What do you do when everything goes wrong?

Bleve wrote:

Kathy wrote:

Bleve wrote:

Kathy wrote:


Bleve wrote:


snip

Can I suggest that clipping in and out be done at the carpark
just up behind the velodrone instead? It's flat. Dealing with
a lean (even the slight 2 degrees or so at hwtn) is only going
to make it harder.


That was the theory behind moving onto the grass, in a low gear, so it
would be easier...


Fatal mistake! You're going too slow on the grass, which means you
have less time to unclip.



Very nervous - and with Dave there watching - more nervous...




Partners are the world's worst teachers, alas. As one who has
tried to teach partners to ride, ski, dive, drive ... too hard!


What I've done in the past with nervous riders is get them riding
reasonably quickly, and ride beside them, and get them to
(20km/h+) click out while not worrying about having to actually stop,
and then click back in - this gets them used to the action without
having
to worry about actually stopping. If it helps, you can rest an
arm on their shoulder when they do it (not necessary, but provides
a mental aid more than anything real) My golden rule with cleats is
"click
out earlier than you think you need to". You can always click back
in again and get going if the lights change!


I like this idea - will try this when I get up enough confidence to even
think about using the cleats again - which won't be today...


Suggestion - do it in this order

Get up to speed - make it 25km/h. At this speed, you can roll for
oh, 500m or so before you'll get unstable? Ages anyway ...
click out with one foot while rolling. Don't even think about
stopping etc .. just click out and then click back in again. With the
bike going that fast, it'll be stable (you can get shoved in the hip at
that
speed and the bike will just wobble a bit).

Once you get comfy doing that, do the other foot - it does help to be
able
to pull both feet out

Then, once happy with that, take a foot out, wave the leg around, pop
it
back in again .. repeat until really annoying everyone with your
showoff
antics.

Then, rolling along at 25km/h, unclip and *then* brake to stop. So
you're already off the cleat before you think about stopping. Repeat
.... As you
get better at it, you can decrease the time you give yourself between
unclipping and stopping. You'll pick it up in a flash.


The really stupid thing about it is that I know I can stop the bike and
track stand for a little while on my normal pedals - wouldn't even have
contemplated starting to use the cleats if I hadn't got to that point -
but when it came time to stop AND remove my foot from the cleat AND just
get it all together,


Wrong order, that's why. Unclip, then stop, not stop, then unclip.
Give
yourself time to unclip! If you can trackstand, balance is not an
issue,
but time is.


it didn't happen - so I hurt myself and Dave's
yelling at me cos I scared him too


There's that "partners make bad teachers" thing again!

It was pretty windy out there too I'd bet? Doesn't help when you're
learning a new skill.


Good advice. We will try this.

Dave

Claes wrote:
Bike serviced a few months ago, came out with rear wheel out of dish, so
now I have scraped off paint on the chain stay. Trying to get that fixed
today.

Last 3 pair of gloves have lasted less than 3 weeks before a seam has
ripped. Handed last pair in today.

Pedals have been gone for warranty repair/service, comes back after 6
weeks, just as bad as before. Waiting for manager to call me today.

Last ride, new tool, adjusted seat, scratched the seatpost. It ended up
with a puncture not far down beach road, then the rain starts, got home
wet and cold, and the bike covered in sand and muck, WTF is that stuff
that your bike gets smeared in when it rains on beach road?

I have just lost it, everything with cycling at the moment just end up
in tears. Not fun anymore.



I know the feeling. 3 out of my last 5 races have been DNFs thanks to
broken spokes and punctures. I just smile -- grimly

--
BrettS

On 2005-09-29, Dancier (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

snip problems and solutions

Went out on Tuesday for a big big ride and all was well, no problems
apart from that magpie that got me going each way at the end of station
street in Bonbeach/Carrum.

So you bought a nuclear weapon? Because that's what I'd do.

--
TimC
A debugged program is one for which you have not yet found the
conditions that make it fail. -- Jerry Ogdin

Bleve Wrote:

Then, rolling along at 25km/h, unclip and *then* brake to stop. So
you're already off the cleat before you think about stopping. Repeat
..... As you
get better at it, you can decrease the time you give yourself between
unclipping and stopping. You'll pick it up in a flash.


also come to a complete stop before you plant your plastic cleat and
smooth road shoe. They both slide and splinter. Less of an issue with
metal SPDs and treaded MTB shoes.


--
aeek

osc Wrote:
--

Lots of SNIPS

Well, all very depressing ... 'impaired' ... problems with left leg...
many and varied treatments,.... diagnosed with split biceps femoris
tendon. Operation.... various niggling issues with repaired leg. Then
problems with other leg. Ongoing .....inner thigh tightness which
continues,...much treatment, unresovable.... tendonitis of knee....
excellent physio and support staff etc.


Stewart

Hi Stewart

Bowen Therapy ... Rest... Bowen...Rest....Bowen...
Structured light exercise

Get well soon

Hugh


--
HughMann

I have not used SL before. They are backed all the way off. And if I
have the pedal in one hand and the shoes in the other i can JUST
disengage em by twisting my wrist. And I aint a weak bunny. Now I know
the leverage of a leg is much more. But I can easily disengage my SPDs
with the same test. And in fact I have backed em off absolutely all the
way since so they are sloppier than when I tried that. Yeah the
movement may be greater but the effort is minimal.


Try the same, with the pedal held by a crankarm in a bike.

ummm actually with my hand I couldnt twist the SLs off under that test.

Odd.

Like I said fairly decent effort. Now it may be that they are ok in
normal use by a normal person.. but just at the moment if they are real
easy for kathy to get out of then I am going to be happier

*nod*

Yes the SLs were ajusted right. In fact if I turn em up I cant even
clip em in with the bits in my hands.


The spring is designed to hold against vertical forces - they have
to deal with quite a lot of force in one direction. That you
can't clip into them by hand is not suprising, unless again, they're
hooked up to a bike.

Yep but if the effort increases when I adjust em one way then the other
way is backing the tension off. Which accords with the info I found on
the web site. Which proves I wasnt sending Kath out with the things
done up to deal with Lance on a good day. Which was my point.

heh, yes


I have a pair of them 2m from me right
now on my beater. The transition from SPD to SPD-SL I found to
be almost unnoticable when I did it (2 years ago or so now),
except that they're more comfortable and lighter (and easier to clip
in!)

Got space cleat mounting plates?


Nope. Got Shimano shoes though. They "just work".

HughMann Wrote:
Hi Stewart

Bowen Therapy ... Rest... Bowen...Rest....Bowen...
Structured light exercise

Get well soon

Hugh

Thanks Hugh I might just give it a go. I have tried many and varied
things over the past 4 odd years but not Bowen. I've had a quick look
at the Australian Assn website.

Mind you, if my girlfriend gets wind of yet another different form of
treatment I'll never here the end of it....

cheers,

Stewart


--
osc

Bleve wrote:
I have not used SL before. They are backed all the way off. And if I
have the pedal in one hand and the shoes in the other i can JUST
disengage em by twisting my wrist. And I aint a weak bunny. Now I know
the leverage of a leg is much more. But I can easily disengage my SPDs
with the same test. And in fact I have backed em off absolutely all the
way since so they are sloppier than when I tried that. Yeah the
movement may be greater but the effort is minimal.


Try the same, with the pedal held by a crankarm in a bike.

ummm actually with my hand I couldnt twist the SLs off under that test.


Odd.


Like I said fairly decent effort. Now it may be that they are ok in
normal use by a normal person.. but just at the moment if they are real
easy for kathy to get out of then I am going to be happier


*nod*


Yes the SLs were ajusted right. In fact if I turn em up I cant even
clip em in with the bits in my hands.


The spring is designed to hold against vertical forces - they have
to deal with quite a lot of force in one direction. That you
can't clip into them by hand is not suprising, unless again, they're
hooked up to a bike.

Yep but if the effort increases when I adjust em one way then the other
way is backing the tension off. Which accords with the info I found on
the web site. Which proves I wasnt sending Kath out with the things
done up to deal with Lance on a good day. Which was my point.


heh, yes



I have a pair of them 2m from me right

now on my beater. The transition from SPD to SPD-SL I found to
be almost unnoticable when I did it (2 years ago or so now),
except that they're more comfortable and lighter (and easier to clip
in!)


Got space cleat mounting plates?



Nope. Got Shimano shoes though. They "just work".


HMMM my fairly worn road shoes are shimano. I didnt have the right
plates. Maybe I chucked em? In which case they ought to be in the
spares crate. Ahhh well. I do now tho. Thanks Bike life. I am just
about to play with the pedals .. will try em on tomorrows mornington
ride

Btw My video project for uni is nearing completion. 3 min video staring
Ian and Kathy. Called commuting. If anyone is interested I will put it up

Dave

Claes wrote:
I have just lost it, everything with cycling at the moment just end up
in tears. Not fun anymore.

chin up geezer, we'll have some nice weather soon, you'll have all yer kit fixed
and it will but fun to ride

cheers,

Kim
~ i have a stressful but productive week and looking forward to that good weather myself =)
hmmmm hmmmm i want to ride my fixie, i want to ride it where i like! hmmmm hmmmm hmmm, i want to ride my fixie!

"dave" == dave writes:

dave Btw My video project for uni is nearing completion. 3 min
dave video staring Ian and Kathy. Called commuting. If anyone is
dave interested I will put it up

I'm interested :-)
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)