[SpinWheelz]

I rode my clipless pedals for the first time yesterday and thought the following:
a) What the hell was I afraid of all this time?
b) I'm never riding without clipless pedals again.

I got what I thought was an absolute steal on a pair of Eggbeaters. I installed them on my bike on Saturday... AFTER a 20-mile ride 'cause I was too chicken for one reason or other. Then yesterday I went on a slightly burlier ride at the Blue Mountain Reserve near Peekskill, NY and decided that if I better just get this clipless orientation over and done with.

Took me all of about a minute to get used to clicking in and snapping out. It was fantastic. Click, ride, ride, ride, snap-off. They felt GREAT! Even when I fell, it felt great. At one point, I was going uphill, my tires slipped on some slippery rocks and I went down sideways. But I went down so fast I didn't have time to react with my feet, and I ended up on my back with the bike vertically on top of me, still attached to my feet! Everyone got a good laugh out of it - I looked like the dead horse in Dean Wormer's office in Animal House.

Anyway, the best thing about the clipless pedals was my ability to bunny-hop. I think it's all mind over matter. I'd been dying to learn how to bunny hop that I'd read up and studied technique for a while now. So the moment I snapped on the pedals, I tried to bunny-hop and was able to pull off three bunny-hopes in a row on a clear straight. THREE! Holy crap, I was so happy I yelled "WHO-HOOOO!!!" The trick now is being able to get distance on that bunny-hop. And that should come with some more practice on these pedals.

I guess I just wanted to chime in and add to the general consensus that clipless pedals rule, and that I feel like a wuss for not trying this three months earlier when I first bought my bike.

 

[moab63]

After a year or so they will be like an extension of your

I rode my clipless pedals for the first time yesterday and thought the following:
a) What the hell was I afraid of all this time?
b) I'm never riding without clipless pedals again.

I got what I thought was an absolute steal on a pair of Eggbeaters. I installed them on my bike on Saturday... AFTER a 20-mile ride 'cause I was too chicken for one reason or other. Then yesterday I went on a slightly burlier ride at the Blue Mountain Reserve near Peekskill, NY and decided that if I better just get this clipless orientation over and done with.

Took me all of about a minute to get used to clicking in and snapping out. It was fantastic. Click, ride, ride, ride, snap-off. They felt GREAT! Even when I fell, it felt great. At one point, I was going uphill, my tires slipped on some slippery rocks and I went down sideways. But I went down so fast I didn't have time to react with my feet, and I ended up on my back with the bike vertically on top of me, still attached to my feet! Everyone got a good laugh out of it - I looked like the dead horse in Dean Wormer's office in Animal House.

Anyway, the best thing about the clipless pedals was my ability to bunny-hop. I think it's all mind over matter. I'd been dying to learn how to bunny hop that I'd read up and studied technique for a while now. So the moment I snapped on the pedals, I tried to bunny-hop and was able to pull off three bunny-hopes in a row on a clear straight. THREE! Holy crap, I was so happy I yelled "WHO-HOOOO!!!" The trick now is being able to get distance on that bunny-hop. And that should come with some more practice on these pedals.

I guess I just wanted to chime in and add to the general consensus that clipless pedals rule, and that I feel like a wuss for not trying this three months earlier when I first bought my bike.

leg, You will fall a few times because you think too much about unclipping but after a while is like second nature. Then is so awesome because all you hear is the click on and off, no real thinking about it. Welcome to the dark side of mountain biking

 

[bulC]

may all your clipless falls be humorous

At one point, I was going uphill, my tires slipped on some slippery rocks and I went down sideways. But I went down so fast I didn't have time to react with my feet, and I ended up on my back with the bike vertically on top of me, still attached to my feet! Everyone got a good laugh out of it - I looked like the dead horse in Dean Wormer's office in Animal House.

Hopefully the exact same thing will never happen to you when riding a singletrack with a couple hundred feet of serious exposure on the downhill side, because then nobody will be laughing.

Clipless works great when you have time to anticipate the impending fall and you react quickly enough to get your feet out. When you don't, let's all wish you're not riding a trail on the edge of a big ol' cliff.

How's that go? "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride?"

Me, I ride every day, often, like today coming down the CO Trail, on singletrack that is extremely unforgiving should you fall. That's why I use nothing but PowerGrips, good pedals like SunTour XC Pro and Compe, with WTB ToeFlips so I don't struggle getting in. Makes me a better rider on sketchy technical stuff, because I KNOW I will never ever fall because of my pedals.

I can bunnyhop fine with them, as well as pull up to muscle up the steeps.

My health coverage sucks. I can't afford a fall, and am not willing to rely on good luck and wishes to keep me safe.

 

[HTail]

climbing

Though clipless has undeniable benefits in technical efforts, whether hopping stuff or just bombing down a single track, I find one of the biggest benefits is in climbing.

Simply put, it's just nice not having to think about keeping your foot over and on the pedals while really grinding up hills. The effort in cranking & negotiating the terrain in itself is plenty to deal with. Clipless pedals make this a non-issue.

After you have a few years and several seasons in clipless, you'll feel stranger riding a bike without them than with them!

 

[Managuense]

Unless you have a loose cleat, you will find that with time, pedal related crashes are nonexistant.

 

[SpinWheelz]

I sure hope so, 'cause I have plenty of other non-pedal-related crashes to make up the difference!

 

[scottms33]

yepper

the more you ride the better you will feal in them, i hate the fact that some times i dont use them, like when i want to go some where and wear my birks, i used to use regular egg beaters now i am using the candy ones, i just put the other ones on my old bike.

scott