Congratulate Me Please For Wrecking My Bike

[Cacia]

Sorry to hear you had a spill. Having said that...welcome to the club!

Two considerations:

1--Don't put your feet down. Learn to trackstand (balance w/o moving). It will take work, but will pay off in the long run.

2--In the short(er) term, you can try a couple things: Put 3M tread tape (like skateboard tape) on the soles where they're slick. The tape will wear pretty fast, though. You can can also use some Barge's cement to glue rubber used to resole rock climbing shoes for a longer term fix. Alternatively, you might try exchanging your road shoes for mountain bike shoes. If you're running Shimano pedals and SPD cleats, they should be compatible. A Mtn bike shoe will have more "tread" and thus be a little heavier, but will bite when you put your foot down.

For the record, my road shoes are Diadora's and my pedals are Look. With the teflon impregnated cleat, they're like standing on soapy glass. Good times.

Brilliant! I knew there was an issue here other than my poor skill set and the deer in the headlights driver.

Soapy glass...yes, it was the worst feeling. I had a little voice that said to practice in the lot or a side street, which I ignored. I did not have trouble getting my heels out...it was only when my foot made contact with the asphalt.

At home, I started looking at these shoes and wondering why I thought I could balance on them...they are far from flat. Then I looked at JB's and his are built up and have little patches of tread.
People have said to "give it some time", but those shoes are a death wish for me at this level. I almost walked home in my socks.

Thanks for great advice.

So, Surly, I have been wanting to start a "Cycle Thread" in the fitness forum as there are some cyclists in here.

So, do you trackstand at the lights?


So: I just had my call returned by the bike stor owner.

He was extremely friendly when I was in buying mode.

"oh, YOU are from Santa Barbara TOO!" etc, etc.

Now, he has a blank.

But..I made my case and basically said I would like a deal on a shoe switch...and it is really a business decision that is totally his. I said I can e-bay these and go "on-line" and order some like JB's or you can help me out here.......totally your choice. "You really don't remember me?...I bought a 25 dollar case of electrolyte jelly beans for the Marines in the desert?...you went to the back to get them?"

what a poser...

 

[VBlueV]

Yes, have gravel embedded. Haven't skinned my knees like this in a couple decades.
The bike, I held it like a cake, on a platter, all the way down, not a scratch.

well.. at least the bike's okay (j/k)
so.. does this take you out of diving for a while?
i think a large water-proof bandage would do you.. heh.

i had shoes like that for my road bike.. used 'em mainly on the american-river-trail in sacto.. no worries about cars.. it was 33 miles from "old-sacramento" to folsom-lake.. nize smooth and wide two lane cement trail.. and if you got too hot in the summer.. you could stop near rainbow bridge and swim to the rocks and hang out with the coeds =)

 

[Surly]

I did not have trouble getting my heels out...it was only when my foot made contact with the asphalt.

Yup. I typically try to put my heel down first, as it grips better than the ball of my foot where the cleat is.

So, Surly, I have been wanting to start a "Cycle Thread" in the fitness forum as there are some cyclists in here.

Go for it! I'm sure there are a bunch of cyclists here, probably some with more experience than myself. I'm a hobbyist who got started with mountain bikes and bought a road bike almost 2 years ago, so I'm not exactly a sage but I was interested enough to learn how to do most of my own repairs and assembly, and learn the WHY as well as the how. If you can, make friends and go riding w/ one of the local bike mechanics. You'll learn lots of stuff by osmosis.

Another option is to get a few hours with a local coach. When I first started, I spent 10 or so hours w/ a mtn bike coach and is made a HUGE difference. Learning emergency braking, proper cornering, etc is easier with someone to show you.

So, do you trackstand at the lights?

I try to. It's harder if the road slopes downward, if the light is really long, or if I'm cooked towards the end of the ride.

So: I just had my call returned by the bike stor owner.

He was extremely friendly when I was in buying mode.

"oh, YOU are from Santa Barbara TOO!" etc, etc.

Now, he has a blank.

But..I made my case and basically said I would like a deal on a shoe switch...and it is really a business decision that is totally his. I said I can e-bay these and go "on-line" and order some like JB's or you can help me out here.......totally your choice. "You really don't remember me?...I bought a 25 dollar case of electrolyte jelly beans for the Marines in the desert?...you went to the back to get them?"

what a poser...

THAT is weak. :no