epnnf

Right. Puts the bike between me/traffic.

billridesbikes

Ridiculous! Watch carefully next time you’re in a group coming to a stop. People who unclip on the drive side lean their bike to the right side or lean it against their right leg. If you’re right foot stays clipped in it stays the same distance, more or less, to the drive chain, hard to get it closer. I tried it today on my Christmas ride. Or you could be like this woman I met once who had the chain ring imprint tattooed on her right calf so it’s permanently there and doesn’t matter if you get more chain oil on your leg. She was a MTBer though...

August West

I have a similar issue where it is very difficult to clip out with my left foot while riding so I almost always unclip my right foot. If I have to clip out my left foot while moving I twist in also. But when stopped I find it easier to clip out. Too many ankle injuries over the years.

fooferdoggie 

left and I can only do a u turn well on our tandem to the left.

Pridedog

Right foot, not sure why, but I have been doing for over 40 years. No cute rationalizations, that is just the way I do it.

woodcraft

I'm with one4smoke- why would you fall to the side that you already have your foot down?

The last time that happened to me, it was at the opening of the bike lane across a bridge, & thousands of cyclists showed up.

I pulled up to the small group, unclipped on the right, & a guy pulled up on my left, bumping into me. I fell to the side that was still clipped in, knocking him over as well.

He apologized.

Generally I go with left side/crown of road, and you know that there will be pavement there, but either is OK.

I can also pull the water bottle to drink with left or right hand!

caloso

This.

But I usually trackstand. Most of the streets downtown have enough slope to the gutter that it makes it pretty easy even with a freewheel.

fooferdoggie 

I wag going home it was 20 degrees out unclipped on the left got hit with a huge gust of wind that blew me over.

Reynolds 

On my commuter with platforms, left. On my road with clipless, right. Don't know why, I just do it that way.

MaxKatt

Stop at a light???

flangehead

My habit was left, but I’m trying to change habit to right foot down for left turns and left for right hand turns.

I use toe clips on my utility bikes and I don’t get the pedal flipped immediately. This results in the clip dragging on the pavement in the turn and wears it out. I’m trying to avoid that by staying with my toe in the direction of the turn.

It is a work in progress.

cyccommute 

If you fail to unclip successfully you tend to fall towards the side you are tying to unclip on. You don’t have your foot out but, generally, you are leaning towards the side you are trying to unclip. To be honest, it hasn’t happened to me in a very long time as I can and do trackstand most of the time and I can come to a complete stop even while clipped in and still get out. But, if I’m going to topple over because of a mistake, I want to fall away from the line of traffic.

wgscott

Time for a PSA:

If you strongly favor one side, practice using the other side, so you can use it if golden retriever puppies decide to take out your favorite ankle.

downhillmaster

Fascinating read.
In so many other threads when someone posts about trying out clipless for the first time just about everybody jumps in and tells them how great it is and how easy it is to pick up.
Apparently these same people have A LOT of experience falling over which comes to light when it pertains to giving advice on how to stop lol.
Funny you never hear about anyone needing to dissect a simple stop based upon potentially falling into traffic when using toe clips

wgscott

That's because no one uses toe clips anymore.

Besides, you have to loosen them.

A much better case for easy emergency dismounts could be made if you were advocating flat pedals.

cyccommute 

I have mentioned toeclips above. In my experience toeclips are much more difficult to deal with than clipless if you tighten the straps like you are supposed to. I’ve fallen with them probably more often than with clipless because I tightened them.

jack pot 

i ride FIXED and when Im STRAPPED I put down the foot that is the loosest which is generally the left

cyccommute 

That’s your opinion. My wife unclips to the left and she has far more chainring marks then I do. We were discussing this yesterday and, without prompting, she said that the bike leans against her leg more. People who unclip on the right lean move their right leg away from the drivetrain. The bike leans towards the “right unclipper’s” left leg or, more properly, the angle between the frame and the foot increases and your right leg is further away from the drivetrain.

People who unclip on the left increase the angle on the left side but not on the right. The right is closer to the leg and more likely to touch on take off.

On the other hand, if you don’t want chain grease on your leg, don’t use chain grease.

shelbyfv

Chain tattoos would be yet another fascinating thread topic!

Sy Reene

This sounds really odd, next time I'm on the bike I'll have play around with this. But I think the hard thing to imagine is how the right foot, clipped into the pedal, also has one's calf concurrently hitting the chainring. Outwardly that sounds dangerous. Also, I would think typically the clipped in foot is up near the 12 o'clock position (ready to start up again), above the chainring obviously.

one4smoke

Mine is, that’s why I unclip the left foot, to have my right foot positioned at a 1 or 2 o’clock position to take off when it’s time to go.

wolfchild

Rookie ???....I thought that grease on the leg is a mark of a serious cyclist.

texaspandj

So is not worrying about falling at a freaking stop.

HD3andMe

This thread is funny, because it's so odd.

You going on and on about something as mundane as taking your foot off a pedal, that is.

spelger

pretty sure regional wars have been started over less than this.