I am ashamed to say I have clip-in pedals on my road bike but don’t use them. My Diadora mountain bike -style SPD cleats have served me well ever since I became a spinning instructor in 2009 (birthday gift from my mom). I had a brief stint trying them out on my hybrid bike in Michigan (meaning I clipped by feet in at a stand still, wondered ‘now what?’, and promptly tipped over). I also have tried here in London but lost my concentration at a junction and fell over (at red light fortunately). Finally, on an uphill climb, my derailleur snapped off, which threw me off the bike (probably too much damage to bike from falling over at other times).
In short, my two attempts at Ride London have been in my trail running shoes, not my cleats. I am aiming to finally hit 100 miles this year on the course, and want to make it as painless as possible. I feel like I am getting lots of time in the saddle, between extra spinning sessions and long rides with my husband. I still have not started strength training yet, which I said I would do (mental note). The next logical step would be to get over my fear of my clips and try them again, right? I reached out to the cycling community and asked for some words of wisdom about learning to ride with clip in shoes.
Rose from online women’s cycling brand and retailer, Victor and Leap, recommends looking for a shoe that fits. She says ‘the most important thing is to make sure that it’s a good fit that holds your foot and you’re not rolling around. One thing to consider is that generally women have thinner heels – something not all companies take into consideration and so some just don’t hold a foot well enough which has major effects on the efficiency of pedalling, which is one of the main reasons you would use clip-ins in the first place.’ Victor and Leap only sell Fizik shoes because they are one of the few companies that make shoes that fit a women’s foot profile.
When trying on shoes in the shop, Matt, a customer service advisor from Merlin Cycles, says ‘aim to find a shoe that fits snug but not too tight. You want to make sure that when you press down on the ball of your foot, your heel doesn’t slip inside the shoe. Remember, cycling shoes will fit much better on the bike than walking around in as they have extremely stiff soles to transfer your power.’
The benefits of cleats are numerous. Davis and Hull (1981) found that using cleats reduces the fatigue in the quadriceps muscles, which will allow you to ride longer without getting heavy tired legs. In my spinning certification class, they taught us to describe the pedal stroke as a square, where you push down, pull back, pull up, and push forwards. Matt described another good visual to maximise your pedal stroke as to think you are scraping something off the bottom of your shoe to pull around at the bottom of the pedal stroke. The pulling back and up engages the hamstrings and glutes, giving the quads a short rest. This would be a tremendous benefit on a 100 mile bike ride!
Rose points out that being attached to the pedal transfers the power from your leg to the pedal, which is more efficient and requires less effort for a greater outcome. Also the stiffness of a clip-in shoe design also has a purpose as it increases the power transfer. When I use my cleats in spin class, I can feel the ‘up motion’ of my pedal stroke and the moment just feels different too.
Finally, how can I get over the fear of falling off? Personally, I try to always unhook my left foot in the hopes my body will remember to always lean that way. But I also need to remember to do this in my group cycling classes too. I also make the tension release of the clip very loose to increase the speed at which I can release my foot. As I become more accustomed to the clips, I will gradually increase it.
Rose suggests unclipping much earlier than you think is necessary while out on a ride as you can still pedal with one foot for a bit if you need to. There is a small pond near me with a dirt path around it where I might do some practice laps there. Another option is riding around a large empty car park to remind myself of the in-and-out foot motions again. Luckily, my pedals have SPD clips on one side and are regular old pedals on the other, which gives me some flexibility on a day-to-day basis. But Ride London is only a month away now. I need to get going if I am going to wear cleats on the ride.
You can even practice at home. ‘As for practise you don’t have to head straight out on to the road.’ says Sam. ‘One evening put your shoes on sit on your bike, hold on to the sofa and just practise clipping in and out so you get used to the movement without thinking about it.’ He says to then take it outside on a quiet road and keep practising.
What is my next step? Put on my helmet and start practising! Living close to the Velodrome, I can pop over there in the evening and utilise their 1 mile outdoor circuit while clipping in and out on each lap. I need to get my confidence up so I don’t waste my energy on nerves during Ride London.
If you have any tips on getting used to using clipless pedals, please leave a comment below. I also welcome any hilarious stories of falling off your bike while getting accustomed to it.
Davis and Hull. 1981. Measurements of pedal loading in bicycling. II. Analysis and results. Journal of Biomechanics 14(12): 857, 863-861-872.
I am ashamed to say I have clip-in pedals on my road bike but don’t use them. My Diadora mountain bike -style SPD cleats have served me well ever since I became a spinning instructor in 2009 (birthday gift from my mom). I had a brief stint trying them out on my hybrid bike in Michigan (meaning I clipped by feet in at a stand still, wondered ‘now what?’, and promptly tipped over). I also have tried here in London but lost my concentration at a junction and fell over (at red light fortunately). Finally, on an uphill climb, my derailleur snapped off, which threw me off the bike (probably too much damage to bike from falling over at other times).
In short, my two attempts at Ride London have been in my trail running shoes, not my cleats. I am aiming to finally hit 100 miles this year on the course, and want to make it as painless as possible. I feel like I am getting lots of time in the saddle, between extra spinning sessions and long rides with my husband. I still have not started strength training yet, which I said I would do (mental note). The next logical step would be to get over my fear of my clips and try them again, right? I reached out to the cycling community and asked for some words of wisdom about learning to ride with clip in shoes.
Rose from online women’s cycling brand and retailer, Victor and Leap, recommends looking for a shoe that fits. She says ‘the most important thing is to make sure that it’s a good fit that holds your foot and you’re not rolling around. One thing to consider is that generally women have thinner heels – something not all companies take into consideration and so some just don’t hold a foot well enough which has major effects on the efficiency of pedalling, which is one of the main reasons you would use clip-ins in the first place.’ Victor and Leap only sell Fizik shoes because they are one of the few companies that make shoes that fit a women’s foot profile.
When trying on shoes in the shop, Matt, a customer service advisor from Merlin Cycles, says ‘aim to find a shoe that fits snug but not too tight. You want to make sure that when you press down on the ball of your foot, your heel doesn’t slip inside the shoe. Remember, cycling shoes will fit much better on the bike than walking around in as they have extremely stiff soles to transfer your power.’
The benefits of cleats are numerous. Davis and Hull (1981) found that using cleats reduces the fatigue in the quadriceps muscles, which will allow you to ride longer without getting heavy tired legs. In my spinning certification class, they taught us to describe the pedal stroke as a square, where you push down, pull back, pull up, and push forwards. Matt described another good visual to maximise your pedal stroke as to think you are scraping something off the bottom of your shoe to pull around at the bottom of the pedal stroke. The pulling back and up engages the hamstrings and glutes, giving the quads a short rest. This would be a tremendous benefit on a 100 mile bike ride!
Rose points out that being attached to the pedal transfers the power from your leg to the pedal, which is more efficient and requires less effort for a greater outcome. Also the stiffness of a clip-in shoe design also has a purpose as it increases the power transfer. When I use my cleats in spin class, I can feel the ‘up motion’ of my pedal stroke and the moment just feels different too.
Finally, how can I get over the fear of falling off? Personally, I try to always unhook my left foot in the hopes my body will remember to always lean that way. But I also need to remember to do this in my group cycling classes too. I also make the tension release of the clip very loose to increase the speed at which I can release my foot. As I become more accustomed to the clips, I will gradually increase it.
Rose suggests unclipping much earlier than you think is necessary while out on a ride as you can still pedal with one foot for a bit if you need to. There is a small pond near me with a dirt path around it where I might do some practice laps there. Another option is riding around a large empty car park to remind myself of the in-and-out foot motions again. Luckily, my pedals have SPD clips on one side and are regular old pedals on the other, which gives me some flexibility on a day-to-day basis. But Ride London is only a month away now. I need to get going if I am going to wear cleats on the ride.
You can even practice at home. ‘As for practise you don’t have to head straight out on to the road.’ says Sam. ‘One evening put your shoes on sit on your bike, hold on to the sofa and just practise clipping in and out so you get used to the movement without thinking about it.’ He says to then take it outside on a quiet road and keep practising.
What is my next step? Put on my helmet and start practising! Living close to the Velodrome, I can pop over there in the evening and utilise their 1 mile outdoor circuit while clipping in and out on each lap. I need to get my confidence up so I don’t waste my energy on nerves during Ride London.
If you have any tips on getting used to using clipless pedals, please leave a comment below. I also welcome any hilarious stories of falling off your bike while getting accustomed to it.
Davis and Hull. 1981. Measurements of pedal loading in bicycling. II. Analysis and results. Journal of Biomechanics 14(12): 857, 863-861-872.
Ride London is only seven weeks away and this year I am determined to ride all 100 miles of the route. For readers new to the blog, let me briefly update you on my attempts over the years:
2013 (inaugural year)- Ballot spot. Got a flat tire on Leith Hill and my feminist pride meant I missed the time cut-off for Box Hill. Total ride ~ 93 miles. 2014- Ballot spot. A wee bit of a hurricane hit London and entire course is shorted for safety reasons. Total ride ~ 86 miles. Tragically, I bought a shirt that said ‘100 miles done’ before the race at the expo. 2015- Ballot spot. We moved house in May and I didn’t start training due to length of new commute. Deferred entry to 2016. 2016- ?
I have a score to settle and am going to ride all 100 miles this year even if it kills me. I am taking my training very seriously and am committed to accomplishing my goal.
As part of my training, I have been going on lots of long rides with my husband and his friends (see Strava for my training log). Some they have organised themselves, but we also signed up for Evans Ride It Reading event in May. For that ride, we stayed with friends in Pangbourne and it was only a few miles ride to the start line. I opted for the medium route (approximately 60 miles),while the boys went for long (approximately 80 miles). It was a gorgeous day for a ride and there were organized fuel stations along the way with lots of yummy food.
In addition to riding outdoors, I still teach indoor cycling once a week at Forest Fitness Gym and I have been training to starting leading classes at the Lee Valley VeloPark’s indoor cycling too at the Velodrome in Queen Elizabeth Park. Even though these rides are indoors and on a stationary bike, they can also be invaluable for sportive training. Try to find a studio near you where the class focuses on riding, without any upper body work. After a few weeks of single classes, start adding on another without a break. You don’t need to follow the lesson plan for the second class, but instead aim to ride with consistent RPMs and a bit of resistance.
Indoor cycling studio
Turbo trainers, or similar machines such as rollers, are another way to fit in more training indoors. With weather, family life, and traffic, getting out the door is sometimes tough. You can use the time on the bike to catch up on your favourite TV show, watch a film, or listen to a podcast. To make it more interesting, download the Zwift app. I haven’t tried it myself but lots of friends on Strava (yes you can log your training on there) seem to love it. It will give you a bit more structure to your at-home sessions and has a competitive edge to it if that is motivating to you.
Being outdoors is nice too.
My longer rides are proving to be a struggle as I need more strength in my upper body to maintain my posture. I also need to work on building the endurance in my legs. This realization is one of the reasons why I am spending this week here on the blog and Instagram sharing my tips on becoming a stronger cyclist. Today’s lesson is to spend lots of time in the saddle. After all, practice does make perfect. If I want to be good at riding a bike continuously for seven hours, I need to spend time gradually building up the length of my rides to prepare my body for that task. The benefits of long training rides include:
First long ride with husband & his co-workers to Southend-On-The-Sea
Aerobic base building/Strengthening your cardiovascular system for the longer rides
Getting your body used to performing the same motion for several hours (endurance)
Opportunity to work on fuelling and hydration (in case something doesn’t agree with your body)
Practice changing a flat tire and trouble-shooting other mechanical failures, should they occur
On top of all this bike riding, I am supposed to be marathon training. As the training for both events overlap, I have subbed long rides for my long runs and but have struggled to find energy during the week to get my short runs in. Work is full on, making it hard to get away from the desk or my email day or night. I cannot continue on like this though because it is just getting to be too much to fit it all in. But I cannot afford to skip training for either is I want to be successful. I hope the aerobic base-building and mental training from cycling (7 hours with my thoughts and no way to write down all the things I think about is a long time) will prepare me to jump into full marathon training mode in August. Last night, I did a 5 mile run at marathon pace and it felt alright even in the heat and humidity (a nice change from the usual London weather). My body felt tight though as I stretched out in the garden.
Next steps for me? More rides, more runs, more strength training, and more stretching. Easy, right?
I would appreciate any and all tips about balancing multi-discipline training while working full-time. Leave a comment below!
Too often do I see cyclists without helmets, wearing headphones, or riding without lights in the evening. These seem like no-brainers to me but maybe that is because I am a very cautious cyclist. Or I thought I was. I wear hi-vis and indicate at every junction. I refuse to ride down the middle of traffic and would rather walk my bike through a deathly junction that ride it. It turns out I was missing a critical point about cyclist safety.
Red arrow is pointing to the damage from Oldland treating my helmet as a chew toy.
My helmet needed replacing.
When we first adopted Oldland, we had a bit of a teething period where he would chew stuff or eat the garbage while we were out. My helmet was one of those things. I didn’t think much of it as only a bit of the foam was missing and I continued to wear it.
After a 40 mile cycle ride this weekend, James and I stopped at a local market in Redbridge. They had 2 stalls dedicated to bikes (one to sell used bikes, the other for repairs). My gears don’t shift very well but the queue was too long to have it sorted for free. I decided to stop at BikeTrax in Wanstead to see if they could help me and also to purchase a bell (mine fell off at the first London Duathlon).
The staff at Bike Trax were really nice and explained my gear shifting problems to me. They also had bells, so I picked one up. As I was paying for the bell, Noah (who is also a wheelsmith) noticed my helmet and said he couldn’t let me leave the shop in good conscience as my helmet was not safe. Here is a video of him explaining why:
After we shot the video, Noah had a go at my helmet. Not bad for a skinny cyclist!
The other points to consider when purchasing a helmet:
-The fit: make sure it fits your head properly, sitting on your forehead, not back
-It meets safety standards, such as 16 CFR 1203 in the USA, BSEN1078 in the UK. Noah explained the helmet I purchased met Australian standards, which is better than UK.
-Helmets need to be replaced every 2-3 years nowadays. It used to be every 5 (which is how long I had my helmet). I imagine this is due to the different materials being used to make them lighter nowadays.
-Don’t leave in high temperatures, such as storing in your car or near a heat source. If you see any damage to the plastic shell (which is also affected by UV light), you need to replace your helmet.
Big thanks to BikeTrax for great service and having the things I needed in stock. There were several color options for my helmet but I went with red and black to match my bike. I am sure I will be back to BikeTrax again soon as I like supporting local businesses and the staff were very friendly and helpful. Thanks to Noah for being a good sport and letting me film him too!
Every once in a while, I get an email from the good folks at Wiggle about kit they are currently featuring. For those that don’t know, Wiggle is an online cycle shop that offers good stuff at an affordable price. dhb is their own ‘brand’. My husband has several dhb items and I can attest to their quality. Wiggle also includes free snack packs of Haribos in your order and has a loyalty program for frequent shoppers. How cool is that?
I am an affiliate, which means I get a very small percentage (1-2%) of each sale made by clicking through the links below. The best part is that it doesn’t cost the buyer anything additional to support me (and this here blog).
My Ride London 100 training starts Monday, so the blog and social media channels will soon be peppered with cycling posts. If you have any sportives planned for 2016, please let me know in the links below!
This week, Wiggle would love for you to check out the following (many have alternative colors so be just to check the site for alternatives):
Please note, I have never tried any of these products so please do some research before making a purchase. I have made my own purchases from Wiggle for myself and my husband, and would recommend their site even if I was not an affiliate.
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In short, my two attempts at Ride London have been in my trail running shoes, not my cleats. I am aiming to finally hit 100 miles this year on the course, and want to make it as painless as possible. I feel like I am getting lots of time in the saddle, between extra spinning sessions and long rides with my husband. I still have not started strength training yet, which I said I would do (mental note). The next logical step would be to get over my fear of my clips and try them again, right? I reached out to the cycling community and asked for some words of wisdom about learning to ride with clip in shoes.
When trying on shoes in the shop, Matt, a customer service advisor from Merlin Cycles, says ‘aim to find a shoe that fits snug but not too tight. You want to make sure that when you press down on the ball of your foot, your heel doesn’t slip inside the shoe. Remember, cycling shoes will fit much better on the bike than walking around in as they have extremely stiff soles to transfer your power.’
Rose points out that being attached to the pedal transfers the power from your leg to the pedal, which is more efficient and requires less effort for a greater outcome. Also the stiffness of a clip-in shoe design also has a purpose as it increases the power transfer. When I use my cleats in spin class, I can feel the ‘up motion’ of my pedal stroke and the moment just feels different too.
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