Clip pedals may seem unusual to the novice cyclist. Learn how to use clip pedals in this cycling video.
Provides more power
Use balance to engage pedal
Start pedal at 2 o'clock position
Kevin Livingston is a former professional cyclist who successfully rode and completed six Tour de France races as a teammate of Lance Armstrong. Kevin now focuses on Training and Coaching through his company, Pedal Hard Training Services in Austin,TX.
KEVIN LIVINGSTON: Hi. I'm Kevin Livingston. Now we're going to work on clipping in your pedal. I like clipless pedals because they allow you to pedal through out the whole pedal stroke and get power through out the stroke. But let's start with the basics, clipping in. First thing is first you have to get over your bike to one side that you prefer to clip in. I prefer to clip in starting with my right foot. So I'm going to swing over the bike and I'm just going to gently lean. I'm going to balance on my other leg so I'm going to be more comfortable if I gently lean the bike that way on that leg, and I'm going to engage in my pedal. Now regardless whether I engaged here or down at the bottom, I could have initially put my foot in down here if my pedal was in this position. Now to get going, what I'm going to want to do is I want to bring my crank arm or my pedal up to about the 2 o'clock position, 1 or 2 o'clock position, I'm going to slide back on to my seat all the while leaning gently to the left, and balancing on my left leg. This way I can push down. It allows me to have power as I push and give the bike some momentum to clip my other foot in. So, as I push down with my foot and begin rolling, I can then find my left pedal with my left foot and get it clipped in. One thing I like to stress is continue to pedal regardless of whether you get that other foot in the pedal immediately this way you have momentum and you're not swerving in the road going slow searching for that pedal. Just begin pedaling, set your other foot on that pedal and take your time while you find that other clip pedal position and get it clipped in and you're all set to go.
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