work4bike

Just like a big fat juicy steaks, save the shakes for after a hard ride; they take up a lot of blood to digest.

chasm54

Most of us always put the same foot to the ground first. Every time you're approaching a stop sign or whatever, unclip that foot. If you don't need to stop, just clip back in and proceed.

Once you're comfortable with them you won't need to think about this, but it's worth establishing the routine for a few days.

Bandera

The routine that our coach taught in a drill for a good Criterium start >40 years ago applies to the clipless pedal systems when moving from a start line, a stoplight or out of the driveway. Consistent well practiced drill becomes 2nd nature and muscle memory becomes automatic.

Here's our Old School method.

Starting:
Select the proper gear for the start
Lock front brake for positive control
Insert strong-side foot (my right) on pedal, clip-in, rotate pedal to above parallel to ground
Head up, looking where you want the bike to go
Listen for the gun/watch the traffic control
Go: Release brake, strong side pedal down, lever into saddle, get some RPM, smoothly clip-in weak side foot w/o looking down
Proceed

Stopping:
Look where you want the bike to go, pick your stop point
Judge your momentum/braking and un-clip weak side without looking down seconds before the stop
Ride the strong side down to dismount and lock the front brake when stopped

Aside from getting off the line quickly a wobble/bobble free smooth straight well practiced start/stop is safer in traffic or a group.

Have fun,

-Bandera

shovelhd

I use Speedplays which are stomp and go, but I still practiced clip ins every offseason to get the timing down.

YogaKat

Thank you all for the good advice!

I love my LBS. I found some Look pedals in the C&V box of crap and took them into the shop with me. He inspected them to make sure they were in working order (he had the same ones once upon a time when he did longer rides.) Then he gave me a discount on the shoes plus a dab of grease to use for installation. Even though the ones that I got with the pedals would work I went ahead and bought a new set of the cleat part.

I've got my pedals installed and practicing in the living room today. They seem pretty easy to use, I'm guessing it's just the part about getting used to remembering that I'm stuck to the bike until it becomes habit... which is where the above advice will come in handy.

I just added some French to my Spainish/Itailian bike.

EDIT: Just went out to the back yard. Not as easy as I thought. Bwhaha!

chasm54

If clipping out seems problematic, you can adjust the tension on the pedals to make it harder or easier, whichever you need.

rykard

always try and unclip with the same foot first, a tip my motorcycle instructor gave me was to tilt your head to the side you are going to put your foot down..

YogaKat

I did adjust the tension, they were very tight when I got them. It was the clipping in on the less dominant foot that was tricky but I suspect it will be easier when I try it on a surface where I'm actually rolling and have more time to do so. I practiced a little bit on grass yesterday so I have an idea of what it's like while in motion rather than the sitting still in the living room. It gave me a soft place to land but didn't provide enough time moving to do what I needed. I did succeed a few times though. Really all I could do what crack up at myself when I went down. I have a fairly soft smooth street nearby that I will try out today and see how it goes. I'm contemplating wearing my skateboarding pads.

I really am glad I decided to change over now rather than later.

Good idea.

work4bike

What sucks about clipless pedals is that no matter how automatic it is for you to click out of them, there is always a scenario where you're not expecting to click out and then you have to and....it can be problematic and .

Having said that, there's no going back to traditional pedals.

Racer Ex 

I've got my Look pedals cranked up to max tension...coming unclipped while sprinting is not a good feeling. Sounds like a .22 rifle when I unclip.

YogaKat

I just had a visual of everyone in hearing range ducking when you unclip.

sarals 

Same here. Yep on the sound!

YogaKat

I will admit I've been intimidated by the new pedals over the last week.

I figured a longer distance ride would give me plenty of practice so yesterday I was able to get in 70 miles and only fell over once. Of course it was to opposite side that I expected fall.

Heathpack 

Seventy miles is a pretty solid distance!

You'll get used to the pedals.

Cleave

70 miles is great! The pedals will become second nature to you the more you ride. Hopefully you didn't set the release tension like Racer Ex does. Also, learning how to "track stand" on your road bike helps to keep from tipping over.

YogaKat

Thank y'all!

I successfully did my little recovery spin today with no falling over whilst practicing to unclip at each stop sign. I am getting more comfortable now, especially after yesterday. I'm also learning how many things I can actually pack on a bike efficiently for longer rides.

I was getting better at track standing before changing pedals so I guess I'm in a way starting over with the new feel, but I will get there.

Oh no, I had to loosen the pedals for now to make sure I can get out of them when needed but still tight enough that I don't drop out unexpectedly. It will be awhile before the tension is set like Ex or sarals.

I will just keep practicing and increasing my long ride every 2 to 3 weeks.

sarals 

"Sprinter tension"

Shovel knows about that, too.

shovelhd

I use Speedplay Zeros which aren't adjustable, but I've never pulled out. My max sprint power was only 1200w anyway. Speedplay makes a track version which has higher tension.

sarals 

Speaking of pedals, and this is an unabashed thread hijack, but I'm considering Garmin Vectors to use on the Venge....

revchuck 

Get the new version if you go this route. The first version was plagued with problems, the current version seems to have addressed those problems.

sarals 

That's what I've been hearing and reading. My LBS has a smoking deal on the single side Vector 2. I'll have a talk with them when I get home from the stage race (if I live through it).

Hermes

I have Vector 2 both sides. IMO, it is still a pain in the ass and not reliable plus the pedals suck. The only way I would consider a Vector is IF, and that is a big IF, it is to be used on several bicycles. If one is looking for crank based power on one bike, I would consider a Pioneer Power2Max or the Quarq Riken or Elsa if on a limited budget and an SRM if you have the budget headroom.

DC Rainmaker's review of the Vector when it came out, got it completely wrong i.e. transient response plus it was not reliable although, he would have no way of knowing that at the time. One good thing about Garmin is that they have a strong balance sheet and a lot of money so they continued to improve and support the product. The new version is competitive on transient response and more reliable but I am still having battery life issues.

IMO DC Rainmaker's reviews should be looked at with a jaundiced eye. The Power Meters Buyer?s Guide?2015 Edition | DC Rainmaker However, he has a complete list of PMs.

I spent the last ten years of my career as a finance / private equity guy. When one sees a huge crowded field of technology offerings without product differentiation other than price, there is going to be a shakeout. I could see 2 to 3 PM solutions surviving. So if you pick a solution from an under capitalized company that is running on slim gross margins and competing on price, more than likely, they will be out of business and support gone. Warranty costs on Vector and Stages must be huge considering all the issues we read about and fixes. Just shipping that stuff around is a headwind for profitability.

Of course, if one does not pay very much for a product then one throws it away and buys another if necessary.

Also, I would not recommend a single leg solution. I have found that my left right balance changes and my left leg loses power over time even though my total power remains unchanged. The right leg makes up for the loss and I suspect what happens is the oxygen left in the blood is used the the less fatigued leg.

For me, 10 watts is a lot of power and in fact 5 watts is a lot of power. So not getting repeatable results that are somewhat accurate does not work for me. YMMV

shovelhd

There is no better power meter deal out there than a competitively priced used SRM.

revchuck 

I paid $875 for my SRM PM6 Red crankset. I'm really pleased with it.

That said, we really ought to give this thread back to YogaKat.

sarals 

Guys, thanks, and Hermes, I was told you had experience with the Garmin. Thanks for that insight!

YogaKat, your thread hijack is now complete, back you you!