Clipless Pedals rock, um, sort of. I just got my rig set up with them and went for the virgin ride yesterday. They’re great, it’s like having an extra set of muscles to exploit while you’re pedaling.
When my roomate (who shall remain anonymous) told his story of taking a tumble when he couldn’t get out of his clipless pedals at a stop sign in time, I had to chuckle to myself. “That would never happen to me,” I thought to myself.
That made me feel extra stupid when I took a dive twice on my way to work this morning. The second one was the most humiliating. I haven’t taken any spills on the bike, so being downtown and having concerned pedestrians saying “Are you OK?!” definitely cramped my style. If my judgement for unhooking from the pedals doesn’t improve, I’m going to invest in some training wheels.
4 Comments so far
Leave a comment
I fell on my ass for the first time this past weekend. Hanging out in a parking lot next to a playground with my kids, innocently practicing the ol’ trackstand.
It’s supposed to be easier to get out of clipless pedals, though, than clips, right? Were you using clips before? What setup did you go with? And what training wheels are you looking into?
Comment by nathan 07.28.05 @ 6:18 pmNathan - It was easier to get out of the old pedals, simply because I never got them tight enough to really hold onto my feet. I rolled with a set of Shimano Dura-Ace pedals SPD style. They’re almost exactly like Looks.
As for the training wheels, I’m going to go with the little-known Shimano Ultegra training wheels. They’re CroMoly, and they weigh at little as 300 grams.
Comment by Barry 07.29.05 @ 9:34 amDaaang - Ultegra outriggers! Sweet. They got cartridge or cup/cone bearings?
I was gonna give the Eggbeaters a go, just cuz that’s what all the cool kids seem to be using. Except you, of course - I mean, no offense…
Comment by nathan 07.30.05 @ 6:49 amLeave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
Eh, I avoid clipless pedals just for these reasons. My ride doesn’t look as cool with my old school stomp pedals but I can escape and evade much quicker. Hope you didn’t get too beat up on those spills.
Comment by Mr. Viddy 07.28.05 @ 5:13 pm