rydabent

On my bike I put my right foot down for a couple of reasons, I lead off with a power stroke from my left foot because if you were in band or the military, you lead off with your left foot. Then too if your right foot is down, you naturally lean your bike to the right out of traffic. It also makes easier to look back for traffic when you are ready to mount up again.

cyccommute 

If you do a bodge job of unclipping (or getting your foot out of toe clips or put your foot down wrong or etc.), you generally fall away from traffic if you put your right foot down.

That, of course, assumes right side of the road driving.

one4smoke

But, if you're right foot down, you're generally going to fall on the side that you're still clipped into. Which would be the left into traffic.

cyccommute 

Not in my experience. Think about how you prepare for a stop. You tend to lean towards the side that you are trying to remove from the pedal. If you put the right foot down, you are trying to lean to the right as you unclip and fall in that direction and, thus, into traffic. If you put left foot down, the same applies and you fall in that direction and away from traffic.

Mountain biking has taught me to remove either foot, depending on the trail, and if I fall over there...which is far more common than on the road...I fall to the side I’m trying to unclip. That comes in handy because the reason I’m trying to unclip is usually to avoid falling off the trail.

wolfchild

I don't do it for safety... I had a preference for putting my right foot down ever since I started cycling, it's just a habit which feels natural and most comfortable to me. Occasionally I will put my left foot down but 99% of a time it's my right foot.

wolfchild

Arguing and debating about such a trivial irrelevant thing is a great way to end an old year...Seriously it doesn't matter, there is no right or wrong here.

Drew Eckhardt 

Track stand for stop signs, left foot for all but the shortest lights.

I have no idea whether that comes from motorcycles where I keep my right foot on the rear brake or my left foot being dominant because I snowboard regular not goofy footed.

Sy Reene

I've seen the rookie falls from failing to unclip, did it myself once. You're suggesting these falls occur with both feet still clipped in. Not that I've seen or experienced, typically the fall is because the wrong foot was unclipped for the direction they leaned (and then fell).

rubiksoval

Don't plan routes with stoplights, but if you must, never put a foot down. Track stands are de rigueur.

If you have to unclip for some other actual legitimate reason, then left. Getting grease on your leg because you can't clip in or out appropriately and/or clean your chain once in a while is truly shameful.

Chuck M 

Right. Just because that seems to be the foot I unclip from first.

one4smoke

I'm trying to understand what you're saying, but why would you fall on the side you're unclipped on (unless there's oil, ice or something) ? With clipless pedals, most riders fall simply because they didn't get unclipped in time, or If unclipped on a certain side, they'll inadvertently lean to the other side, which is still clipped.

cyccommute 

I’ve always done it as well but when I started using toe clips and clipless, I started thinking about why I did it. My wife who is only 5’ tall and rode bikes that were 7” or more too tall (23” frame instead of a 16”), puts her left foot done because she couldn’t reach the ground if she put her foot down on the right (proper) side with those large bikes. She had to stand on tiptoe and slide her leg over the top tube doing a kind of split to get off a bike at a stop. She thought about it long before toe clips and clipless. When you are riding a bike that is 2 to 3” taller than you have legs for, every fraction of an inch counts.

cyccommute 

Why would you fall to the side you are clipped into? Yes, I’ve seen people throw out the leg that is unclipped but that is rare. For the most part, the person is trying to unclip and lean to the side that they are unclipping to put their foot down. Think about how you stop. When you come to a stop do you lean away from the side you are going to be putting your foot down for? If you lean away from that foot, when you put the foot down, it will be too far under the bike and you would likely topple over when you eventually get your foot down. The whole idea is to make a stable tripod with your foot and the two wheels of the bike.

vane171

It took just 4 posts before a road safety nanny showed up. Quite within BF record. Usually one pipes up before post 5 and so it does here.

Touche, or slam dunk


Left foot down since I am right handed person. Right foot only if there is a handy curb.

one4smoke

I have never fell on the side I was unclipped on. Why would I? Unless, like I said ...there's oil, ice or something slippery that I put my foot down on. Which has happened only once. But, I have almost fell several times on the side the foot was still clipped on. Those were due to coming to a normal stop, left foot down, leaning to the left, then having to abruptly turn the bars causing me to shift my balance to the right. THAT has been the close call several times.

cyccommute 

I’m just not seeing your logic. I’ve never fallen to the clipped side. If I’m trying to unclip and can’t, the bike is starting to lean to that side in preparation for a stop. If I try to unclip in an emergency situation on a trail and can’t, I fall to the side that I was trying to for the same reason. I’m going to put that foot down and am leaning that direction.

But its me 

I do a so-so track stand, but find it confuses the heck out of drivers too. Otherwise right foot.

tankist

I alternate, I like symmetry and fairness. I also have SRAM Force eTap AXS and like that I use both hands equally to shift.

cxwrench

I rarely use the rear brake on the moto, but I usually always shift into neutral at stop lights. Generally right foot down on moto, left foot on bicycle I guess.

indyfabz

Left, but sometimes track stands.

spelger

Have always considered that to be a (temporary) badge of honor.

one4smoke

Yeah, and I'm not seeing yours. Miles apart for some reason. Why would you fall on the side you're unclipped on? You have that foot out ready to provide stability, so why would you fall to that side?

one4smoke

Because you're still clipped in and can't provide stability with that foot. What am I missing here?

Is our definition of clipped in (shoe attached to pedal) and unclipped (shoe detached from pedal) different??

CAT7RDR

What would Chuck Norris do?

jon c. 

Had to think about it for a while. I never put my feet down on recreational rides. No stop lights and you can roll all the stop signs. And I haven't ridden in the city since I started working from home.

But I generally put my left foot down so I'm starting to pedal with the right leg.