guadzilla

One tip that will help - if you are clipping out with your left foot, turn your front wheel slightly to the right as you are coming to a stop.

Also, you WILL have atleast one clipless fall (sorry, @umd). Cant be helped - but it is totally worth is.

noimagination

Agreed, the danger of falling over clipped in is way overblown. Even if you do fall over, you're slowed nearly to a stop anyway so the biggest injury is to your dignity.

Use locktite on cleat screw threads. No matter how good you are at unclipping, if the screws loosen during a ride, you're not going to be able to unclip. Ask me how I know ...

Awells32

Thanks for all the advice guys. Hopefully I wont be kissing the tarmac too often now.

Any advice on shoes? I've been looking on line, and prices range from dirt cheap to astronomical. Should I buy the cheap ones to begin with, then upgrade to more expensive ones later on, or will they just fall apart/be **** from straight away and not be worth it? If I were to get slightly more expensive ones, I'd probably go up to the £150ish kind of range. What do you recommend?

WhyFi

I'd recommend that you buy from a local shop.

Trying to find a pair of cycling shoes can be an ordeal - they're less forgiving than casual shoes and it's not unusual to try on multiple brands and various sizes. Stores that actually stock shoes that you can try on are a great resource - take advantage of that resource, but only if you're going to reward them with your business.

Awells32

I totally agree, but what with the ol' 'rona doing the rounds at the moment, not really possible any time soon.

WhyFi

Are bike shops not considered essential in your area? They're all open and doing good business around me.

If you can't get out to any shops, you'll have to play the shipping game. Find an online retailer that does free shipping and returns on shoes and start trying them out. It might also help to check the website of the shoe manufacturer - they sometimes have more detailed fit measurements and that can help cut down on the trial and error.

Awells32

They are, yeah, but it's a weird system where you go to the door with a list of what you want, guy in the shop then goes and gets it for you and brings it to the door. You never actually go inside the shop. Fine for some things, but not others. Dont think most places will even let you try stuff on incase it doesnt fit and you leave your nasty germs all over it

eduskator

I fall 1 time per year, it's unavoidable. Always at traffic light when forgetting to unclip or trying to unclip too late (it's harder to unclip when you are steady). This year I fell again at the same intersection where I had fallen last year. I hate this place

WhyFi

I would contact the shops individually and clarify their position on trying on shoes. Unless you have unusual foot proportions, you can probably find a decent pair of shoes locally; even if you have to try them on outside, it would be far less hassle than shipping and returning over and over.

phrantic09

Its only happened to me once and was because I had a dirt packed cleat after helping a buddy with a flat on a dirt road. Went over in a full parking lot at our old breakfast stop.

WhyFi

Oh, as far as shoes and costs -

How a shoe fits is the most important thing and that'll often stay consistent over a given brand's line-up (unless they have specific wide/narrow options). As you move up in price with a given brand, you'll usually get stiffer soles, lighter weights and convenience features like Boa dials that are more easily adjusted. So, first things first, find a brand with a shape that you get along with and then look at the features that you get as you move up in price-point. Find where you're most comfortable with the value proposition and you're done.

WhyFi

My only close calls were due to the same issue - for me, easily clogged cleats are just about the only drawback for Speedplays. I've been more mindful since, though, and will usually clip/unclip multiple times if I have any difficulty clipping in after walking around in dirt or snow.

fishboat

..falling over is way overblown here.

I rode with toeclips, the way they should be used(strapping in snug), for decades and switched over to SPD "clipless" (horrible name-term, since you are clipping in) a few years ago and it's basically the same. Never fallen, or even close. If you're used to toeclips..correctly (being conscious about freeing a foot before stopping), then switching to SPD pedals is a no-brainer. My girlfriend, new to cycling, started using SPD pedals a couple years ago..she's never had any issues.

Put the pedals on, loosen the clip tension all the way, go for a ride and tighten the tension as needed, if needed.

(then again..there's one woman we ride with on a rare occasion..after riding with SPDs for a couple years..she's a clutz and falls over at least once per ride..ymmv)

popeye

You forgot longevity, I have Sidi's last over 10yrs and cheap shoes not lasting a year.

Awells32

This was the point I was trying to make. With somethings, you buy cheap, you end up buying twice, with other things, the extra money is just waisted. I was wondering if this was the case with shoes, would it be worth splashing out for a better quality pair straight from the beginning?

taco2ewsday

I went SPD for two reasons, I wanted walk-able shoes and I wanted shoes I could use at my Gym's spin classes in the winter. So I got a bunch of practice clipping in/out over winter and so far so good no falls out on the road.

Good luck

WhyFi

A lot of brands are going to have similar construction at multiple price points, but with the previously mentioned differences of the soles and retention systems. I don't know what "cheap" shoes popeye was talking about, but I'm not aware of any $100 cycling shoes from a major manufacturer that won't last you years if they're not abused.

As far as splashing out on a first pair - you do you, but know that a) being comfortable clip-cloping around the house or shop for 45 seconds doesn't necessarily translate to comfort at mile 10 or 30 or 50 or whatever and b) spending more isn't necessarily going to give you better chances of finding a shoe that is more comfortable for the duration of a long ride.

guadzilla

The main difference is that cheaper shoes typically have fiberglass/reinforced nylon soles. These are perfectly fine - but once you put on all carbon soles, the difference in stiffness is noticeable. Whether or not that makes a difference - probably nothing major. But it feel more efficient/nicer for sure.

Other than that, i dont think longevity is an issue.. my old fiberglass shoes were working very well 4 years into my ownership, till they met a golden retriever puppy with teething issues....

mgopack42 

I always recommend Sidi shoes when asked. they will last you a long time. In fact I had a hard time finding a LBS that stocked them. One I went too, after finding them on the Sidi dealers page, had only a smattering of old stock. when I asked why such low inventory, he told me that Sidis are so good, people don't tend to buy any more since they last so long! what better testament. another advantage to Sidi shoes is that you can buy replacement wear items for them. They are a classic case of spend more once, rather than less multiple times. Also, if you have wide feet several models are available in the "mega" version, which gives a much larger toe box. the Genius may be one of these.

WhyFi

Just to clarify, the lasts used in the Megas are the same width, but the uppers are more generous, allowing your foot to spill over a bit. This will work for people that have feet that are slightly too wide for the regular Sidis, but people that actually have wide feet might be better off looking elsewhere.

Seattle Forrest

My first pair of clipless shoes was cheap, and real floppy. I'd get foot pain after long rides, right where the pedal ended and the shoe flexed.

caloso

Same. Since then I've been willing to spend money on shoes that are stiff, light, and fit best.

Jim from Boston

First time going clipless - how to avoid the road rash?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mackgoo

If you can maneuver with clips, clip less will be a breeze. Just remember to unclip when you come to a stop.

My advice after a few falls, the first three within about a couple months after starting is unclip one foot, for me the right foot next to a curb, if you even think about stopping.

BTW, I previously posted:

noimagination

Hmmm. I have EEE feet, and I love my Sidi Megas (Genius ... 5? I think?).

WhyFi

And that's awesome - finding shoes, like finding a saddle, can be a big challenge, so when you find something that works, you stick with it.

...but that doesn't change the fact that they're just adding more upper material on the same lasts, giving you 4mm more spillover vs their regular widths. I'm a ~4E and the High Volume approach (used by most manufacturers: Sidi, Giro, Shimano, etc) just doesn't work for me. Well, it works for me for about an hour, but that's about it. For people with wide feet, and for whom the HV approach just doesn't cut it, Lake and Bont are a some of the only manufacturers that accommodate with a wider last. After years of searching with local shops, I finally broke down and did the mail order thing with Lake - so much better, I wish that I would have done it sooner (well, I wish that shops stocked them and didn't make jumping through the mail order hoops necessary, but that's a different story).