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Well after talking some riding friends, I decided to give clipless pedals a try.
So I picked up some shoes and a set of Shimano 654, (i think that's the name). Anyhow, I've been riding on platforms and making the switch to clipless was somewhat a hard idea to get use to.
Anyhow, I installed the pedals and decided to hit a nice, easy trail. My immediate impression while taking the 2 mile trail with a gradual climb was the leverage I had. I was able to reach the 2 mile point at a faster pace. At this point I was pretty satisfied with my move...
So then I decided to take some single track uphill trails. It was here where my 1st impressions where torn!
I fell 3 times in different situations.
(1) While climbing and trying to shift and not having enough leverage
(2) While running into some traffic going up
(3) While speeding down the single track and trying to make a sharp banked turn.
All of the three situations, I could not clip out.
This obviously sucked! And put a big dent on my impressions on how all of the three mentioned above should have been easier with clipless pedals.
So my bottom line impression... is that clipless pedals are good for gradual climbs with no binding situations, (corners, steep climbs that take maneuvering) but suck for downhill and single track climbs.
My question for the more advance and experienced riders...
- Is this something that takes time to get use to?
- Do you clipping while going downhill?
------ If so, is there a clipless pedal you clip out of and use as a platform style pedal?
- And is there a trick to get use to clipping in and clipping out.
I'm going to keep practicing.. until I get use to it. But it would be great to get some feedback to help aid my questions when out on the trails.
Thanks in Advance!
So I picked up some shoes and a set of Shimano 654, (i think that's the name). Anyhow, I've been riding on platforms and making the switch to clipless was somewhat a hard idea to get use to.
Anyhow, I installed the pedals and decided to hit a nice, easy trail. My immediate impression while taking the 2 mile trail with a gradual climb was the leverage I had. I was able to reach the 2 mile point at a faster pace. At this point I was pretty satisfied with my move...
So then I decided to take some single track uphill trails. It was here where my 1st impressions where torn!
I fell 3 times in different situations.
(1) While climbing and trying to shift and not having enough leverage
(2) While running into some traffic going up
(3) While speeding down the single track and trying to make a sharp banked turn.
All of the three situations, I could not clip out.
This obviously sucked! And put a big dent on my impressions on how all of the three mentioned above should have been easier with clipless pedals.
So my bottom line impression... is that clipless pedals are good for gradual climbs with no binding situations, (corners, steep climbs that take maneuvering) but suck for downhill and single track climbs.
My question for the more advance and experienced riders...
- Is this something that takes time to get use to?
- Do you clipping while going downhill?
------ If so, is there a clipless pedal you clip out of and use as a platform style pedal?
- And is there a trick to get use to clipping in and clipping out.
I'm going to keep practicing.. until I get use to it. But it would be great to get some feedback to help aid my questions when out on the trails.
Thanks in Advance!