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#1
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Dismounting with cleats
I have just started riding with cleats. When it comes time to stop and I
need to put a foot down I feel like an accident waiting to happen. Any suggestions regarding technique will be appreciated. Thanks |
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#2
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Dismounting with cleats
Ricardo wrote:
I have just started riding with cleats. When it comes time to stop and I need to put a foot down I feel like an accident waiting to happen. Any suggestions regarding technique will be appreciated. Thanks Practice, practice, practice! Go find a nice smooth grassy area and ride around, trying different stopping scenarios. Also, out in "real world" traffic (assuming road bike?), try unclipping one foot a bit ahead of the intersection -- even pedaling with just the one "attached" leg a few turns if necessary. (Mountain biking is trickier...but at least you won't get run over by a freaking car if you fall!) Finally, of course, set the pedals' release tension low if so equipped. Happy Arte Johnsoning, Bill "showing age with THAT reference" S. |
#3
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Dismounting with cleats
On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 20:28:19 GMT, "Bill Sornson"
wrote: Ricardo wrote: I have just started riding with cleats. When it comes time to stop and I need to put a foot down I feel like an accident waiting to happen. Any suggestions regarding technique will be appreciated. Thanks Practice, practice, practice! Go find a nice smooth grassy area and ride around, trying different stopping scenarios. Also, out in "real world" traffic (assuming road bike?), try unclipping one foot a bit ahead of the intersection -- even pedaling with just the one "attached" leg a few turns if necessary. (Mountain biking is trickier...but at least you won't get run over by a freaking car if you fall!) Finally, of course, set the pedals' release tension low if so equipped. Happy Arte Johnsoning, Bill "showing age with THAT reference" S. "Arte Johnson" was exactly the name that went through my mind as the horizon slowly tilted. Back in the strap and clip days I was strong enough to rip out of the pedals pretty much no matter what, even if I forgot to loosen them - just a matter of strength and angle of force. Clipless pedals have no respect for my strength or force vector. Now, they are entirely automatic and I'm sure toe straps would put me back on a horizontal trackstand.. Anybody ever go back to clips for a vintage bike or commuter or whatnot and fall over. Ron |
#4
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Dismounting with cleats
On 11/13/05 2:10 PM, in article
, "Ricardo" wrote: I have just started riding with cleats. When it comes time to stop and I need to put a foot down I feel like an accident waiting to happen. Any suggestions regarding technique will be appreciated. Thanks A few suggestions: If your peddles are adjustable make sure that you have them set for the lightest release tension. Any time you anticipate that you are going to have to stop unclip one foot early. Practice peddling with just one leg - if you find that you unclipped one foot a little _too_ early, such that you need to peddle a few more turns, it is actually pretty easy to continue with just the one clipped leg. Practice unclipping in various ways to find what is easiest for you. For example, twisting with no downward or upward pressure versus twisting with some additional pressure in either direction. With my cleats it seems easier to unclip if I apply just a little downward pressure along with a twist. It _will_ get easier! Chuck |
#5
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Dismounting with cleats
Most of the problem is that it takes time for the signal to twist out
to make it from your brain to your foot. We aren't usually aware of this because the brain does a good job of masking the delays in our control and sensory systems. This problem is exposed for instance when you stub your toe and it takes a few seconds for you to feel the pain signal or when you knock over a saltshaker you were sure you were going to miss as you reached across a dinner table. Over time you will enhance the neural pathways and benefit from improved reaction times. Experience will also help you know how far in advance to unclip although this doesn't apply to panic situations where you are caught off guard. The only advce it to practice. You have to accept that sooner or later you will fall because you didn't unclip in time. This will pass with time. |
#6
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Dismounting with cleats
I have had my first set of clipless pedals (Crankbrothers Candies on a
road bike) for about one month now. I have not had any difficulty getting used to them at all. They release very easily and only when I want them to. I do release on anticipation of a stop but have not had any emergencies yet. I keep reading that I will tip over sooner or later but I am trying to convince myself that it is all between the ears. They are more comfortable and I suppose more efficient than my toe clips. Ted. |
#7
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Dismounting with cleats
Ricardo wrote:
I have just started riding with cleats. When it comes time to stop and I need to put a foot down I feel like an accident waiting to happen. Any suggestions regarding technique will be appreciated. Thanks I've long since done my "fall over", and other replies have covered the basics of getting used to the pedals and cleats. By the way, I don't think that falling over is truly inevitable; if you practice enough, you'll get used to qucikly releasing from the pedals. One thing that I observe is that riders seem pretty evenly split between right- and left-footed releasers. If you ride where the rules of the road say "traffic keep right", I believe that right-footed releasing is more convenient, because you can often rest your foot on the curb, saving you from getting off the saddle to steady yourself. If I rode in Great Britain, Oz, etc., I'd have to learn to become a left-footed releaser - practice, practice, practice.... I'm terrible at it now; a couple of years ago, I got mud in my right pedal / cleat, and had to extract my left foot first when I got home. I did, and promptly fell over on the grass to my right! |
#8
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Dismounting with cleats
"Colin Campbell" wrote: (clip)if you practice enough, you'll get used to qucikly releasing from the pedals. One thing that I observe is that riders seem pretty evenly split between right- and left-footed releasers. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If you are not used to riding "clipped in," in an emergency you will try to put your foot down the old fashioned way. In the net fraction of a second you will feel trapped, and your brain will become paralized, and you will not get your foot out of the pedal--you will land on your shoulder. You need to unclip enough times that the sequence of twisting your foot BEFORE pulling occurs automatically. There will be times (DAMHIKT) when you think ahead, and unclip in advance, and then fall to the opposite side. Right-footed or left-footed releasers are not immune to falling. |
#9
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Dismounting with cleats
There are lots of reasons to make it routine to unclip and ground with
the one foot, and equally routine to push off with the other--that is, the foot which stayed clipped while you waited at the stop sign, or wherever. It becomes instinctual to unclip the designated foot as you approach a light, say, or in an emergency. Many people make their left foot the "unclip" foot. It keeps your leg away from the chain, for one thing. For another, on many roads because of crowning the right foot may have to reach farther to touch the ground, and the farther to the right you are the more debris, including dog ****, you're likely to be stepping in with the right foot. And for many right-handed people their right leg is their "stronger" leg for pushing off as they remount. But I know lots of folks who unclip the right foot, mostly because that's how they started out. I suppose in theory we should be equally adept at unclipping/pushing off with either foot. But klutzes like me have only so many neural pathways to work with. |
#10
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Dismounting with cleats
Anybody ever go back to clips for a vintage bike or commuter or
whatnot and fall over. Nope... other way around. I was in a group road ride a few weeks ago and felt it coming when a lug on my shoe wouldn't let me unclip. I thought to myself, " I've been riding for 3 years and this still *thud* happens?!?!" -- Phil, Squid-in-Training |
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