ISPringle

My pedals broke, so I got out the clipless pedals and bought a pair of shoes. I really, really enjoy the shoes. It's probably a good bit to do with my poor form and technique with the toe straps, but I can feel a huge increase in power with the clipless shoes.

Day one I went 22 miles, just my normal weekday loop, and really practiced making "circles" rather than just pedaling. It totally killed my legs, they are so not used to the extra movement and the extra muscles that are being recruited to pedal properly.

Day two I went for a 70 mile loop with my neighbor. He has one of those fancy, new fangled bikes with more than one gearing but I kept up with him for the first 30 or 40 miles, and I led the way a lot too. I always beat him on the hills, and I really beat him this time. But we got to our half way point, refilled our water, and all of a sudden I was just dead. I spent the next 35 miles trying to keep him within site. The tops of my thighs, the part the faces the sky, were in absolute pain.

I'm not complaining, I'm just making sure this is to be expected as I begin to spin in "circles" and not just "push".

prooftheory

I don't see how going from clips to clipless should have made too much of a difference in your stroke unless you were doing something really weird before. Were you also deliberately doing something different with your stroke? You can peddle circles with clips.

pwebb

this sentence made my day. that's really all i have to add, sorry.

Flatulentfox

People need different amounts of float and rotation of the cleats. It's something to look at if you continue to have issues.

ISPringle

Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

When I had clips I didn't pedal properly, I didn't do the whole circle bit, I just pushed down and waited until my foot was ready to push down again. I sort of pulled up, but I never really did much since I didn't like the feeling of the clips being tightened around my foot.

Now with clipless I am making the very conscious effort to pedal properly, in circles. I push down, pull back, don't really pull up but lift up as well as I can, and then I push forward.

I suspect I'm just using muscles that were previously unused, I mean that's what it felt like, except drawn out over 35 terribly long mile.

2manybikes

That's probably it. The new style. Try a similar ride just pedaling the way you were before. It's happened to me before.

wingtipsdown

When I switched over - My hamstrings killed me for 2 days. Obviuosly I was not pedaling properly as well. But when I switched it was to a new bike fitted by my LBS.

Around 2am this morning, I set my old Schwinn up all by myself. If fits great now. I'll probably purchase the same pedals for the Schwinn and clip in from time to time.

wingtipsdown

Your post was priceless, more so than the other.
But, I did take time to add something. Ha Ha

mihlbach

Raise you saddle a small amount. The clipless pedals and shoes add a few mm of stack. That could be contributing to you quadriceps pain.

murrellington

Haha, likewise. If I didn't workout regularly I probably wouldn't know the terms quads and hamstrings... But I still don't think I would explain it the way he did. Priceless.