Pedals

[Maxence]

@martin

immediately see that you have really internalized the movement of the feet which is required to release the shoes from the pedals. This is probably essential for a safe usage on the uni.

Sure. That is the result of almost 5 years of daily commuting with clipless. It’s really something I don’t think about. Simply put: if there’s any danger I haven’t thought about, my feet get out of the pedals in a fraction of second.
I also agree with you it’s essential for a safe usage on a uni. Going clipless for Muni without the right training is quite suicidal.

@martin

I have tried SPDs on my standard uni almost two decades ago. I think at that time it was even more freaky than today, considering the reactions I got back then here in the forum

I’m no specialist of the history of clipless but i seem to remember they were much harder to clip and to unclip back then. There has been a massive leap in technology since then, making clipless suitable for uni.

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@Unigoof

It looks like a good brake is quite important

IMHO, it’s one of the key part on a freewheel. It must be powerful and it should not overheat. The last is a big issue as we always apply pressure on the brake, which is not a typical bike behavior. In my experience, organic pads fails to provide enough resistance to heat in DH, so brakes with organic pads tend to lose power with time… And pads are consumed really fast, too.
Next experiment will be to give a try to metallic pads. I have a brand new set, I just didn’t take time to install them yet. But my current organic pads are now fully consumed so I’ll try them soon!

@Unigoof

How “practical” is it to freewheel trails compared to fixed? Is it about the same pace?

I wouldn’t say it is more practical than a fixed. @muni_ben wrote a great post about that:
Freewheel Unicycling Megathread - #227 by muni_ben

Although I would temper his results given the overall stability clipless pedals offer to a freewheel and resulting speed. As far as I am concerned, I had lots of problems with my feet not sticking to flat pedals on my freewheel. It felt like it was really hard to find the right pression to put on the pedals to keep feet on them. Once I switched to clipless, I hadn’t this issue anymore… And I got a freewheel level I wouldn’t think I would ever acquire! Is it because of me riding clipless for years and simply having problems with flat pedals or does that completely change the behavior and the maneuverability of the freewheel? Hard to say. But that would be great to give it a try
BTW, and lastly, freewheel needs rider to keep a round pedaling. And clipless helps a lot to achieve that! So they seem to combine perfectly

[slamdance]

@Maxence

Shimano PD-M530? Anyone?

Seriously? Como sava.
This must be only used on a close track for unicycle only racing. Am I right?
Here in the USA, we don’t get that same kind of venue or respect for unicycles

[Eric_aus_Chemnitz]

I used to have them on my bike. The tended to be a bit hard to get out, even with the softest spring setup, when not cleaned and lubricated regularly.

[Maxence]

@slamdance

This must be only used on a close track for unicycle only racing. Am I right?

You’re wrong. They can be used whatever the ground - wherever they aren’t forbidden as metallic pedals (i.e. on athletics tracks). Muni, road racing or commuting are all good candidates for clipless

@Eric_aus_Chemnitz

I used to have them on my bike. The tended to be a bit hard to get out, even with the softest spring setup, when not cleaned and lubricated regularly.

Did you use SH-56 (multi-release) cleats? SH-51 are indeed harder to get out.

[Eric_aus_Chemnitz]

That’s a good question. I’ll have to check this.