on 2/1/10 6:26 AM, Allingham II, Thomas J at thomas.alling...@skadden.com wrote:
Am I right (or, in the alternative, completely misguided) in thinking that TCO should not be a problem if you're not clipped in? (I suppose maybe that's why the problem is called "toe clip overlap.") Just for reference sake, it's important to define the following: "Clipped In" means using some sort of cleated interface to secure your shoes and pedals - SPD, TIME, LOOK, etc... "Clipless" are the type of pedals that you clip into as above. It is an honorable semantic effort to shift this phrase to "Clip in". Even the snowboarders use the phrase "Click-in binding"... "Toe Clips" are the cages that extend off the front of the pedal. Once upon a time, we nailed cleats to the bottom of our cycling shoes, so that the rear lip of the pedal cage secured the shoe. Then we tightened down the toe straps. Then we were "clipped in". We were young and foolish. Slipping a pair of cycling or street shoes into a Toe Clip is "using toe clips" All-righty then... One of the quickest ways to get into trouble is to get your foot _inside_ of the front wheel when stopped or at low speeds. Really, that's about the only time it can happen, because you really shouldn't be turning the bars that much unless you are coming down Repack on a Klunker in about 1978 or thereabouts. The best way to compound the problem is to be riding a fixed gear, because, obviously, you can't backpedal and the momentum of the bicycle is driving your foot. The first time I did this (on my Dawes commuter, which has toe clips and fenders), I very luckily dropped my heel, which pointed my toe up, creating plenty of room for the wheel to swing back to center. Then, I seriously panicked and froze up. Luckily, the freezing took place after the fact, and as such did not end catastrophically. I'm a great believer in practicing for disaster, and have since played with this condition a bit to create some muscle memory for the future. Depending upon the tension in your legs, the position of your foot, you can definitely compound the problem if your reaction is to push down harder. It's really a weird feeling when it happens, and your instinctive reaction may not be correct. It's not a bad idea to play with the clearances, so you know beforehand what they are. Sitting stationary on the bike (with a spotter - some of the hardest falls I've had were at 0 mph...) in a doorframe or next to some support, set your foot forward and move the bars to create the problem. - Jim -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net "One Cog - Zero Excuses" L/S T-shirt - Now available http://www.cyclofiend.com/stuff Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes Send In Your Photos! - Here's how: http://www.cyclofiend.com/guidelines -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
