In one of our previous conference calls with Traci, our fitness coach, the topic of pedals and bike shoes came up. This last week I decided to put some Shimano clipless pedals on my Optibike (see picture below). I also purchased some nice Pearl Izumi shoes. I first looked at some Shimano shoes that I liked but they didn?t have a big enough size for my US 13 size foot. This has been my first time using clipless pedals and shoes. I learned how to adjust the pedals right so they would clip in nicely and also practiced getting them to disengage easily before I ever took off on a ride with them. I didn?t know why they call them clipless pedals since they really do clip in. You actually hear a click as the cleat snaps into place. What I?ve read is that they were called ?clipless? to distinguish them from the old fashioned toe-clip type pedals.
On my first ride with them I could see how they helped with pedaling and allowed me to keep my stride. I could both be pulling up on one shoe while pushing down with the other giving more power to each stroke. I didn?t have to worry about my shoes sliding off the pedal and could concentrate more on the ride. This should help with going on some of the longer rides. Very nice! I was very cautious when approaching a stop though and made sure to get at least one shoe out prior to reaching zero mph. After all, if you stop the bike while still attached to it with both feet you only have to decide if you want to fall to the left or to the right. Ouch!
Odometer 1168 Miles