shed

So I just got a Domane SL5 (used to do my cycling on a DS3), and I added pedals that have a clip in one side and flat the other.

Want to dip my feet (literally) into doing clips (have only ever used toe clips, way back 30 years ago, on my old touring bike with 531 tubing - anyone remember that???)

1. I'm terrified of not being able to unclip and falling off when I stop. Justified?
2. I need a shoe in wide (there doesn't seem to be many), ride mostly casual 15-30 mile rides, and don't want to spend more than $150. Any Recs?
3. I have doubleshot 2 pedals. What else do I need to buy other than shoes to get the clips to work?

Oh and big thanks to this sub-forum for all the help on my noob questions so far. Hope to pay it forward over the years...

Carbonfiberboy 

1) Yes and no. My dentist managed to fall off in the parking lot, first try, and broke his wrist. I don't know another rider who had anything like that happen. If there's a flat lawn anywhere people won't bother you, try it there. Start, clip in, clip out as you stop. Stop and clip out before you fall over. Turn and clip out. etc. The main rule is: never put out your arm to break your fall, see the dentist. Your pedals probably have SPD on the non-flat side. They have adjustment screws to set the tension to resist forcibly pulling out. Back them all the way out. That way you can just rip your shoe out should you suddenly forget how to pull out. If you start to pull out while riding, tighten them a turn.

2) Get MTB shoes that'll work on either side of your pedals. Go to a bike shop. Really hard to buy bike shoes online. Even though they're more expensive at a bike shop, at least they'll fit.

3) You need cleats. If they didn't come with either the pedals or the shoes (unusual), buy them at the bike shop.

You're welcome. That's what I'm doing.

DrIsotope

Buy the 2-bolt shoe (which will be an MTB shoe) that your foot likes the most. Tons of shoes out there under $100, so a $150 budget should get you pretty far.

Bolt the CB cleats on, and give it a go. Crank Brothers pedals are extraordinarily easy to clip out off, so your risk of falling should be at the absolute minimum.

bigd777

Lake make a wide shoe speedplay pedals work good

Fendertele

Congrats and enjoy your SL5. It’s a great bike.
Going clipless can be mentally intimidating but after you’ve been there, done that, you may likely prefer riding clipless to flats. A few exercises that build confidence:
- practice clipping in and out in a stationary position while holding on to something. Engage the brake to keep the bike from rolling.
- decide which foot you will unclip from before coming to a stop
- unclip your resting foot several yards before coming to a stop.
- take some practice runs on a flat grassy area

reverborama

In over 10 years of riding clipless I've fallen over twice although there have been a few close calls! I think Fendertele nailed it. Unclipping several yards before you come to a stop works great. When starting again don't clip in right away. Practice practice practice. The scariest thing is coming to an abrupt stop and having to get your foot down quickly. Unclipping will become a reflex. I have single-sided pedals on all my bikes. That way I can zip around the block in sneakers or put on the MTB shoes for longer rides. I like ATAC Link Hybrid Clipless/Flat pedals. If you want SPDs, Campus pedals are a good choice.

I have wide feet as well. I really like my Keen Austin bike shoes, but they haven't been made for a few years now. You might have some luck with their existing product line but I have not tried those yet.

volosong

I also came from the days of "rat traps" and straps. The move to clipless was simple and easy. As reverborama says, it becomes a reflex.

I always unclip my right foot. Never the left. And when I start off, I clip the left in first, then the right. I have my pedals set of the easiest 'unmount' setting, and since coming from the toe ciip era, I use the 'no float' cleats. With Shimano pedals, cleats do come with them with purchase. Two main types of Shimano pedals, SPD for MTBs and SPD-SL for road bikes. The SPD pedals are the four-bolt in two lines pattern. SPD-SL are three bolts in a triangular pattern. Once you get your cleats where you want them on your shoes, take a Sharpie of some color and mark little ticks around both the cleat and the shoe so that replacement will be easy and you won't have to go through the trial and error method again.

The cleats you get with Shimano pedals are yellow and have 6 degrees of float. I use the red cleats that have zero float. Several years ago, they started selling blue 2 degree float cleats.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/infor...t-for-you.html

Look, Crank Brothers, and Speedplay also make excellent pedals and the four manufactures have the greatest market share in the business. There are others too. I've had a pair of Look and Crank Brothers, but narrowed it down to SPD-SL because of the number of bikes I have, (and SPD for my two mountain bikes).

jimmyodonnell

I just bought my first Crankbrothers pedals, Doubleshot 3s, clip-in on one side and flat on the other . . . I'll clip in when I'm riding gravel (alone) but I'll use the flats when I'm rolling around on pavement (with kids).
I'm pleasantly surprised with how easily I clip OUT of these when coming to a stop. It's just a small lateral movement, no real strain on the knees and way more fluid in the release than my SPD pedals on my road bike.
Even with the easy out, I have seen no compromise in transmission nor in staying clipped in while hammering the pedals.
I'm using the premium cleat sent with the 3s but I doubt there's any discernible difference when using their standard cleat that comes with the 2s.
My guess is that you should have no problem quickly getting comfortable clipping in and out of these with just a little practice . . . in summary, good choice on the Doubleshots (for your concerns).

And for my first pair of MTB / trail shoes I bought Specialized Recon 2, which is mid-level at $160, and they offer other Recon models above and below this price point.
The fit on these is so much more relaxed than my same-sized road shoes (also Specialized) that I had to double check the Recons to see if I'd received WIDEs by mistake.
There is no mistake, these are regular width, but the fit is considerably more relaxed than my road shoe. These might be worth your consideration for your sizing needs and target price point . . . because it's hard to find Lakes under $225/250.

Barry2 

The force required to extract the shoe from the clip/pedal is adjustable on many.
In the beginning I ran mine so loose that I could extract simply on instinct of putting my leg out to catch myself while attempting a face plant.
Just remember that if you do choose to run the clips loose then they may let go too early. example sprinting... not good!

All the best

Barry

Ogsarg

In my experience, falling is a result of coming to a stop and not remembering that you are clipped in till it's too late, which only happens when you first start using them. I fell twice in the first 2-3 rides and never since. As others have said, it just becomes second nature. I use both SPD-SL and SPD pedals on different bikes and the SPD's are much easier to unclip.

Classtime 

I have wide feet also. For years, SIDI Megas have been good to me. Last year I needed new shoes for my SPD bikes and went to a store that carried LAKE shoes. Highly recommend them as they have three different lasts and the middle one is best for my wide feet. Take your bike with you with your new pedals to a store that carries Lake shoes. They will fit you.

70sSanO

Falling also happens when you don’t turn/lean toward/move the weight to the unclipped side. A classic move is is unclipping the right foot and then leaning and falling to the left. You need to make a conscious effort to stop the same way every time.

John

Carbonfiberboy 

Yes. There's a debate in the community about which foot goes down. Most roads have crown, and thus it's a shorter distance on the left and if you screw up, you fall right, good. OTOH, it's also possible to fall left when new to the pedals, plus there's a small risk of having your left foot run over, as happened to someone in a group ride I was on. I'm a right-foot-down rider, mostly because I just want to lean away from the vehicles at a stop light.

My wife and I were on a loaded tandem tour in the Czech Republic when I screwed up in the final instant and somehow the loaded bike fell left. Once a tandem starts to go, there's no stopping it. No big deal, except it was on a Sunday, right in front of a church that was just letting its parishioners out. What a fuss!

tim24k

Good advice on above posts.

I have and use double sided SPD petals on most of my bikes.

https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com...or-spd-pedals/

bikebikebike

I think EVERYONE who has used clipless has fallen at some time and not gotten their feet both loose and untangled before landing.
Maybe not 100% but close enough.
This is the Over 50 board, Flat pedals are perfectly acceptable.
perhaps not as totally efficient, certainly not as fashionable,
But much safer, and certainly merit consideration.
The risks of clips are not as great when you heal and react faster.
I just use clips on my trikes , where slipping off and running over a foot is the real threat, falling over unlikely, and plenty of time is available to clip out.

shed

So this is my fear. I had broken wrist falling off a bike 3 years ago, when it was close to stationary (yes, I just put my hand out to break the fall...), and it still hurts 3 years later.

caloso

In my experience, riders who started with clips and straps have a much easier time moving to clipless than those who didn’t. Why? Because it’s a helluva lot easier than clips and straps, which required you to lean down and loosen the strap and then wiggle your foot out. With clipless, you keep your hands on the bars and it’s a single motion: rotate your heel outward.

That’s it. Practice it a few times on a grass field if you think you need it (but you probably don’t).

Also, if you fall, keep your hands on the bars.

leob1

Practice unclipping both feet. You'll use one more than the other most of the time, but every once in a while you'll need to unclip and put the off side foot down first. It's good to have the muscle memory before you have to do it at the last minute. Also practice unclipping both feet at the same time. Your gonna fall, we all do. But you will also be stopped or nearly stopped, so just roll on to your side. Practice this on grass for when the time comes. Everybody will laugh. Welcome to the club.
BTW I fell more using clips and straps then with clipless.

bikebikebike

Great thread. Good pointers on technique.
Let me to continue to indulge my contrarian nature and take a chance on reflecting on the fact that clips are a racing tool that may not always be acceptable.
There're many factors that affect the foot/pedal interface and I wonder to what degree that , for older riders , there may be a differing threshold before clips actually have an overall advantage.
I am also biased towards safety over speed, and this is very much more important as we get older and have a greater risk of more severe injury,
and have a diminished capacity to heal.
As we get older falling is often more frequent and injury more severe, shifting the curve.
Stiff shoes and a clip without strap that helps with foot positioning may also be a useful tool,
that maintains a lot of the safety and flexibility that riding without being clipped in may offer.
it's based on your style.
An unstated part of the process is discovering how to ride your own ride.

Speedway2

My experience.....I started riding "traps" in the mid-70's. Finally made the switch to SPD's late 90's. I tested the waters with a pair of Lakes and set the tension to the lowest setting.
Over the years I've only "fell" twice. Both times I was riding very slow (walking pace) and didn't unclip (brain fart) and went down when I hit the brakes. No damage done except to my ego.

Last summer I bought a Hybrid with flats for casual riding in the neighbourhood. If felt strange not to be "attached" to the bike. When I got jolted by ninja pot-hole my foot slipped off the pedal throwing off my balance. It could have been ugly.
When I got home I installed a pair of SPD's and haven't looked back. The Lakes are gone but I'm still riding with the lowest tension setting.

When my wife bought her dream Colnago road bike (3yrs ago @ 56) she had SPD's installed. She's not the most co-ordinated or focused rider so I was a little concerned. I have to give her credit....she has never had a problem and if she can learn to ride "clipped-in" anyone can.

Hikebikerun

I also have wide feet (toe box) and recently tried out 5 different pairs of shoes that were SPD compatible. Bontrager and Giro were way too narrow. Couldn’t find Lake or Shimano in my size, although I hear they are good for those needing a wider shoe.

I settled on a pair of Specialized Sport MTB shoes, they provide just enough room for me.

zacster

Did anybody mention trying these first on a trainer? Well, do that. You won't fall. Clip in and out, get used to the feel. Then go somewhere that you know you won't need to stop and practice there, unclipping and then stopping, or unclip and keep going and repeating it. Then go out for real.

I'd been riding clipless for years and then got power meter pedals and found that they were so tight that I had trouble getting out. I rode with one foot out the first few times then got on the trainer with them and just practiced. I never fell with them and it's been two years now. They've loosened considerably too and are now easy, or maybe it is just second nature again.

Elbeinlaw

When I came back to cycling, I "forgot" to remove the rat traps that I put on the bike back when I was cycle-communiting back when I was of an age that did not qualify for this thread.

So this weekend I took a 3 mile ride that somehow stretched to 8. Near the end, my legs were basically exhausted when I started up a hill. I realized that I wasn't going to make it up the hill about 1 1/2 milliseconds before my legs completely quit. Unfortunately it took me about 5 milliseconds to get out of my 'traps. Which meant I didn't. I just plain fell over. It happened twice within about 2 miles, and both times it was the combination of not getting out of the rat traps + muscle exhaustion = kaboom. So I've just ordered flat pedals.

I'm worried about rolling my foot off the pedals, which is why I went to 'traps in the first place. But I do wonder about the smaller toe clips, and whether if I remove the straps from my 'traps if I end up with toe clips. Comments?

JanMM

Rat traps are a style of pedals that are commonly, but not always, used with toe clips. My wife uses a set of MKS rat traps with min-clips/half-clips on her hybrid e-assist bike. They seem to work well.
I used toe clips for a couple of decades, then Power Straps for a couple of years, then started using two-bolt SPD style pedals/shoes in 1998.. Haven't stopped. Can't remember ever falling over related to pedal retention systems - but, of course, I do have an old man's memory.
If you tell yourself that everybody falls over, that increases the odds of it actually happening. Self-fulfilling prophecy. (Which isn't to say that cyclists don't sometimes fall over.)

oldwinger14

To get used to my clipless pedals (Look Keo), I bought them as last Winter set in and installed them just before attaching my bike to my trainer for the Winter. It was a great way to get used to clipping in/out without the risk if falling over. To date, I have fallen twice and each was during my first few outdoor rides. Both times, I simply forgot I was clipped in....until it was too late! Other than my pride, nothing was injured.