Getting started with Clipless pedals

As people ride their bikes more they often have a desire for a bit more power. One option is to install clipless pedals on your bike. Clipless pedals allow you to pull up against the pedal with one leg while pedaling with the other.

While this sounds nice getting started with Clipless pedals can seem a bit daunting at first especially if you have never ridden a bike with your feet firmly attached to the pedals. The rest of this article will tell you one way to get used to clipless pedals while reducing the risk of a fall. This method has worked for numerous people but obviously everyone is different.

So let's get started.

Attach the pedals to the bike and make whatever adjustments are necessary to complete the physical setup
Take the bike outside and find a nice straight wall that you can easily lean against while sitting on the bike
Do not clip in your right leg leaving it available to prevent a fall etc. While leaning against the wall with your right arm clip and unclip your left foot from the left pedal. Continue doing this until you have completed the action forty times.
Turn your bike around and perform the same operation with your other leg also for forty times.
Once you feel comfortable with the clipping and unclipping process find a nice gentle sidewalk, open field or quiet side street and practice a series of test rides. Each ride should be from 30 to 100 feet long and include the entire process of clipping in both feet and then stopping while unclipping both feet. Practice this operation at least forty times as well.
This completes the training process.

By practicing clipping/unclipping first while leaning against a wall and then later by doing some test rides in a quiet area you will have gone a long way towards training yourself how to get in and out of the clips. You will now be much less likely of experiencing a problem when riding. Even though this is the case it is not unusual to have a slow motion sideways fall once or twice during your first few days riding clipless.

In my opinion clipless pedals make for a very enjoyable bike ride and after years of riding with them I have absolutely no interest in riding with platform pedals for long distances. I did fall once when first learning how to ride clipless. Several of my friends have followed the method shown in this article with great success. At least two of them failed to experience the slow motion topple!

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