One Small Clip for a Real Cyclist...

One GIANT Clip for a Non Cyclist.

The clipless adventure has begun, and I'm loving it. Who knew that nike shoes were so bad for cycling. I only rode 16 miles, but what a difference.

Todd got in touch with me early on Thursday and asked if I wanted to ride. My answer of course was yes as you know I needed to tack on some miles for the mileage challenge. I got home from work and got busy putting on the pedals (you got me, I didn't do it the other night after I put up that post that said I was going to do it then) and attaching the cleats to my shoes. It's amazing how much better my bike looks without those clunky pedals with toe clips strapped on. I put on the Look pedals as they did wind up winning the poll by one vote, and they look sharp. Nice and streamlined, but a little intimidating. They're so small, and I started thinking about how they will firmly hold me onto the bike, and how they might not want to let me go. Anyway, on to the cleats.

I screwed the cleats into the Shimano shoes and by this time Todd had showed up and we we pretty much ready to go. After signing up for a 100 mile bike race without owning a bike, riding in 28 degree weather with fingerless gloves on, and riding a 30 year old loaner to get acquainted with the sport, you no doubt have reservations about my level of common sense. I can't convince you otherwise, but I can tell you that I did at least practice getting in and out of these new pedals before we took off. I'm glad I did as they were set way too tight for me. A few turns of the allen wrench and they were less like bear traps and more like pedals so we got started.

I pull out of the driveway and right into near disaster. While I was looking down trying to get my other foot in my pedal, one of my neighbors had turned into the cul-de-sac. By the time I looked up, she was politely trying to navigate her minivan around the idiot in the street who apparently doesn't know how to ride a bike, even though he's wearing bike shorts and sporting biking gloves. I managed to wobble to the edge of the road, and she passed without me toppling over. I finally finagled my other foot in and we were off.

This is better.

From the first few pedal strokes, I could tell how much better this was going to be. The stiffness of the shoes, the connection to the bike, I could get used to this fast. We took off down my now somewhat routine 16 mile down and back route. The wind was so bad it was laughable. We were struggling just to stay in a strait line and make forward progress. The only silver lining was that this was a down and back route, so while this wind would kill us the whole first half of the ride, barring any major atmospheric anomaly, it should be pushing us with the same force the whole way home.

I'm happy to report that we timed most of the streetlights perfectly. We had to pause a few times, but never had to completely stop and unclip. I know, not a true test of the clipless pedals, but I was happy to get lucky the first time using them. I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to topple over, unable to unclip, in the future. The second half was much more enjoyable with the wind at our backs. There is one hill on the route, that put us in our place, but other than that we made it back to my house in good order. I made sure to unclip before I even got in my driveway and did so uneventfully. So far I'm loving the Look pedals and will continue to use them. Not to disappoint all you SPD lovers out there, and don't hate me, but if things keep going well with the Look pedals, I'm not sure I'll even give the SPD's a chance. I know, heartless, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it right?

Christmas Come Early

Stepping it Up a Notch

The cycling fairy stopped by the house this weekend and showered me with a few new toys. Yup, I'm moving into the big leagues, real cycling shorts with chamois and everything, and clipless pedals so I can stop wearing my Nikes. Speaking of not wearing my Nikes, I got some new shoes to go along with those pedals. If I go with the Look pedals I'll be keeping the Shimano shoes, if I go with the SPD pedals, I'll be sticking with the Cannndale shoes. Last I checked the blog poll didn't really help me much as far as choosing a pedal so I guess I'll flip a coin and bolt on whatever wins, then try the other. Oh, and I finally got my hands on a floor pump, so no more arm burning, mini-pump fiasco's.

Today I got in my last ride in the Nikes, I'll be putting on the pedals tonight. I got in another 16 miles, right around 15.9 miles per hour. I broke out the new cycling shorts. I had worn a pair when I rode in Mystic, but I had never donned them in my own neighborhood. I gotta say, I'm still not used to it. I feel like I'm leaving the house a tad under dressed, but I've come to the conclusion that you just have to own it, and wear them with pride. They'll seem normal one day I'm sure. The sun was shining, but man was it windy. And not the kind of, at your back, push you along wind, it was the 20 mile gust, blow you into the middle of the street wind. Not very much fun, but it sure kept me on my toes. Besides the wind, everything went well, although I did have my first semi-breakdown. Can't really call it a breakdown I guess, my chain just fell off about .2 miles from home, but it was the first time I had to stop for a "repair". I'm proud to say that I was able to get the chain back on and made it back home, unscathed.

Mileage report tomorrow... the suspense is killing me.

Thanks for reading.

SPD or LOOK

The battle of the pedals.

Alright, so you may have seen in the pictures from the ride last weekend, I'm still rocking Nike's and toe clips on my new bike. I know this must come to an end ASAP, but before it does, I'd love to have your input.

Should I put on SPD pedals or Look pedals. A bike shop here in town said I should go Look, and that's what my older brother uses, but I've also heard that you can't go wrong with SPD's and both my little brother and Todd use them.

Here's what I've done. I ordered 2 pairs of shoes and both SPD and LOOK pedals and will conduct a little test of my own, but I also would love to hear from people that are actually using the technology right now. What would you recommend and why. The most compelling argument gets bolted on first. Keep in mind, I'm new and sure to fall clipped in no matter which brand I use, and that my end goal here is a century ride, so comfort is as important as functionality I assume. I could be wrong here, but that makes sense to me. Can't wait to hear from you.