Roger Zoul wrote:

Well, Thursday I had cleats put in my shoes and I switched over to clipless
pedals.

[tales of tribulation trimmed]

Hmmm.

First, I agree that you don't need to be riding those wheels. At your
weight (which is really not tremendous) I think you'd be better off in a
more traditional wheel. 32 or 36 stainless steel spokes. I'm not fond
of the super-lightweight stuff that works only if conditions are ideal.

You can always keep these wheels for when you enter your first road race.


Second, I agree with Dan that some tools would have saved you. Get a
multi-tool, or at _least_ a 4mm, 5mm, & 6mm allen wrench to carry with
you. (You do carry tire tools, patch kit, pump, etc, right?) I've come
across other cyclists who had your exact experience with the rear spoke,
and they made it to the next town only because I showed them how to
loosen their brake.

A spoke wrench could have saved you too, but practice at home first on a
junk wheel. Spoke wrenches can be dangerous in the wrong hands. I once
knew a guy who started with a wheel that was a bit out of true, and
ended up with a potato chip.


Third, is there a chance that you wouldn't have these problems if the
bike shop lady wasn't quite so hot? ;-) Maybe it's a subconscious
thing. Maybe you need a bike shop with a grumpy old male owner!


Fourth: Don't worry, you'll get the un-clipping down pat. Or, maybe,
almost down pat. I have friends who still do that ten years later, but
by now they've got calluses on the parts that hit first, so it doesn't
bother them as much. ;-)

--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]