calyco

I have my left foot clipped in at 6 o clock and right foot at 12 (when I unclip right foot). When my left is at bottom, I tend to naturally lean my weight towards the right to balance out. I dont know, visualize like standing and coasting on one of those BMX bikes lol, its like a weight shift. I guess I got used to it when I was a kid. Also maybe try the SH56 cleat? First time I fell, it auto unclipped and I threw my hand and foot out to brace the fall. When I was falling towards the right, it twisted inward which saved my butt by releasing.

calyco

I don't think I will ever go back to platforms now, even just a quick trip down to the store.. that click is also very satisfying! I already shaved like 15 min off my normal route and came back less tired.

Thanks, from a fellow Ben as well Very helpful for seasoned riders to share their experiences and advice for newbies, like when I first joined the forum. I wanted to try clipless but was very nervous, especially navigating in NYC traffic. All the stories of people falling didn't help either. Third rides the charm, easy peasy

SylvainG

Yeah, if I fall again today (didn't fall this morning but neither yesterday morning) I'll seriously consider multi release cleats. They are in stock at my nearest MEC store for $24.

BlazingPedals

One of Murphy's theorems is that if you unclip the right pedal, you will fall to the left. Remember as you're almost stopped, to steer slightly toward your clipped-in side. The bike will start to fall toward your free foot. There! Now you know how to counter-steer!

SylvainG

I'll try that tomorrow morning. Sounds like a good way to lean on the free foot. Didn't fall at all today Say what people want to say about clipless effectiveness but I'm now in 7th position overall in that hill climbing. I stayed in 50/21 for half the hill and 50/24 for the last half. My average speed was 24.1 km/h. First time I stayed in that big chainring for climbing that hill. Even while mashing the pedals I couldn't. I also did a best score on a segment and 3rd best in another. All this with a slightly lesser suffer score than usual Hopefully I'm done with falling for a very long time because I really don't want to go back to flats.

79pmooney

When you realize you are clipped in and going down, relax! Keep your hands on the handlebars, rotate your knee and elbow out a little so they hit first and greet the road with everything you have. It won't be a big deal. THe rider who fears falling cannot relax. They shy from contact. Result? Whatever hits first hits really hard. Not fun. Not then, not later.

When I realize I'm going over, I just accept that I (yet again) made a fool of myself and just pile ignominiously on the road. Pick myself up, dust myself off and get back on the bike.

Notice I never said "if". This is a "when". Take my advice seriously. You won't regret it. (If you have trouble with this, take your bike to a nice lawn and practice there.)

Ben

winston63 

I had a few zero km/h falls when I started with clipless. Fortunately I never did hurt myself or damage my bike, but mostly embarrassed myself greatly as I slowly toppled over!

Now that I've been using them for some time (about 7 years) I don't have any issues, even in emergency stops I automatically unclip and I can unclip from either side without issue.

While it's hard to predict the future, I think it's unlikely that I'll ever go back to flat pedals. For me clipless are safer, more efficient and helped me get over some knee issues that I was suffering when riding with flat pedals.

zammykoo

I also noticed the immediate difference after switching to from toe clips to SPD. Major power difference.

Trevtassie

The two things a beginner should do is use SH56 cleats and try Click'R pedals They need less of a twist to disengage.

ExPatTyke

I use Look pedals - pretty much sealed units, just need the tension adjusting to suit. Cleats will need replacing every so often, depending on your mileage and how much you walk on them. Just replace them before they get to this state as a broken cleat can spoil your day

Kapusta

I have serious doubts that clipless are more "efficient" (at least to a degree that is noticable), but I do know that I am faster when I use them, at least on a short, fast ride.

There is a loop I do in town 1-2 times a week that typically takes around 70-75 minutes for me to do. It is a good mix of flat sections, some very steep climbing, and some rolling stuff. Also a bit of stop and start as a lot of it is in an urban area.

What I have found is that I am around 5 minutes faster on average when I use clipless, and this is remarkably consistent.

I don't think I am more efficient, I think it just allows me (or maybe encourages me?) to charge a little harder when I want to sprint from a stop, or just get up to speed faster.

SylvainG

Allowing you to "charge a little harder" because you use the full pedal stroke, won't you call that being more 'efficient'?

Kapusta

Not necessarily. I am delivering more power, but I am also expending more energy in those extra muscles.

Don't confuse efficiency with power output.

SylvainG

No, you could charge just as hard (ie, delivering the same power) using just the down pedal stroke but that would tire those muscles faster hence why using the whole pedal stroke is more efficient.

Kapusta

But I am NOT delivering the same power with just the down stroke (when running flats). I could not do so even If I wanted to.

It is a meaningless hypothetical.

SylvainG

Get off the saddle and you will, but you'll also tire faster, which is the least efficient way... Or put it in another way, your max down stroke power will tire your muscles more than the same power output using the whole pedal stroke so again, more efficient...

Kapusta

Seriously? You have been riding clipless for two days and you think you have advice to give me? Standing and hammering with flats is NOT going to be as fast or put out the power that doing the same with clipless will.

Again, you are confusing efficiency with max power output.

You are also confusing energy expenditure with muscle fatigue.

Efficiency is how much energy you expend vs the results you get. Just becuase one method is faster does not mean it is more efficient. And just because one is slower does not mean it is less efficient.

Sprinting until your muscle fatigues is inefficient. That fact that I COULD decide to do that on my flats in some instances is irrelevant because I didn't.

But your point is bordering on ludicrous in its irrelevance. I specifically said I was CHOOSING to charge it more often with clipless. If you want to hypothesize about what would happen of I CHOSE to ride to exhastion on flats, be my guest, but it has nothing to do with what I was talking about.

FWIW, I perhaps should have mentioned that I have been riding mostly clipless on my MTBs and road bikes for almost 20 years. It is only in the past 2 that I have been riding flats more often on my road bike. My daily commuter has always been flats.

PaulRivers

Lol, well I'm not in the "suffer score" crowd myself.

I went through working way to hard to make clipless work, spending way to much money buy different pedal systems, shoes, 2 bike fittings, etc. Like most people I ride for fun, and trying so hard to make clipless work greatly reduced my enjoyment of riding. It made my knee hurt and was just an overall hassle with changing shoes.

I finally read about how studies has shown clipless didn't improve power and pro racers didn't actually pull up, and tried going to flats and five ten shoes. My speedometer said the same speed, and I greatly increased how much I enjoyed riding.

There's a lot of reasons why a time could go up, including the leg extension change putting them in a better fit (even if you don't change the seat height your leg will length from the saddle to the pedal will change when you change from flats to clipless), and others I won't go into because they just seem to cause arguments.

I personally don't think clipless is ever worth getting bloody and torn up over. Matter opinion I guess. I just want people to know their speed isn't going to dramatically go up even if they get clipless to work - I wish I had known then what I know now and not spent so much effort and money trying to make it work.

I couldn't find video of pro racers at the end of the race, but at the beginning when one foot is one the ground they keep the bike almost entirely upright. Cyclocross videos are particularly amusing as they have to swing their entire body off the bike, but still keep the bike almost entirely upright. Perhaps you're leaning the bike to much?

Everyone has to go through developing the motor patterns to clip and unclip without even thinking about it, it might help. Personally, when I was using clipless, unclipping both sides sides seemed far more hazardous - clipless isn't meant to be ridden with neither foot attached, it becomes really hard to brace against the bike. In my opinion, it would be far better to just practice doing it right until it becomes routine and automatic.

Lol but I supposed I'm not as enthusiastic about scraping myself up! Good luck.

SylvainG

@Kapusta

To me, less muscles fatigue for the same power output is more efficient. Call it what you want. This discussion has run its course, lets leave it at we don't agree.
@PaulRivers

I went trying different methods tonight, but with long pants and long sleeves and practicing on a narrow bike path with grass on both sided That turning in the direction of the clipped foot as you stop didn't work for me. I tend to lean in THAT direction and felt weird. What has worked pretty well for me is as I slow down, I unclip my foot at the 6 o'clock position, bring the clipped foot at 6 o'clock position and just as I stop, I slightly lean forward to get off the saddle and toward my free foot. Did many unclipping, including emergency ones, tonight without any issue. Well, the emergency ones weren't as cleaned but any unclipping I can do without falling is a good unclipping lol.

My 'best' almost fell down unclipping is one where as I was starting to fall down, I swung my free leg back and stabilized myself on the other side of the bike. Don't know how I managed it. Tried to redo it but fell lol.

Kapusta

That's fine but I was not comparing similar power outputs, so your definition is not very relevant, here.

Chuck Naill

I went from clips to spd and back to clips. I find one is no more efficient than the other for my needs. I decided I did not want to carry an additional pair of shoes in case I wanted to walk about during a ride. I have learned form this forum that people have many motivations for riding and equipment for one type will not be as useful for another type of riding.

europa

That was my experience. I eventually got fed up with stupid shoes, went back to clips and found no difference except I could now sit in lectures comfortably.

As for the novice getting upset that experienced riders don't agree with him

StoneFence

This. I find myself going faster while clipped in. Part of this is because I must get to top of the hill or risk tipping over. My pedals are 2 sided so I can ride platform, and when I do, I feel less stable and a good rough patch can cause me to lose my pedals.

novemberhotel

When I started using Shimano road cleats, I was ready to fall and I did quite a few times. The trick I use now is right before the bike reaches full stop, I turn the handlebar to the right to put my right foot down. It works pretty well.

Reynolds 

I don't know if clipless are more efficient, I even don't care about it. I have them on my road bike because road bikes must have them, just as skinny tires and drop bars.