Finally, I'm on a fixie...
 

Ok, so, many of you know that I got my Bianchi in the other day, and today was my first day to ride. I LOVE FIXED. But, clipless... is another story. I've already taken quite a few falls because I can't get my feet out, but I'm getting used to it all, the whole swivel foot to get out, and that shouldn't be a problem in a week or so, like second nature I hope.

Trying trackstands tonight, (gotta learn sometime), I found it made my back hurt? and I couldn't do it at all, (that's where a lot of my spills came from, losing balance and not getting feet out to catch myself.)

Any tips, suggestions, advice, well wishes, ANYTHING, for the noobie would be great. Already love cycling, now I love it more with a fixed.

practice trackstands without being clipped in... that should help a bit. What pedals did you end up getting?

Some shimano's my LBS had. I don't know... road cleats, I don't really know if I like it. I feel like I'm going walk around with bruised hands and knees forever.

everyone falls the first time w/ clipless. s'ok. won't kill you. just gotta retrain your brain and muscle memory to do something earlier than you used to do something.

here's a bunch of info you might find helpful. http://www.63xc.com/gregg/101_1.htm

Yeah, that site is definitely in my favorites. I don't know why my back hurts so much when I try and trackstand. :\ Straining to hard? Thinking to hard? I don't know. Anyone else have problems like this?

Thanks for the input guys.

were you carrying a boulder by chance?

the pedals... http://bike.shimano.com/media/images...9830550963.jpg

the shoes...
http://bike.shimano.com/media/images...9830553333.jpg

Damn, forgot take my boulder off after work. I'll remember to do that next time.

road shoes are a drag.. you should try mtn shoes and spds or eggbeaters.. or pedals with straps and clips

Word.

probably just tensing way too much because too much to think about all at once.

I think that's what it is. I'm gonna try the whole "one finger on the wall, get used to the stance and balance" idea.

yea man baby steps. just ride and enjoy for now.

The clipless usedtoness will come in time for sure, probably no matter what pedals and shoes. I used to be terrified to ride in town with clipless; now when I ride my beater with platform pedals I'm terrified my feet will just slip off, or I'll dump if I have to take sudden evasive action. Lost a sandal once on the main drag in the rain, the odd click click click of walking around in shoes and cleats sure beats that.

I practiced falling down on grass for a while, and still don't have the nerve to fall down. Trackstanding on a slight upward slope is easier for me; I actually still do it better on a freewheel bike, but after a few weeks I learned it's easier and actually pretty fun to go reaaaaaaaaaaaaally slow fixed, which will help the balance on a full balanced stop.

congrats!

newbie clipless tip #1.... crank the cleat tension all the way down until you're confortable clipping out. Some pedals come with the tension cranked all the way up.

Yeah, I loosened the tension on the pedals the lowest it will go so I can get out while I learn. Thanks everyone.

what gearing are you running? stock 48/16?

You ought to shorten it up a bit to get the hang of controlling your bike.
18 or 19t cog on the back.

maybe relax on the whole trackstand thing. your back could just hurt from stress and tension. just go out and ride and get used to everything. let your muscles build up and let your body and reflexes adapt. then it may be easier to learn all the fun stuff. my wife got her first fixie and learned to ride and brake and do skids in about three hours but she paid for it for days after that. maybe taking it easy is better at first :)

Are you new to all of these, riding fixed, clipless shoes and trackstands? If so, I'd say get used to just riding the bike, once you're comfortable then learn to track stand. Once that's mastered, then add the clipless pedals.

Thanks jon. Yeah, I devote a couple hours every night to go ride for a bit. Trackstand and all that after I'm done with my ride. Skidding is next. (Kinda scared to do that since I already fall so much.)

Should I really switch gearing from the stock? Does it make that much difference?

while I have nothing relevant to add to the discussion, skidding is easy as pie so dont worry about that. Just remember, as counter intuitive as it may seem, the faster you are going the easier it is.

Makes a huge difference in learning how to control the bike. A shorter gear (than 48/16) is gonna make it easier to learn all of the stuff.....

if you plan to skid alot go with 48 x 19. more skid patches. .... 48 x 18 has 3 i think.

Trackstands are overrated.

Spend your days getting comfortable with riding, accelerating, slowing, turning, and stopping your bike as well as getting in and out of your pedals.

Spend your nights taking care of the muscles that you've been working out.

BTW, I know your next questions will be about skipping and skidding. Those are overrated, too. Work on the fundamentals and the rest will come in time.

Wax on, wax off.

48/16 only has one skid patch, 48/18 has three. i'd say change to 48x18/19 and ride for a month or two. and then start skidding. my bike came with crappy tires, after about 2-3 months of riding (~1000 miles), they were just about gone, and i didin't even do any skidding.

That's crazy talk. Why would you ride when you can do tricks?