by onintwo 18 Replies latest jw friends
Or..alternative subject title, "God, that pavement's hard!".
Just bought a new road bike. Never rode clipless pedals before. Didn't think to practice getting in and out of the darn things first. Figure it's pretty intuitive, right?.... Wrong.
Clip out before you come to a stop...Clip out before you come to a stop... I think I've got it now!
Anyone else unashamed to admit falling? Any riders out there?
I ride at my local BMX track (don't like to ride in traffic)... I spill at least once a week, usually just as I start to pedal out of a turn and the pedal hits the ground... (Mike rolls over the handle bars) lots of little kids watching....
BMX, huh? You some kind of animal? Good that you're in that kind of shape. Wish I was. Also, wish I was quite a bit younger.
Actually, the off-road, technical stuff is cool. Got a boy who's fearless on his K-2 Beast. Flies through the woods, jumps creeks and all that.
I still have my mountain bike (old Giant) but can't ride like that. It's the roads for me.
Hate clipless but maybe it's just that I'm not "serious" enough. Rather ride stationary that ride in traffic; too much stress.
So you are a roadie too!!!
Clipless is the only way to go, you've got so much more power to every pedal stroke.
There is a learning curve and I've had my fair share of falling because of forgetting to unclip or not getting totally clipped in....it's a rite of passage, this too will pass.
One thing I did on my first set of clipless pedals (shimano 747's) I practiced a lot in the house on carpeted floor cliping in and out until it became second nature. You can do this outside on a grassy surface but at the time I didn't live in an area where we had grass, LOL.
Now I've got Speedplay XX and I love them!
So tell me what kind/brand of road bike did you buy? I love talking bikes especially now when the weather is getting so nice I feel the passion coming back.
You aren't a true roadie until you've crashed due to not clipping out. My first ride out this year I crashed. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I clipped my left foot out and leaned a little too far to the right. Went right down with my bike on top of me. At least I wasn't moving at the time and I didn't hurt my bike!
About 15 miles later, my riding partner did the same thing.
Clipless is the only way to go!
Rachel
LOL @ Rachel:
At least I wasn't moving at the time and I didn't hurt my bike!
Spoken like a true biker.........don't hurt the bike!
Just like I did when i first started riding with toe straps. I had them cinched too tight and couldn't get my foot out at the stop light.
I practiced in-store with the clipless but promptly forgot at the next intersection. I guess I need to fall in order to learn.
Ha ha! I bought a mountain bike a couple of years ago and never did get the hang of the clipless pedals. Definitely requires a lot of practice time in a parking lot or some other closed environment. I still have marks on my knees and elbows from hitting the pavement. The last time I was on my bike I had fallen so much I was so frustrated I just walked the bike home and put it in the basement (it's still there...lol)
I've never used clip-less pedals but my mountain bike has toe baskets. In the beginning I took a few spills. It's an embarrassing feeling to come to a complete stop, go to put your foot down and find it is still in the basket (ker...plunk).
