Tips for Using Clipless Pedals
I went clipless: got a pair of Shimano shoes (SH-M121G) with enough recess that you can walk in them okay, and double-sided "campus" pedals (one side SPD, the other flat for regular shoes) from Performance. I've been adjusting to them and experimenting. Here are some tips that I find useful. Some bits come from personal experience; others are repeated frequently on the 'net. Your mileage (haha) may vary.
[edited on 1/30]
1) Make sure to unclip well before coming to a complete stop.
While waiting for tonight's Critical Mass ride to begin, I was noodling around, came to a complete stop, frantically tried to unclip but failed, and fell over. Besides being embarassing, falling over when you're stopped isn't too bad--I didn't even get a scrape. Luckily, I wasn't in traffic. I felt a bit better after subsequently seeing two hipsters with fixies fall over in their toeclips. It happens.
2) To unclip, think of crushing an insect with the ball of your foot.
This helps correct two mistakes I was making: the first one is I've been focusing on twisting my ankle to the outside. This made my ankle feel weird; it can't be good for the muscles and tendons there. I found that concentrating on twisting the ball of my foot, where it makes contact with the pedal, helps a lot. After all, that's what you're trying to twist out of. The ankle will just naturally follow.
The second mistake is a natural tendency to pull up while twisting, since you're trying to get out. Clipless pedals are designed to keep your foot attached while pulling up, so this is a big no-no! Do the opposite: put some pressure down on your foot while twisting.
I imagine a crushing an insect with my shoe, and smooshing its innards into the ground with the ball of my foot. That exact movement seems like the best one for getting out of the pedals.
3) Unclip in a single, swift, snappy motion.
On platforms, you have the flexibility to be halfway off the pedal, "poised" to stop but also to edge your foot back on if necessary. You can be wishy-washy about it. It takes some practice to un-learn this habit with clipless. If you twist your angle very slightly in preparation for unclipping, that actually makes it *harder* to completely unclip.
It helps to avoid being wishy-washy with clipless. Swing the ball of your foot out (see #2 above) deliberately, in a single, fast motion. You're not unclipping so much as "snapping out" of the pedals. To extent the insect metaphor: imagine it's a huge monster of a bug, and you have to squish it in one fast step, or it will get away.
4) The best unclipping positions are about 2:00 and 5:00 (looking at the bike from the drivetrain side).
Those positions are the best for pressing your foot down while twisting. I find that at 6:00 or greater, my foot is already too far back for twisting comfortably--I need to twist my entire leg, which is awkward and difficult. At 5:00-ish, with the knee slightly bent, I can use my knee to help twist, and localize motion to the lower half of my leg.
5) Experiment with twisting inward and outward.
I've read that some people like to twist inward instead of outward. That does work for me and seem to be easier on the ankle, but I find that my foot hits the frame, bottlecage, or crank. So I usually go outward.
6) Start with the lowest tension setting.
There's usually a screw on SPD pedals for adjusting tension. Set it to the lowest when you're beginning; you can adjust them tighter if you need to later on.
7) Keep your cleats and pedals clean, and periodically oil points of contact.
I didn't oil until after several test rides. After putting a drop of Phil's Tenacious Oil on each point of contact on the pedal, the ease of unclipping improved significantly. I've read from numerous sources that gunked-up cleats or pedals are quite dangerous with SPDs, since they can hinder disengaging, so be sure to clean the surfaces periodically too.
8) Clipless doesn't work so great for lots of stop-and-go city riding.
I know lots of folks will disagree, but if you have to stop suddenly, getting out of clipess is quite tricky. With a lot of practice, I imagine it's easier, but I'm a wuss when it comes to riding in traffic and will do anything to prevent accidents. Because I have double-sided pedals, I leave one foot unclipped when riding in heavy traffic, and always tilt to that side when stopping. In the future, I don't think I will use clipless too much on high traffic city streets.
[edited on 1/30]
1) Make sure to unclip well before coming to a complete stop.
While waiting for tonight's Critical Mass ride to begin, I was noodling around, came to a complete stop, frantically tried to unclip but failed, and fell over. Besides being embarassing, falling over when you're stopped isn't too bad--I didn't even get a scrape. Luckily, I wasn't in traffic. I felt a bit better after subsequently seeing two hipsters with fixies fall over in their toeclips. It happens.
2) To unclip, think of crushing an insect with the ball of your foot.
This helps correct two mistakes I was making: the first one is I've been focusing on twisting my ankle to the outside. This made my ankle feel weird; it can't be good for the muscles and tendons there. I found that concentrating on twisting the ball of my foot, where it makes contact with the pedal, helps a lot. After all, that's what you're trying to twist out of. The ankle will just naturally follow.
The second mistake is a natural tendency to pull up while twisting, since you're trying to get out. Clipless pedals are designed to keep your foot attached while pulling up, so this is a big no-no! Do the opposite: put some pressure down on your foot while twisting.
I imagine a crushing an insect with my shoe, and smooshing its innards into the ground with the ball of my foot. That exact movement seems like the best one for getting out of the pedals.
3) Unclip in a single, swift, snappy motion.
On platforms, you have the flexibility to be halfway off the pedal, "poised" to stop but also to edge your foot back on if necessary. You can be wishy-washy about it. It takes some practice to un-learn this habit with clipless. If you twist your angle very slightly in preparation for unclipping, that actually makes it *harder* to completely unclip.
It helps to avoid being wishy-washy with clipless. Swing the ball of your foot out (see #2 above) deliberately, in a single, fast motion. You're not unclipping so much as "snapping out" of the pedals. To extent the insect metaphor: imagine it's a huge monster of a bug, and you have to squish it in one fast step, or it will get away.
4) The best unclipping positions are about 2:00 and 5:00 (looking at the bike from the drivetrain side).
Those positions are the best for pressing your foot down while twisting. I find that at 6:00 or greater, my foot is already too far back for twisting comfortably--I need to twist my entire leg, which is awkward and difficult. At 5:00-ish, with the knee slightly bent, I can use my knee to help twist, and localize motion to the lower half of my leg.
5) Experiment with twisting inward and outward.
I've read that some people like to twist inward instead of outward. That does work for me and seem to be easier on the ankle, but I find that my foot hits the frame, bottlecage, or crank. So I usually go outward.
6) Start with the lowest tension setting.
There's usually a screw on SPD pedals for adjusting tension. Set it to the lowest when you're beginning; you can adjust them tighter if you need to later on.
7) Keep your cleats and pedals clean, and periodically oil points of contact.
I didn't oil until after several test rides. After putting a drop of Phil's Tenacious Oil on each point of contact on the pedal, the ease of unclipping improved significantly. I've read from numerous sources that gunked-up cleats or pedals are quite dangerous with SPDs, since they can hinder disengaging, so be sure to clean the surfaces periodically too.
8) Clipless doesn't work so great for lots of stop-and-go city riding.
I know lots of folks will disagree, but if you have to stop suddenly, getting out of clipess is quite tricky. With a lot of practice, I imagine it's easier, but I'm a wuss when it comes to riding in traffic and will do anything to prevent accidents. Because I have double-sided pedals, I leave one foot unclipped when riding in heavy traffic, and always tilt to that side when stopping. In the future, I don't think I will use clipless too much on high traffic city streets.
posted by Hacky Biker at 7:20 PM
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