Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Well, I fell---------again!

So I have the SPD peddles and shoes which I like very much. But, dang it, when I stop and unclip the left, I lean to the right or the other way around. This is three times in three weeks. Today I fell at a stop sign. I have to admit it was purely my fault. I was thinking about floating the stop but had unclipped on the left. Then I see a car speeding towards the intersection (it's a four way stop) with little indication that they intended to stop.:eek: So I naturally stopped at the stop sign but it was almost a panicky kind of stop although I was in no danger. I had plenty of room to stop. But when I stopped I just toppled over to the right narrowly missing hitting my helmeted head on the curb, by the way. So, the bike is laying on my right leg which is still clipped to the peddle. I could not get unclipped and I couldn't get the bike off me!!!:notamused: The car by this time had stopped and the female passenger came running over, "are you alright, are you alright". Meanwhile, there I am like a junebug on its' back completely immobilized by my bike. The car lady had to lift the bike up enough so that I could get unclipped. Very small amount of road rash--not worthy of a picture. I finally was able to tell her that I was fine just really, really embarrassed. She, of course, reassured me that there was nothing to be embarrassed about. I got up, dusted myself off and went on my way.
My coworker tonight after hearing the story and laughing appropriately said I should just give up the clipless pedals until I'm really able to go on long rides. Her feeling is that they are just not conducive to in town, stop and go riding. I think she is right. I'm going to kill myself with these blasted things!:twitchy: So, tomorrow I begin the search for new cranks and pedals. I don't really have to change out the cranks but I'm insanely involved in "pimping my ride". No response is necessary. I just had to share my calamity with you guys.:rolleyes:

Are they set as loose as possible? My first pair, it was so loose, I really could jerk my foot, like when I felt like I was tipping, and it would come off. Ha, we've all shared your falling while clipped in stories! I even fell over from a stand still when another cyclist in my group rode by and I turned my head to look, and fell over the other way!! At a 4-way intersection of course, with lots of witnesses. ;)

Sorry to hear about your fall, I'm glad you were not hurt. If you want to put another set of pedals on you might wish to consider a set of Shimano M324's. They have a standard platform pedal on one side and a SPD clipless on the other. I use a set on my cross bike. They work great for in town stop and go riding on the platform side. When I want to clip in, I just use my toe to turn the pedal over and away I go. I have had to be careful though to be sure that I don't have the SPD side up in town, but I have gotten use to watching it now, so all is good. :D Here is a picture of what they look like.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f292/Hill-Pumper/011-1.jpg

I have those... love them...

best part is when mt. biking in the hills if you have to un-clip and need to pedal again real quick it is super easy...

and they normally turn over after one crank revolution... clip in and zoom!

can you just turn your toes in on both feet and take feet off pedals? whist on the move?

is what i do see the stop twist and drop foot...

the pic is 1 upside down and 1 right side up.... sorry they are dirty...

I commute daily on clipless pedals. Lots of stop and go, clipping and unclipping. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes. So keep using the pedals and eventually, you won't even think about it.

The Stop and Flop is a time honored tradition. Don't let it get ya down.

I like that-----Stop and Flop.:roflmao2: Now if it just seemed that funny when it was happening.:innocent:

Until I become a racer (which will never happen because I am "aggressively slow") I'm going to stick with the "free feet" method. (don't know what you call it since one clips into clipless pedals) I think it makes good sense to be able to move your foot around so you are using slightly different muscles. Yes, I've read the Rivendale site and I agree with them. It also leaves the Stopin' and Floppin' to others. I just feel too old for that and, at my size, I might be a danger to others.;)

John

I notice that it sounds like you switch up which foot you unclip. I would recommend always unclipping the same foot, and then you will always lean the same way.

Until I become a racer (which will never happen because I am "aggressively slow") I'm going to stick with the "free feet" method. (don't know what you call it since one clips into clipless pedals) I think it makes good sense to be able to move your foot around so you are using slightly different muscles. Yes, I've read the Rivendale site and I agree with them. It also leaves the Stopin' and Floppin' to others. I just feel too old for that and, at my size, I might be a danger to others.;)

John

Be forewarned: I've stopped and flopped using the "foot free" method. In a crowded campground. With about 200 people watching. A 300 Pound guy going THUMP is not pretty. Funny yes, pretty no. :lol:

I commute daily on clipless pedals. Lots of stop and go, clipping and unclipping. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes. So keep using the pedals and eventually, you won't even think about it.

+1 Bruising one's ego is part of the process of learning to ride clipless. :thumb:


Sorry to hear about your fall, I'm glad you were not hurt. If you want to put another set of pedals on you might wish to consider a set of Shimano M324's. They have a standard platform pedal on one side and a SPD clipless on the other. I use a set on my cross bike. They work great for in town stop and go riding on the platform side. When I want to clip in, I just use my toe to turn the pedal over and away I go. I have had to be careful though to be sure that I don't have the SPD side up in town, but I have gotten use to watching it now, so all is good. :D Here is a picture of what they look like.

+1 I use this set and I highly recommend them! The less I think about clipping in, the easier it is to do it.


The Stop and Flop is a time honored tradition. Don't let it get ya down.

Was that meant to be a pun? :)

I have those... love them...

best part is when mt. biking in the hills if you have to un-clip and need to pedal again real quick it is super easy...

and they normally turn over after one crank revolution... clip in and zoom!

can you just turn your toes in on both feet and take feet off pedals? whist on the move?

is what i do see the stop twist and drop foot...

the pic is 1 upside down and 1 right side up.... sorry they are dirty...


+1 on the Shimano M324's. I use these on my Specialized Hybrid for commuting and they work great! Part of my commute takes me through downtown Los Angeles, and a couple of blocks are real white knucklers, (busses, bumper to bumper traffic, road construction with narrow lanes, etc.) I can use the platform pedals to navigate through the rough stuff, and then flip them over and clip in after it clears. With the recessed shimano cleat on my bike shoes, its relatively easy to walk on sidewalks, and also pedal on the platform side without your foot sliding off the pedal.

As other posters have said, part of riding clipless is becoming comfortable with the motion of clippping in and out. Practice clipping in or out in a big parking lot or other uncrowded area until it becomes routine, then having to clip out when you're on the street won't seem so scary. In the end, it does'nt really matter whether you ride clipless or on platforms, just keep riding and use whatever feel more comfortable with. Good luck and stay upright!!

I've heard and read enough about clipped and clipless pedals to know that at least for THIS clyde, they're not something I'm interested in at the moment.

I bought a used Gary Fisher Utopia which came with REALLY small platform pedals (and clips).

While I've got pretty normal size 10 shoes, I just couldn't STAND sliding the toe of my foot into the accompanying strap and plastic clip.

What I wanted, I decided...was a nice fat platform pedal. Preferably with a some feature to let the soft soles of my tennis shoes to chomp down into.

Went to the LBS and bought a set of BMX pedals called "Big Earls" by Bontranger. They're wide and heavy (but then again...so am I). They also have pins that bite into the soft sneaker rubber like it's nobodys business.

I like 'em for my kind of around the city riding. A lot....

Oh my Lord you guys I just realized that I spelled pedals wrong!!! What a numbskull. Peddles---what's that for gosh sakes?!

You selling something? Peddling pedals?

Practice makes perfect. This is what I do:

When I am approaching a stop I unclip my right foot about 20 yards out or so and roll up to the stop. I place my right foot down, look and go. If your left foot is your dominate foot then use your left.

Also, I wouldn't worry too much about spelling here. Or at least I don't :rolleyes:, in fact I'm so smart I can spell any word at least 3 different ways. :lol:

I commute daily on clipless pedals. Lots of stop and go, clipping and unclipping. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes. So keep using the pedals and eventually, you won't even think about it.

+1

It takes time in clipless pedals to get used to them. Think of it like it was your first time on a bicycle. Experience made you better. the same can be said for clipless pedals.

My wife has the 324 pedals and seems to like them pretty well. I had them for a while and found they were always turned to the wrong side--no matter which side I was wanting it was always on the bottom. (I'm not sure how that is mathematically possible but it happened!) So, I switched to the spd on both side pedals. What I found was that if I would unclip one foot--for me that's the right--and then stand up on the left/still-clipped-in foot, that would promote me putting my weight more to the right side as I came to a stop. Then I would put my right foot down. It was just a natural motion after a while. The key for me was to be sure I was off the saddle 10-20 feet/yards before I planned to stop. I decided that since the curb would always be on my right side I would use that one for the unclipping foot. That way, if I was at a stop sign and wanted to take a water break I could sit on the seat with my right foot on the curb.
Keep at it and try to make future falls out of eyesight of any passing motorists. (Just trying to help!)

Well, I got off work this morning, slept until the LBS was open and hot-footed it in there. (I tried to make it a joke by saying I was there for my daily visit but really it's almost true, I'm in there all the dang time!:rolleyes:) I got the Shimano pedals (notice that I spelled it right this time) I'm not sure which model exactly. They're the ones with the replaceable cages. I get a hefty discount from my LBS if I go in at the right time because one of the guys is a friend of mine. Anywho, I got the pedals for $63. Is that a good deal? I think it probably is a very good deal!!;)
I'm off for my ride this evening to try out the new equipment.

I paid almost $90 for mine...

I got the pedals for $63. Is that a good deal? I think it probably is a very good deal!!;)

If they are they are the M324s (http://www.rei.com/product/668198) you got a good deal.

So how did you like the new pedals?

If you don't mind I would love to read a review on the pedals based on your first hand impressions.

I used clipless for a few years on my commute, and like most people fell a couple of times until I got used to them and then had no trouble, but then after a while I switched back to platforms for shoe simplicity. I honestly do not miss the clipless pedals. I commute 16 km per day, do 30-40 km rec rides and I ride a 75 km charity ride every year and I find it no less enjoyable and certainly not noticeably longer with platform pedals. Unless you are actually racing, or doing gnarly singletrack, clipless pedals are entirely optional. So if others noobs are reading this thread and wondering if they need to get clipless pedals to enjoy cycling or to get fit, the answer is "not really". Do it if you want - it's part of the mystique of cycling, and it's fun to master a new skill - but for me, it's "been there, done that, got the road rash".

FWIW I have an extreme aversion to attaching such things to my body parts. I immediately cut off the wrist straps on my ski poles (was a pretty good skier so I had very expensive poles with almost no swing weight... but with cut off straps not so much a target for theives) and when I got my bike many years ago, the first thing I did was take off the toe clips.

Woot! I am not the only one :) I just bought egg-beater clipless pedals yesterday and fell right in front of the bike shop when I went back to the LBS to get a reflector. I'm still getting used to them and haven't decided if I like them or not. I'll try it for a week or so and if not I'll go back to my regular pedals.

Multi release clips can also help.

the one thing I have found about clipless/clipped pedals...

I no longer have to consciously keep my feet on pedals... all i have to do is pedal...

i can also pedal with my knees... (my term) for push and pull at the same time so I have poser on the complete revolution...

I love being clipped in all i have to do is make power nothing else...

I did got for a short ride last night with the new pedals. I loved them. It was just a ride around the neighborhood for about 45 minutes so there was lots of stop and go. I didn't fall once. I just used the platform side of the pedals. Now when I go on the MUP today I will be able to use the platform side to get to the MUP and the clip side on the MUP. They are very smooth---if you can say that about pedals. I did have a booger of a time getting the old ones off but that's another story. I can honestly say that I am very glad that I switched.:love:

Practicing clipping in & out before you go out is a good idea. Position yourself in a doorway and just clip in and out as many times as you need to get the motion down. When you're riding and slowing down, unclip a foot in anticipation of a stop. From the few 0 mph falls I've seen others do, they glide to a stop, then try to put their foot down w/o ever leaving the saddle. If they don't unclip in time, they fall over. What myself and others I've observed do is get out of the saddle and stand on the pedals and unclip as we coast to stop. The leg comes down naturally and there's usually no drama.

One thing I learned during the 2 or 3 years I rode clipless is that if you mount the cleats on your shoes pointing a bit inward (more towards the base of the big toe) you don't have to rotate your heel quite as far out to unclip.

Also, double check that you have adequately tightened the new pedals in place. I badly damaged my crank one time when I swapped pedals, and one of the new ones wasn't tight enough and worked loose as I was riding, stripping the thread on the crank, which is a pain to deal with. They're supposed to work themselves tighter as you ride (which is why they screw in in opposite directions) but things don't always go according to plan.

I think people should consider foot retention once they are completely comfortable with riding (shifting, braking, slow speed maneuvering, etc.). For people who are just getting on a bike (or haven't ridden in a long time) I think clipless is just adding needless complexity. For beginners I would suggest large BMX pedals (Wellgo, etc.). They are indestructible, have a large comfortable platform, and are cheap.

Personally, I knew it was time for some form of foot retention when my cadence improved & it was hard to keep my feet on the pedals (more sliding around vs. flying off). IMO, clipless / clipped / powerstraps all do the same thing, it boils down to personal preference.

One thing I learned during the 2 or 3 years I rode clipless is that if you mount the cleats on your shoes pointing a bit inward (more towards the base of the big toe) you don't have to rotate your heel quite as far out to unclip.

Also, double check that you have adequately tightened the new pedals in place. I badly damaged my crank one time when I swapped pedals, and one of the new ones wasn't tight enough and worked loose as I was riding, stripping the thread on the crank, which is a pain to deal with. They're supposed to work themselves tighter as you ride (which is why they screw in in opposite directions) but things don't always go according to plan.

that was hardest part for me... I put the lugs on my shoes so they were straight... put un-kind force on my knees (especially the one I had surgery on last summer) took a little figuring to get that just so right toe in feeling...

I have come to realize that there are really two components to
coming to a stop with clipless pedals.

1) The actual unclipping...
2) The 'tilt and stop' *after* the unclipping.

Note that starting the 'tilt' before/during unclipping can lead to disaster
on a failed 'unclip' action.

Also failure to do the 'tilt' can easily lead to an offside tip over.

I have a steep driveway with a limited amount of space at the
top, so once I reach the top of the driveway I have to quickly
unclip and stop. I always unclip the left foot.

Several times I have had to quickly turn the handle bars to
the extreme right to prevent a right side fall...scary

I use SPDs and have noticed that trying to unclip coming to a
stop sign up a steep incline can be sorta tricky, a heavily loaded
SPD does not like to disengage easily.

Any hints?

Jerry

I have come to realize that there are really two components to
coming to a stop with clipless pedals.

1) The actual unclipping...
2) The 'tilt and stop' *after* the unclipping.

Note that starting the 'tilt' before/during unclipping can lead to disaster
on a failed 'unclip' action.

Also failure to do the 'tilt' can easily lead to an offside tip over.

I have a steep driveway with a limited amount of space at the
top, so once I reach the top of the driveway I have to quickly
unclip and stop. I always unclip the left foot.

Several times I have had to quickly turn the handle bars to
the extreme right to prevent a right side fall...scary

I use SPDs and have noticed that trying to unclip coming to a
stop sign up a steep incline can be sorta tricky, a heavily loaded
SPD does not like to disengage easily.

Any hints?

Jerry

I don't know if this helps, but I unclip before I before I need to stop and pedal with my heel until I need to stop. You might be able to pedal up your driveway in such a manner. I started using this method after my first fall, because I had unclipped early, but I pedaled to the stop without realizing that I had clipped back in. So, now with my heel resting on top the pedal insures that at least I don't don't fall due to unknowingly clipping back in.

My wife has what she calls her training wheels. They're demo platforms that were clipped into one side of the road spd pedals that came on the OCR's. So when we are coming to a stop she unclips, flips and uses the platform. Next week though she's going to get weened, we both ordered Look Keo pedals for the bikes.

Ride what's right for you.

ah yes!
the old "stop and flop"!
here's what helped me:

i unclip my left foot as im coasting to a stop.
i put my left foot on the ground when im fully stopped.
then, i lean the nose of my bike seat into my left buttock cheek.

the bike now is at a slight angle and i have fewer "balance issues".

this works for me.

Cyril

Never fell once with clipless. Now, back in the day when when us racers used to use clips and straps with cleated shoes, that was a different story. Most of you will never know the panic of stopping at a light and realizing that you forgot to loosen the damn straps.

Change the angle of the cleat in your shoe, so you only move a little to break free.

Change the angle of the cleat in your shoe, so you only move a little to break free.
That's what toeing in the cleat accomplishes.