Wassup Tommy
I thought the 'left-first' recommendation was odd, and wanted to ask, only to find that others had already questioned the recommendation. I don't understand your explanations -- please help...
I don't understand how the choice of foot to unclip at stops has any effect upon how one mounts the bicycle, an event which ordinarily occurs <i>prior</i> to unclipping for stops. I mount from the left, but prefer to unclip my right foot; I don't feel my derailleurs are ever at risk from my feet during mounting, although I can't say I've ever paid much attention to such risk...
I can't help thinking that I'm much less likely to fall in the direction where I have a FREE foot to stop the fall! Therefore, if I'm concerned about falling to the right and damaging derailleurs, I would want to unclip my right foot, not my left.
For what it's worth, I prefer, I don't think for any particular reason other than entrenched habit, to mount from the left, unclip the right when stopping, and dismount to the right (probably cuz my car often is often in the way of dismounting to the left
) My right foot is Last In and First Out ("LIFO")
The other possiblilities are (for the RIGHT foot):
FILO
FIFO
and LILO
Assuming the OP's question has been satisfactorily addressed (comments OP?), can we turn this in to a poll?