senatorw

Recovering from complete reconstructive surgery from February, I got bitten by the road cycling bug. I train on a spin bike 5 days a week and then ride on the weekends. Last weekend was my first organized ride (35 miles) and yesterday I rode 41 miles (to the Goldengate bridge and back). It was a blast. I am SO into this sport I cannot describe it in words.

With one exception, however, I have yet to ride without having a "clipless" accident. First time, unclipped right, leaned left. Last week, while I learned the lesson about unclipping in advance of a stop sign or light, I had to learn the lesson of the emregency stop unclip twice. Once in front of like 25 people standing at a corner and the second time to stop by a fallen cyclist to see if she needed to use my mobile phone (at first someone said she was fine, so I clipped back in and a guy standing next to her said, no, we might need the phone; urrk. fall, to which he said, "nice dismount"). All falls on the bad leg.

Yesterday, I made it about 30 miles with no clipless accidents and was just about ready to pat myself on the back. I was stopped at a light and unclipped on my left leg (the bad one), and the light turned. Two (relatively clueless) pedestrians looked like they were going to let me go first but then both of them clogged the down ramp. Urrrk. Fall. Hey, at least this time on the GOOD leg.

Question: I know I must be special needs or "clipless challenged" but when can I expect this nightmare to end?

As it happens, the repair on my knee failed (not due to any of these falls) and I have to have the entire surgery over again in two weeks. It means 12 more weeks of crutches and no weight bearing. About 8 weeks post surgery, I should have enough range of motion (110 degrees minimum) to ride a bike and hoping this time they will let me ride my beauty on a trainer. Then I can practice clipping in and out (simulating my stupid situations) and by 07 I shouldn't be a dork anymore, right? I've heard of dork shifting, and a dork scar, but this has to be a "dork fall."

BillyD

I think in the beginning it's a matter of focus. Focus and practice.

Start out riding and periodically stopping, even when you don't need to, and unclipping on your favorite side (I'm a right-side person). Just keep doing that on your solo rides, training rides, focusing on stopping and unclipping successfully.

Eventually, your body will become conditioned to automatically stop and unclip successfully. It's that simple, focused practicing.

You can do it . . . all of us did.

cydewaze

What kind of pedals?

The reason I ask is because my wife uses Shimano SPD pedals, and they make a special "multi-release" cleat that's easier to get out of. It's helped a lot for her, as well as reducing the spring tension a bit on the pedals.

Good luck.

The Rob

I was going to state "I feel your pain", but a second surgery!?...uh, no I don't. That must be really disappointing for you and I hope the second round is successful and your recovery painless.

I keep running into the clip issue as well. Just when I think I couldn't possibly be caught out (er, I suppose I should say 'in') again, I'm taken by surprise. I can say the incidents are coming farther apart, so there is progress.

Naidu

In addition to what others suggest, make it a practise to unclip your less dominant leg first. That way, when you re-launch your dominant leg is still clipped in ready to roll you onwards (since you've a good leg and a bad leg, you might want to adjust my advice accordingly). Also, don't clip in the unclipped leg right away, get a comfortable cadence/speed going before you clip in. That way you are well and truly balanced on the bike before you lose the prop.

It seems that the last two, uh, "incidents" you had were caused by factors other than you, ie, a last minute change of mind by the other rider and pedestrians, respectively. At least with the first incident, you could've rolled on a bit further till you'd unclipped safely before stopping. All this you (and your reflexes) will learn such that you don't have to think about it to get right.

Good luck with the surgery!

Bontrager

What are they doing to your knee? ACL recon?

Why not switch to platform or SPD multi directional release pedals as a poster above mentioned so as to minimize your chances of falling and hurting your bum knee while you're healing?

CosmicRocker

Try this: If you unclip One pedal (either one), then as you are stopping, ever so slightly, turn your wheel in the direction of the unclipped side. This will cause your bike to slightly lean that direction and should stop you from toppling the other way.

patentcad

You will get used to it. I can't recall ever having a clipless fall in 15+ years of road and mtn. biking. You have to get used to quickly twisting your ankle to get out of the pedals - and that takes a while. I actually had a bit of a close call a couple of months ago - but twisted out and put my foot down just in time.

You'll get there. In the meantime practice snapping out alternating either foot whenever you're standing around with your bike.

FIVE ONE SIX

i would suggest that you unclip whenever you think you may need to, and keep your unclipped shoe over the pedal ready to clip back in if you do need to clip back in. if you need to clip back in, just push down on the pedal and clip in, and if you don't need to just put your foot down on the ground and relax...

also, if you're using SPD pedals and cleats, take your bike shoes to the spin class and get used to them there, where you can't fall and can't hurt yourself. and honestly, even if you don't use SPD pedals and cleats on your bike, you should have gotten a pair bike shoes with SPD cleats for spinning anyway, since you go 5 times a week and seem very into to it...

if you really want to practice somewhere outside, do it on the 1st and 3rd base line of a baseball diamond, the dirt is usually packed and feels similar to a street and there's grass on both sides of you if you do fall...

good luck, and good luck with the recovery, that's the most important thing...

krazyderek

Like someone said, focus is the big thing, practice is just another way of saying "it'll come with time". Just think about what you're doing and how you're shifting your weight, before during and after unclipping, in otherwords, work on your balance too. If i were you though i'd put on platform pedals, you don't need this kind of stress both mental and physical when trying to recover. On the trainner you could stick with clippless but on the road put on regular pedals until you're fully healed and confident.

mister

I guess it takes some people a little longer than others. Keep at it. Practice in grass if you have to. I only fell once (so far) since getting clipless pedals. Most of my close calls are going up my driveway. I'll unclip and then when I ride over the gutter, the bump clips me back in occcasionally.

senatorw

Thanks to all for the input. I really will try some of the suggestions. I have Look Keo Carbons, with 9 degrees for float, in part because of the bad leg. I have SPD shoes for spin class, but actually they are harder to get into and out of than the Keos. Really, it should be no different than pressing in the clutch on my car at a stop. Hopefully, I will get it.

Yep, second surgery is a complete re-do on the leg. It's tibial plateau fracture and it's one of the worst places you can break (the knee holds up all of you weight). They have to jam in a pieces of a cadaver bone (first time it was my own hip bone) in where the bone has pushed down, and then bolt it in place with screws and a place for a year. After 12 weeks, I can hopefully get off crutches, and 8 weeks post surgery probably back on a spin bike. It sucks, but, it's not like having cancer spread to your lungs and chest like that famous cycling guy, so I'll get through it.

SkyeC

I only fell over once-- in my living room; too bad I fell over right onto my glass coffee table.

When I first got my shoes/pedals I practiced unclipping on my non-city rides so I wouldn't freak out when pedestrians/cars jumped out in front of me in traffic. It's worked well so far, no falls or even close-calls in the presence of other people. The only problem I'm having is getting clipped in quickly from stoplights so I can keep up with the flow of traffic.

John Ryder

learn how to trackstand then you'll never have to worry about unclipping.

Depending on how long the light is....

FIVE ONE SIX

i use the same pedals, and they do have a bolt to adjust the clip in and out, just adjust it so they're set on the least amount of effort to clip out of and you should be fine...

yobtah

I'm new to road biking also, and I rode for a couple of weeks with SPD mountain pedals on my road bike. I recently switched to Keo Sprints (the non-carbon version of your pedals). While I was comfortable with the SPD pedals, the LOOKs seem less forgiving. I set the spring tension on the Keos as loose as possible, and they seem easier for my beginner ability.

I agree with FIVE ONE SIX... the Keo Carbons and Sprints have more spring tension than the Keo Classics, so make them as loose as possible if you haven't already. If you like the Keos a lot, consider switching to the "Classic" model to get even less spring tension.

Also, you mentioned that you like the grey Keo cleats with nine degrees of float to help with the knee problem, but you also said you're using SPD pedals in the spin class. If your knee will let you, consider SPD pedals for the road bike. I think the smaller SPD mountain cleat and street-like SPD shoes with rubber soles make clipping and unclipping much easier.

If you can make some changes to improve accuracy clipping and unclipping, it should be easier to do it in "emergency situations".

efrobert

It seems like you keep trying to unclip and clip at a complete or near complete stop. You need to clip and unclip while you are still some what moving.

JayC

Dont the grey cleats have 4 degrees of float and the red's 9?

yobtah

Oh... yes, you're right. The greys have 4.5 degrees of float and the reds have 9.

I suppose the OP could try the red cleats for more float, but I'm not sure it's a float problem... unless the added float would help his knee.