Should I go clipless?

On Wed, 25 May 2005 18:44:29 +0100, wafflycat wrote:

I've never regretted going clipless, even though I had the obligatory spill
by forgetting to unclip before stoppng ;-)

That never happened to me. I must be doing it wrong :-)

Perhaps the funniest thing that ever happened to me while riding was
when a friend rode up to where I was waiting at the end of a long ride.
She opened her mouth to speak and, having simply forgotten to unclip
due to exhaustion, promptly fell over with a look of surprise to go with
the open mouth :-)

--
bpo gallery at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/mvw1/bpo

On Thu, 26 May 2005 20:54:12 -0700, Bill wrote:

Yes, but then you are kind of stuck on the road, and all that pavement has
to get boring at some point. It makes cycling kind of a dress up game that
you have to get ready for and not just do spontaneously.

If you live in the city it's not exactly spontaneous (or free) to load your
mountain bike into the car and drive to a trail, is it? And you still
presumably change clothes, although not into that "girly man" lycra gear
that you seem so fixated on.

--
bpo gallery at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/mvw1/bpo

wrote in message
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And watch for knee problems. Some people have had their knees injured
by cleats that weren't adjusted just so. With bare pedals or toe clips
(assuming no cleats) this is much less likely.


My experience was definitely the other way round. On standard platform
pedals my knees *always* ached. Changing to clipless was instant change to
non-aching knees.

Cheers, helen s

Jeff Starr wrote:
On Thu, 26 May 2005 20:54:12 -0700, Bill wrote:



:-) Part of the justification for using them on the road may be that
on the road, people don't fall very often!

- Frank Krygowski

Yes, but then you are kind of stuck on the road, and all that pavement has
to get boring at some point. It makes cycling kind of a dress up game that
you have to get ready for and not just do spontaneously.
Bill Baka


Well, loading 4 gallons of water on your bike isn't something you just
do spontaneously either.

This must be our daily reminder of what a moron you are. Mission
accomplished!


Life is Good!
Jeff

No,
It just proves what an arrogant asshole roadie you are. I go out for
pure exercise and enjoyment and it seems all you want to do, or know how
to do, is try to look like another Lance Armstrong wannabee.
I feel sorry for people as dumb as you, Bush excepted.
Bill Baka

Bill Sornson wrote:
Bill wrote:

wrote:



Peter Cole wrote:

I do a lot of off-road riding. I've taken dozens of hard falls in
every conceivable way: over the bars, backwards, high side, front
washout, etc. I've broken ribs twice, had many bad contusions....


People who ride exclusively on the road probably don't fall

enough to appreciate the dangers. I would never use straps or
Powergrips again for off-road riding, so I can't see the
justification for using them on the road, either.

:-) Part of the justification for using them on the road may be that
on the road, people don't fall very often!

- Frank Krygowski

Yes, but then you are kind of stuck on the road, and all that
pavement has to get boring at some point. It makes cycling kind of a
dress up game that you have to get ready for and not just do
spontaneously.


Just so you know, Bill, almost all off-road cyclists (mountain bikers) use
either clipless pedals or some sort of strap/cage attachment device. Power
straps ARE (were) dangerous for newbies, but still better than plain
platform pedals. The need for "bursts" of power is often greater on trails
than it is on roads.

Bill "got the scars to back it up" S.


Unless you mean a lot of bruises and scrapes I don't have the scars to
prove how much I fell off. I do try to keep rubber side down. I admit
there are trails that require bursts of power, but some of those are at
over 25% and covered with rocks so riding is not an option, no matter
how good you think you are. I have been on trails I wouldn't try to ride
with even a little 100cc motorcycle.
Bill Baka

Michael Warner wrote:
On Thu, 26 May 2005 20:54:12 -0700, Bill wrote:


Yes, but then you are kind of stuck on the road, and all that pavement has
to get boring at some point. It makes cycling kind of a dress up game that
you have to get ready for and not just do spontaneously.


If you live in the city it's not exactly spontaneous (or free) to load your
mountain bike into the car and drive to a trail, is it? And you still
presumably change clothes, although not into that "girly man" lycra gear
that you seem so fixated on.

No, Actually these days I am wearing sweat bottoms and a plain white tee
shirt. 90+ degrees is too hot for the long leg levis. In the summer I
don't go hiking through the brush that much since all the stickers are
very mature and many will draw blood, even through levis. I just ride
mostly in the summer. MTB with 1.75" street tires. I may try my 700cc
Schwinn later, but not until I have proven it around town, and it is a
standard pedal bike now.
Bill Baka

At 56 (age again) I am not training for the TdF, much less any thing
else, and since I no longer live in Silicon Valley I have no need to
look like a yuppie geek.
Bill Baka

wafflycat wrote:
wrote in message
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And watch for knee problems. Some people have had their knees injured
by cleats that weren't adjusted just so. With bare pedals or toe clips
(assuming no cleats) this is much less likely.


My experience was definitely the other way round. On standard platform
pedals my knees *always* ached. Changing to clipless was instant change to
non-aching knees.

?? Really? I wonder how that works.

I've heard of many people who experienced knee pain on first trying
clipless. In fact, that's also true for old-style cleats. People have
long traded advice on how to find the exact best position before
permanently fastening them to the shoes, to prevent that problem.

And I did the cleat adjusting for one person. In her case, she
definitely wanted the cleats furhter back than I thought proper,
despite everything I said. After a few hundred miles, she was
complaining about sore knees.

I'd think that with flat pedals, you'd automatically position your foot
on the pedals to avoid the slightest twinge! Furthermore, I'd think it
would be impossible to apply torsional strain. It's certainly possible
with clipless.

I'd be curious about the details of your case.

- Frank Krygowski

wrote in message
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wafflycat wrote:
wrote in message
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And watch for knee problems. Some people have had their knees injured
by cleats that weren't adjusted just so. With bare pedals or toe clips
(assuming no cleats) this is much less likely.


My experience was definitely the other way round. On standard platform
pedals my knees *always* ached. Changing to clipless was instant change
to
non-aching knees.

?? Really? I wonder how that works.


Yes, really.
Don't know, don't care how it works.
Possibly because clipless is more efficient pedalling action & I ended up
pushing less on the downstroke of the pedalling action.
It happened and my knees thank the day I changed to clipless.

Cheers, helen s

On Sat, 28 May 2005 12:49:03 +0100, "wafflycat"
waffles*A*T*v21net*D*O*T*co*D*O*T*uk wrote:


wrote in message
roups.com...


wafflycat wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...


And watch for knee problems. Some people have had their knees injured
by cleats that weren't adjusted just so. With bare pedals or toe clips
(assuming no cleats) this is much less likely.


My experience was definitely the other way round. On standard platform
pedals my knees *always* ached. Changing to clipless was instant change
to
non-aching knees.

?? Really? I wonder how that works.


Yes, really.
Don't know, don't care how it works.
Possibly because clipless is more efficient pedalling action & I ended up
pushing less on the downstroke of the pedalling action.
It happened and my knees thank the day I changed to clipless.

Cheers, helen s

Having been off the bike for a couple weeks due to having the flu, on my
ride yesterday, the front of my lower right leg just wouldn't relax - it
felt like I was being forced to hold my toes up - the muscle is the
tibialis anterior - medial to the shin bone. It wasn't spasmed - just felt
tight, pumped.

Anyway it was definitely a bit inhibiting and I realized that when one is
riding well the legs definitely must be relaxed - there is no sensation of
pushing or pulling. Of course there are times when you stomp the pedals and
times when you're surging up a hill or attacking on the flats, but this
unwanted tightness really made me realize how important it was to be able
to relax the legs.

FWIW...

jj