deepakvrao

I'm pretty much a newbie to cycling, got into clipless a month ago and am now pretty comfortable clipping in as well as out on regular riding.

However I did a 8km climb last weekend [first climb actually ever], and I had an issue. Managed the first 4km without stopping but thereafter had the need to stop. After restarting I just did not have the guts to clip in my left foot on steep hairpin bends. Was always worried that if I just had to stop pedaling, the bike would immediately come to a stand still and I'd fall. I actually had a stupid fall like that in my sloping driveway the day I started clipless. So I climbed the rest of the hill pedaling my left foot with the heel, and in the process made the already difficult climb even more so.

Any suggestions?

grolby

Practice. Being able to clip in on a climb is a good skill to have. One way to develop clipping-in skills is to do lots of starts on rollers without holding on to something (but first, make sure you can ride the rollers that way!).

sleepykitty

Don't stop to clip out.. Duh..

Kidding.. Maybe instead of facing your bike parallel to the road, face it perpendicular to it first. That way you can clip in w/o the fear of rolling backwards

CrankinSteve

Many have great difficulty starting off with clipless pedals even on slight inclines. If you are on a very long climb and nothing flat enough is around where you would feel safe to start, you have no choice but to head downhill and do a u-turn. However, you should get used to clipping into the left pedal at 1:00, pushing down with your left foot (gets you going) while swinging your right over the saddle and quickly catching and clipping in with your right foot. Like mounting a horse. Good riding...

Wrench_Monkey

Or, even easier, stand over the top tube while starting off. Much easier to balance while pushing off. Make sure you have one foot clipped in before moving forward. You can give yourself more forward momentum by shoving off with your other foot while cranking down with the clipped-in foot. Practice clipping in and out somewhere soft.

ericm979

Don't try the going downhill to get clipped in thing on a busy road, or in the middle of a large organized ride.

Practice clipping in at every stop. Learn to do it without looking.

For getting going on inclines, clip in one foot (I use the left) and get on the saddle. Bring the left foot up so you can get as much momentum as possible. Pedal down hard and try to clip in. If you miss, keep pedalling and try again. You can pedal one legged if you need to.

If it's really steep and there is room to do so, start with your bike at an angle to the road instead of pointing straight up.

Barese Rider

I think the question the OP wants to know is a little more then clipping in on hillls..If I understand him right its that the climb may be so long and or steep that he has to slow down and he is concerned that at a certain point he will loose momentum and balance and then fall, he therefore keeps one foot free in case of a need for a quick stop. I have a similar problem in the hills of Vt where 20 years ago I could make most of them but the last couple of summers I couldnt [due in certain part to age but most to weight gain]. Remedy, stay off them until you can gain strength or loose weight.. Ive lost more than 35 lbs since last summer and I want to loose another 15 before I take those sobs on this summer.

mooxster

clip in and htfu

DaveSSS 

Sounds to me like your bike didn't have low enough gears and/or you weren't using the proper gear to maintain a cadence of 70 or above. I see this all the time in the mountains, on the rare occasions when I ride during the weekend. I see beginners who have a triple but they aren't in the little ring on the steepest part of the climb. Instead, they are pedaling at 40-50 rpm in the middle ring.

I recommend pedals with dual side entry that don't even require looking at the pedal to clip in. All speedplay models fit that description.

coasting 

clip in. you won't fall over. fear will overcome the pain

deepakvrao

I think you hit the nail on the head - its not a difficulty in clipping in, but a fear of clipping in because of the fear that I will not be able to clip out in time.

I agree with your remedy - probably I should stay off those climbs till I'm stronger/lighter or both.

arterture

Is this a busy road you are on?

Last summer I did a ride with some really steep hills. Since the roads barely saw any traffic I was able to tack left and right if I felt I was losing too much momentum. You can try this as well as long there isn't any traffic.