Bike Jargon with Jen: To Clip In or Not To Clip In?
A big thank you to Jen Done, who's here to help with a series of Bike Jargon blogs for LUCA. Here, Jen covers clipless pedals.
Shakespeare lessons at school may be in the past, but this is a question we get asked a lot at LUCA, so we thought we'd explore it in a blog all about clipless/clip-in pedals! They may be loved by many cyclists, but so many others dread them!
I'm not going to lie, I refused to use clipless pedals for a very long time - the very thought of them filled me with fear and I often pictured myself stopping at traffic lights and falling off in front of everyone! It wasn't until the sales assistant in the shop refused to sell me my new road bike without clipless pedals, that I finally gave them a try... and I genuinely haven't looked back since!
So what are clipless pedals, and how do they help?
Clipless pedals (despite the name!), are pedals that attach to cleats on the bottom of your bike shoe. Once locked in, your foot won't release from the pedal unless you twist and release your foot yourself.
There are many benefits to them:
> They keep your foot in the right place so it's easier to cycle at faster speeds.
> More energy goes from your leg and foot through the pedal compared to non-clipless pedals. This basically means less energy is lost, so you don't have to work as hard!
> You're less likely to slip off the pedal, especially on hill climbs.
> Your pedal stroke is more effective as you're pushing down, but also pulling the pedal up again. This means your muscles are used more effectively and this hugely helps on those longer rides.
The most common types are SPD style pedals (Shimano Pedalling Dynamics) where cleats are attached to your shoes. You can get some which are recessed into the shoe to allow for walking/hiking, while others rest on top of the sole of your shoe. These are often lighter and used in road cycling.
Pictured: SPD clipless pedals
Here are some tips for getting used to clipless pedals:
> Position your bike alongside something you can hold onto (e.g. chair, table, fence etc.)
> Move your dominant leg to the top of the pedal stroke.
> Whilst holding onto your leaning post, practice clipping in and out with your dominant leg repeatedly. When confident with this, swap legs. You might want to practise this regularly to get the hang of it.
> When approaching a junction, traffic lights, roundabout etc. always unclip with your less dominant leg and put this leg down on the floor. This means you can then push off again with your dominant leg.
> If you are finding it really stiff and effortful to unclip, remember all clipless pedals can be adjusted to make it easier. It should be pretty easy and quick to unclip.
