Foot slips off pedal when cycling

[JTHrider]

Hello, One of the things I like to do for exercise is cycle. I have a bike on a trainer in the house for the winter or when the weather is bad. Like to get outside whenever the NY weather will allow. I've been doing good with the cycling, but recently my left foot is slipping off of the pedal. My left leg is the weak leg and probably has something to do with it, also the pedal is a Mt. bike pedal that is plastic which also doesn't help. Tried toe cages because clips are out of the question, but they didn't help because the foot was slipping sideways. Has anyone faced this issue and have a solution or suggestion to work around it.

First time posting so hopefully I'm doing this correctly.

Thanks,
JTHrider

[AMFADVENTURES]

I understand the problem well. Although I do use road bike cleats now, I cannot unclip from my right side unless I am fully stopped propped against my left leg with the bike leaning about 45 deg to the left. Even then it's not always easy. But my right foot will not stay on the peddle without the clip. I have had to learn to always pull my left foot out of the clip before I stop and make sure I am balanced to land on my left leg - and I still miss it once in a while and land on the pavement, but hey, that's what helmets are for.

Performance bike has a spiked dual sided metal peddle with a mountain bike clip-in on one side and just the spiked peddle on the other side that I used for years. Because of the spikes I could ride with those peddles in a pair of tennis shoes and my feet would normally stay on the peddle. I eventually got a pair of mountain bike shoes and started clipping in but because the peddle was dual sided, I didn't have to stay clipped in if I didn't want to. Mountain bike pretty forgiving that way and the clipins are much easier to get in and out of than road bike clips and some mountain bike cleats have an adjustable release force.

Anyway, it was thanks to those peddles that I eventually figured out how I could use bike cleats in spite of my MS weaknesses.

Good luck, if you can master the clip-ins, it can open up a broader cycling experience for you.

Larry

[JTHrider]

Thanks Larry, I'll take a look at the performsncs pedals, I can practice on the trainer. I saw some Velcro straps but didn't know if the would be like the toe cage.
Just afraid I will have problems unclipping

[AMFADVENTURES]

That's exactly what I did initally, tried it on the trainer first but I will say, it turned out to be a little easier after I got off the trainer. I definitely think you should try it on the trainer first though, then once you do get on the road, expect a little road rash! Here's the pedals I used.

https://www.performancebike.com/fort...on-non/p920939

[JTHrider]

I wonder, could I clip just the left foot and keep the right free? At least until i get the hang of it. Just a thought.

[AMFADVENTURES]

That should work. And, I do believe you're quite right to approach this cautiously. It took me quite a while to learn all of the intricacies of pedaling a bike with a game leg but it has definitely been worth the effort!

Best of luck,
Larry

[JTHrider]

Larry, thanks for all your advice and info.
John

[Guitar_grrrl]

Ditto for the MTB clipless pedals and shoes. They keep your feet in place, you get a little more energy with the upstroke, and I find less energy is expended just trying to keep my feet on regular pedals than on clipless pedals. A cheap workaround is to get good old fashioned toe clips. Again, less energy expended on keeping your feet on the pedals, so you can concentrate your energy on your workout.

[JTHrider]

Have had the pedals on for a week now and have been practicing on the trainer. Like the feeling of not worrying about my foot placement. Unclipping isn't that smooth yet, mainly on the weak leg, but still fight with the good one as well.