I was wondering how some of you handle sections of singletrack with clipless pedals that are nasty (and I mean nasty) roots and rocks. I've been riding clipless for about 6 or 7 years and while I love them for climbing and bunny hopping, etc. they can be a royal pain in serious roots and rocks where the time to react to a slapdown is about a half a second. If a get pitched to the left I'm OK because I guess I'm more coordinated with my left foot but if it's to the right - TIMBER !!!!! You all know those diffs when you're off balance and can't unclip and you actually have time to expel some out loud thoughts on the way down. My favorite is a long SH ............T. Anyway, I was wondering how some of you handled these situations. Do you unclip one foot before entering a really technical sectin or leave em both on and power through it? How many racers don't use clipless pedals for technical courses? I'm not talking about simple little roots and rocks, I'm talking about sections of uphill and downhill that have roots and rocks everywhere. Maybe I'll take a camera next time and post some pictures. Thanks for any insights.
Roots, Rocks and Clipless
westbound
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I was wondering how some of you handle sections of singletrack with clipless pedals that are nasty (and I mean nasty) roots and rocks. I've been riding clipless for about 6 or 7 years and while I love them for climbing and bunny hopping, etc. they can be a royal pain in serious roots and rocks where the time to react to a slapdown is about a half a second. If a get pitched to the left I'm OK because I guess I'm more coordinated with my left foot but if it's to the right - TIMBER !!!!! You all know those diffs when you're off balance and can't unclip and you actually have time to expel some out loud thoughts on the way down. My favorite is a long SH ............T. Anyway, I was wondering how some of you handled these situations. Do you unclip one foot before entering a really technical sectin or leave em both on and power through it? How many racers don't use clipless pedals for technical courses? I'm not talking about simple little roots and rocks, I'm talking about sections of uphill and downhill that have roots and rocks everywhere. Maybe I'll take a camera next time and post some pictures. Thanks for any insights.
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There's your answer. Build confidence with your right. Every time you stop use your right rather than your left. Practice in your back yard or in a field. Just ride 10 feet, stop and unclick your right. Over and over and over.westbound said:
No, that would defeat the purpose of them.
Sounds like you're not 100% confident with them in all situations. Untill they are 2nd nature and you don't think about them, they will be your weakness.
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Try one gear easier ther you would on a smooth trail of the same grade (flat or climbing). Sometimes powering through works, but I've found that spinning through gives a much higher percentage of cleaning a nasty section. Also try working on pedal kicks, they can really get you out of some rough patches. I use Time ATACs and almost never unclip for techical sections, only real nasty rocky, rooty, twisting singletrack descents.
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It sounds like confidence is your problem. You have to trust that you are not going to fall, if you are nervous on your clipless pedals after 6 or 7 years there are probably some bad techniques that you have trained yourself to do. I am just as confident on a rocky section on clipless as I am on platforms. I wouldn't reccomend unclipping unless you have dual platform/clipless pedals and shoes that have enough tread on the bottom to grip the platforms efficently. Otherwise, unclipping seems like a death trap to me.
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I'd be scared to ride a technical section, especially a DH section, unclipped with a hard plastci XC shoe sole on a slippery clipless pedal. I feel 100% more confident and safe clipped in, knowing my foot isn't going to slip off at the worst possible time. It's hard to believe you've been clipped in for 6-7 yrs and still have these difficulties. I've been only clipped in for about a year, and only been riding for about a year and a half, (well, closing up on two years), and I can get out of my pedals in an instant and not even realise that I did it. Sometimes, I'll come into a rocky corner, and not even think that I might want to hang a foot out and after the fact I'll notice that I've already twisted my foot enough to have released my foot, but end up not needing to hang my foot out and just twist it back in. Then again, my whole loop is slow and technical, and I practiced long and hard, and fell over a LOT in the first couple of months. I also made it a point not to give up on technical climbs and sections, so I'd always try to restart, which often led to me falling down again. I didn't wear gloves back then, and it seemed that my hands ALWAYS found the sharpest rocks to land on, too. But it paid off...
Try this...
Go to a local park that has a grassy field and try to make yourself fall over. Waiting until the last possible second to unclip, do it going slowly, the point of this exercise is not to hurt yourself, but to train you to react quickly. You sound like you have more confidence with the left side, so you need to train the right side to do the same thing. Do this over and over, trust me after you fall a few times your reactions will begin to improve. To be honest when I first used clipless pedals I was scared I'd fall and get hurt, but I went to a field and practiced doing that for a few days and everything was cool.
Also...
This sounds like others have said to be a confidence problem and not a skill problem. I imagine that you have ingrained it into your head that you can't get out because it shouldn't be that hard to disengage from the pedal. Is it consistent release tension from both the left and right sides, if it is then a differential in the release tension wouldn't be the problem. But if it is extremely hard to get out of one or both pedals it might be time to back off the release tension.
Go to a local park that has a grassy field and try to make yourself fall over. Waiting until the last possible second to unclip, do it going slowly, the point of this exercise is not to hurt yourself, but to train you to react quickly. You sound like you have more confidence with the left side, so you need to train the right side to do the same thing. Do this over and over, trust me after you fall a few times your reactions will begin to improve. To be honest when I first used clipless pedals I was scared I'd fall and get hurt, but I went to a field and practiced doing that for a few days and everything was cool.
Also...
This sounds like others have said to be a confidence problem and not a skill problem. I imagine that you have ingrained it into your head that you can't get out because it shouldn't be that hard to disengage from the pedal. Is it consistent release tension from both the left and right sides, if it is then a differential in the release tension wouldn't be the problem. But if it is extremely hard to get out of one or both pedals it might be time to back off the release tension.
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just get some eggbeaters and don't worry anymore. Ever since I got the beaters, I have no worries that I will be able to unclip when needed. But with my old shimanos....well....I once fell in the middle of a crowded highway cause I couldn't unclip! DAMN THOSE THINGS!
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It sounds like you need to back the release tension off on the pedals. Multi-release cleats should help you get your feet out faster in a hurry too.
The middle of my MTB shoes have hardly any tread on the centre of the sole so I cut up some old tyres and glued a strip of tyre on instead. It's not perfect but gives a bit more security when you're trying to pedal clipped out with SPD's.
The middle of my MTB shoes have hardly any tread on the centre of the sole so I cut up some old tyres and glued a strip of tyre on instead. It's not perfect but gives a bit more security when you're trying to pedal clipped out with SPD's.
I'm a relative newbie to clipless (about 6 mo or so), and practice is indeed the way to develop skill and confidence. I ride 3-4X/week. I have reached the point where I really appreciate the advantages of clipless for pedaling, but I have still have to remind myself to unclip at times. The lowest release tension your pedals allow is the easiest way to learn. Also remember that many SPD-style clipless pedals do not release well at all if you are applying any upward force while trying to unclip. I still have to remind myself of that. Finally- most clipless pedals can get very hard to release if they are messed up by thick mud. Clean & properly lubed pedals work best.XC_Miles said:
FWIW- I still find myself "cheating" in certain situtions. I'll unclip my inboard foot too early in anticipation of doing an aggressive 'outrigger' turn. I'll also admit to unclipping in certain really tight and slow technical sections of rock/roots/etc. where walking speed is a good pace for riders MUCH more skilled than me. In those spots I find I can "ratchet" the pedals just fine unclipped, then clip back in when the trail opens up without losing too much momentum.
problem solved
I ride with PowerGrips, exclusively, on singletrack. I can pull up for climbing power, bunnyhop just fine, and can get a foot down instantly in any conditions so I never, ever fall due to being attached to my pedals.
I think clipless pedals are just dumb, as are people who think occasionally falling is just part of riding with them.
I never fall.
I ride with PowerGrips, exclusively, on singletrack. I can pull up for climbing power, bunnyhop just fine, and can get a foot down instantly in any conditions so I never, ever fall due to being attached to my pedals.
I think clipless pedals are just dumb, as are people who think occasionally falling is just part of riding with them.
I never fall.
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22 Posts
???
never fall??!!?? , how does one attain that level of skill??
never fall??!!??
, how does one attain that level of skill??
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2,160 Posts
Who says occasionally falling is part of riding with them? I never fall (due to not being able to get my foot out) either. If I fall, there were plenty of other factors involved, mostly lack of skill.bulC said:
I think making a blanket statement that an entire product group is dumb, is dumb.
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11,895 Posts
I find that a higher cadence
or spin through and over stuff helps me. If i try to stay on a taller gear its timber time. And yes i swear big time on the way down.westbound said:
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2,744 Posts
It's really...
all about balance, timing, fast-twitch muscle response and power. You pick a good line,
but a loose rock moves, or your tire (front or rear) slips and BINGO! A new, crappy line
was just thrust in your face. I use more of a crab-walk or spider-walk style of riding through
this type of buttruff; almost bow-legged. Give yourself an advantage by having more
"wiggle" room...room between your legs to toss the bike in correction maneuvers.
Momentum is always your friend...unless you're crashing!
As a last resort. use the fast twitch to get your foot out of the pedal!
Sometimes yelling helps.
all about balance, timing, fast-twitch muscle response and power. You pick a good line,
but a loose rock moves, or your tire (front or rear) slips and BINGO! A new, crappy line
was just thrust in your face. I use more of a crab-walk or spider-walk style of riding through
this type of buttruff; almost bow-legged. Give yourself an advantage by having more
"wiggle" room...room between your legs to toss the bike in correction maneuvers.
Momentum is always your friend...unless you're crashing!
As a last resort. use the fast twitch to get your foot out of the pedal!
Sometimes yelling helps.
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24 Posts
Power Grips: AMEN!
I started using them something like fifteen years ago, when cliples pedals were just for roadies... had my little lfing with clipless MB pedals, but found that Power Grips share all the advantages of clipless, with several advantages. Getting out easily is a great example, but even more important in my book, they're easy to get INTO, and they hold on tight even when they're dirty wet, muddy, etc. They get my vote!
I started using them something like fifteen years ago, when cliples pedals were just for roadies... had my little lfing with clipless MB pedals, but found that Power Grips share all the advantages of clipless, with several advantages. Getting out easily is a great example, but even more important in my book, they're easy to get INTO, and they hold on tight even when they're dirty wet, muddy, etc. They get my vote!
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