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Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
elynch wrote:
I just recently got a new tri bike (cervelo p3) and clipless bike pedals. My previous road bike had just plain pedals and I really didn't have a problem using them. I am having a heck of a time getting used to my new pedals. I have practiced a lot with them, both on the road and on my indoor trainer. I have read a lot about the best way to get into them and watched the youtube videos etc... The problem is I just cannot seem to get comfortable with them I even pulled over when I couldn't get my foot into one of the pedals and while trying to get my shoe clipped in I fell right over, scratching the brake lever of my brand new bike and it was really embarrassing. My question is this: can I just use plain pedals for an iron man? My first IM is in Syracuse, ny in june and I do not feel comfortable in my pedals. I am not competitive. I do it strictly for the enjoyment and to stay in shape. Do people here think it would be acceptable for me to just use regular pedals? is there an alternative to clipless bike pedals?
Thanks for the help. Also, if anyone has an embarrassing story like mine and they care to share it to make me feel better go ahead and share!
It is, of course, completely acceptable to use platform pedals. Don't worry about what others think. With practice, however, you will become comfortable in clipless pedals and you'll be a better bike handler when you don't have to worry about your feet slipping off the platforms inadvertently.
Less is more.
Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
What brand/model pedals are you using? Perhaps you could set your bike up on a trainer or if you don't have one put it in a doorway so you can brace yourself and practice clipping/unclipping?
There's no problem if you want to use plain pedals, but with a little effort you ought to be able to get comfortable with the clipless pedals, and they are a lot more comfy/efficient.
There's no problem if you want to use plain pedals, but with a little effort you ought to be able to get comfortable with the clipless pedals, and they are a lot more comfy/efficient.
Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
Clip out far before you need to stop. Also, use your foot to push the pedal or single pedal after you start moving again till you can get a good bearing to clip in when you are starting out. You will fall. You will be embarrassed. I will laugh and giggle - but only because I know how it feels. Everyone has fallen with clipless pedals at some point whether you're experienced or not. Once you have experience and you fall, it's very humbling though, so I have that going for me at least.
Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
Learn to use the clipless pedals.
Biking 112 in soft running shoes is not going to be great for your feet.
ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Biking 112 in soft running shoes is not going to be great for your feet.
ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
Stick with it, you'll get used to them :)
What type of pedals? The type could help some of us here give you advice on how to get in. Speedplay Zero? Shimano SPD or SPD-SL? Look Keo? Etc etc....
What type of pedals? The type could help some of us here give you advice on how to get in. Speedplay Zero? Shimano SPD or SPD-SL? Look Keo? Etc etc....
Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
First, adjust your pedal tension to its lowest level on both sides.
(If you do not know how to do this, get help.)
This will allow you to clip in and out much more easily.
Then, you must practice and practice and practice.
What brand/model pedals do you have?
Advanced Aero TopTube Storage for Road, Gravel, & Tri...ZeroSlip & Direct-mount, made in the USA.
DarkSpeedWorks.com.....Reviews.....Insta.....Facebook
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(If you do not know how to do this, get help.)
This will allow you to clip in and out much more easily.
Then, you must practice and practice and practice.
What brand/model pedals do you have?
Advanced Aero TopTube Storage for Road, Gravel, & Tri...ZeroSlip & Direct-mount, made in the USA.
DarkSpeedWorks.com.....Reviews.....Insta.....Facebook
--
Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
we have all been there at one point with learning how to clip in... and almost everyone has fallen at least a few times... Heck I have been doing this for years and will have a brain fart every now and then when riding with the road team and lean the wrong way and realize I clipped out the other foot.
as others said- loosen the tension to the loosest setting and practice. stand over your bike and clip on foot it first while standing and use your dominate foot to push off and clip in before you sit or at least get your shoe on the pedal and sit until you have enough momentum to coast and clip in. Also try practicing in a park if you can that has grass so if you fall its just grass.
Stay with it and you will love the new pedals- so much more power and cycling efficiency with them over platforms and way more comfortable over a long ride.
Andy Mullen
Team Zoot
as others said- loosen the tension to the loosest setting and practice. stand over your bike and clip on foot it first while standing and use your dominate foot to push off and clip in before you sit or at least get your shoe on the pedal and sit until you have enough momentum to coast and clip in. Also try practicing in a park if you can that has grass so if you fall its just grass.
Stay with it and you will love the new pedals- so much more power and cycling efficiency with them over platforms and way more comfortable over a long ride.
Andy Mullen
Team Zoot
Re: pedal advice needed [DarkSpeedWorks]
[ In reply to ]
DarkSpeedWorks wrote:
First, adjust your pedal tension to its lowest level on both sides. (If you do not know how to do this, get help.)
This will allow you to clip in and out much more easily.
Then, you must practice and practice and practice.
What brand/model pedals do you have?
This..... Takes a little getting used to, but well worth it. after years on some SPD-SLs I still have a few tough moments of getting it to clip in. The getting out part, plan to get 1 foot out 100 meters before you plan to stop. Once you figure out that a simple twist of the ankle gets it loose (or whatever your exit path is), you can begin to close the distance in until you are comfortable getting out 10 feet from your intended stopping point.
Team Gingerfight
Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
Just leave your shoes clipped in, and go for a flying start, everytime you ride. .. kidding! Lots of good info here. Loosening the tension, and others here would know better than me, but I use the yellow cleats which have more float. I don't know if this would help or not? Itd be a wider range that the pedal would accept. .. right? More float is what I prefer anyway! But I'd ride in high heels if meant not falling in slo-mo anymore. I still do that on occasion too. Usually while track standing at a traffic light. Everyone does it! Good luck!
Re: pedal advice needed [Big Endian]
[ In reply to ]
Thinking about which side to lean to was the hardest thing for me. Like others have said, unclip early and think about which side you're going to lean to (same side as the unclipped foot). Ideally this should be the same side every time so that it becomes habit faster. I like unclipping my left foot because then I can stand on my right foot to start up again.
With platform pedals this isn't an issue because you can put down either foot (or both at the same time) without having to think about it. I think a lot of people don't realize that this can be one of the hardest parts of learning clipless pedals, not actually getting your foot out.
Also if you're having trouble getting in, get Speedplay. So much easier!
With platform pedals this isn't an issue because you can put down either foot (or both at the same time) without having to think about it. I think a lot of people don't realize that this can be one of the hardest parts of learning clipless pedals, not actually getting your foot out.
Also if you're having trouble getting in, get Speedplay. So much easier!
Re: pedal advice needed [a300600st]
[ In reply to ]
Thinking about which side to lean to was the hardest thing for me.
I don't think that many people have an issue with that, but my wife certainly did. When she got ready to stop she'd unclip both pedals, but sometimes she'd still botch it and fall over. I was worried she'd hurt herself or get run over. This was with MTB pedals on a road bike, set up with very light tension. She didn't ride much as a kid so maybe that has something to do with it.
If you think clipless are hard, try toe clips and straps.
I don't think that many people have an issue with that, but my wife certainly did. When she got ready to stop she'd unclip both pedals, but sometimes she'd still botch it and fall over. I was worried she'd hurt herself or get run over. This was with MTB pedals on a road bike, set up with very light tension. She didn't ride much as a kid so maybe that has something to do with it.
If you think clipless are hard, try toe clips and straps.
Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
KDW has it right. The secret weapon - beg, borrow, buy or steal a wind trainer. It will allow you to practice clipping in and out over and over without concerning your self about falling over and harming yourself or your bike. Once you "get it", you will have an "Oh! I see!" moment and it will be second nature from then on.
Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
Everyone falls over at least once when learning to use clipless pedals. Don't fret it and don't give up.
Re: pedal advice needed [trimule]
[ In reply to ]
Except he said in his post that he was using them on a trainer.
Ian
Ian
Re: pedal advice needed [tkos]
[ In reply to ]
Your absolutely right - I did the "eye fly" right past that part. So many posts -so little time -sigh!
Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
As others have said, you can absolutely just use regular pedals, but over that distance, your legs may take a beating. If you opt for that you can still look at some very stiff shoes to wear on the ride. Many cycling shoe companies make commuter style shoes that look like sneakers but have a recessed clip and a stiff sole. That could be an option.
As you still have time it would be best to work on getting comfy in those pedals, and you can do that by loosening the tension as much as possible. Your feet will pop out in no time if you do that. And since you won't be trying to sprint hard on the bike, the loose clips shouldn't be too big of a problem. It really is, as someone mentioned, muscle memory and it does become second nature.
Ian
As you still have time it would be best to work on getting comfy in those pedals, and you can do that by loosening the tension as much as possible. Your feet will pop out in no time if you do that. And since you won't be trying to sprint hard on the bike, the loose clips shouldn't be too big of a problem. It really is, as someone mentioned, muscle memory and it does become second nature.
Ian
Re: pedal advice needed [elynch]
[ In reply to ]
How big are you and what kind of pedals are you using? I'm small, and much prefer a pedal with no more than 8 Nm of torque required to get out of them. Most "beginner" type pedals have a light torque like that, and also many adjustable ones can be dialed down that far (or close to it). I made the mistake of putting Keo blades on my tri bike -- because they were light and sexy. I've seriously yanked the whole rear end of the bike over trying to get out of the other pedal with one foot already on the ground (when I'm moving on the bike it's not as big a deal). Those ones aren't adjustable, and have a 12 Nm blade in them. I recommend the Keo Easy model if you're having issues with your current pedals. That's what I've got on the bike that's on my trainer... never had a single problem with them (used to race with them too).
Re: pedal advice needed [a300600st]
[ In reply to ]
a300600st wrote:
Also if you're having trouble getting in, get Speedplay. So much easier!
Re: pedal advice needed [stltrekguy]
[ In reply to ]
Shimano Light action pedals, set to the lowest tension might be your best bet. Only about $30 a set.
Re: pedal advice needed [tkos]
[ In reply to ]
"Except he said in his post that he was using them on a trainer."
Part of the confusion is that if the OP couldn't hook in/out on the trainer, why would they then head outside? It's pretty dangerous to ride outside if you aren't able to unclip.
And why even take the time to make the post if you aren't going to answer the questions asked...mainly what pedal.
Part of the confusion is that if the OP couldn't hook in/out on the trainer, why would they then head outside? It's pretty dangerous to ride outside if you aren't able to unclip.
And why even take the time to make the post if you aren't going to answer the questions asked...mainly what pedal.
Re: pedal advice needed [kdw]
[ In reply to ]
But I did go on to answer the question. I was replying to the poster. I then replied separately to the op. I wasn't being mean, but as this was the second post giving info that was already covered by the OP, it seemed maybe it should be mentioned. I am sorry to have offended you.
Ian
Ian
Re: pedal advice needed [tkos]
[ In reply to ]
Not offended at all...it seems like everyone has pretty much given the same advice and it's up to the OP to follow up or not.
I absolutely love my Speedplay Zero pedals. I firmly belive they are the easiest to get in/out of and certainly offer the beginner the greatest comfort level as they can engage on both sides.