Video How To: Learn to ride road clipless pedals

It's happened to us all and hurts your pride more than your hips

Well, the equivalent with clipped pedals and straps done up has happened to me- mid-eighties right in front of a bus on The Headrow in Leeds. Fortunately, we were both almost stopped. I've never done it with fantastic SPDs.

"It's happened to us all and hurts your pride more than your hips."

And it doesn't half hurt your hips.

DAMHIKT

First time using clipless pedals for me, road pedals. I haven't tried spd pedals, always used flat pedals both on mtb and rb. Been using those spd-sl for a few weeks now. Any tips on how to ride these pedals on busy roads? We got very busy roads here, lots of traffic and pedestrians crossing wherever they want. I always unclip one foot when on these busy roads, but i still haven't found a comfortable way of pedalling on the unclipped foot. Should it be on the heel, toe or midfoot? I can easily weave in and out of traffic when on flat pedals, but with these road pedals, i'm not yet too comfortable, still learning.

Only had one issue since I started riding two years ago. Wasp got stuck in a helmet vent. Had to do 4 things: 1 Remove helmet, 2 slow down, 3 Unclip. 4 Stop to put helemt back on.

Guess which bit I didn't do? Was very lucky no cars were going past at the time. 4 weeks off the bike with very badly bruised ribs.

Currently trying to learn to use SPD rather than SPD-SL's and failing badly. I seem to be the only person that finds them more difficult.

I found combo's with touring shoes for commuting in town the best combination.

Friend from work moved to clip-less and at the end of his first week communting, toppled sideways at a junction in front of a car.  Snag was, driver behind failed to see him fall over and drove over him, heard the strange noise, shouting and some car horns, so he reversed back.   Few broken bones and some burns.  He ditched the pedals after that.

I now run combo pedals and if I'm getting tired and have a big climb coming up I tend to unclip and ride the flat side. I find it's a real challenge getting out if I've ridden myself to a standstill and there's less certainty about which side I might topple to.

I think possibly because I only use light action SPDs & multi-release cleats I've never failed yet. Closest I've come is from losing a bolt from the cleat - that makes it almost impossible to unclip because the cleat stays stuck in the pedal and the shoe rotates around it.

Unclipping is always amazingly easy, except when you really need to .

I've been using SPDs since the early 90's and can honestly say I've never fallen off. My brother borrowed my bike and shoes once and DID fall off however.

I fell over when I couldn't unclip because my shoe was frozen to the pedal. I ended up sprawled in the gutter attached to the bike by both feet. I had to take a foot out of a shoe.

Being clipped in just dosn't work for me. I have werid ankles that point my toes out. I still ride with a strait foot meaning rotating my heal out it hard. Rotating in is easier but theres always a chain stay/crank arm/ chain ring in the way.
I can just about cope on the road, but on my MTB it was abarsing. Must have come off abot 6 or 7 times in the wet when all i wanted to do was stop (And first ride with new people). Put my flats back on MTB, and clips back on the road bike ,never looked back.

My first - unclip right foot, try and put left foot down and so topple gracelessly onto the pavement.

Next, strictly speaking not a fall:  I'm filtering down the outside of a line of traffic.  A police car is coming the other way, blue lights on and siren wailing.  I dutifully pull in behind a white van and unclip my left foot (see, he can be taught).  I then decide to lean to the right to see where the police car has got to, and so very, very nearly send myself sprawling into the road immediately in front of the speeding police car.  Without doubt, the most frantic wrong-footed unclip I've ever done.

"Muppet" doesn't even come close. 

Twice for me.

One on each of my bikes. The second time is because the tension on my pedals on my best bike is a tad stronger than that on my winter bike.

I forgot this and couldn't get my feet out in time. I fell in to a hedge right in front of a dog walker.

Only once for me, descending quickly in top gear when had to come to an abrupt stop before a small hump back bridge, no problem and balanced beautifully. It was when I stood up and tried to start again, having forgotten to change gear, that I realised my mistake, couldn't turn the pedals and so toppled sideways, much to the amusement of my cycling group. Only thing damaged my ego.

Was bricking it, then realised it was easy on my first go. Rode for over a month, had some nearly moments are traffic lights.

Then started teaching the missus who was doing okay too. Tried going up a kerb in front of her, but really slowly and tried to turn abruptly left at the same time for no known reason. Slow-mo fall right in front of a white van with two guys having their lunch laughing their tits off. 

Legs in the air and everything. 

Then fell a week later, again with the missus. Looking over my shoulder to see where she was and veered into a kerb in front of an elderly couple who wanted to call me an ambulance and wouldn't leave it alone. There were people taking pics of the state of me with their phone. No shame. I must be on Instagram somewhere.

Missus of course, pissing herself both times. So guess it was worth taking a couple of hits.

That was like the second or third month of cycling. Just gets easier and easier day by day. The scary stuff, like falling off and cars running you over  - the stuff that goes through your head - that's not what happens to you. You fall in some weird awkward situation, like trying to do slow turns. And that's more to do with balance and general bike skills that anything to do with clipless. Actual clipping in, ie/ finding the pedals quickly - sure that takes time to grind out. Can be hairy on hills and weird junctions when you need to get out fast. Hit those at a really easy gear so you can pedal with one foot basically. 

And the thing about forgetting to clip out - that's only at the start - later, you never forget to clip out. It's like, breathing. Might be hard to believe that when starting. Just trust that it's true. 

Hey, the stopped clipped in fall maybe the one occasion that the helmet may protect as specified.

Withdraws to safe distance...

I think it's safe to say we all have fallen over when first using clipless. My suggestion is try and think a little ahead and unclip whilst still rolling at a reasonable pace, so balance is not compromised whilst unclipping

My first clipping out failure was also, coincidentally, the worst.

Stopped at some lights, and unclipped the left foot. Went to shift my weight to the right, forgetting I didn't have any movement on that foot.

My centre of gravity shifted to the right, went to stick my foot down and toppled. Except I stuck my right arm out , hit the pavement and prompty fractured my elbow. Off the bike for six weeks while it healed up.

Mine was a full-on double-eject on a mountain bike mid-bunny hop!

Fortunately, my arse landed on the saddle and I got away with it.

I did witness a mate pull up next to a bridge parapet, go to put his hand on the bridge and promptly fall the other way. My sister's first attempt on them involved riding round the front garden before coming to a halt in the middle of the lawn, at which point she literally went cross-eyed with the confusion of what to do next before falling over.

Mine was going up a steep country Dartmoor hill that got the better of me. As I went to step off I couldn't and tumbled sideways. Fortunately there wasn't anyone around to witness the shame. Unlike a friend who fell over at traffic lights besides a busy city centre beer garden.

My only experience of 'clipping out failure' was in a car park shortly after getting my first road bike - I had stopped to chat to my wife, unclipped my left foot and sat on the bike talking to her and my two year old son.  I shifted my weight slightly over the bike, went to put my right foot down and realised all too late that my right foot was still clipped in.  Cue much laughter from my wife and "Oh, daddy, you fell over!" from my son.

Lesson learned.