riding in mud and snow while clipped in.
 

Not that I'll be riding in the snow, but yesterday, I was worried while going through the mud. The wheels started to slip so I unclipped and road that way until I was on dry ground again. It got me thinking about riding clipless on mountain bikes or cyclcross. How in the world can these riders get out of the clipless pedals fast enough to avoid a fall. I posted this in the 50+ forum, but I thought it would be better to ask here, thanks for any replies.

After a good while of riding with clipless pedals unclipping became pretty much second nature for me. Really, the motion of kicking out your heel is quite quick once you're used to it. The part I'm not sure about is how they clip back in with all the debris... maybe I need new pedals.

keep your legs and feet warm. cold legs = numb legs = you can't clip out fast enough.

if you keep your momentum up and keep the weight on the rear, then you are less likely to get stuck in the snow and mud.

I would have thought with practice it shouldn't be to hard to get out fast enough. I first used clipless a few months back and did a few sudden braking/bit of skidding just to make sure I could get out if I needed to do an emergeny stop and had no problem, so if you practice enough as has been said it should be pretty instantanious second nature.

That's for the replies everybody. I guess I'll need more practice.

if you have adjustable pedals set them to as loose as possible.

Lots of practice. After a while it just becomes a reflex.

Don't think of it as clipping out, just shove your leg out sideways the heel will go first and nature and sound engineering will take care of the rest.

The main thing is don't clip out unless you're falling. You've got more control with the pedals clipped in. And that is sorta the whole point.

Maybe you're running your tires with too much pressure?

The real issue is having cleats that will shed enough snow and mud so you can clip in again if you drop your foot.

I felt the same way when I started riding clipless on my mountain bike. I actually fell over a few times after coming to a complete stop. After a few short months in my Shimano SPD's I'm really a much better rider than i was before.

Short answer.... you adjust to it. The same way you learn to smack the brake pedal in your car when you see something in front of you, or how a boxer knows how to block punches coming at him a million miles an hour. It becomes instinct.

For me it depends on how severe the conditions become. Now that staying staying upright is part of the challenge I ride platforms. If I'm slipping on ice I'm down before I can get a foot unclipped.

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I ride with "campus" pedals for winter (clip on one side, platform on the other), but only for extreme cold when I use winter boots. When I have the cycling shoes I stay clipped in. Its easier to grind through the extra resistance that the snow provides. I've slipped out a couple of times, and the natural heel kick-out has worked fine for me. I did losen up the tension on the clips for winter, but for the most part, IMO if you've been riding clipless for a long time, don't worry about it.

extreme amount of props for the Frog's on the hubs, brilliant idea.

I've never tried Frogs on the hubs, does it help a lot? Do you put them on blink or steady?

I put the frogs on blink. They do attract attention when spinning in circles and they keep me legal.

Here's my method... Sometimes a quick fall will surprise you and you'll fall. Most of the time you won't.

Good luck.

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One of the few times I actually hurt myself riding was due to using SPD clipless pedals in mud. I've been riding these pedals for years and still use them for commuting and dry trail riding to this day. However, I do not ride on muddy trails anymore.

I came up on a sharp turn going too fast. As I turned the front wheel dug in and the bike came over on me. I was able to get my left clip out through frantic "reflex", but the left stayed and twisted my ankle severely.

For a controlled slide/fall, "reflex" may kick in, but if you're going down really fast(which happens in snow/mud), you're probably NOT going to get out of your clipless. So, IMHO, don't ride in mud, and if you have to ride in slush, then attach the platform to your SPD's.

As for tension, I keep mine pretty loose.

I'm not sure unclipping and getting a foot down is always the way to go, especially if you're carrying any speed.

That said, I use Eggbeaters on my cross bike and have absolutely no concerns about being able to get out of them fast when necessary. They are the easiest pedal to get out of I've ever used.

I've had my front end go out from underneath me in both slide out and highside. The key to not injuring yourself is to just death grip while going down, not unclip intentionally. tuck, roll and release once you hit the ground. most likely case the bike would have already ejected itself from you once you're on the floor rolling.
Trying to catch yourself while still having plenty of momentum means you end up with broken bones and sprained joints. although it can be miserable to get dirty in slush and mud when it's cold outside.

slush is nothing, try hard packed snow or ice, now that is a fist full in keeping upright.