# Tips for trails on clipless pedals?



## RollinOn26s (Nov 1, 2010)

Alright, I got some clipless pedals for Christmas. I tested them out for about an hour in my dad's workshop. They seemed easy to ride with, but are there different things you would do on a trail differently? I've heard that some people only ride with one foot clipped in and one unclipped. I just needed some advice because this next race season is my first year and I am a complete clipless virgin. So. Yeah..


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## Kaba Klaus (Jul 20, 2005)

If the tension of the release spring can be adjusted, keep it on the low side for faster exit. Sooner or later you'll fall just because you forgot that you ride clipless while the release move hasn't become second nature, yet.

I am not a fan of riding unclipped. Most pedals offer no grip once the shoe is unclipped. That makes technical sections just so much harder and kills confidence. If you have practiced the release move as well as adjusted the tension of the spring you'll find you will get out in 99% of all cases for a dap.

You'll also find that you can climb ledges etc easier with clipless pedals. If you have the confidence to try it, you'll find that you can either pull up the bike or at least pull on the cranks, and keep the wheels driving you up where a platform pedal would have required impeccable timing or plenty of momentum.

You'll love clipless! Continue to practice the exit. oh, and also start doing a round predal stroke. Make your feet go in circles instead up and down.


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## RollinOn26s (Nov 1, 2010)

Kaba Klaus said:


> If the tension of the release spring can be adjusted, keep it on the low side for faster exit.


So thats what you guys do? That's what I was thinking about doing because my pedals are adjustable. Thanks for the tip.:thumbsup:


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## Kaba Klaus (Jul 20, 2005)

Yes, low tension release spring and lot's of practice on the release move.

I stay clipped in at all times - or walk a section. In case of me walking it I come back later with platform pedals to practice the section.


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## manabiker (Jul 18, 2010)

I like my clips set with low tension also, when I fall I don't even have to think about it, they release.
Sometimes they just don't want to clip in, especially in winter, so when I stop for any reason I stay clipped in, and just grab onto a tree, or lean up against a tree, it makes it easier to get going again.. Its funny sometimes they seem to fall in others they hang up, I do put chain wax on mine, but not often enough. I'll have to work on that..
Good Luck with them clips..


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## skaterqwertyuiop (Jul 22, 2010)

When I started riding clipless, on sketchy sections I would unclip one foot. Now, I stay clipped in no matter how crazy things get; worst case scenario, I fall. Usually being clipped in actually makes it easier to ride obstacles. 
Practice unclipping as much as you can. It must become an automatic habit.
Also, at a stop unclip before you stop, not at the stop. This will prevent embarrassing falls


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## skrap1r0n (Oct 15, 2010)

I recently went to clipless and its a different game. I do not like having one foot unclipped. In fact one of the issues I have on new obstacles is riding up, looking at it deciding on a line then going back and getting clipped in before I hit the obstacle.

I think one thing I have learned is that momentum is the key. if you lose momentum you have to get a foot down. I have learned to attack known obstacles rather than just kinda ride through them. By knowing the obstacle, knowing the line and having confidence that you can do it, you can actually attack is and keep peddling through it.

Now all that said, I have fallen plenty of times since clipping in. I am pretty used to it now and have learned how to do it without too much pain. Sure, I have scrapes and bruises, but hey, I can tell you exactly what happened for each one you can point out.

Keep at it, it will pay off.


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## Tim-H (Mar 20, 2010)

I agree with the other about keeping both feet clipped in. There's no grip if you aren't clipped in, horrible control. I also set mine really loose and if there's a crash they usually pop off on their own.


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

If you are riding clipless you should be clipped in. There's no point unclipping one foot, it's dangerous as most clipless shoes are not design to be ridden unclip, the better the shoes the worse it is to ride unclip as it's most likely carbon, and it has no grip on the clipless pedal.

As a new rider to clipless it's best to try with lowest tension, once you get used to then it's personal preference, I run mine with the highest tension, and on the XTR, it's plenty stiff. It's provide great pop in/out.

It's just another tool to help you enjoy the trail. I use both flats and clipless, find the are both great tools for riding.:thumbsup:


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## manabiker (Jul 18, 2010)

A good way to get full use out of your clipless, with your bike on a trainer, or on a spin bike, clip in one foot put the other on a milk crate, pratice using 360 rotation, pulling up.
Falling is something that just happens, I like my motocross pants in fall, winter, spring, in the summer I wear bandaids, and scabs, good luck...


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## dan0 (Oct 12, 2005)

you will fall...alot. usually when youre not doing anything and someone is watching
one thing that helps is to make sure your shoes have a stiff sole, cheap floppy soles will just twist instead of allowing the cleat to twist and release.
also clip the shoes onto the pedals before you use them and look at the bottoms of the shoe/ pedal contact point. make sure that there is space all around the cleat and that the soles arent touching or binding when you twist to release. if they are you can trim a bit off to add clearance.
After awhile it will become second nature, I cant even ride anymore without being clipped in


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## RBowles (Jun 1, 2010)

dan0 said:


> you will fall...alot. usually when youre not doing anything and someone is watching


Yes, the embarrasing fall usually happens when there a cute mountain biker women around to see you make a goofball of yourself.


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## gnslr (Dec 24, 2004)

i know a few people that unclip when riding more technical sections but it really works against you. Most clipless shoes and pedals are not designed to be ridden unclipped. The surfaces do not grab and slipping off becomes a distinct possibility. I would follow advise already given and keep the tention adjusted low until you are accustomed to the new style. That and practice until unclipping and placing your foot down becomes as natural of a motion as it was when riding flats.


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## RollinOn26s (Nov 1, 2010)

That is a good idea, I have my bike in my house so I'm going to lower the tension right now.


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## RollinOn26s (Nov 1, 2010)

manabiker said:


> Falling is something that just happens, I like my motocross pants in fall, winter, spring, in the summer I wear bandaids, and scabs, good luck...


Hahaha, That's a good way to think about it. That was funny you just made my day right there.


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## RBowles (Jun 1, 2010)

Clipless and MTB are odd fellows to say the least. I've had days that clipless helped me clean every trail.. I've had days like last sunday where I fell on a trail that I usually clean with no problems. Somebody here told me this: "If you aren't falling, then you aren't riding.

:blush: Specifically, I fell into a ravine while clipped in last weekend on one of the simplest turns ever concieved on an MTB trail. My brother was behind me and we both had a laugh about the fall..... Thank heavens for helmets.


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## skrap1r0n (Oct 15, 2010)

when I got mine, the guy at the store that sold them to me said...

"Learning to ride clipless is a right of passage, you will fall. even after you have been riding for years, you will fall. and every MTB'er knows this, the real trick is to not look like a dork AFTER you fall and are flopping around on the ground trying to get unclipped"


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## Noclutch (Jun 20, 2010)

I'm only about 12-15 trial hours into clippless myself. I started with 3 hrs goofing around and semi-intentionally crashing in the yard, followed by a crash filled race, then followed that up with more focused escalating intensity long rides not on red trails  Now I'm starting to tackle some of my nemesis obstacles from the past that I had mastered on flats, maybe foolishly and fearlessly.
. 
Two key things for me have been a low tension setting in addition to using multi release cleats ( and after parking the Candies for now) I'll sometimes just ride along a near normal pace and clip in and out incessantly and just about anywhere just to gain the feel of it and figuring out what I can get away with unclipped. I still have the occasional  moment, sometimes a slo-mo tip over, and with increasing frequency the "eureka" moments when I unclip reflexively and pull off a dab  

My latest revelation is what I'd call third intention maneuver- first thinking I've stalled and try to unclip, secondly realizing that that isn't happening for one reason or another, so thirdly I force myself to crank through the situation come out just fine( so far...), albeit with a seriously elevated heart rate  

Lastly- listen to mimi1885 on this subject- he helped me alot though several similar threads :thumbsup: THX!


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

Noclutch said:


> I'm only about 12-15 trial hours into clippless myself. I started with 3 hrs goofing around and semi-intentionally crashing in the yard, followed by a crash filled race, then followed that up with more focused escalating intensity long rides not on red trails  Now I'm starting to tackle some of my nemesis obstacles from the past that I had mastered on flats, maybe foolishly and fearlessly.
> .
> Two key things for me have been a low tension setting in addition to using multi release cleats ( and after parking the Candies for now) I'll sometimes just ride along a near normal pace and clip in and out incessantly and just about anywhere just to gain the feel of it and figuring out what I can get away with unclipped. I still have the occasional  moment, sometimes a slo-mo tip over, and with increasing frequency the "eureka" moments when I unclip reflexively and pull off a dab
> 
> ...


Thanks for the props, I'm stoked that it worked out for you well. Give it some more time and you'd be in and out without thinking. Soon you'd come full circle like me as I'm a flat user now, well I ride both but more flat than Clipless now, it's just too much fun

I do mix it up though, as one complement the other well. If you master both you are really rippin' them on the trail. Noclutch, one thing you'd find is that it's easier to power up when you are about to stall with the clipless, unlike Flats as I usually scrap the crap out of my pedal Hardly ever done that with clipless.:thumbsup:


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## Moozh (Jan 20, 2010)

I'm of a differing opinion mainly because I ride solo and have too many responibilities that would go neglected if I hurt myself so I err on the side of safety. It's a personal choice for me but I go with good platforms primarily. I do have two bikes with clipless but they are both single-speeds (one mtb other 'street'). I dont tend to venture into the excessively technical with those because of constraits of the gearing and rigid forks.

On my return to cycling I had a few too many close calls that by the grace of zeus had me unclip just in time to save my bacon, I figured it was only a matter of time until something I could not afford to happen....happened so I went with platforms. Truthfully they have been pretty darn great for me. The right pedal and the right shoe and moslty I'm great. I have on occasion slipped off the pedal on some steep technical climbs that then forced me to walk the rest of the way up but it is not the norm and frankly I'm willing to concede that. I've never had a problem on the downhill and I've had a few instances of saving a low slide by dippin my foot on the ground to regain control and carry on.

I'm sure at some point or other I will fall, folks that are more accomplished than myself state that falling at some point is inevitable so I figure it it and I can only hope it will be a minor thing but sure as I'm writing this here right now I know of a few times I've had my life flash before my eyes and was saved by being able to get my foot down pronto. Two in particular that I KNOW if I were clipped, no way, no how would I have been able to save it.

I do very much like my clipess on my less intense trail rides on my SS and I am confident with them at that level but I need to think about my other obligations and do what I must to stay uninjured as best I can.

As far as one foot unclipped, I do that sometimes. In fact I had a snow ride on my SS this past weekend and the melting snow/slush had some rather challenging moments. Where it felt sketchy I unclipped a foot and rested the middle of my foot on the pedal while pedaling until I traversed the tricky area. I use crank bros acid pedals and it worked well enough just to clear some area of concern where doing this was a viable option. For example it wouldnt work at all if I were climbing a hill, in all likelyhood I would inadvertently clip myself back in and might not realize until I tried to put my foot down and then....TIMBER...

Being clipped is great no doubt, for climbing it is especially well suited and you should certainly give it a go but for my experience it isnt the ultimate for everything and the sole perfect way to go. The world is full of options that work differently for different people. Lots of folks swear by great flats and a pair of 5-10's.


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

There's a lot of truth in the right of passage statement:thumbsup: It's like a milestone that every mountain bikers should accomplish. It's important but low on the skill list as you don't need CL to do manual, hops or drops. That said it gives the sense of accomplishment, and since many riders are running CL, it also give new riders a sense of belonging as well. 

That's why karate is so popular in the USA, there's so many belt colors you have to earn. At the same time even blackbelt can suck.:thumbsup:


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## PnkCrnk (Nov 25, 2010)

skrap1r0n said:


> "...the real trick is to not look like a dork AFTER you fall and are flopping around on the ground trying to get unclipped"


That is so funny :lol:

I bought the Shimano half platform/half clipless. I was practicing at a parking lot one time; I stalled and I had slow-mo sideways fall with both feet fully stuck to the pedals. I broke my fall with my hand. People who saw me and did not know I was clipped in probably thought I was stupid.  I most probably had the tension dialed it too tight like some of you guys mentioned here.

My shoes were also a tad small. They felt okay at the store but found out after I got them home that they were a bit tight and uncomfortable after a while of riding. Not wanting to spend more money on new shoes, I resigned to just using the platform half of the pedals, which was a PITA because that's the half of the pedal that tend to move to the bottom when you take off your foot.

Now I'm waiting for a new bike and want to try clipless again soon. I'm expecting a lot of crashes while learning so my plan is to get another really cheap bike to practice on.


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## skrap1r0n (Oct 15, 2010)

I will say, that my GF and I went clipless at the same time. I liked it, she didn't. its no big deal either way. I can tell you it was probably one of the best feelings I had and almost instantly, because it made the bike feel like part of me, rather than something I was sitting on.

I know that I am kinda having to relearn bunny hops, and manuals didn't seem to flow as well for some reason. I have been on a few trails that were pretty technical (lot of roots on climbs) and I kinda wished I was on flats on that one because I toppled a lot.

I don't think I have had any real incidents at speed because of clipless yet. They have all been very low speed topples. The one thing about it that has been sort of problematic is that on new trails or unfamiliar areas. I will scope out a drop first then ride back a bit and hit it. There have been several cases where I couldn't get clipped in fast enough and it came close to causing me to eat it.


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

Muscle memory will automatically occur, through repetition and give you lightning-fast release, in all riding conditions. Make sure you practice release at *all phases* of the pedal stroke....not just at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions.


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## mumbles (Jul 22, 2006)

Clipless are easy to get out of when you remember and have time to think about it. The main problems are panic situations when you just try to yank your foot off the pedal in the usual way and your brain says OMG I'm trapped! The other problem is stalling out going uphill. You are standing on the pedals, left foot is in the down position and your right foot is up, with pressure on it. You twist your left foot and as you take it off the pedal your right foot drops and flips you to the other side.


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