guadzilla

One tip that I dont see here - if you clip out your left foot, turn your wheel to the right and move your body to the left a little as you do so. That way, the bike leans to the side you unclip

krazygl00

There is a drill, both physical and mental, that will teach you to unclip reflexively, quickly and gracefully. After repeating this drill over the course of time, you will look like you were born with cleats bolted to your feet.

Most cyclists who ride clipless have done this drill. The drill is: fall.

Lot's of people talk about how they've never fallen, and that's fine, but I also see a lot of riders who get nervous when riding slowly or in groups, who unclip a good 30 yards before a traffic light. They may have never fallen, but their skills don't seem to be confidence-inspiring. I am sure there are riders out there who have not only never fallen, but are total naturals at clipping/unclipping.

I've fallen many many times, for various reasons, usually because of distraction, and I think by now I am pretty natural at unclipping. I've fallen because of goofing around during pub rides. I've fallen when trying to ride backwards, clipped into a track bike (I think that one was caught on film). The point is, don't be afraid, practice, fall. If (when) you fall it only teaches you these reflexes and before you know it, you'll be natural too.

roadrider65

Isn't this backwards? Why would you fall/lean toward the leg that isn't free?

stedalus

I can't tell from your post if you're physically having trouble unclipping, or you're just forgetting to unclip when you come to a stop. For the former, put the bike in a trainer or against a wall and repeatedly unclip and clip until you have the hang of it. Every pedal is a little different, so usually it's best to play with it until you have a feel for it.

If you're just forgetting, do the following in a quiet parking lot: get up to reasonable speed, unclip (without braking), slow down and come to a stop. Repeat. Basically you want to train yourself to think of unclipping before braking. Once you get it down you can start unclipping right before you come to a stop like a normal person.

And yes, that person must have mistyped. Lean towards the unclipped side.

kevinvin

Truer words have never made me spit as much water on my screen than these.. LOL

I often get 1 and 2 backwards.. clipping out just as I start to coast down before breaking..

agoodale

I was lucky to get the best tip ever for unclipping right when I started riding:

Don't twist your foot to unclip...Twist your hip! Keep your foot flat & leg stiff and start the twisting motion with your hip. This will result in the heel first method mentioned earlier. If you start the twist with your hip and keep your knee & ankle & toe angle intact it's nearly impossible to get this wrong. The added force of having your whole leg in motion in unison is much more effective than only using the muscles in your foot or lower leg to get out.

colombo357

Stop sucking.

zstjohn

if you're practicing you should never.fall. if you don't get unclipped start pedaling again...your legs don't stop working lmao

Hot Potato

You can have a perfect reflex and still fall. Like when your intention is to turn around, and while doing a slow speed manuever you tip over. Or when you unclip your left foot and a road irregularity causes you to lean right. I didn't have an unclip incident for 6 months after I first put them on. I thought I was immune..... ha ha....

deep_sky

I can't see how this is effective at all unless you have the tension on the pedal set so high that you need to twist your entire body to get out of the pedal, which is just an accident waiting to happen. In addition, your ankle is designed to tolerate the stresses of twisting in that manner; your hips are not. If someone is having physical difficulty disengaging the cleat, then the tension of the pedal should be turned down to a minimum.

Voodoo76

If a lot of you would have started with cleats and tight straps (or double straps) this would seem easy Having to reach down and loosen a strap rolling up to a stop light could get real interesting. (end of old guy lecture). By comparison clipless is a breeze.

Some good advice here. Like lead with your heal, remember it's a twist don't pull. Get good with one foot, I very rarely clip out my left. The consistency makes it very rare that you tip over considering you know which way you will be leaning the bike. And it gets to be very routine. Clipping out both is asking for trouble. Clipping out your right lets you put your foot on a curb.

achoo

Just be doggone sure your foot is unclipped before pulling that maneuver...

agoodale

It's not as difficult or different as you make it out to be. You can try the difference by standing with your knees slightly bent and your feet shoulder width...
1. Twist just your right foot, heel first, without moving much of your hips and upper leg. Ok, that's not too bad. You'll notice your right hip moves a little even though you're not thinking about it. If it doesn't you end up with your foot & knee in a very strained position.
2. Twist your right hip (stick your ass out to the side) while keeping the knee & ankle angle the same. Your foot & leg will rotate very smoothly & powerfully. If you do it right the rest of your body will move very little.

30,000 miles no falls. just sayin....

boulderroad

It's not a reflex. Its a learned behavior. Some learn faster than others. Practice and you will get there.

pershing

If you want some extra confidence when taking your baby steps, you can ride with one clipless and one platform pedal. Once you get comfortable on one side, you can reverse and eventually go both clipless. I personally have not tried this approach but heard it may work for some.

BarryJo

This is the only response that matters.
The slow, unclip, stop is nonsense. As you progress there are going to be times when this is unpossible.
Group rides where a rider in front of you suddenly stops is one example.
If you ever get into racing, sudden stops in the 5/4's are not uncommon. Unclipping at unexpected moments is a necessity.
And then there's always the unexpected car on the side of the road opening their door when you least expect it.

The Boy Scout motto applies, "Be Prepared"

GSmith

I keep my left pedal loose. It was set that way at the LBS during my initial fitting with shoes - I had a broken ankle recently, and the first time I unclipped from the default pedal setting, it didn't feel good. My ankle is 98% now, and it gives me no problems when I ride, but I keep the left pedal, which is ALWAYS the one I clip out of (as others have said, pick a foot and stick with it - I go left because i prefer to be leaning towards traffic instead of huddling against the curb at a red light) at low to medium-low tightness. Personally, I don't see the advantage at all to setting it high, in my opinion if you're accidentally clipping out of a pedal set low while riding, you're rotating your ankles side-to-side (laterally?) far too much. There's a reason 'floatless' pedals are the eventual goal.

deep_sky

I'm not buying into that, sorry. If you were going very slowly, and performed it slowly, I could see it possibly working. At speed? That much lateral motion of your body will affect the bike's handling, and if I have to make an unexpected stop, I don't need to be affecting the bike's handling if I wish to stay upright. Rotating my entire lower body to do the work my ankle can do (and I have weak ankles) seems like a solution in search of a problem that doesn't exist except for a very small number of people with mobility issues.
A quick twist of my ankle and I am out. I don't even think about it, and don't even notice the effort to decleat. Why do you need to do any more? If you have the pedal tension set to preference, you don't need all this extra leverage in order to get your foot out of the cleat. Decleating is not a power move, and does not require power to do. You sound like you are making what is a simple reflexive move (with practice) is some sort of maneuver that requires strength and precision to accomplish.

deep_sky

While lateral rotation can be a problem, fixed cleats are in fact not the goal unless your knees and ankles cannot tolerate float. For most people, some float is advisable to help protect the knees. I started with 4.5 degree cleats, went up to 9, and am now back down to 4.5 as I have both gotten fitter, and dialed in my bike's fit more.

derek.fulmer

I'll be getting my bike saturday and have ordered a pair of Look keo classics. I'm following this thread and it's giving me confidence and hope haha.One thing I've been wondering about clipping in and out of your pedals is this: Is it possible to crack/break your frame at the bottom bracket area from clipping in? I know it takes a decent amount of force, but does it take so much that you run the risk of cracking or breaking your bike frame? Just curious about this.

Quel

I don't keep a pedal loose intentionally, but the cleat wears out quicker on the side I clip in/out on, so it's the same effect I guess.

As others said, it's a learned behavior. I learned it when I was younger and mountain biked. When you are a teenager and your choice is to clip out correctly or fall over in front of all your friends on some single track, you get good at it. Keep working.

deep_sky

Unless there is already a hidden crack or dent on the way to being a crack, I seriously doubt it. You shouldn't be exerting too much force if the pedal tension is set low (as it should be for someone just learning to ride clipless).

agoodale

Your reading too much into it. It's a very small movement (not your "entire lower body"). Like I said if you're twisting your heel out you are probably moving your hip already. The point is if you learn that the movement starts with the hip it's nearly impossible to get wrong even in a panic situation.