BayAreaUser

I had a pair of speedplay clipless pedals and Sidi 5.5 shoes that i was trying to sell to help offset the price of a possible road bike i may buy in the near future, but today i could not resist. I gave in and installed them.
Let me start off by saying that removing the stock pedals was a biatch; they were super tight. I need to buy some grease and reinstall the pedals because i don't wish to struggle next time i replace the pedals... I was also very shocked to not really discern a noticeable difference in weight between the Speedplay titanium black and the stock units (Wellgo single sided, clip-less). there was a slight edge, but not significant enough to merit the price.

Anyway, so the shoes snapped right into place very quickly and i decided to just go for it. I mean, i've heard about all these guys that fall the first time they get to a stop sign, but that's only cause they are not as clever as i am. I certainly did not need to practice, i just needed to remember to disengage the pedals every time i stopped.


So i left home, started gaining speed and happened to see my neighbor who had just lent me his 15mm pedal wrench. I decided to stop by and thank him, so i slowed down. Disengaged with my right foot, but had to twist my hips to the left to achieve that rotating motion with my right foot, right as i came to a full stop.
Needless to say, I knew there was not time to react and i simply braced for impact.
=)

I fell like a sack of potatoes. Fortunately the only thing that got hurt was my pride. =)

On a positive note, OMG, what a huge difference clip-less pedals make. I was climbing hills like there was no tomorrow. Lance better watch out!!! (i'm sure most of it was the placebo effect of thinking i'd be faster and more efficient with these pedals)

Timber_8

I love clipless peddles. I have them on both bikes and would never go back. I have gone down a couple of times but the are certainly worth the investment.

mcgreivey

I like them too, but have decided I should only use them on the open road. I end up falling once a year or so, and it always takes about 6 months for my arm to stop hurting. Around town, I have to use tow clips, which I'm used to after 30 years of using them.

This is just me. Other people may be able to retrain their panic reflexes more effectively.

BayAreaUser

I foresee additional falls in my near future too. =)
I guess it's a matter of practicing the clipping and un-cliping action enough so it becomes second nature.

So far (based on a limited one day assessment) I don't have issues forgetting to unclip when coming to a stop. I just struggle maintaining my balance leaning towards the side that's free.
I've lowered my seat a tad (it was a bit high since i did nor lower it at all after installing the pedals) maybe that will help with not having to yank my hips all over the place on the quest for "freedom"