Mountain Biking - Clipless may have prevented injury

I was going pretty fast down a hill and was not able to see that there was drop off in the trail due to my side being higher than the other. The drop off was a foot or 2 across and was 6-12 inches deep and squared, not rounded that you could ride through it like a dip. By the time I was able to notice it, I realized that there was no way I could stop in time. I decided to tempt fate and jump it. Fortunately I switched to clipless which allowed me to pull the bike up higher allowing me to clear this thing, barely. Landed perfectly escaping injury. Unfortunately the bike didn't do as well. I broke a few spokes and popped the tube. At least I was only a half mile into the trail when it happened.

That wasn't the pedals, it was the rider. Good save.

That is a good save. It definately wasn't all clipless but unless you really know how to bunny hop you probably would have been a gonner :)...nice one.

I agree... nice save. I wonder if clipless would have helped me out in a similar situation over a decade ago. I was riding the path along Lake Shore Drive that had some broken concrete sections. I was hitting some of the jumps made up by slabs rammed against each other when I noticed (mid-air) a large gap (about a couple of feet wide) right in my landing path. Instinct took hold and I tried to suck the bike up under me (riding with toe-clips) and attempted to extend my flight through some weight shifting but only managed to clear the front half of the bike. The rear wheel smacked dead-square against the far lip of the gap bulging my rims and snapping a couple of spokes. I was surprised I was able to recover enough to ride away and wasn't bounced off and over the side (5 ft dropoff... albiet onto sand). I tied off the spokes, released my rear brake and rode the couple of miles back to my dorm. My rear rim was toast.

how fast can you get your feet out of clipless? i like the idea of them, but am worried that if i were in a situation where i'd need to dismount my bike quick they'd get in the way..

I've never been stuck in my pedals during a crash. For some reason my feet automagically eject themselves from the pedals.

how do you get your feet in/out of clipless? i've never used them

Most clipless pedals use a heel-out motion to disengage. After a lot of practice/use, it becomes automatic and your legs just instinctively know exactly what to do for some reason. A lot of times, I'll get through a crash and wonder how I managed to disengage. The only times I've fallen with my feet still stuck in is when I overlap my toe and my front wheel on my roadbike (I ride a pretty small frame) and this happens during really tight turns at slow speeds. I don't have this problem with my MTB of course.

ah cool, tx

Clipless has injured me about a billions times, and saved me only a few. My crashes happen way too quickly to be able to get out of the pedals usually.

Originally posted by JasBike
how fast can you get your feet out of clipless? i like the idea of them, but am worried that if i were in a situation where i'd need to dismount my bike quick they'd get in the way..

I have a video where there is a clip of a guy doing ds and he was in the middle of a tabeltop dirtjump and lost control. He tried to toss his bike but it stuck to his feet. I didn't show the damage this guy took but that clip was enough to never make me want clipless :)

Also if you are jumping or doing drops some tricks / moves require foot movement (similar to a skateboarder). I imagine in a jumping situation you could be unclipped at the worst moment..

I have a nice scar collection (legs, back, etc) largely due to clipless. I now use platform pedals and can climb as well as with clipless. I do enjoy seeing the blood of clipless fools!

*cough*embittered*cough*

is there anyway to make clipless pedals into platform pedals? or do you just have to buy all new pedals?

There are some combo pedals that have clipless mechanism along with platforms such as the Shimano PD-M646/M545/M424, Time Z-Control and the Crank Bros. Mallet-C. Generally though you're going to want to go one way or the other if you're hard-core enough with your riding style. For really technical stuff, with the mechanism in place, you may accidently clip in when you don't want to or vice versa. If your riding really prefers clipless such as XC then you probably need not bother much with platforms. That said, if you encounter a wide variety of terrain on your rides, aren't concerned about weight and do a fair amount of pedalling both clipped in as well as not then I would recommend something like the Z-Controls. I'm currently running ATACs and the binding mechanisms are the same. They've not let me down yet.

are the advantages of clipless really dramatic enough when running XC to notice?

Originally posted by JasBike
are the advantages of clipless really dramatic enough when running XC to notice?

I think it depends on the rider. I found a great improvement when I first switched to them.

great improvements in what? stamina, speed, control?

Originally posted by JasBike
great improvements in what? stamina, speed, control?

Yes. ;)

I'm able to go further because I don't wear out one specific set of muscles quicker. I'm able to go faster because I can spin better. I'm able to use my feet to help me move the bike around easier. For me, clipless works with my type of riding.

ah cool.


the bike i'm getting comes with them.. i figure on tryin' um out, if i dont like them i'll switch them off

Originally posted by JasBike
ah cool.


the bike i'm getting comes with them.. i figure on tryin' um out, if i dont like them i'll switch them off

Yep... that's a good idea. Some people like them... some hate them. You really have to try them out for yourself. I normally run clipless but I do keep a set of platforms that I'll swap to if I'll be doing certain types of riding such as urban assault.

Clipless...only for long distances, everything else, I use platforms.

For urban assault/freeride stuff, I use flat pedals. But for XC riding, clipless is the only way to go.

i use toe clips, do clipless offer much advantage over toe clips? i used to run flats but i have found that they get slippery at times.

I found toe-clips and straps to be very dangerous for offroad riding as they tend to snag on stuff if not flipped the right way and then comes the issue of trying to flip them the right way while trying to pedal out of a tight section.

Im not sure its wise to race in toe clips, but for just riding, they can be fine. You dont tighten the straps, that way you can get out during a wipe out. I have wiped out on ice and on wet grass by the side of deep ruts. Every time I am able to get my feet to the ground during the wipeout, and avoid a crash. The speed of removal also depends on careful choice of footwear, to avoid any snagging protrusions.

Getting your feet into the clips on steep technical sections is not easy for a beginner, but if you have been using them for a while, the flip action is pretty slick.
I think with clips or clipless, you need a bit of experience and "muscle memory" to use them effectively in highly technical sections of track.