[adamant118]

i just cant seem to get . i know i only been riding with them for a few weeks now but this is for road bikes not mountain bikes! tell me i am worng? i dam near broke my ass the last cupple of times.. will it get better?

 

[redmr2_man]

yep. just ride around on fireroads or your neighborhood til you get more used to it.

 

[matamata]

It will get better. And it is very much worth it!! Depending on your chioce of trails and riding style, clipless become more valuable the more climbing you do, especially technical climbing. keep your pedals turning (and setting up your power stroke) is the ultimate goal to get you through any tough section. clipless really helps this. but, it can come with a price at first (and later for that matter) . Fact of life: you are not always gonna get out. help yourself out, make sure tension in set tight enough to hold you in, but you also need to be released. looser at first is probably better for you. but you might disengage with a big power pull on them. they will need to be adjusted as your cleats begin to wear. Also some cleats and companies vary in the release motions required. (some are just easier than others to release) practice release and engagement as much as possible in non-threatening environment. practice, practice, practice!!!, your release motion has to happen in a split second-without even thinking about it!!! And with practice it will!! Keep on crank'n!!

 

[silves1171]

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I started using clipless in early November. I have had no problems when riding on the road, but on trails it's been a different story. Unfortunately, I lack the coordination to twist my foot and take it out of the pedals when I'm in 'panic' mode and end falling whenever I panic. On the other hand, this same 'panic' mode has forced me to concentrate a lot more when riding through difficult terrain to make sure I pick the best line possible and in some cases since I wasn't able to 'unclip' fast enough I've been able to force my self over obstacles I would'nt have otherwise. So I guess I'm becoming a better rider, but it's coming at a price....

 

[managedenemy]

It will get better; I know of pros that even had issues with clipless when they first came out.

 

[tald]

adamant118, a few questions to know how to help: what clipless pedals are you running? SPDs? Times? CBs? What cleats? Have you started with a low-tension for the pedals? Are you trying drops and jumps and real slow technical terrain with them at this point or just trail rides?

 

[scottzg]

Yup, your body has to learn them so it's not conscious. Eventually weighting the outsides of your heels as you stop or tip over becomes natural. It's like driving stick shift.

 

[HeezaGeeza]

Same feelings for me too......

I'm trialling the Shimano M424 pedals at the moment as I find they have the most adjustability. If you use the SH-56 cleats you can release by twisting as normal or rolling your foot off (lifting sole of the foot away from pedal) and by pulling directly up if the tension is loose enough.

So far so good, and on the plus side - my regular trail of 5 years I've been riding on Singlespeed for about 8 months. First time with the cleats I nailed the one hill I can't ride SS normally. Stoked and will definitely persevere.

Haven't had a fall yet but I expect it one day. Till then I'll keep the body armour on and be prepared. A fall is always worse in the mind than reality anyway.

 

[dropadrop]

I went through three different clipless pedals feeling like the OP, and dispite trying for two years I never got comfortable. Then I got Shimano M647's and have not thought about the pedals since (about a year now).

People say you will get used to them, but I say it depends. I seem to be incompatible with CB eggbeaters or candies and no amount of training helps. They are not natural to clip out of, or natural to clip in. Possibly better / other CB pedals feel different (you will find plenty of people defending them here).

 

[managedenemy]

I'm trialling the Shimano M424 pedals at the moment as I find they have the most adjustability. If you use the SH-56 cleats you can release by twisting as normal or rolling your foot off (lifting sole of the foot away from pedal) and by pulling directly up if the tension is loose enough.

So far so good, and on the plus side - my regular trail of 5 years I've been riding on Singlespeed for about 8 months. First time with the cleats I nailed the one hill I can't ride SS normally. Stoked and will definitely persevere.

Haven't had a fall yet but I expect it one day. Till then I'll keep the body armour on and be prepared. A fall is always worse in the mind than reality anyway.

Glad you nailed that hill!

 

[perttime]

There's a learning curve.
To learn faster, you need to practice. Don't just ride and wait for the unexpected stop and "Timbeeerrr!!!". Take a while to ride 5 seconds, clip out, clip in, repeat.

I see the movement mainly as pushing my heel away from the bike and to the ground: not really thinking about twisting.

 

[norcosam]

You will get the hang of the clips.I have been riding for about 7 years clipped in,including Freeride and downhill,I also hit drops and jumps clipped in.Its worth it.I find they work the best on very rocky and rough sections,you don't need to worry about your feet slipping off.

 

[wyatt79m]

keep trying it's soooo worth it.

 

[Locutus]

here is a way i got past the panic mode

do this on a surface that is flat and semi- soft

get some good speed and STOP HARD. stay clipped untill you start to fall then clip out. you will find the panic will lessen as you get faster clipping out

 

[b45her]

i dont feel safe on flats ,my feet bounce everywhere, in my opinion its all mental ,once you get your head around not having to get your foot out everytime you feel nervous thier fine its all about confidence, and trusting yourself

 

[Iridethedirt]

You will get the hang of the clips.I have been riding for about 7 years clipped in,including Freeride and downhill,I also hit drops and jumps clipped in.Its worth it.I find they work the best on very rocky and rough sections,you don't need to worry about your feet slipping off.

+1
and as far as the whole panic causing inability to release from your pedal... When muscle memory kicks in, you will do it without thinking, so trying to get a foot out as you fall like a tree will last a short time. Muscle memory takes something like 5 to 10,000 repetitions to establish iirc. Another warning; mud + spd pedals = insanely hard to release. The mechanism gets packed with mud and cannot move to release the cleat without squishing the mud out of the way. In my area, we have thick clay like mud and it is unforgiving with spd systems. FYI: I still ride spd pedals, went down once last season due to a no release because somehow a piece of a stick broke off into my pedal and jammed my cleat in place. You will fall down because of clipless at some point or another...

 

[perttime]

And you will fall on flat pedals too, at some point or another...

 

[twowheelsdown2002]

I'm trialling the Shimano M424 pedals at the moment as I find they have the most adjustability. If you use the SH-56 cleats you can release by twisting as normal or rolling your foot off (lifting sole of the foot away from pedal) and by pulling directly up if the tension is loose enough.

So far so good, and on the plus side - my regular trail of 5 years I've been riding on Singlespeed for about 8 months. First time with the cleats I nailed the one hill I can't ride SS normally. Stoked and will definitely persevere.

Haven't had a fall yet but I expect it one day. Till then I'll keep the body armour on and be prepared. A fall is always worse in the mind than reality anyway.

+1 for the 56 cleats.:thumbsup:

I use these on my M-647 pedals, and they work awesome for me. I can tackle very rocky, and technical uphills with more power than a flat, and still dab in an instant if need be. I slowly have tightened them up more, and still get out instantly when needed.

 

[twowheelsdown2002]

I went through three different clipless pedals feeling like the OP, and dispite trying for two years I never got comfortable. Then I got Shimano M647's and have not thought about the pedals since (about a year now).

People say you will get used to them, but I say it depends. I seem to be incompatible with CB eggbeaters or candies and no amount of training helps. They are not natural to clip out of, or natural to clip in. Possibly better / other CB pedals feel different (you will find plenty of people defending them here).

Me and my girlfriend like very rocky, technical trails, and both love the M-647 pedals.:thumbsup: (we use the 56 cleat)

Sharon tried Candy-C pedals after many years on some really beat up Shimano pedals, and she immediately started falling over, unable to get her foot down in time. Not only that, but in a very short time, the bars were visibly distorting from rock strikes. She only used them a month or so, and tossed em. Cheap CB pedals do not hold up in rocky terrain.

We have had the M-647 pedals over a year, and have beat the crud out of both pairs with no problems. We did get new cleats after about 6 months because of our rocky terrain, and our penchant for technical trails that sometimes force some hike-a-biking.

 

[EvilGringo]

I use shimanos so I can adjust the tension, it was a pain to learn at first but I love the confidence in knowing when Im going downhill and getting tossed around that I am glued to my bike.
You will learn to bail out by pulling your heals out to the side and it will become second nature.
Good luck and stick with it!

Oh another good tip, check to make sure your cleat is tight to your shoe. Just ask my buddy who couldnt clip out on a climb and ended up having to take off his shoe off and walk that portion to find flat ground. It was hilarious