# clipless pedals



## runningman10000 (Dec 11, 2014)

So i have my new bike on the trainer and new shoes and pedals. I've been riding 3 days a week about an hour each trying to get used to everything. 2 things pop up that I struggle with: 1) I dont have a problem riding with the pedals, in fact I like the feeling being clipped in. But how do I practice getting on and off the bike with clipless pedals on a trainer? If you really can't and have to wait until I get outside and practice, will I hurt the bike in a fall? 2)How do you find your position on the bike every time you get on? Is that just something that comes over time? My LBS sized up the bike and we think its a good fit but I cant seem to always find the same spot every time. He wants me to ride it for a while and then give feed back but until I get outside I dont think I can give good feedback just from the trainer. Anyway still waiting for good weather here in southeast Michigan. Although today isn't to bad, its 34 and sunny. Thanks for any advice....


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

It just takes a little time. As far as clipping in and out, just try to remember that when in doubt, clip out. It's far better to get caught unclipped then to get caught clipped in when you need to stop unexpectedly.


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## CrankyCarbon (Dec 17, 2014)

Just practice clipping in and out of one pedal, then the other pedal. Keep doing this until you grasp how much twisting effort it takes.

Practice clipping into the pedal and seeing how the pedal is angled (or upside down etc) and what you have to do to clip in.

Being on a trainer makes it easy because you aren't going to fall over.
You can do this with one foot too before riding. One foot on ground the other clip in/out for practice.

I'm on SE Michigan too. Just went riding with my kids on the sidewalk. Not too bad but still a bit chilly


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## Mandeville (Oct 18, 2014)

*********


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## Roland44 (Mar 21, 2013)

Mr645 said:


> It just takes a little time. As far as clipping in and out, just try to remember that when in doubt, clip out. It's far better to get caught unclipped then to get caught clipped in when you need to stop unexpectedly.


I wish someone had given me this advice when I was first starting out


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

runningman10000 said:


> 1) I dont have a problem riding with the pedals, in fact I like the feeling being clipped in. But how do I practice getting on and off the bike with clipless pedals on a trainer?


This question doesn't make any sense. You get on and off the bike just like you normally do.



> will I hurt the bike in a fall?


Probably not. But possibly. Usually just some scratches to the pedals or shifters. Maybe torn bar tape. Falling on the derailleur is potentially the worst damage that might occur. Most of the time your body (and ego) takes the brunt of the fall.



> 2)How do you find your position on the bike every time you get on?


Repetition. You'll get a feel for it. Practice on the trainer clipping in and out without looking. You don't want to be looking down at your feet. 

I recommend spending 15min-1/2hr on the trainer. 
Spin 4-5 turns and unclip your right leg.
Clip back in.
Spin 4-5 turns and unclip your left leg.
Clip back in.
Repeat.

Do that for a few days and you'll get pretty good at it. Then go find a parking lot and repeat the same thing outside.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

As far as finding your position on the bike each time, I assume you mean where you sit on the seat, not moving the seat around.

The answer is that is varies. Many riders scooot back a little on the seat when climbing and move forward when going fast in a fast group ride or race. That's where the term "on the rivet" comes from- old leather saddles had rivets holding the leather cover on, and there's one right on the nose of the saddle. The saddle gives you different positions for a reason, use them as needed.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

runningman10000 said:


> So i have my new bike on the trainer and new shoes and pedals. I've been riding 3 days a week about an hour each trying to get used to everything. 2 things pop up that I struggle with: 1) I dont have a problem riding with the pedals, in fact I like the feeling being clipped in. *But how do I practice getting on and off the bike with clipless pedals on a trainer?* If you really can't and have to wait until I get outside and practice, will I hurt the bike in a fall? 2)How do you find your position on the bike every time you get on? Is that just something that comes over time? My LBS sized up the bike and we think its a good fit but I cant seem to always find the same spot every time. He wants me to ride it for a while and then give feed back but until I get outside I dont think I can give good feedback just from the trainer. Anyway still waiting for good weather here in southeast Michigan. Although today isn't to bad, its 34 and sunny. Thanks for any advice....


This makes no sense. You get on the bike. You clip in. You unclip. Later, rinse, repeat. How else would you do it?


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

> But how do I practice getting on and off the bike with clipless pedals on a trainer?


Here's how I do it, and it works pretty much the same on a trainer as outside on the road. I think it's the simple, basic method that makes learning quick and not scary or dangerous.

To start, you step over the bike, so you're straddling the top tube, standing on the ground. Then you clip in one pedal, while standing on the other foot on the ground. Very secure and easy. (I clip the left first, so I'll describe it that way from here on out). When ready to go, I raise the left crank up past the horizontal position in front, to allow a good long initial power stroke. Stand up on that pedal, hard, full weight, so you get moving and have some momentum. Sit on saddle, clip in right foot. If it takes you a little time to get the right one on and you think you're slowing too much, you can give it another one-legged power stroke with the left, either with a full rotation or by rotating it backward -- bringing it up to allow a half power stroke. With a little practice there will rarely be such a delay.

For stopping, the process is sort of reversed. I always clip out the right first. Some people go both ways; I think you get a clear muscle memory and reflex more quickly if you use the same leg consistently. When I think I may have to stop, I unclip the right pedal, either while sitting on the saddle or standing with the left crank straight down. Either way, before I come to a full stop I am off the saddle standing on the left pedal, with the right leg dangling. With a little practice it's easy to coast this way, for as long as necessary. It's very secure, and avoids getting caught leaning the wrong way. When you stop, you just step to the right and put that foot down. Leave the other foot clipped in, unless you're getting off the bike; that way you're ready to go whenever you want.

One more trick on the lean as you stop. If the bike is moving at all, even very slowly, turning the front wheel will make the bike lean in the other direction. So to lean solidly to the right, just turn the bar to the left. The bike will lean sharply to the right, and you put the foot down.

This stuff isn't hard, especially if you work on establishing a consistent habit from the start, rather than improvising every time.


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## runningman10000 (Dec 11, 2014)

Thanks for all the replies, I'll keep practicing.


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## faulker479 (Jan 12, 2015)

I think I know what you mean about practicing on a trainer. Since the bike is a few inches higher when sitting in the trainer, it just feels different than on the road. It just takes practice for your foot to remember where to go. If you still can't go outside, try standing the bike up in a hallway and go through the clip in process, that way you are at the "right" level with the ground as on the road and you have a wall to prevent you from falling over. I have been on road pedals for about a month and I still am working on being as smooth clipping in as I am with my mountain bike pedals.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

faulker479 said:


> I think I know what you mean about practicing on a trainer. Since the bike is a few inches higher when sitting in the trainer, it just feels different than on the road. It just takes practice for your foot to remember where to go. If you still can't go outside, try standing the bike up in a hallway and go through the clip in process, that way you are at the "right" level with the ground as on the road and you have a wall to prevent you from falling over. I have been on road pedals for about a month and I still am working on being as smooth clipping in as I am with my mountain bike pedals.


Or you could stand on a book next to the trainer so your foot is at the same level with respect to the bike. Anyway, once you're on the bike, either sitting on the saddle or standing on a pedal, how far away the ground is is completely irrelevant to the relationship between your body and the other pedal.


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## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

Quite a few times, I can't get the second pedal clipped in initially. There is a car coming, a rock, or ??; anyway I just put my heil on that pedal and go, I don't clip in till the danger is over, then just clip in.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

That's one reason I like Speedplay, fast entry and exiting without any learning curve and no falling; but since you don't have those you have to practice, practice, and practice some more, then go to the street and fall down a few times if not more than a few. Practice on grass so at least when you fall it won't hurt so much.


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

The trainer is a great place to be to get started! You can really get the feel of clipping in and Unclipping and very safely at that. Once you are out on the road, it's about anticipation. You need to be mindful of the fact that you are clipped to your bike. As you approach a stop or questionable situation, you do as Jcavilla says and unclip in advance. His mentioning the lean of the bike is important... It's intuitive, but easy to brain cramp on... If the bike leans away from you it will fall and you with it. I turn the bars and lean the bike's top tube against my thigh usually. It matters more on long rides when exhaustion is setting in, that's when you have dumb stuff happen, or right out side your driveway with 30 people watching... 

I've been curious about Speedplays for a while... Are they as easy as advertised? They are LIGHT too! Or does the clip assembly offset their weight advantage?


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

froze said:


> you have to practice, practice, and practice some more, then go to the street and fall down a few times if not more than a few. Practice on grass so at least when you fall it won't hurt so much.


You know, I really don't think it's that hard. Multiple falls should not be required or expected.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

froze said:


> but since you don't have those you have to practice, practice, and practice some more, then go to the street and fall down a few times if not more than a few.


Wow. I don't know anyone who had to go through that. And I've taught a few people to ride clipless.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

froze said:


> ...you have to practice, practice, and practice some more, then go to the street and fall down a few times if not more than a few.


you make it sound as difficult as learning how to do night carrier landings...

I recently taught my totally noob friend the 'art' of using clipless pedals (they were Shimano, fwiw) in about 15 minutes in the street in front of my house. 

no falls, no drama, no sweat.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Oxtox said:


> you make it sound as difficult as learning how to do night carrier landings...


LOL, good comment. Lots of people here on RBR who have _never_ fallen down because of non-Speedplay clipless pedals, including yours truly. And I'm a klutz--fell down recently because of unanticipated front wheel flop when making a U-turn at 0.5 mph in my empty garage......


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

PBL450 said:


> The trainer is a great place to be to get started! You can really get the feel of clipping in and Unclipping and very safely at that. Once you are out on the road, it's about anticipation. You need to be mindful of the fact that you are clipped to your bike. As you approach a stop or questionable situation, you do as Jcavilla says and unclip in advance. His mentioning the lean of the bike is important... It's intuitive, but easy to brain cramp on... If the bike leans away from you it will fall and you with it. I turn the bars and lean the bike's top tube against my thigh usually. It matters more on long rides when exhaustion is setting in, that's when you have dumb stuff happen, or right out side your driveway with 30 people watching...
> 
> I've been curious about Speedplays for a while... Are they as easy as advertised? They are LIGHT too! Or does the clip assembly offset their weight advantage?


Yes, their very easy to get in and out of. I came from riding with nothing but toe clips and straps for over 40 years before trying my first clipless pedal in 2013 on my new bike. I researched the internet for quite some time before opting to try the SpeedPlay Frogs (yes, the Frogs are for mountain bikes but I'm using them on a road bike) and found getting in and out of them completely natural because they worked almost the same as the straps and clip design as far as getting into them and got into them without a much force or effort, I just dove my foot straight in and the clipped into place. Getting out them was almost as simple, except you have to turn your heel out then the foot just slides out. I thought I was going to have some issues using clipless for the first time but never had any problems or falls. Other pedal designs are not that easy to learn.

Yes, the Speedplays are the lightest on the market, they do come in 3 choices of spindles, cromoly steel, stainless steel, and titanium, I opted for the stainless so it wouldn't rust and it cost less than the TI spindles without that much more weight than the ti pedals. 

The Frog clips are very light, lighter than other pedal company clips; however the road clips are a tad heavier than some other pedal company clips but even with that taken into account Speedplay end up being about a third less in weight than the competition. 

Speedplay is also the most widely used pedal in the pro ranks which should tell you that they last and are strong at keeping your foot clipped to the pedal. The reliability of this pedal is high because there are no moving external parts on the pedal like other pedals, it's simplicity is also what appealed to me because there is less to go wrong. they can also be easily regreased if you buy the Speedplay grease gun which comes with a tube of grease, you simply remove the screw on the outside of the pedal insert the grease gun fitting and slowly pull the trigger, do this once every 3 months and those pedals bearings should last a lifetime.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

PBL450 said:


> They are LIGHT too! Or does the clip assembly offset their weight advantage?


Depends on the models you're comparing. For example, a pair of standard stainless steel axle Speedplay Zero pedals weighs 204 g pair plus 121 g for cleats = 325 g total. Steel axle Look Keo Carbon Blades are lighter at 227 g plus 74 g = 301 g. So the claim "Speedplays are the lightest on the market" is a bit of a stretch.

You also need to take that "no moving parts" thing with a grain of salt. Instead of in the pedal, Speedplay has the moving parts in the cleat. It works just fine, but there are people who prefer their pedal system moving parts not to be at the bottom of their shoe.


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## HyperCycle (Sep 5, 2012)

I love my Speedplay Frog pedals. They are very easy to clip in and clip out. After a year of riding with them, I've only wiped out twice. Once in my driveway and once at a stop sign. The driveway crash on pavement hurt worse than the stop sign crash into grass.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

HyperCycle said:


> After a year of riding with them, I've only wiped out twice. Once in my driveway and once at a stop sign.


Just for the benefit of those new to clipless pedals: The cause of clipless-wipeouts generally has nothing to do with not being able to clip out even though you're forcefully trying to do so. In other words, brand or model of clipless pedal hasn't much to do with these falls. Clipless-wipeouts are almost always the result of two circumstances:

1. The rider forgets that he or she is clipped in with both feet and comes to a stop. When the bike starts to topple over, most riders just can't get unclipped fast enough to prevent a fall (Example: the stop sign or red light fall).

2. The rider has one foot unclipped and perhaps even on the ground, making a fall to the unclipped side highly unlikely. But then something happens to topple the bike to the clipped-in side and just like in 1. above, there's not enough time to unclip. (Example: the standing-in-the-parking-lot-and-chatting fall.)


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## HyperCycle (Sep 5, 2012)

wim said:


> Just for the benefit of those new to clipless pedals: The cause of clipless-wipeouts generally has nothing to do with not being able to clip out even though you're forcefully trying to do so. In other words, brand or model of clipless pedal hasn't much to do with these falls. Clipless-wipeouts are almost always the result of two circumstances:
> 
> 1. The rider forgets that he or she is clipped in with both feet and comes to a stop. When the bike starts to topple over, most riders just can't get unclipped fast enough to prevent a fall (Example: the stop-sign or red light fall).
> 
> 2. The rider has one foot unclipped and perhaps even on the ground, making a fall to the unclipped side highly unlikely. But then something happens to topple the bike to the clipped-in side and just like in 1. above, there's not enough time to unclip. (Example: the standing-in-the-parking-lot-and-chatting fall.)


I am guilty of 1 and 2. The driveway crash was #2... my left foot was clipped in... right foot on the ground and leaned too far to the left. The stop sign crash was #1... simple case of me not paying attention to what I was doing.


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## cnardone (Jun 28, 2014)

I found getting into Toe clips harder than Clipless. When I bought my pedals (mavic zxellium) last fall, the LBS put my bike on a trainer. Told me to practice for 15 minutes. Done. Pretty simple. I did fall the very first time not on the trainer. The first week or two the pedals where not hanging correctly. They needed to loosen up a bit. I had to pay attention to get in them. Now, they are always in the correct position and getting in an out is super simple. 

cmn


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## HyperCycle (Sep 5, 2012)

I agree on toe clip pedals being harder to manage than clipless pedals. The first year I had my road bike, I used the stock toe-clip pedals. Upgrading to clipless was the best move I've ever made when it comes to cycling. The difference is amazing.... clipless is far superior, IMHO, than toe clip pedals.


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## runningman10000 (Dec 11, 2014)

I bought Shimano 105's. The price was right and the LBS said they were good. I am probably over worrying about following but I just invested a few bucks in the bike and I am a little nervous about what a fall will do to it. I still cant get outside yet but I can at least see the grass now!


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

runningman10000 said:


> I bought Shimano 105's. The price was right and the LBS said they were good. I am probably over worrying about following but I just invested a few bucks in the bike and I am a little nervous about what a fall will do to it. I still cant get outside yet but I can at least see the grass now!


Good choice. And it's good you're getting past worrying. The bike is tough. People crash on them and they still work. The worst that is likely to happen in a little fall is a few scratches. Neither you nor the bike will be catastrophically injured.

And really, those pedals have a top-notch reputation.


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## Mandeville (Oct 18, 2014)

JCavilia said:


> You know, I really don't think it's that hard. Multiple falls should not be required or expected.


I agree and I also thing that likelihood or frequency of falls is increased by all of the professional advice either face to face or by reputable videos such GCN that over and over in instructing even practically guaranteeing to people going to clipless pedals that they will inevitably fall plus _ inferring _ its hard to learn how to clip and unclip. 

IMO the main reason newer riders to clipless fall for failure to clip in or more often clip out when appropriate is their thinking processes are too tied up in with the FEAR of falling. Fear distracts and impedes. If you are constantly intimidated by the fear of falling you invariably will. Heck, if the "experts" are constantly telling you that you will fall--you probably will if you think about it. Just my two-cents worth.


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## Winn (Feb 15, 2013)

Mandeville said:


> I agree and I also thing that likelihood or frequency of falls is increased by all of the professional advice either face to face or by reputable videos such GCN that over and over in instructing even practically guaranteeing to people going to clipless pedals that they will inevitably fall plus _ inferring _ its hard to learn how to clip and unclip.
> 
> IMO the main reason newer riders to clipless fall for failure to clip in or more often clip out when appropriate is their thinking processes are too tied up in with the FEAR of falling. Fear distracts and impedes. If you are constantly intimidated by the fear of falling you invariably will. Heck, if the "experts" are constantly telling you that you will fall--you probably will if you think about it. Just my two-cents worth.


Do you really think people are that scared? I have seen a few videos where it's mentioned but they say it more to preserve your dignity when it happens. It invariably happens when you are no longer moving or barely moving because you forgot to clip out. It doesn't really hurt and is unlikely to damage anything. Over 90% (totally made up figure) do fall so they mention it so when you do too you aren't discouraged. <that's a="" totally="" made="" up="" number)="" do="" fall="" so="" they="" are="" just="" presenting="" the="" facts="" you="" aren't="" discouraged="" if="" do.<="" html=""></that's>


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## shanabit (Jul 16, 2007)

Best advice, loosen the tension screw on the pedal so you can get in and out easily UNTIL you get good at it, then you can tighten them up as needed


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

Winn said:


> Do you really think people are that scared? I have seen a few videos where it's mentioned but they say it more to preserve your dignity when it happens. It invariably happens when you are no longer moving or barely moving because you forgot to clip out. It doesn't really hurt and is unlikely to damage anything. Over 90% (totally made up figure) do fall so they mention it so when you do too you aren't discouraged. <that's a="" totally="" made="" up="" number)="" do="" fall="" so="" they="" are="" just="" presenting="" the="" facts="" you="" aren't="" discouraged="" if="" do.<="" html=""></that's>


People exaggerate how bad it is to fall over while clipped. It hurts their pride

Some see it as a rite of passage and we are laughing with you, not at you.

I learned from mountain biking... So yes, I fell over on pointy rocks.... Descending technical terrain while clipped in took some time to get used to also


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