A
Ausmtbr
Guest
How to Use Clipless Pedals
While clipless pedals are intimidating to many new cyclists, they offer efficiency that cannot be gained any other way. Before using them, it's often worth it to invest a little bit of time into becoming familiar with the way they work. This guide is not intended to teach one how to use clipless pedals, but rather explain a good way of learning how to use them.
Steps
Tips
Warnings
Things You'll Need
How to Use Clipless Pedals - wikiHow
While clipless pedals are intimidating to many new cyclists, they offer efficiency that cannot be gained any other way. Before using them, it's often worth it to invest a little bit of time into becoming familiar with the way they work. This guide is not intended to teach one how to use clipless pedals, but rather explain a good way of learning how to use them.
Steps
- Get clipless pedals and cycling shoes.
- Mount the cleats to your cycling shoes securely.
- Remember that most pedals have a tension adjustment. If you look for that adjustment and loosen it, it will likely make your experience much easier.
- Go find an open space to ride in. It helps if this has a nice road surface.
- Start off by straddling the bike and then clipping in whichever foot you feel like you will be less comfortable clipping in, leaving the other foot on the ground.
- Use the foot that is clipped in to pull that pedal up so the crankarm is about 45 degrees above level.
- Push off with the foot on the ground while simultaneously pushing down on the front pedal with the foot that is clipped in. This should give you enough time to get clipped in with the second foot while giving you enough speed to be able to coast for a minute and allow the other foot to clip into a stationary pedal.
- Enjoy your newfound efficiency and ride around for a few minutes.
- Give yourself plenty of time (and space) to stop.
- Remember that when you stop, clip out of one pedal by twisting your ankle to the side and slow yourself down until you feel comfortable putting that foot on the ground.
- Repeat from step five until you feel comfortable clipping in and out.
- Enjoy your newfound speed on the bike.
Tips
- Make sure that the space is really open. It's best to choose something wide enough that you can loop around if you can't get your foot out in time.
- Make sure that the cleat on the shoe is properly installed and tightened. An improperly secured cleat might loosen up, causing the cleat to not clip out in time and cause injury.
- Clipping in is the most efficient way of pedaling. Learning how to pedal with clips (pulling up on upstroke) is a way to get faster and maximize efficiency by using more muscles usually not used as much when riding with platform pedals or toe clips.
Warnings
- Being clipped in is a different experience. Make sure that you clip out and respond early to stop signs, red lights and other situations that necessitate a dismount from the bike.
Things You'll Need
- A bike.
- Clipless pedals.
- A paved open space.
- Clipless cleats mounted to cycling shoes.
- An Allen wrench to install the cleat and the pedals.
How to Use Clipless Pedals - wikiHow