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Clipping in [Flame suit on]

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Clipping in [Flame suit on]

Old 09-11-22, 04:22 PM
  #101  
Trakhak
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The people who post regularly in the Classic and Vintage subforum often congratulate each other on how friendly and welcoming they are to newcomers (explicitly in comparison to this subforum), but they can turn nasty in a second if a newcomer doesn't pay proper obeisance to their cherished beliefs regarding, e.g., steel (and titanium), etc.

The references in Classic and Vintage to the Road subforum as "Here Be Dragons" territory seemed odd to me---I hadn't seen anything especially combative here in a very long time---until the pile-on in this thread started up. Regardless of whatever it is that you, for reasons unclear to me, see as provocation worthy of retaliation, you should be ashamed of yourselves.
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Old 09-11-22, 04:51 PM
  #102  
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Originally Posted by Trakhak
The people who post regularly in the Classic and Vintage subforum often congratulate each other on how friendly and welcoming they are to newcomers (explicitly in comparison to this subforum), but they can turn nasty in a second if a newcomer doesn't pay proper obeisance to their cherished beliefs regarding, e.g., steel (and titanium), etc.
The references in Classic and Vintage to the Road subforum as "Here Be Dragons" territory seemed odd to me---I hadn't seen anything especially combative here in a very long time---until the pile-on in this thread started up. Regardless of whatever it is that you, for reasons unclear to me, see as provocation worthy of retaliation, you should be ashamed of yourselves.
Oh, please. The OP in this thread has been combative in this thread and previous ones. Of course there have been combative replies in this thread because it started out as a combative thread. The nastiness started out at the very start of the thread with the OP stating that they would NEVER use the stated type of bike technology again. Pretty much a controversial position to take. Their flame suit is on. This was expected and the OP asked for this
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Old 09-11-22, 05:28 PM
  #103  
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I learned to ride clipless on a century. I mounted 2 sided flat/SPD pedals then took a shakedown ride to make sure each pedal worked. The next ride I took off for a century. Started with one foot on flat, the other clipped in. Every mile I would switch. After 20 miles, it became 2 clipped in, then 2 flat. After that it was different combos still switching every mile. By the time I finished, it was all 2nd nature. Too be fair though, I rode with toe clips and straps before that.
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Old 09-11-22, 05:46 PM
  #104  
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Originally Posted by alcjphil
Oh, please. The OP in this thread has been combative in this thread and previous ones. Of course there have been combative replies in this thread because it started out as a combative thread. The nastiness started out at the very start of the thread with the OP stating that they would NEVER use the stated type of bike technology again. Pretty much a controversial position to take. Their flame suit is on. This was expected and the OP asked for this
yes, and it doesn't take much to see that the OP is writing things like "2) you're buying all the kit to look like the "big boys" to feel some sort of superiority over people who are (in her mind) slaves to fashion or peer pressure, whereas she is just incapable of using the equipment correctly.

i don't care if there are "efficiency" gains or not. it feels great. unity of man and machine. no need to think about foot placement, feet slipping, no matter how hard i hammer in or out of the saddle, or just loaf along slowly. and the pedals and shoes are incredibly light, which is not insignificant for something spinning around - 150g shoe, 82g pedal, don't know how much the cleats are but call it 260g or so, compared to 500+g for good flat pedal shoes like freeriders plus lightweight platform pedals

i fell over maybe twice right at the beginning. embarrassing, and one belt derailleur hanger. i posted here about how hard it seemed to clip out, got yelled at by a bunch of people that i didn't know my bike wasn't working right, and a little lube on the spring remedied the problem. almost 10,000 miles later, one stopped fall due to a sudden flat that surprised me.
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Old 09-11-22, 05:52 PM
  #105  
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Originally Posted by Trakhak
Regardless of whatever it is that you, for reasons unclear to me, see as provocation worthy of retaliation, you should be ashamed of yourselves.
The OP has quite a history of trolling and pre-judging people based on physical appearance and bike type. The square brackets in the thread title indicate the OP was not unaware of the probable response.

Example: https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...oing-hell.html

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Old 09-11-22, 05:59 PM
  #106  
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Originally Posted by mschwett
no need to think about foot placement, feet slipping, no matter how hard i hammer in or out of the saddle, or just loaf along slowly.
Quoted for truth. I was a late convert to clipless pedals and thought that straps and cages were all I needed. When I bought a modern road bike a few years ago I kept using straps and cages. After I noticed my shoes were rubbing the black finish off of my drive side crank and wore through the band holding my cadence sensor magnet it was obvious my feet were all over the place. Switching to road shoes and pedals was a great improvement in my pace and comfort. I don't care what the OP wants to use, but I can certainly tell her Wasn't trying to look like the big boys.
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Old 09-11-22, 08:48 PM
  #107  
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Originally Posted by popeye
At the risk of interrupting a grammer lesson
Originally Posted by Koyote
To continue the off-topic pedantry, I'll note that the correct spelling is grammar.
Originally Posted by popeye
The spelling was deliberate.
Umm, sure, yeah. I totally believe that.

Originally Posted by VegasJen
Judge however you want. Again, I'm OK with my opinion and those who disagree aren't bothering me in the least.
If you're not bothered, why are you arguing so much?


Look back over the threads you've started: most of them have turned into ****shows. What is the common denominator in those threads? You.

Last edited by Koyote; 09-11-22 at 09:00 PM.
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Old 09-11-22, 09:16 PM
  #108  
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If nothing else, clipless allows me to use stiff soled shoes. My feet get tired in under 10-15 miles if I try riding (with effort) in sneakers. My semi-stiff Velosambas with SPDs can go for up to about 30 mi, and my Shimanos with SPD are good for nearly a metric before my feet start getting really sore. Picked up some Adidas road shoes and Look pedals recently to see if I can stretch that a bit longer, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I might really be looking for carbon soles rather than fiberglass to keep my feet happy-ish past the 50 mi marker.

Still learning single sided pedals, but I’m pretty sure that when riding in the city, I much prefer the dual-sided nature of SPDs when I have to stop at dozens of intersections per ride - just easier to get the shoe and pedal in the right place without looking to see how I have to orient the pedal. I do appreciate the wider platform and more secure feeling of the Look when I don’t have to deal with traffic.

One more benefit of clipless in traffic - having the ability to dramatically increase torque by pulling up does help one accelerate out of the way of traffic or pedestrians more quickly.

I’ve been riding SPD for about 20 years, and the only issues I’ve had with it recently are the result of not tightening cleats down enough - two bolt cleats can rotate on the shoe, which is annoying when you try to unclip and the cleat stays in place, even though the shoe’s now at a 45 degree angle… the Looks did cause me to land hard on my nuts on my first ride - forgot that I couldn’t clip in without looking! Definitely a strong reminder there.
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Old 09-11-22, 09:44 PM
  #109  
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To the OP: if you are afraid of crashing with SPD pedals because you cannot clip out, you might want to consider the Shimano PD-ED500 SPD.
The tension required to clip out is minimal but they are secure enough to keep you clipped in with a normal pedal stroke. I have not accidentally clipped out under normal riding.
I also like the mini-platform and find it more comfortable. It is two-sided.

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Old 09-11-22, 11:38 PM
  #110  
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Those pedals sound scary but the real danger is handlebar tape!
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Old 09-12-22, 02:54 AM
  #111  
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Originally Posted by CAT7RDR
To the OP: if you are afraid of crashing with SPD pedals because you cannot clip out, you might want to consider the Shimano PD-ED500 SPD.
The tension required to clip out is minimal but they are secure enough to keep you clipped in with a normal pedal stroke. I have not accidentally clipped out under normal riding.
I also like the mini-platform and find it more comfortable. It is two-sided.
It's not even necessary, though. I mean, I get the appeal of double sided if you want to be clipped in while in stop and go city traffic where you have to stop at red lights every minute, but for typical road riding and racing of any description in particular, the single sided Look or Shimano SPD-SL has no downside and you get lighter shoes and pedals without any extra gubbins you don't need for road riding.

The OP just needs to learn a few tricks, there's nothing inherently dangerous or problematic about the technology.
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Old 09-12-22, 04:55 AM
  #112  
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Originally Posted by genejockey
They do if you know how to listen. Sometimes, the data sing.
Correct, it sometimes happens

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Old 09-12-22, 05:51 AM
  #113  
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It's fine to try something, find it doesn't work for you, and do something else. It's also fine to relate your experiences.

The problems you experienced, however, are due to your mistakes, not to the equipment. I've ridden Look style pedals for tens of thousands of miles over more than 30 years (including riding a tandem with my wife), and I've fallen due to not clipping out exactly twice (the last time was decades ago). I don't ride them "because that's what the pros use", I ride them because they work for me. I barely knew pro cycling, as a sport, existed (this was well before 1999) when I bought my first clip-ins.

Sincerely, though, thanks for your post. I had to work on my wife for a couple of years to get her to try clip-in pedals on our tandem. Given your experience, maybe it is best that it took some time, since she was basically a beginner when we started. Perhaps she would not have liked clip-ins if she'd tried them right away (she absolutely loves them now).
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Old 09-12-22, 07:22 AM
  #114  
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
Those pedals sound scary but the real danger is handlebar tape!
ikr? Just last week, my hands got stuck to it, and I fell over.

The benefits of handlebar tape aren't worth the risks...You people who use it are all suckers.
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Old 09-12-22, 07:37 AM
  #115  
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I placed "jenny" on my ignore list after one or two of her posts and within a couple days of her signing up on BF.

..she continues to reinforce that was a good move.

..poster child for society's very vocal, not so deep thinkers
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Old 09-12-22, 08:02 AM
  #116  
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Guys,

Should VegasJen wear a cheap cycling jersey from Amazon? Asking for a friend.

I have no problem riding clipless pedals...
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Old 09-12-22, 08:19 AM
  #117  
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Well, she's a triathlete, so a jersey or suit geared for that would be more versatile. In fact, she probably doesn't spin at very high cadences either. The flat predals should work, but they'll chew up her running shoes faster. No need for any of the other "speed" upgrades like aero bars, skin suit, wetsuit, aero helmet, etc. Run what you brung. Here's something that might be an upgrade, if you believe the hype. She would look pro in these.


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Old 09-12-22, 08:37 AM
  #118  
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Originally Posted by VegasJen
OK, I won't take offense to your presumption that I'm an idiot and we'll just address the point. Even if I "learned to shift" and even if I spent time and effort on "bike set up and maintenance" and even if everything worked just perfectly. The point is that I still see no benefit, or at least minimal benefit, to me in the way and normal conditions in which I ride. But people are focusing on shifting and maintenance because that's easier than addressing what I said.

The point of my post really is to counter some of the cycling dogma. "Oh, you have to have this" or "you have to do that", or your not a real cyclist. I may be new to cycling, at least as a serious hobby (ain't no spring chicken here), but I've been around the block a few dozen times. I've learned *some* cyclists are some of the most clique-y people I've ever met. I have only been on the forum for a few months but I've seen new people come in and early on people are advising them to learn to ride clipped in so they think there's some life changing magic that happens when you start riding clipped in.

Flame suit is fine. Thanks for asking. Some of it was venting. I was actually going to post a thread that was a little more well rounded after I finished my observations in a couple weeks. That last experience cut in to that schedule. I spent a half hour yesterday removing the SPD and Look pedals from all my bikes. Never again. And I'm happy to "look bad" to all those people with ages of experience. Judgement goes both ways, you know.

It's funny. I come here with an opinion contrary to cycling dogma and people treat me like I have never ridden a bike before. I took my training wheels off and slapped on a pair of Looks. Ya, that's what happened.

Don't know. Don't care.
Judge however you want. Again, I'm OK with my opinion and those who disagree aren't bothering me in the least. Still here. Nobody is running me off.
Well, that is odd. I grew up riding bikes, nothing fancy, coaster brake bikes until I was able to buy a J.C. Higgens "English racer" bike with 3 gears and rim brakes, using my paperboy money. In the summer, I'd leave the house in the morning on my bike and return for dinner. This is in Fairbanks, some pavement, a lot of gravel.

What's the point of that paragraph? I learned to ride a bike. It takes time. When I got to college and bought a used 10-speed with toe clips and straps, it was a revelation. I was turbine-powered. Why? Because I already knew how to pedal, deep down in my spinal ganglia. I never fell over, because I knew how to steer a bike at all speeds and could always reach down, loosen a strap, and pull my foot out.

30 years later when I returned to cycling, clipless pedals were even better, so easy to get in and out of, nothing to it.

So. Beginner opinions are worthless. When starting a new sport, the thing to do is to ape your betters. They're doing it right. You'll figure out why they do things the way they do in time, if you stay with that sport that is. Just keep at it and try to keep your emotions in check. It's OK to cry from frustration. Been there, done that. Just keep at it. Or quit, whatever. It's your life.
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Old 09-12-22, 09:18 AM
  #119  
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It reminds me of my father. He would complain about how going to watch a pro golf tournament in person would mess up his swing and game. He was/is a bogey golfer.
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Old 09-12-22, 09:25 AM
  #120  
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... or just get Shimano SH-56 SPD cleats that allow panic unclipping in any direction. - If you believe clipless pedals will benefit you in the first place (they likely wont).
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Old 09-12-22, 10:46 AM
  #121  
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Originally Posted by VegasJen
I tried to determine when and who might benefit from clipping in and to be fair, I suppose if you do a lot of riding in the rain or snow or an oil storm(?) then I can see how keeping your feet clipped to the pedals could give you some reassurance.
Most people who ride regularly (especially road bikes and pretty much everyone in competition) see a benefit from clipping in. Before clipless pedals were invented the majority of those same riders used toe-clips for the same benefits. Of course you can ride effectively with flat pedals too and they are easier for beginners to get going and more convenient in certain situations (for example I prefer riding flat pedals off-road if I need to do a bit more walking/hiking). Clipping in is not so much about reassurance, it's more about optimal foot positioning and technique. It's simply the best known solution for optimal pedaling and hence why every single bike racer uses them, from road through to XC mtb.
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Old 09-12-22, 11:03 AM
  #122  
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What in god’s name is an “oil storm”? Ok creative types….
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Old 09-12-22, 11:06 AM
  #123  
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Can't believe this tread is still going...
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Old 09-12-22, 11:37 AM
  #124  
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I'm 3.5 years removed from being a newbie. I average between 85-100 mi a week on road & gravel bikes. I rode flat pedals for about 6-8 months before following the advice of several in my group. They recommended Crank Bros eggbeaters. I've been on them ever since on multiple road & gravel bikes. I like the feeling of being connected w' the bike. I like using a super stiff shoe (Sidi Tiger) that doesn't flex. I started w' a cheaper Sidi w' hard plastic soles & will probably never return to them.

I do intend to try the larger platform of Shimano SPD SL road pedals soon. I have the pedals & shoes, but have been reluctant to mess w' what's been working for me & just have not taken the time to switch.
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Old 09-12-22, 12:20 PM
  #125  
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I think Jen just came looking for a fight. Her post should have indicated boxing gloves instead flame suit.
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