an official ride is on my horizon some day.

Who, me? You mean ride with other people?!?! Who knows, maybe an official ride is on my horizon some day.

Yep, a ride with other people, on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with Team Stormcrowe. ;) It's June 13, so you have tme to get in shape for it. :D

Just got home from ride two on my new (to me) Trek that came with clipless peddles. When I bought it last Saturday I was still getting over the flu and didn't get much of a ride in. (Photo here -- http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=507419 )

I think I am really going to like my new bike. Back to the clipless thing--I would have put off buying them had they not come on it. I know all you vetran peddlers are shaking your head with a knowing look on your face but wow, I was pleasantly supprised just how much more power I was putting to the back wheel.

Of coarse up to now I have been riding an older ridged frame RockHopper and the whole transition to a rode bike is ----- well, it sure was easier to go fast! Can't wait to get a computer on it to see just how much faster I am going. And for the first ride (about an hour) on a new bike it just felt good.

When I got my first bike last summer I wasn't going to wear bike shorts. Got a pair and glad I did. I wasn't going to buy a road bike, got one and glad I did. Wasn't going to ride clipless, and love them. Whats next?

Yep, excited!

Does it have ,,,,cup holders???

Whats next?


Carbon fiber bottle cages.

Oh darn! I read the title wrong. I thought it said Topless, I had to remove the pics!:p

Whats next?
A fixed gear.

Friendly advice on starting out with clipless. The first ride you're probably paranoid about clipping out and will be extra vigilant. By the 2nd or 3rd time you start to take them for granted and are susceptible to the "forgot to clip out" low-speed fall syndrome.

So keep that in mind while you're slowly tipping over at a traffic light :)

Friendly advice on starting out with clipless. The first ride you're probably paranoid about clipping out and will be extra vigilant. By the 2nd or 3rd time you start to take them for granted and are susceptible to the "forgot to clip out" low-speed fall syndrome.

So keep that in mind while you're slowly tipping over at a traffic light :)

Agreed! It will happen, but only when it's most embarrassing. ;) There will ba a whole flock of women there to see it. :p (Been there, done that. ;) )



A fixed gear.
This happened to me as well.....fixed is FUN!

I was pleasantly supprised just how much more power I was putting to the back wheel.


There's a learning curve with clipless but soon it will be second nature. When you ride with tennis shoes and platform pedals, the sole of your shoe flexes and this is energy that is not transmitted into the crank, because clipless shoes are more rigid, more of your effort is imparted into the drivetrain, this is what you immediately noticed.

Also, since your feet are bolted to the pedals, you can spin faster and you have that Zen "one with the bike" sensation where you are conveyed from point A to point B but are unaware of "lower level" details like shifting and braking. It takes about 30 minutes of hard work and the release of endorphins to get to that state, but it seems that clipless pedals help a lot when you're going for that feeling.

So keep that in mind while you're slowly tipping over at a traffic light :)




:D


I was a bit apprehensive about clipless too when I first started it in '2000. The bike shop owner tried to ease my mind by telling me about his first experience with clipless. He said he stopped at a traffic light on a four-lane road and forgot to unclip just as a dozen cars and a school bus were coming up to stop too. Dude got me laughing because he said when he fell over, he rolled all the way over on his back, still clipped in with the bike high in the air.

Guess he gave the kids on the school bus quite a laugh too. :D

Everybody talks about the difficulty unclipping but Wednesday I missed clipping in and slipped off the pedal and injured my ankle. Today I can hardly walk. I love my clipless pedals but ya gotta be careful:cry:

So keep that in mind while you're slowly tipping over at a traffic light :)

Yep, I know the day will come. I guess I can start practicing my bow. :p

I myself don't undrstand falling cause of the clipless. Even without clipless, it's natural to remove or foot from the pedal before you stop. I thknk straps are mor dangerous cause they can get caught on the shoe. But clipless, if I ever fall while coming to a stop, shoot me!:D

Even on the road, I time the lights so that I don't have to put my footdown. Learning to trackstand for 10 secods or more is also helpful. On a 40 mile roadride thru traffic, lights, stopsigns around home, I rarely put my foot down. Maybe 3 times at the most and that's making the stops. Stratedgy!

12 years on clipless, not one fall. Like I said, if I fall while stopping, shoot me. PLEASE!:D

I removed my clipless pedals a while ago so I could wear warmer boots. With the nice weather today, I put the clipless back on for a ride. I was a bit worried I'd forget to unclip, but no problem. It's just like riding a bike. :)