This is our 13th post - scroll down to see the others ...
Cleats 101
Today we're blogging about cleats - those clips in the bike shoes that hook into special pedals, as in the photo (yes, that is a pedal!) . You may have heard the clacketty clack when a gang of riders all take off together at the lights, as they all click into their cleats again. Cleats make riding more efficient because you are utilising the "pull" muscles as well as the "push" muscles to move the crank around. I was told once they make you about 30 % faster. They also change the ergonomic position - our little red rider at the top of our blog page is clearly using cleats (even though she seems to be going backwards some of the time!), whereas our friend in the (dangerous) scarf at the top of the blog is pushing only. You can see his riding style if you scroll right down to bottom of all the blogs. Admittedly he has a more upright bike than her road bike.
Today we're blogging about cleats - those clips in the bike shoes that hook into special pedals, as in the photo (yes, that is a pedal!) . You may have heard the clacketty clack when a gang of riders all take off together at the lights, as they all click into their cleats again. Cleats make riding more efficient because you are utilising the "pull" muscles as well as the "push" muscles to move the crank around. I was told once they make you about 30 % faster. They also change the ergonomic position - our little red rider at the top of our blog page is clearly using cleats (even though she seems to be going backwards some of the time!), whereas our friend in the (dangerous) scarf at the top of the blog is pushing only. You can see his riding style if you scroll right down to bottom of all the blogs. Admittedly he has a more upright bike than her road bike. 
The main hurdle with using cleats is that you have to remember to take your foot out of them when you want to stop. You can't just slide you foot off the pedal - you have to make a conscious twist with your foot, i.e. you have to think about it ahead of time. If you don't, you come to near stop with no way of balancing, and you fall over. I (Katrina) was told that every novice cleat-user falls over 19 times before they beat the cleats - well I have fallen 4 times, I think, and Bruce 4 or 5 - a memorable time in Gisborne after we had done a gruelling 40 km uphill ride into a headwind - he was so elated at arriving into Gisborne ahead of me, he rode in like a hero -and then fell over at the lights.
I am a very cautious rider and take one foot out of my cleats at the slightest sign of trouble ahead - a dog, a child, traffic lights, a sharp bend. I can't get my left foot out very easily and so have to rely on taking the right foot out. I have my cleats set very loosely too, so they are easy to disengage. I have ridden throught the whole of the CBD many times with one foot uncleated ...you just "ride on your heel" - that is a nervous rider for you ! I shall have to develop some aggressive habits to make up for it - bang on car roofs, and swear loudly at all the drivers - what do you think? - End of Cleats 101!
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