After going out on a bike ride last week with annabananna I bizarrely found the need to use SPD’s!

I have some Shimano ones and am about to pick up my shoes which I ordered so I’m prepared to get going once some kind soul changes the pedals over for me 😀

So tell me about your experiences when you changed over…..how long did it take for you to get used to them and how many times did you fall with the bike?! 😆 Just so I know what to expect 😆

Depends TBH. I reckon if you build yourself up for it to be a big ‘ole PITA, then it probably will be.

Fell off lots to start with!! Eventually I worked out to twist my ankle to get out, took me nearly a week to work this out though, now it is natural. Now I get the problem with trackstanding on my ‘cross bike because my foot gets stuck between the front wheel and the down tube if I time it wrong!! If you fall off at the traffic lights you are not the only one! 😉

Fell off only once – Middle of the A9 though 😳

If you fall off at the traffic lights you are not the only one!

Unless of course you’re one of those lucky people that can just balance! I will most likely be in the falling off club 😆

just remember to do the cleat bolts nice and tight; there’s no worse feeling than the cleats twisting on your shoe!

the shoes make a big difference i had some specialized fatboys (bmx race shoe) that had such a large toe box you could barely twist your foot out.

I rode up & down outside my house clipping in & clipping out by putting my hand on the roof of my car to steady myself loads of times – thought ‘right off for a ride’ I get to the end of the road, red traffic light & you guessed it – sprawled across the pavement still clipped in!
I’d suggest trying emergency stops & unclipping as thats when you forget.
But 10 years of using them & have them on all three bikes & all four sets of shoes.

Make sure you grease the cleat bolts!

Emergency stops….I like that idea – thanks 😆

I haven’t a clue what my shoes will be like underneath, they too are Specialized ones.

aliegh, it hardly takes any time to get used to them, just do a bit of practicing clipping in and out whilst supporting yourself against a doorway/tree etc…

After a month or so of riding it’ll be second nature.

I remember falling off a couple of times at the start, especially unclipping a foot, and then slowly falling the other way whilst frantically trying to unclip my other foot. The lesson is to make sure you can unclip with speed on BOTH feet.

If you proper crash your feet will miraculously come unstuck by themselves, but generally proper crashing is nothing to do with having your feet clipped in.

perhaps some elbow pads for the lady?

SPD’s are crap, a nightmare to get out of, and you will hate them.

Honestly Aleigh, sell em before you use em, and replace with some Crank Bros. SPD’s require a fair effort to clip out of, which is very disconcerting. There is a fair “step” to get over at the end of the float, which requires the effort in twisting your foot more. Crank Bros you kind of just slip out of as you twist your foot, which is much more confidence inspiring.

mboy – you can adjust the release tension on most SPD pedals and it just takes a bit of practice.

After fitting your pedals in the garage dont then immediately jump on the bike, realise clipping in is easier than you expected and pulling straight up dont do nothing apart from make you fall over flapping around frantically trying to unclip causing tools and bike bits to go everywhere 😯

Will M – Member

mboy – you can adjust the release tension on most SPD pedals and it just takes a bit of practice.

I KNOW!

At their slackest setting, your feet rattle about on the pedal, yet you STILL have to twist quite firmly to get out of them. CRAP in my opinion.

Crank Bros have a nice firm feeling of your foot being well connected to the pedal, yet when you want to get out, it’s a totally thoughtless and natural process.

Crank Bros will fall apart before you have to unclip, anyway- problem averted! 😀

Nowt wrong with Shimano type SPDs. Just slacken the release tension screw off a bit, and practice somewhere quiet and safe. Once you’re used to them, it’ll be second nature, clipping in and clipping out.

I’ll stick with what I have – I need to start somewhere.

Get yourself some Shimano multi release cleats SM56 is the number I think

Start with the spring tension low there are 2 little 3mm Allen screws to fiddle with make sure you adjust both the same.

Get the release tension nice and soft and you will unclip with barely a thought. Then as you get used to them you can up the tension to the point where it suits your riding style.

Be prepared to bail out The first time I used them I practised in a nice soft field.

I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about RB – I’m just a bird that rides a bike! I’m sure someone will show me though 😆

not read any of that
you’ll fall from the most ridiculous way you’ll ever fall.
Just make sure you have someone to film it 😉

I’m sure that someone would sneakily do that anyway! Juan, who’d of thought that 9mths later I’d want to give them a go? Well you can half that amount of time really as I only have 2 free weekends a month!

Should a video be done of me falling off I’ll show it to you 😆

Go for it Aleigh!

I fell off once, due to not unclipping, outside a very busy pub on the main road throught Ambleside many years ago! 😳

Make sure they are very loose to begin with and practise setting off and stopping on some nice soft grass(preferably without an audience!)

Thanks FoxyChick 😀

Yes the aim is to not have an audience but I doubt I’ll get away with that! 😆

just make sure that you are at the front of any group so that your falls provide entertainment for everyone else. It’s no fun to fall without an audience…I speak from personal experience. The best one I had whilst learning SPD technique involved sliding on my back head first down a grassy slope still clipped in with the bike in the air. This was fun until I hit the gorse bush. Much amusement for the guy behind.

Aleigh – I have some Egg Beaters you can borrow. As you know, I now use flats and my confidence has returned most of the time on technical stuff. Why do you want to use SPD’s?

I practiced in the garden, went down the step onto the patio, couldn’t unclip and ended up spreadeagled over the patio table 😳

Just fancy giving them a go after my foot kept slipping off my pedal last week and I feel ready to make that change.

Haven’t a clue what the difference is CG but I’ll take a look anyway, thank you 🙂

aleigh – what pedals are you using? Do they have longish pins? Different shoes can make a difference – 5:10’s are really good and sticky and there is a girlie version!

I’m at the curious stage and want to know what they’re like to ride with, doesn’t mean to say I’ll stick with them mind! 😆

5:10’s look too bulky yet I know they do the job. I will have to see what I prefer before getting anymore shoes 😯

I’ve been using SPDs for 8 years now & I still sometimes fall over sideways. when you know you’re going to be stopping shortly, it’s easy to unclip one foot in advance & then you’re ready when you do come to a stop.

It’s the sudden unexpected stops that get you 😉

You may well fall off at first, but riding up and down on a flat stretch for half an hour clipping in and out will hopefully get the movement into your head as ‘normal’. I find it’s a case of kicking out the heel (or inwards) and there you go.
Also, I would suggest at first running the pedals as loose as possible (there should be a little grub screw on the edge of the clippy part) – just tight enough to hold you in if you pull on it, but loose enough that you can easily unclip. Then over time you can tighten it a bit as required and as you get practiced!

Went on a sponsored bike ride, and to start we had a police escort to outside the city on a sunday morning, all you could hear at the start was the click click click of the pedals being engaged, after about 3 miles the police escort peeled away the next set of lights where on red , up till this time we had a free run all side roads stoped by the police, so we dutifully stopped, one chap forgot his look pedals and fell off sideways bring about 15 riders down, to much swearing.
Just be aware theyre there, and remember to twist out.

never used spd’s in 35yrs riding bikes ! the thought of them give me the creeps

Back in my days of track racing, I’d regularly faceplant the track, not so bad on concrete, very bad on wood!

Oddly enough I haven’t used them since!!

Aleigh – I have some Egg Beaters you can borrow.

Ah, that’s nice. So Aleigh can make some cakes and scones, and youse two can have a natter in the kitchen…

(Runs. Very fast, before Aleigh or CG find owt heavy or sharp….)

Aleigh, I started riding on flats and was constantly bashing my shins with the pedals, my legs were a nightmare, all scabby like a little kid!

Changed over to SPDs and never looked back. Wouldn’t be without them.

“Unless of course you’re one of those lucky people that can just balance!”
Having started to use SPDs all the time, I noticed they brought on my balance no end

To atart with on approaching junctions and other points I thought I may come to a stop, I unclipped my right foot (Still resting on the pedal) to make sure I could unclip and took it from there
I didn’t ride anywhere serious until about my 6/7th ride with them (jacobs ladder loop) by which time I was okay enough with them to ride everything (Though took until my 3rd or 4th go on the top steep but of the ladder with SPDs and not having ridden there before), I wouldn’t have wanted to have gone any sooner though

Just make sure to adjust them to the slackest setting to start with

If you coudl find any to borrow, I reckon it’d be worth trying a partly worn set of SPD pedals/cleats. I find they’re too easy to clip out off when they’re both worn a bit. When new, even at low tension they seem to need a lot of force to clip out of

Just accept the fact you’re going to have a few “moments” and you’ll be fine. The first few times I rode them on the road I had some falls and the first time I road them offroad I ended up upside down in a bush on the down-side of the trail. Don’t fall as much now 🙂

Although initially dubious, I found clipless dead easy. Do some rpactice rides though first as it may not come as second nature.

I’m sure back in the old days you used toeclips / straps? Your feet come off easier.

Toeclips are just plain dangerous for mountain biking. And they fill with mud if you havent got your feet in em.