"Jeff Starr" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 07:06:20 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
wrote:




Oh, expect to fall buddy! Just remember, you'll very likely fall when
you're barely moving, so it will hurt mainly your pride. As others here
told me, falling is a good motiviation to learn to clip out


Hi, falling is an option. If you pay attention to what you are doing
and know your bike well enough, that shifting and braking are done
without need for thought, you can then concentrate on the pedals.

I suggest that you start on the trainer, or if no trainer, in an
empty parking lot or somewhere similar. Once you know how to clip in
and out, then you can begin to ride.
For me, the trick was to clip out early and to partially click out,
when I might have to stop. What I mean by that, is you disengage the
rear of the clip, but stay in the front. Then if you don't have to
stop, you can just snap back in.
Until I was comfortable with using the pedals, I focused on them. I
reminded myself to clip out.

Maybe, I'm just lucky, but I have never fallen, because I forgot to
clip out. In about 4800 miles of riding I have fallen once and that
was on a hill, when my chain came off to the inside. That happened
early this year and I put on a N-Gear Jump Stop, so it won't ever
happen again.
I think people fall, because they don't pay attention to what they are
doing. After a while, it becomes automatic.

And yes Badger, you will wonder why you didn't do this sooner. My
first set of clipless pedals were Shimano PD-M324, here, take a look -

http://bike.shimano.com/Footwear_Ped...number=PD-M324


Those are the exact pedals the LBS recommended when I switched to clipless
pedals earlier this year. After 55 years of riding with regular pedals I
found the transition to the clipless rather painless. I just wish I had
done it sooner. I still use the platform side when I'm doing a lot of
stop-and-go riding but for longer I'm always clipped in. I've only fallen
once and that was an emergency stop. Thankfully it was on grassg

Beverly