Road pedals - clipping in issues!
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Can you pedal with 1 leg? Assuming so, start with 1 foot clipped in, the other foot on the ground. Pedal as long as you need to with the one foot while you get the other clipped in. If necessary, be extra passive with traffic and yield as much as possible to stay out of the way. If I'm going straight through an intersection but there are cars behind me turning right, I'll often wait and let them go so I'm not in their way and I can take my time getting clipped in. This doesn't work in all situations, but I'd much rather stay out of their way than assume they'll wait/yield to me.
As for the wear, that's normal, especially when you've got your feet on the ground a lot (due to stops, walking the bike, etc)... no worries there.0 -
+1 for falling over at a stop sign when I first started running look pedals. Plus I got a nasty chain ring scar when I tried to pedal through my planted leg and took a dive in a parking lot.... standing still.
BTW, which cleats do you have? I've noticed that the gray cleats are the sweet spot, and the reds feel really unstable. Black is just, no. Not enough float in those.
It's the grey cleats. They've already started to show wear after only one outing! I'm bound to have a comedy clipless moment then by the sounds of it...great!!
The only falls I've ever taken were at a stand still. :blushing:0 -
+1 for falling over at a stop sign when I first started running look pedals. Plus I got a nasty chain ring scar when I tried to pedal through my planted leg and took a dive in a parking lot.... standing still.
BTW, which cleats do you have? I've noticed that the gray cleats are the sweet spot, and the reds feel really unstable. Black is just, no. Not enough float in those.
Oh yes! Definitely the grey cleats. :-) Good call.0 -
+1 for falling over at a stop sign when I first started running look pedals. Plus I got a nasty chain ring scar when I tried to pedal through my planted leg and took a dive in a parking lot.... standing still.
BTW, which cleats do you have? I've noticed that the gray cleats are the sweet spot, and the reds feel really unstable. Black is just, no. Not enough float in those.
It's the grey cleats. They've already started to show wear after only one outing! I'm bound to have a comedy clipless moment then by the sounds of it...great!!
If you have the rubber no-skid ones, they are worse than useless. No sense in paying an extra 10 bucks for rubber that just peels off in a week IMHO. AND, the rubber makes it harder to clip in if its peeling off. If you are really concerned about skidding, they make cleat covers that are a good option.0 -
+1 for falling over at a stop sign when I first started running look pedals. Plus I got a nasty chain ring scar when I tried to pedal through my planted leg and took a dive in a parking lot.... standing still.
BTW, which cleats do you have? I've noticed that the gray cleats are the sweet spot, and the reds feel really unstable. Black is just, no. Not enough float in those.
It's the grey cleats. They've already started to show wear after only one outing! I'm bound to have a comedy clipless moment then by the sounds of it...great!!
If you have the rubber no-skid ones, they are worse than useless. No sense in paying an extra 10 bucks for rubber that just peels off in a week IMHO. AND, the rubber makes it harder to clip in if its peeling off. If you are really concerned about skidding, they make cleat covers that are a good option.
No, not the rubber ones - just the standard grey plastic ones. I bought cleat covers which I use for walking from the bike shelter at work to the main building, but can't put them on and off every time you stop - and there is a little bit I do walk on the way home, only a few hundred yards like, but that won't help. I'll just have to buy spares in supply!0 -
I didn't know they made cleat covers. Are they expensive? It would have saved me a lot of cleats when I lived in the Tri-Cities Washington and had to walk more often. Goat head weeds are really common there and it wasn't unusual to go through two or three tubes on a ride. At least I got really good at changing them. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:0
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I didn't know they made cleat covers. Are they expensive? It would have saved me a lot of cleats when I lived in the Tri-Cities Washington and had to walk more often. Goat head weeds are really common there and it wasn't unusual to go through two or three tubes on a ride. At least I got really good at changing them. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
No, they were £6 from Amazon
Just Look Keo Cleat Covers. Although I stupidly left mine at home this morning so click-clacked to the office building from the bike shelter like a 'nana!! 0 -
Most road pedals are properly weighted so that they hang down at an angle that you can come from behind with your toe and the pedal will rotate into the proper position as you slide forward on it. It could be that yours are still stiff and it will take a few hundred miles for the bearings to loosen up so that they hang right. Of course if you are in a hurry and hit it wrong the damn pedal just spins around as you are struggling for balance and flailing away trying to get going.
That said, after 15 years of them I gave up on road cleats for this very reason. SPD pedals have gotten to the point where they offer decent power transfer and with a lightweight set of Sidi MTB shoes you can clip in (and walk around) without any problems.0 -
As an old man in lycra I already look stupid enough!
Learn to Trackstand :laugh:...I live on the edge of an urban area and have lots of stops/starts to negotiate before I get to more open roads.
Old man in lycra toppling over at 0mph is a step too far for me......
I am an old man in lycra and I topple over at 0 mph at least once a year. You never get use to the embarrasing feeling...lol0 -
Update a few months on....!
After persevering for a couple of months with the Look Keo's, I decided that I'm just not co-ordinated enough to do it. I did get better, but I had to retrain myself to unclip with the right foot where possible (although that did lead to a clipless moment and a thumb injury!).
I'm a clumsy person, haven't really got good co-ordination and just couldn't get the hang of the motion. So after doing extensive research as to what else is out there, I decided to cut my losses and try the Time iClic2 pedals. I realise these were superceded by Time Xpresso, but they look way too pointy and as the cleats are compatible I went with the iClic2 Carbon pedals (didn't like the bright red of the racer pedals and wouldn't buy the cheapest ones).
At first trying them they didn't seem as easy to clip into as I'd hoped, but then I realised I was trying too hard...when I stopped thinking and trying to repeat the motion I couldn't master on the Look Keo's and just go off 'feel' they work an absolute dream. Clipping in is now a doddle...clipping out is a little stiffer even on the loosest setting but it'll improve.
I also like that it feels more secure, my feet don't feel that they're sliding about on the pedal - the float I think technically is similar to the Looks - but it feels a lot less loose and as a result my speeds seem to be instantly a little better, maybe it's power transfer all going down and not laterally, or maybe it's psychological - either way I feel a lot happier on my commute that I can take off at junctions, back to unclipping my natural left foot , and not wobble into passing cars, buses, lorries etc!!
So all in all I'm a convert to Time pedals...absolutely love them. Cleat wear seems to be as bad as the Looks but then I am 3 stones overweight and pretty heavy footed whilst walking, so it's not surprising - I'll just buy a few spares!!!
Thanks all for the advice :-)0 -
...I live on the edge of an urban area and have lots of stops/starts to negotiate before I get to more open roads.
Learn to Trackstand :laugh:
What is that, please?0 -
...I live on the edge of an urban area and have lots of stops/starts to negotiate before I get to more open roads.
Learn to Trackstand :laugh:
What is that, please?
You know on the velodrome, when they have the head-to-head sprints, and both riders come to a stop and look at each other... that's a trackstand. MUCH easier in a fixed wheel bike, but it's do-able on a roadbike with practice.0 -
...I live on the edge of an urban area and have lots of stops/starts to negotiate before I get to more open roads.
Learn to Trackstand :laugh:
What is that, please?
You know on the velodrome, when they have the head-to-head sprints, and both riders come to a stop and look at each other... that's a trackstand. MUCH easier in a fixed wheel bike, but it's do-able on a roadbike with practice.
I don't really watch anything in the velodrome but I get the idea. :laugh: Basically, you're going to look like a nonce either way0 -
Wow, I found that Time was the most difficult petal system to master and SPD the easiest followed by Look compatible system. That was also the general consensus of my collegiate teammates and other racers that I came across.
However, all my petals dates back to late 1980's & 1990's, starting with Look (non float), to Shimano Dura Ace (non float), finally to Time TBT Magnesium. I have a pair of Time TBT Sport of the same vintage also. In late 90's I pickup a Shimano XT SPD. I still have the two Time petals as well as the SPD. Currently the Time TBT Sport is the trickiest to engage (guess due to age and relatively little use). I was thinking about upgrading and consolidating to SPD, but now I might take another look at Time.0 -
I don't really watch anything in the velodrome but I get the idea. :laugh: Basically, you're going to look like a nonce either way
Think it's a bit strong to refer to someone who's mastered an effective cycling skill as looking like a convicted paedophile, but hey, if that works for you...0 -
I don't really watch anything in the velodrome but I get the idea. :laugh: Basically, you're going to look like a nonce either way
Think it's a bit strong to refer to someone who's mastered an effective cycling skill as looking like a convicted paedophile, but hey, if that works for you...
Didn't know the true meaning of the word. I just meant numpty. Am i allowed to say that?0 -
"Look at the man on the bicycle at the traffic lights Mummy; he's trackstanding like a convicted paedophile!"
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Brilliant!
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:0 -
Nonce? Numpty? I need the Brit to Yank conversion dictionary. The only word I know is Wanker. :bigsmile:0
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Wow, I found that Time was the most difficult petal system to master and SPD the easiest followed by Look compatible system. That was also the general consensus of my collegiate teammates and other racers that I came across.
However, all my petals dates back to late 1980's & 1990's, starting with Look (non float), to Shimano Dura Ace (non float), finally to Time TBT Magnesium. I have a pair of Time TBT Sport of the same vintage also. In late 90's I pickup a Shimano XT SPD. I still have the two Time petals as well as the SPD. Currently the Time TBT Sport is the trickiest to engage (guess due to age and relatively little use). I was thinking about upgrading and consolidating to SPD, but now I might take another look at Time.
Sounds like you've tried way more than me - I've just gone from the MTB style Shimano SPD-SL (super easy) to the Look Keo (too fumbly for me, can't master the action) to the Time iClic/Xpresso (both have same mousetrap style clip-in engagement) so as long as you flip it pretty much clips in without any effort. For me. I'm just too unco-ordinated for the Look ones, I tried, and shamefully, I failed and it was spoiling my enjoyment of cycling, particularly the commute with multiple junctions and I didn't want an excuse to not cycle.0 -
Ah, trackstands. Haven't bothered learning this one yet just due to not wanting to bother removing clipless pedals long enough to get it down! (Seems dumb to try to learn this clipped in, heh)0
