Login | May 09, 2025
Taking the leap away from platform pedals
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: October 2, 2023
It’s funny how many familial situations I’ve found myself in that ended up as ALN columns.
Well, “oops,” it happened again.
This most recent situation involves my ongoing coaching of a relative in his cycling skills, where during a get-together I suggested he move away from his Walmart platform pedals and onto something far more efficient––clipless pedals.
“Lock my feet in,” he said in angst, “I don’t think I can do that.”
Unfortunately his fear is super common.
Most new cyclists view locking their feet into pedals as an extremely counter intuitive act.
So today’s column is a pep talk to all you cyclists who happen to be stricken with “clipless pedal anxiety.”
Now if you don’t understand how clipless pedals work, let me enlighten you.
Clipless pedals are specialty pedals that attach to specialty cycling shoes via a locking mechanism.
And there’s a variety of different locking systems out there such that you must match pedals to the accompanying locking cleats which bolt onto the bottom of the shoes.
Now regardless of what product you choose, all of these locking mechanisms enable the cyclist to achieve amazingly good pedal control.
With clipless pedals you immediately become far more efficient, precisely because you can exert more torque throughout the entire 360-degree pedal stroke, that as opposed to the downward only torque that platform pedals allow you to exert.
Clipless pedals keep the feet from slipping when you hit bumps, they keep your feet in place during out-on-the-saddle bursts and they accentuate your seated and out-of-the-saddle climbing ability.
Yet despite all the aforementioned efficiency-related techno babble, the rub against clipless pedals still comes down to the fear of falling while locked into them.
And with that I offer you a few really easy hacks to help quell clipless pedal anxiety.
First, take advantage of your local bike shop technician and get some help in the buying and the installing of your pedals and cleats.
The tech will make sure that the cleats are properly positioned, typically right below the ball of the foot in addition to assisting with the pedal’s tension release option, which can match your anxiety level with the enter/exit tensioning of the pedals locking mechanism.
Now from there you can take your bike home and either position it in a doorway, or better yet mount it on an indoor trainer.
Hold yourself up in the doorway or atop the trainer and practice clipping and unclipping with both legs over and over and over.
In addition to getting the hang of clipping in and out you can also make subtle adjustments on the clipping tension if need be. And understand that different cleat/pedal combinations can require different movements to exit.
But by and large exiting most clipless pedal systems involves kicking your heel out away from the bike for release.
Step two is actually getting outdoors for some practice.
And for goodness sake, find a place devoid of traffic.
I typically take clients to grassy football/soccer fields where the act of toppling over takes on far less significance than it does on pavement.
The process would go like this.
1. Straddle the bike and clip one foot in while balanced on the opposite free standing leg.
2. Position the clipped-in foot at a 12 o’clock position.
3. Push the locked foot down to get the bike rolling forward.
4. Once the bike is rolling, move onto the saddle and then clip into the opposite pedal and begin pedaling.
Now if you bungle the initial engagement of that opposite foot, relax, and continue with a few half pedal strokes with the locked in foot to keep the bike rolling as you continue to work on clipping in that unclipped foot.
To unclip, first make sure you’re not pulling up on the pedal you want to disengage from.
With no torque on the pedal, rotate that heel away from the bike for disengagement. And finally, make sure to anticipate your unclipping.
Do so by coasting while shifting your weight to the leg that will remain clipped in. Unclip the opposite side while slowing the bike to a stop so you can put the unclipped foot down on the ground and get yourself back to the start position.
Don’t let clipless pedal anxiety stunt your cycling progress.
Once you learn the ropes of clipless, I guarantee you’ll never look back.