Thanks all for the advice. I'm sure I'll still take a few diggers, but these tips will definitely help!

Does anyone clipout by rotating their foot in? I've found that its easier for me and more natural to rotate my foot inward instead of out, the recommended way. I'm wondering if I'm just a freak.

I unclip only after coming to a complete stop. Either foot as the situation demands.

Unclipping is part of taking my foot off the pedal, so I only unclip when I want to take my foot off the pedal. The pedal is then at 12 o' clock. When I first went clipless I released in preparation for stopping, but after a few panic stops, and some accidental reclipping, unclipping became an automatic action.

Method I use:
6'o clock
Point toes towards ground...
Unclip right foot for curbing..

It just takes time..

Personally I hold the record here for most falls from not unclipping... So far like 6..
Hahahaha...

I did 8 in one ride when I first started. I couldn't clip in while starting uphill and kept falling over. I eventually walked uphill a little and clipped in coasting downhill and turned around.

i usually unclip after i crash...

If you're sitting, you can clip out at any point in the pedal cycle, but I seem to prefer 9 o'oclock... I unclip my right foot first, at the farthest rear point in the cycle.

If you're standing, in preparation for dismounting over the bike, you unclip at 12 noon, because you need the other pedal to be at 6 o'clock to hold your weight. (this doesn't apply to fixxies).

As a commuter who often stops at traffic lights, I typically unclip my right foot to rest it on the curb (this doesn't apply to Britons)...that way I can stay seated. I unclip just in time to put my foot on the curb as I stop.

My trackstand skills are weak enough that if I try it at a light, I usually end up unclipping and putting a foot down on the pavement before the light changes, to avoid creeping forward into the intersection. Unless there's a good uphill slope to roll up and down on, I can't stay in one spot very long. With practise you can unclip even after you've stopped, before you fall over. You're probably standing with the pedals at 3 and 9 if you've been trying to trackstand, so quickly backpedal a quarter stroke or whatever necessary, so that the foot you want to release is at 12 o'clock, and snap it out.

Finally, I don't recommend this, but I have also done an emergency clip out of a pedal I was standing on with all my weight. I had unclipped my right foot and was just starting to swing my right leg over the bike when I realized I the right leg hem of my baggy shorts was somehow snagged on the seat, and I was falling too quickly to the left. Even though I was bearing all my weight on my left foot, I wrenched my left heel to the side and the cleat came free and I sort of slid/hopped off the pedal to the ground on my left foot. The risk is that you could badly scrape your ankle on the sharp edges of the pedal if you did this routinely.
Robert

I agree.

I usually brake, then unclip at exactly the same time the bike comes to a complete stop. I guess it all depends on how cautious or how secure you feel with clipless pedals.........maybe it's tied in with your personality....who knows?? It is all second nature that I instinctively release either my left or right pedal only at the moment when I have to put that foot down, regardless of pedal position.

When i first went clipless i heard heard all the "clipless fall" stories and really wanted to avoid that. What i did was set up my trainer in front of the tv and would spin for a while, unclip, and clip in. Repeat. For about an hour and a half. Then i went tooling around the neighborhood practicing stopping every few hundred feet. Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.Unclip, clip.

Havent fallen yet. Now i surely will on my commute home today.

I get out of the saddle, swing my leg over, and coast to a stop on one pedal, still clipped in, and then hop down and unclip in one movement. How can there be so much confusion about how to unclip? Just do it however you want.

Well I just got my pedals and cleats put on this afternoon and suprising to me it has been a lot easier than I expected. The only thing I find weird is the that I can still move my feet a little, very little, side to side when clipped in. Is this normal? Is this maybe what float is? Now I just have to make sure that I have my cleats in comfortable spots but so far so good...Thanks to all at BF for tips on clipless...

That's float. Your knees will thank you.

I ride with mountain bike shoes and crank bros. Candy SL pedals - i unclip while coasting to a stop... When I was learning to ride clipless I left it too late and fell over at a red light, which was very embarassing.

There's one great advantage to mountain shoes, which is that you can unclip and still 'grab' the pedal with the tread under your toes. This helps a lot when a light turns green while you're still coasting - just slide the foot forward and clip back in again.

It's really one of those things that takes about 5 minutes to learn.

Everybody seems to have there own method and I imagine that what works for you is the way you should do it.

For me, as I am coasting to a stop I unclip my left foot first at the 12 o'clock position. This just feels natural for me. If I'm waiting for a light I leave my right foot clipped and move it to about 1 or 2 for a good start. I have tried different pedal positions and both feet but this way just feels right to me.

When I first went clipless I leaned against a wall and practiced with both feet. That helped but I still fell a few times while riding until I got the hang of it.

How did people survive quills in the good old days? ...AND with no internet!

grovahh, this is a question to ask the bike shop where you bought them, or the mail order shop before you place you order.