Question: Googled what?
Answer: "How to use clipless pedals"
That's right. I didn't know what I was doing. I naively assumed it would be easy and self-explanatory. But when I arrived home after Reagan's tune-up, I was baffled.
I sat on the ground trying to force my shoe onto the clip. It just didn't look like it would ever fit.
So what did I learn from my Googling? The only way to get your shoes onto your pedals is to put them on your feet.
Hmm... seemed simple enough.
So Reagan and I hung out in the garage for a few minutes... clipping in and clipping out. Clipping in and out. In and out.
I was surprised to find out that it's harder to clip in than to clip out. Despite the horror stories, out seems to be the easy part.
So we went for a mini test-run.
(My lovely boy, Ryan, was there to document the whole thing.)
Clip in. Clip out. Clip in. Clip out.
Obvious question: Did I fall?
Surprising answer: No.
Truthful answer: Almost. I unclipped my right foot with every intention on leaning to the right. But gravity had other plans, and pulled me left. With my left foot still clipped in, my life flashed before my eyes (actually, all I could think was, I hope Ryan is getting a photo of this!). But he DIDN'T get a photo... because at the very last moment, my left foot magically unclipped and I saved myself from a concrete face-plant. WOO!
And that's the story of my extremely uneventful first time using clipless pedals.
A few days later, I went for a nice 10-mile bike ride to REALLY test them out.
Verdict? Crossing busy streets now scares me more than usual. With my inability to clip-in on command, I often find myself flailing and riding too slow in front of speeding vehicles (plus, during a street-crossing attempt yesterday, my chain fell off!).
Also, my feet got sweaty. Gross, I know. I took a mental note to wear socks next time.
And speaking of my feet, I found that after about 7 miles, my toes starting getting numb. Not sure what's causing that... maybe the vibrations from my shoes? Who knows.
But overall, I'm thrilled about all this. I feel more powerful going up hills (although, it also hurts a little more... I'm using muscles that I didn't know I had). I can't wait to ride more and see how this impacts my overall abilities.
10 comments:
SO glad you didn't fall. Whew!
Hey Kelly! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I've linked you up for Foto Friday.
Love the pics! I would totally have documented it too. Congrats on figuring it out!
Here's what I don't understand (as a NON-cyclist). Why are they called "clipless" when you have to CLIP in and out? What gives??
Gutsy is all I can say! I still stick with the basic "pedal". Not even a cage!
So old fashioned!
omg, i'm the worst rider ever. I fell off my bike last summer and had big scrapes on my knees - and everyone was all "oh! clipless pedals are so tricky!" I enjoyed correcting them -- I biked into a curb and went flying. No clipless pedals at all!
(I do have the shoes for spinning, and I frequently need help even from the instructor though the bike is stationary.)
Congrats on mastering the clipless pedals, maybe I'll get adventuresome and try them, too. And I'm with Marlene, what's up with calling them "clipless" anyways?
You'll fall at some point, we all do! Just don't think about it and keep practicing!!!
Uhhh, I'm not liking what Mike just had to say on this post. Maybe I'll just use some sort of duct tape whenever I finally get a bike.
BTW - if I didn't wear socks I'd have blisters the size of my foot. Basically it'd just be one big blister.
That's what friends are for - capturing potential face plant moments.
this is HUGE!!! It shouldn't be that hard to clip in and clip out though. I mean, it takes getting used to, but it shouldn't be hard. If it's still hard (and how would I know since i'm reading like 5 weeks ago) then get thee to the bike shop and get things adjusted.
i was TERRIFIED the first time I went in traffic. You really do get used to it though. Most people end up always clipping out the same side so your body adjusts to that--usually. I can't wait to read the next entry!
And yes, Marlene is so right: "clip-less" makes no sense!
Hi - I am really happy to find this. great job!
Post a Comment