Any cyclists out there?

glenn_VEGAN_lejano

safewaygreenbox wrote: »

Hi

So - I have started cycling after putting my name down for a 100 mile challenge 2nd August!! My longest ride to date is 45 miles and it took me 3 hours 50 mins.

Best of luck in August! Train hard for it and enjoy the whole experience.

I remember my first century years back and it felt like I have been riding my bike the whole day. I must have hit the wall plenty of times but refused to call home and get picked up. Know I am doing double centuries with crazy elevation gains. I am trying to complete the California Triple Crown 1000 Miles Gold Club. It's a prestigious club that many cyclists in CA are trying to achieve. You have to complete five 200 mile ride events plus one volunteer in one year. I am on my fourth at the beginning of August. There's been lots of strugles and road blocks but I worked hard for this and wasn't going to let that stop me. After my third double century, I got in to a California Triple Crown Winner (3 double centuries). There's still lots of work left, wish me luck!

jstika

I remember once I was in traffic, on my fixed gear with SPD's, forgot I was clipped in and lost my track stand and fell over on the road at a stop light. Man, I felt stupid when that happened... I wasn't even learning to ride clipless either, had been riding clipless for a few years at that point. D'oh!

BrianSharpe

cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »

Oh yeah. Making a fool out of yourself when adjusting to clipless pedals is a rite of passage.

And you're guaranteed to fall at the most embarrassing possible moment....

If you're a newbie to clipless you may also want to consider Look KEO pedals (very similar in appearance to Shimano SPD/SL). The cleats are available with varying degrees of float and I've (personally - purely anecdotal) found them easier to clip in and out of than the SPD/SL (I've just started experimenting with the SPDs on my mountain bike....) The red cleats have the most float & the black the least.

Roza42

Nah, I put half clips on the fun bike, and clips on the fast bike. My commuter has flat pedals. Eventually I'll try clipless.

professionalHobbyist

In time you get it

You will eventually just put your foot in without looking and hear click

Unfortunately there is a learning curve and it involves blood and band aids

Machka9

safewaygreenbox wrote: »

Hi

So - I have started cycling after putting my name down for a 100 mile challenge 2nd August!! My longest ride to date is 45 miles and it took me 3 hours 50 mins. I have progresses (ahem!!) to clipless shoes and since then had a few crashes!! Not feeling very confident at the moment.

Just wondering is there were any cyclists out there who have had similar issues?

First of all, I grew up with cycling. I was born into a cycling family, learned to ride a 2-wheeler when I was 6, and spent my life surrounded by bicycles.

I kind of drifted away from it for a few years, but 25 years ago, I renewed my acquaintance with cycling and have been cycling avidly ever since.

In that time, I've cycled recreationally, commuted, raced, toured, and have gotten into long distance cycling. I've travelled the world with my bicycle ... and met my husband on a long distance cycling event in France (the Paris-Brest-Paris, back in 2003).

I can't imagine my life without cycling.


Secondly, in the late 1990s I switched to clipless pedals. I fell twice. The first time I landed on my left knee and a hard, painful little bump came up, about the size of a large marble. Just when I was thinking I should have it looked it, I fell again, landed on my left knee, and when I stood up ... the marble bump was gone.

However, I lived in the flattest place on earth, and a few years later when I was cycling in the UK, up some 20% grade, I fell again trying to clip out so I could walk the rest of the way ... and for reasons I can't explain that instilled a fear of hills in me.

Over the next few years I realised it wasn't the hills so much as the fact that I felt I couldn't unclip quickly on them if I needed to. So I started riding with one foot unclipped ... which was really awkward and uncomfortable.

In 2007, my husband and I were in France again, browsing through a Decathlon and found inserts a person could attach to a pedal to turn it into a platform pedal. I used one of them in my right pedal for the next year, it worked really well, and so I purchased dual pedals ... with platform on one side, clip on the other.

I am the only person I know so far who rides with her left foot clipped in, and right foot on the platform. I've been doing that since 2007, and it is comfortable for me.

hamptontom

as a relative newbie to cycling who's never even entertained the thought of clipless, maybe those of you who've put yourself through this learning curve can explain to me...

...what exactly is the point of it all? what are the advantages to not having traditional pedals?

(and yeah, i know the question probably sounds snotty, and i can't think of a way to pose it without sounding that way...i'm not being argumentative, i legitimately want to understand why they're even a "thing".)

BrianSharpe

misterwendy wrote: »

as a relative newbie to cycling who's never even entertained the thought of clipless, maybe those of you who've put yourself through this learning curve can explain to me...

...what exactly is the point of it all? what are the advantages to not having traditional pedals?

(and yeah, i know the question probably sounds snotty, and i can't think of a way to pose it without sounding that way...i'm not being argumentative, i legitimately want to understand why they're even a "thing".)

I thought the same way for may, many years but.....there are significant advantages from riding clipless.

The first is that the cleat positions your foot correctly on the pedal (cages will do pretty much the same thing) which gives you mechanical advantage over someone who may position the pedal father back on their foot.

Secondly your foot is held securely in place so that you can be applying energy throughout the pedal stroke not just mashing down on it.

Thirdly (applies more to stiff road shoes than more "street shoe" like MTB shoes) the rigid sole encourages you to not drop your heel through the bottom of the stroke.

Depending on the type of riding you're doing clipless may not be the best choice for you but I've never regretted making the change.