My first thought is that you could try spinning up the hill in a lower gear than you typically use. On the ramp I mentioned above, I made a habit of dropping into my lowest gear (39x26) and letting my legs whir. What I don't know is whether, in such a situation, it's easier or safer to use clips/straps, as opposed to platforms.

And that is exactly what I did, slope increased I shifted down, chain jammed , i panicked etc etc.

The problem is that whenever you shift up or down this could happen. Probability is remote but it did happen to me once and once is all you need.

Not sure why this is so confusing.

And the fact remains that shifting from smaller to larger cog is prone to problems if you do it under load.

Yes, hyperglide and all that help, but its still not the easiest thing to do.

Isn't the traditional advice to ease up on the pedals just the teeniest bit upon shifting to take some of the load off? That seems to mean that you might be trying to shift while mashing, maybe better to shift while you are still spinning comfortably before your cadence drops off too much?

But I agree if something is not fun or totally uncomfortable for someone, they should do what is more comfortable as long as it is safe and gets the desired results...

That's what I was gonna say...

Sheldon said it too.

The best response I can give to the original post is "Practice, practice, practice." Pretty much everyone has the "Oh snap, I need to unclip, but can't!" experience at least once when they first start out with clipless pedals. With some practice, you get so you can unclip them in time to avoid falling under all but the most unfortunate of circumstances.

As for downshifts while riding uphill, just ease up a little as you shift. Both of my road bikes seem to handle this with no problem at all.

????

Yes, I read it, and my first thought was, "so what"? I don't know about you, but after a short amount of time I pretty much know my routes, what gear I want to be in, where I want to be in it and when I need to shift. I guess I misunderstood from your expressed knowledge of your terrain that you knew your terrain. No worries, over time you will.

You also don't need to stay in the highest gear you can manage. Staying in a lower gear and spinning easy in a higher cadence over a long but varied climb isn't a crime...and it may help minimize the problems you are experiencing, not to mention prevent knee and other physical problems down the road.

It seems highly unnecessary to swear at the guy for a problem that -
1. Your solution ends with "problem minimized"
2. His post states varying angles on the hill
3. Is entirely possible there's no choice - from time to time I'm putting a great deal of tension on the chain and derailler because I've run out of gears on my road bike. That may or may not apply I suppose, but I've ended up in the slightly wrong gear sometimes - it's just a fact of biking.

Learn to shift before you "need" to and spin a lower gear and thou shall find Jesus.

1. the problem cannot be solved on a bike equipped with derailleur shifting, only minimized.
2. yep, so what?
3. Hogwash. It ain't a pecker size contest or a race on unfamiliar terrain. Of course we can all be surprised by an unexpected grade, but when you commute daily over the same route there should be no unexpected grades. If you choose to ride a bike that isn't geared properly for known terrain, sorry, I got no sympathy for you.

Yes, I swore, shucky darn, it's how I talk - sue me. Or better yet, volunteer to be a moderator, sheriff.

That's totally weird, I've never had my chain jam like you describe, sounds freaky.

My only suggestion, other than making unclipping habitual, is that I've developed a habit of always leaning slightly one way (usually to the right, as that's away from traffic) any time something starts to go wrong at all. If I did fall it would mean I fell the least scary way, but more importantly there's only one foot to think about unclipping - the right foot.

I guess saying "don't panic next time" isn't really helpful, eh? lol

If my wheel jammed, that would be bad bad news. But if just my chain jammed, and I didn't panic, I should be able to stay upright, right? I mean - unless I was going so slow that the loss of momentum caused me to no longer be able to remain upright.

One suggestion I've heard is taken the bike onto a softer surface like a grass field and practice leaning a little and clipping out. Try not to fall over, but try to become very comfortable with unclipping as soon as you start to lean.

I like clips on hills cuz I'm working on climbing out of the saddle. I'm doing it more and more and because of my ITBand Syndrome I'm pointing my toes more. I actually cut them down and don't use the straps so they are kinda like mini-clips.

I use platforms for road and mtb shimano for dirt. As mentioned, mtb clips may be eaisier to get out of than road pedals. For mtb shoes, make sure the sole does not interfere with the clip, I usually need to trim a little.

I may not do it for extended periods of time. but if I'm lagging from my normal pace and I start thinking "UP", I accelerate. I'm pretty sure it's not because I'm pushing down harder. Could it all be mental... hmmmm... maybe, but I don't think so. I use SPDs, and I hate riding without being hooked in.

Do you think you're pulling the pedal during its upstroke (which requires a foot-pedal attachment), or could you be merely unweighting it (which does not)? I don't know if I could feel the difference. But then, some people claim to be able to discern their current gear ratio by feel alone.

I've had far more accidents cused by having my feet slip of flat pedals than from clipless pedals.

That being said, my worst accident was caused by clipless pedals, I was trying to trackstand at a light, and didn't think to unclip first. I fell down at exactly 0 mph. Worst part, it was in front of a large tour group. At least my other accidents have been relatively private.

Slipped on ice in january. Went down so fast I didn't unlcip in time.
Two fractures of the tibula.
Still all seems good now and I should be back in the saddle next monday.
(With clips. Unless it is still icy)

Yes, I'm pulling the pedal up during the upstroke. I clearly feel the pressure of my shoe on the top of my foot. IMO, there is SOME affect even when not focused on the upstroke. It's clearly there when I do focus. It's on my personal "lessons learned" list from my year of commuting. To go fast, think UPstroke.

That study has been mentioned numerous times but it's also somewhat suspect. I doubt anyone pulls up on each and every backstroke and you personally may not pull up at all, but that doesn't mean that nobody ever pulls up

Last year I was experimenting with riding sockless and that pretty proved to me that the oft cited study is either misrepresented or was poorly done. Once my feet got sweaty I was nearly pulling them out of my shoes when riding hard. I had to stop and tighten them. Under normal riding conditions my feet stayed firmly in place so I was either not pulling up or not pulling up as much.

I'd recommend that the OP just skip the clipless pedals if they're making his commute less enjoyable except that I think going uphill is one area where they give a commuter a significant advantage.

One other point. For me it is really clumsy to get my pedals into proper position for a good start if not clipped in. My SOP is to clip one foot in the SPD, then rotate it backwards (pulling) to get into position to crank with that foot. If not attached to the pedal, I have to hook my toe under the pedal, which is messy and far less precise. I might go too far and have to do it over again, even. And then the light could be changing! Horrible!!

Did you have studded tires?

elaborate

I ride a fixie a lot and clipless makes it a whole lot easier to control the bike through the cranks. For me, clipless is almost a must for fixed gear, but not such a big deal for a geared commuter.

Exactly, all these people telling him it is so easy, you must be a ******** if you can't figure it out and that he should spend hours practicing are just setting the guy up for putting the bicycle under a tarp in the garage. I cringe everytime a new rider gets clipless tossed at them. I hope OP keeps the platforms and builds up enough confidence to make up his own mind...

If you are pulling up with your clipless, that isn't a bunny hop, just a simple hop... a common "bad" clipless technique (ask any BMX guys)

Yup, lastly the OP needs to be aware that if he doesn't have the cleats setup correctly and the float isn't generous he can really mess up his knees! This is certainly a trial and error issue reserved for more experienced cyclists.

So I just went clipless. A good friend of mine gave me an older not-so-gently used set of SPDs for my new roadbike. Considering how much I splurged for the bike, getting pedals for such a low cost (read: free) I thought it was sweet! I had been itching to go clipless since I did the Autumn Escape Bike Trek last year on my Trek hybrid with the seat too far low (rookie mistake) and platform pedals. I happened to get a great deal on Craigslist for a brand new set of SPDs with cleats so I put the old ones on my trek and the new pedals on my roadie. The new SPDs are a little tougher to clip into and have a little more float as well. I finally got a chance to take my roadie out yesterday and did about 13 miles with the biggest hill in the last push home. Needless to say I was a little tired (hadn't ridden in a few months because of the winter...embarrassing I know, but that will change!!) I unclipped one pedal in front of my house and shifted my balance the wrong way, leading to that awkward slow tipping of the bike away from the free leg. I fell over into my garden. Thankfully my leg broke the bike's fall and I have a nice scrape on the calf and a bruised ego. That being said, I love clipless. I don't know if I am faster, but I feel faster and more efficient both in and out of the saddle on my hybrid and my roadie...

My .02 is to get a set of clipless, but get a set of those plastic platform inserts so you can convert your pedals to platforms at a moments notice. Then you have the best of both worlds without using a pedal wrench!