caloso

The ARBT is a dream path on weekdays. Saturday mornings it is a zoo that I avoid at all costs.

kickstart

Mostly this, but there are pedals such as the Shimano M324 that allow the tension to be set so light there's virtually no resistance.

Total abstinence is a wise decision for those with exceptionally poor judgment, and skills.

CliffordK

Absolutely.

You don't think of stop, extract the feet from the pedals, put foot down. It should become one fluid motion. Yank feet and down to the ground from a full stop, in less time than it takes to fall over.

And, yes, emergency stops can happen.

• Riding up my driveway, if I spin the rear wheel on one pedal stroke, I can usually recover. Spinning 2 strokes in a row, and I'm stopped, and must unclip.
• I had a false start once not seeing traffic at a blind corner. Applied brakes, and feet went down quickly.
• Passing a lady with a walker, she swung her walker directly into my path as I was passing at a slow enough speed to stop on the spot.
• I regularly "time" the lights. But, I don't track stand. So, if I'm going 1 MPH, and the light doesn't turn, I have to stop and put a foot down.

So, the motion is simply twist and down. I keep my clips set to about 90% of the force it takes to get the the cleats in.

It is hard to say how to learn. Maybe find a safe parking lot, put on some extra padded clothing, and try a few full stops then unclipping. It isn't quite the same as an emergency stop, but you should be able to come to a full stop, then unclip the pedals and not fall over. And, you shouldn't be afraid of it either.

Stick69

This was my first time trying my commute route on my day off. I parked at Howe at about 0930. I was not prepared for the under-caffeinated students stumbling along the path. That was quite an obstacle course. After I crossed the suspension bridge things were much better on the bike trail proper. When I get in better shape I can park at William Pond and miss the south side by the College. Still the deer right on the shoulder on the way home were kind of a surprise.

digibud

my suggestion would be to practice unlipping from both sides at all positions. Unclipping is like any brain-muscle action, practice creates neural pathways that will be more readily accessed if you have practiced the action. Knowing you CAN unclip from the right side (or whatever side is less natural to you) doesn't translate to getting your brain to make your muscles do so quickly, but if you practice unclipping from both legs at all positions and gradually increase the speed at which you do so, you will become proficient in stopping quickly and unclipping from either side regardless of where your foot is at the time. Simply practice. Basic life stuff. By the time you have become proficient you will also hopefully realize you be riding in such a manner as to never need that skill, but it's a good skill to have cause you never know when a moose or bear is going to pop out onto the road or trail.

Inpd

You learn something new every day. In another forum it was mentioned by @TimH

"SH51 cleats are called "single-release" cleats because you unclip only by twisting your foot to the side. These are more secure and what most experienced cross and MTB riders will use. I use these on my fixed-gear training bike.

SH56 cleats are "multi-release." These can be released by twisting the foot or by lifting the foot at an angle and are much easier to get out of. These are targeted at first time clipless users, casual cyclists and such.

-Tim-"

You guessed it, Shimano's beginner pedals "M520 and M530" ship with the SH51 so I ordered some SH56 cleats.

caloso

Good luck with those. In my experience, they release so randomly that they are worse than no foot retention at all. Perhaps they will work better for you.

kickstart

I've never experienced an unintentional release with my M324 pedals.

FBinNY 

IMo -- there are no tricks or drills. It just becomes automatic, like putting your other foot forward if you trip. If you still have to think about unclipping, you just need to ride some more, maybe in a dense urban area where you have to stop 10 times per mile.

CliffordK

I've suggested that beginners with unclip issues try the multi-release cleats. I haven't tried them myself because as I understand it, they release when one pulls up, and I mash and pull up frequently.

You might also read about the Click-R pedals.

SHIMANO CLICK'R - TECHNOLOGIES - CYCLING FOOTWEAR AND PEDALS - LIFESTYLE GEAR - SHIMANO

It is a bit unclear, but I think they come with (or are recommended to use with) the SH-56 Multirelease cleats.

Jim from Boston

I have various "rules / aphorisms" for certain situations. After about four falls learning clipless, all at slow stops. my rule is for clipless is, "Even if I just think of slowing or stopping, unclip the right pedal." I think if you have a panic stop, you should have some anticipation of the situation or as noted on several posts, you are riding too fast for the conditions.

jfowler85

Don't be a contrarian - lack of evidence is not proof.

rydabent

If you ride a trike, you dont have to worry about unclipping quickly after a stop.

bakes1

Kids ride and walk a get their diapers changed on MUPs.
Such is life.

andr0id

OP reminds me of a scuba diving saying. "problems that happen at 60 feet need to get solved at 60 feet. That means don't panic and bolt for the surface even though that is your first instinct because that is the thing that will kill you the fastest.


Same with riding, putting your foot down is NOT the solution to the problem, so quit trying to worry about that and worry about the thing that is really wrong.

caloso

These were on M540 pedals on my CX bike. These were new cleats and the pedal spring tension was quite high. They released when I rotated my ankle out, like a typical cleat. But they also released when I rotated my ankle in, which was unexpected. And they released when I pulled up on the pedals, which was disastrous and defeated the whole purpose of having them. Of course, YMMV and I am sure they work for some folks or they would not make them.

dynodonn 

I never was a fan of clipless pedals, for the very reason of having to quickly unclip, especially in situations involving fast moving urban traffic, and here were several times that I could have Club Tombay'd into fast moving traffic, which only reinforced my continuing to use MTB platforms.

TenSpeedV2

After riding clipless for a while now, it isn't even a thought anymore. In the times that I have had to either emergency stop, or while crashing while mountain biking....I always was unclipped before I needed to be. I run Shimano M520 with low cleat tension on all of my bikes so that there are no surprises. It becomes second nature after awhile.

leob1

Practice unclipping both feet at the same time. Then do it while you are braking.

ironwood

There's no reason you have to ride clipless pedals; especially in a situation with a lot of traffic or pedestrians. And there are those who don't think most non racers really benefit from being attached to the pedal. Platform pedals will work fine for the OP.