Just the usual: NOT!
OK...same ride but with real roadie shoes locked into real roadie pedals. Actually, they are a mountain style pedal and shoe for more comfortable walks in town during long-distance cross-county rides.
That said, the clip-less bindings are a little difficult to get used to for several reasons in the short run. Firstly, I found that there is an amount of float (or play). Secondly, I am not used to pedaling with a more forward position from the ball of the foot. This changes the mechanics and thus the muscles used in pedaling versus those used with standard petals. Thirdly, and more importantly, I found it tricky to think ahead and dismount the shoes from the petal in a timely manner. The alternative to a timely dismount is falling over stuck to the petals.
The benefits of this system is more efficient pedaling allowing for burst of power as in sprints.
Needless to say, I was nervous about stopping at cross-roads or other instances and not dismounting a shoe before falling over. The ride went well, however, when I rode to the end of the south trail at County Rd 1, I forgot that my left shoe was still mounted and started leaning to the left. There, I realized my error as I started going down. Amazingly, as I braced myself for falling, my left shoe popped out of the petal and slipped to the pavement and preventing me from a most embarrassing moment.
The rest of the ride was uneventful although very windy.
MXS: 24.4 mph.
Weather Conditions: 1619 hours. Overcast. Winds 9.2 to 12.7 mph mostly from the WSW.
Min: 37 Avg: 37 Max: 37 ºF
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