Road Cycling - I am the coolest!

So, I'm out for the third time on my new Allez Elite. Got all my gear...brand new Specialized shoes and shiny Pearl Izumi shorts, new Pneumo helmet..etc.

I'm climbing the steepest hill on my ride thinking about how awesome I must look as I crawl up this "mountain". I have a soundtrack of Phil and Paul playing in my head about how I am decimating the field as "I dance on the pedals". Yeah I know...I have issues.

Anyway, being a newbie, I start getting a little fatigued and begin dropping gears when all of a sudden my chain falls off. I unclip, stop and fix it. That was the easy part. I tried three times to get the bike moving up this steep hill while trying to clip into my brand spanking new Look pedals. Finally it clicked in but, unfortunately, the bike had stopped moving forward. It seemed like it took a full minute for the bike to hit the ground with me locked onto it. Ohhhh the shame.

I try to get up as fast as possible so that the passing cars and the two riders coming up the hill behind me (the decimated peleton) don't see me. Too late.

Other than feeling like a total fool, I'm ok just a bloody knee and a few scratches on my pedal and handlebar. I guess I should have gotten those mountainbike pedals after all.

If anyone else has done this or something similarly stupid please post it so I don't feel like the Lone Idiot. :(

Last week at the park where there is a 5 mile trail to the beach i was just finishing and about to head home out a shortcut in the back of the park as opposed to the regular entrance and i see this beautifull blonde getting her bike out of the car and decide to make a u-turn and take her way out. Mid way through the uturn my rear tire came out from under me and i went right down clipped i and everything.

I recently switched from MTB Shoes and pedals on my road bike to Ultegra pedals and road shoes that are so hard to get out of compared to the mtb ones. Weeks later i am still not used to them. Only good this is i was around a bend so the only ones to see me where a guy and his kid. The Guy riding a purple womens mtb said in a wise ass way "forgot you were clipped in" i replied " No you see the sand there my rear tire slipped out" i wanted to say yeah as*hole i was laughing so hard from the fact that you are on a purple womans mtb that i fell on my ass. Anyway my pedal, shifter, shoe, and rear skewer are scratched. Now the bike actually looks like i ride it.

it was when i first got a decent road bike for a birthday gift when i was 14 ish. It came with a pair of Shimano(LOOK style) Clipsless pedals, and i bought a cheap pair of shoes that would hold cleats.

i was with a friend, he was inside of a cornershop buying us some soda, i was on the bike, feeling cool with my new bike and shoes, shoes still clipped in pedals. I was leaning on the wall, then, for some odd reason, i pushed myself too much against the wall, then started swinging toward the ground, i tried to PULL my feet off the pedals vertically.....the damn pedals wouldn't let go of my feet.....

i fell sideway to the floor just as my friend was coming out of the cornerstore, he was laughing so hard he dropped both our soda, yeah, it was humiliating :p

These are the stories that make my day. Glad to hear I am not alone in the department of stupid fall-overs. Thankfully the most that has really been hurt has been my pride!

When i fell my wrist had it for the day and i was going to boston to ride among more important things so i iced it for a few hours and it was good to go the next day. It does severely suck to look down and see $140 pedals and $200 shoes scratched. I got over it pretty quick though.

Sorry about that. Things like that happen to all of us.

Suggestion - do NOT click in until you are going well. I have been known to climb a whole steep section unclipped. I just put my shoe a bit forward of the clip until I get going, then clip in.

Works for me.

The Ultegra pedals which are the same as the dura ace ones suck you in if i didnt know any better i would think they had a magnet in them.

Originally posted by DnvrFox
Suggestion - do NOT click in until you are going well. I have been known to climb a whole steep section unclipped. I just put my shoe a bit forward of the clip until I get going, then clip in.

Works for me.

That’s my advice as well. You don’t have to have your feet clipped in to pedal.

My first fall came on my first ride with my new pedals and shoes. My son, then 5, wanted to play Lance. Which means I follow behind him and wait for him to say, “George, I’m tired! Get up here and pull.” Well I was following too close, and he stopped, no problem, I stopped also. As I balanced there for what seemed an eternity, the realization dawned on me that my feet were not coming off the pedals. At least I managed to fall and lift my bike at the same time so that only the left pedal got any scratches. Not so for my shoulder.

Start of the 2001 Ride for the Roses, clipped in one side,
everyone waiting for the start (we have just moved up to
the start area as group in front goes off), all of a sudden
(from standing still) I'm falling towards the clipped in side.
My wife says (looking down at me) "what are you doing?"
I replied "trying to crawl into this crack in the pavement in hopes
that Lance (who was looking like 'oh gawd I have to ride with
these phreds') won't really see me! (he did).

Marty

Hopefully the first and last time that I fall, was shortly after i got my clipless pedals, I wasn't totally comfortable, and still not 100% yet, but getting better.

I am right handed so I had successfully been able to lean to the right and pop out of my clip. I decided that I would try popping out of both, and than .... well I was sorta thinking the left side, and I thought naw just lean to the right. Before the thought went completely through my mind, the bike leaned to the left, and the left foot went back into the pedal. The rest is history.

Another good reason to wear gloves. Yeah, I am the klutz on & off the bike. :rolleyes:

All the scratches on my roadbike have been due to me going down in a slow-speed fall while trying to wrestle my foot out of the pedals. On one particular ride last year, I overlapped my left toe against my front wheel while pedalling and making a slow turn out of a parking lot of one of the rest stops. Forward movement of course immediately stopped and I went down... in front of a bunch of people. I was on the ground for a little while thrashing and trying to get my foot (which was pinned under the bike) free. One guy behind me rushed up to see if I was okay and said, "I just did that same thing... 3 miles back."

I am glad it's not just me! When I first went clipless, I was going up a long but not steep hill. I was having fun powering up the slope when I ran out of air. I don't mean gasping, or anything like that. I was in deep oxygen debt, and started to feel fuzzy. I pulled into a driveway, and the damn pedals wouldn't let go. My fuzzed up noodle couldn't work the release. SO I start to fall over, and I remember thinking...'Oh no, not again.'

Ridge -
Couple of things...
First - what hill were you on. I grew up in Boulder and remember my cycling time there fondly.

Second - you might try practicing riding with with only one leg. As you push off sit down and push and pull with the leg that is clipped in and thus allowing you a bit of time to clip the other side in... I does take some practice - Kind of like walking and chewing gum at the same time... Which I've yet to master...

Good luck and I look foward to knowing where you're riding... If you're looking for a good challenge - Go north to the "Bus Stop" and take a left - and go climb Lee Hill Road... That'll get your heart going.

R

Originally posted by Raedeke
Second - you might try practicing riding with with only one leg.

A little OT but also practicing to ride using one leg at a time eventually helps in developing a smoother spin. Find a nice flat stretch of road, unclip one foot and let it dangle free. Then try riding using just the other leg. Switch off and alternate between legs. Eventually you'll start eliminating dead spots in your pedalling and also overcome a lot of dominant leg syndrom.

Heck, I can fall without clipless pedals! And feel eminently stupid, too!

I was riding on a trail when I rounded a corner and noticed these extremely well proportioned bike shorts with long, lovely legs hanging out the bottom, bent over a bike. She was having trouble with her rear derealu....damn French words...shifter, and I was going to stop and offer my - ahem - expert assistance.

As I gracefully glided to a stop, my left shoe got hung up on the pedal's strap buckle, and I tumbled over, as my British friends say, like a great bloody twit!

This lovely young woman looked down at me and asked "Oh, sir, do you need any help?" My first thought was just spade me in dear, cuz I dying from embarassment anyway!

I finally got loose and helped her fix the problem and got her on her way.

:roflmao:

I had just the opposite happen. I had gotten used to clipless pedals. Got my new LeMond (first road bike), and it had those annoying strappy pedals.

Well, I didnt have the tool to put my clipless pedals on, so I took my first ride on her, with the strappy pedals. Came to a stop, and tried to "twist out" and unclip.. well.. that doesnt work so well.. fell at a stop light.. and yes, there was a car right behind me.. and it was driven by an amazinly beautiful 20-something.. lol.. we both had a laugh.. although I think I was more red.. ;)

-BlueDevil

Ahhhh, thanks. You guys are making me feel better already!

Raedeke, This hill was actually in Superior...on McCaslin heading up to 128. Know where it is?

I'll will take your advice to heart. I'll do anything to avoid a repeat performance. That's funny, I never even thought about pulling up on the already clipped in side.

Wich will get my heart going? the "Bus Stop" or the hill? ;)

As far as riding unclipped. No can do with these Look 3.1's. I have to flip them over or I slide right off. Flipping them was the time consumming part that caused me to lose it. once flipped I went right in.

Any of you guys using Looks?

I've just starting the 3.1's and am finding them really hard to get used too. After three years with shimano spd's I've become very carefree with my de-cleating.

Talking about cleating - it reminds me of my own little story of high performance. I was powering up a local hill at peak hour and was seriously impressed with the gear I was in - decided to crank it up one more cog and really get the thighs burning but it wouldn't go in - laid back a little - in she went - beautiful - powered up again - looked down at the rear cluster at my impressive performance then BANG face slam into the back of a car. As I picked myself up it suddenly dawned on me I had just ridden into the back of a parked car in front of half of Hobart - nice.

My first clipless pedals and a tour when I was about 16. I was showing off my track standing abilty at a stop light when I lost balance and could not clip out. Needless to say it was a busy intersection and there I am laying on the road. Never heard the end of it from my buddies.

This is great! Very funny stuff! Check this out:

About 6 years ago I had just purchased a new pair of shimano clipless pedals. Well I was so excited to try them out that I raced home to switch to the new pedals - then I realized that I needed a special wrench and headed back to the store. Well I couldn't get the left pedal off and had to return to the store for a third time for some assistance. By the time I got back home, it was rather dark so I took the bike into the living room and tried getting used to the pedals. I was getting pretty good at it until I couldn't get my left foot out and I started to fall. Unfortunately there was only one thing to break my fall - my TV. So there I was laying in broken glass and TV still attached to the bike. After the fourth trip to the bike shop and a new TV I couldn't be happier with my clipless pedals.

Originally posted by 2stupid2quitnow
So there I was laying in broken glass and TV still attached to the bike. After the fourth trip to the bike shop and a new TV I couldn't be happier with my clipless pedals.

Wow... that must have been a hard fall. I've tried smacking a TV tube before and it took quite a few hard hammerblows before I was even able to crack it. The glass on a CRT is pretty thick.

Hey 2stupid...& Khuon...
I'm surprised that either of you are alive. There's a capacitor in those suckers that really pack a punch... Could have knocked the clipless right off of you..
But, just think then you're a shoe in for the Darwin Award.

Ridge... I know the hill and it's a good one.... Get over to "The Wall" (south of Boulder and just east of 93) and give that one a spin.

Regarding the North Boulder sights.
My recomendation is that you make the left turn at the "stop", go up the hill and on your way down stop in... Use it as a prize... besides one more person with spandex in that place won't hurt - and you might find a few bucks in your shorts by the end of the evening...:eek:

Last thought on your uphill clip in problem. I find it easy to ride across the hill or even turn down the hill for a stroke or two and then turn back up... this gives me just enough time to get in and get some momentum going as I progress back up the hill. As long as there's no traffic.

The other route you'll have to try is up Flagstaff. But I would make sure you have the clip in problem solved... not much room for error there let along a car or two. And most of the guys/gals going up that hill - would really let you have it if you fell.

Enjoy
R

Originally posted by Raedeke
Hey 2stupid...& Khuon...
I'm surprised that either of you are alive. There's a capacitor in those suckers that really pack a punch... Could have knocked the clipless right off of you..
But, just think then you're a shoe in for the Darwin Award.

Oh, I know all about those. The CRT I broke up had been sitting out in a dumpster for about a month. Any charge had disipated a long time before. However, I have heard of idiots who have tried to use them for target practice while standing too close and been injured by the ricochet.

I had a buddy who was a great rider in Arizona for years (years ago). He bragged to HIS buddy, who still rode a lot, that I was riding like a hooker and could drop him on south mountain (wonder where he got that idea?). We all got together to ride. I was pumped, READY TO SHOW THEM ONCE AND FOR ALL! Before we made it to the exit of his housing complex, I fell trying to get through the gate. Silence ruled the moment. Then his buddy dropped me like a bad habit on the mountain.

I was ok though, the shrink said so.

Originally posted by Ridge
If anyone else has done this or something similarly stupid please post it so I don't feel like the Lone Idiot. :(
Umm... Lance Armstrong fell of his bike a few days ago (spectator's fault, but we won't tell anyone Lance was actually sand... errr... handbagging at the time).

Jan Ulrich fell of his bike a few days ago. Riding too fast in the wet on slicks. Silly boy

About 100 guys fell of their bikes at the end of Stage 1 of a race a few weeks ago. Didn't get out of the way of the obstacles in front and couldn't uncleat in time.

I fell of my brand new road bike with Time Atac pedals as I pulled up to a set of traffic lights. I had everything down pat... braking, changing down to a lower gear, best position in the lane. Came to a halt and promply fell over just as I was thinking "now there's something else, what is it again?" It's amazing how quickly you can get up and make it look as though it's all part of a routine ritual!!:D

It's happened to us all.

I have told this story on the Forum before, so I'll keep it short. In my first couple of weeks riding clipless it seemed to be going so well that I figured I was ready to try the coolest of tricks - the track balance. At a nice quiet traffic light on a country road I stop and all is well untill it starts to happen..... I fell over, off the road and upside down into a 3ft ditch full of nettles. This has given the guys at work hours of amusement. Aside from the loss of pride, the nettle stings were pretty uncomfortable......

I think these incidents are one of the cycling rites of passage, and something to be (secretly) proud of.

Cheers,

Ed

same thing here...climbing a steepie and thought I had a puncture....slowed down to listen to it and did the six million dollar man - slowmo fall to the pavement while trying to unclip.....then I made the mistake of trying to getting going again while facing up the incline...duh...FYI...that doesnt work....

Originally posted by lemond19
same thing here...climbing a steepie and thought I had a puncture....slowed down to listen to it and did the six million dollar man - slowmo fall to the pavement while trying to unclip.....then I made the mistake of trying to getting going again while facing up the incline...duh...FYI...that doesnt work....




You guys need Shimano 324 double sided pedals..... no fall-overs yet. A couple of "almost's" but your feet always come out in time, even if you don't try to unclip properly.

OK, my turn... here's a story from my pre-clipless days...

I'm about 14 or 15 and on a traffic island waiting to cross at the crosswalk. One foot is strapped in tight (toestraps and cleats) and the other is on the island. Somehow, I get off-balance and fall off the traffic island onto the side that is still strapped in.

I can't get free of the bike, 'cause the strap buckle is pinned between my foot and the pavement so I put my free leg through the frame and try to stand up. Of course, that doesn't work and I fall again but this time there's a pickup full of losers honking and swearing at me.

So I'm laying there, pinned and tangled up in my bike giving the finger as these guys pull around me.

During all this my buddy is laughing too hard to help me but he finally gets it together and lifts the bike enough so I can flip the toestrap open.

I've done it too.

The "worst" time: Out for a short ride, stop to check a rattle, un-clip both feet successfully, then, while attempting the dismount keep my left leg too close to the bike while swinging the right over, lose my balance and fall over. This happens on a deserted street, deserted that is except for 1 person, a lone jogger who is directly across the street from me AND 2 hispanic gardeners in a truck. The gardeners are rolling in laughter and the jogger asked if I needed help, kind soul.

Then, a little while later (same ride) I am attempting to toddle up a local fairly steep hill when I attempt to unclip my right foot to stop for a breather and, bink!, I fall over(thank gawd, it was onto a grassy parkway). Again on a completely deserted street EXCEPT for a hiker across the street--and again I am offered assistance.

This last fall above made me very reluctant to climb any hills around my house, or any hills period. I just pushed through it and have learned the small easy motion to make and the right place in the pedal revolution to unclip. Ahhhhhh.

I have also fallen over while dismounting (after successfully unclipping) in front of the LBS. Talk about feeling stupid!

Now, with mucho practice I am to the point that I can unclip and clip on that hill I mentioned earlier, at slow speeds.

I used to ride to college years ago with my husband and crashed into him at least twice, slow speed. He used to call me Crash-N-Burn.

I think there are two morals for all these stories.

1) When you first start out with a new style of pedals, be they clipless or toe-clips and straps, you are going to have a rough time.

2) Never assume that after learning how to use your new pedals that you know it all. As sure as you do, you will fall on your butt!

It happens to everybody. My first time was when I was about 14 or so. Just got some Shimano clipless pedals on my MTB and went out for a ride on a greenbelt with my family on mothers day. Mom decides she wants a family picture so I ride up to where everyone is at, forget I'm clipped in and fall right over. I just couldn't stop laughing.

Second time was after getting my wife her first bike with clipless pedals. We go for a ride around the neighborhood together and come to our first stop sign. I'm a little ways ahead of her so I unclip my right foot as usual and put it down at the stop. She comes up on my right side, forgets to unclip and starts pushing against me to hold herself up. I still have my left foor clipped in and start to tip over...just can't get it out in time and I go down. The extra time she gained by leaning on me gave her time to get unclipped though so I'm the only one to go down. Again, all I can do is laugh. There where even a couple cars in the vicinity and the people in them were laughing too.

I've never fallen...I don't know whats wrong with you guys...:D:D:D:D:D just kidding.

my best fall was when I was sprinting across this huge intersection, and i was upshifting becuase i was spinning about 130. however, the bike jammed into gear really hard, so I moved the shifter the other way. the chain fell onto the BB shell, and with no resistance on the pedals, I lost my balance, and when I tried to put my foot down...guess what. I'm clipped in.

Luckily I was unhurt, but I did take a big bow to all the traffic that I held up...

A few weeks ago I purchased a used Lotus road bike. The following weekend I took it out for the first time, on an afternoon jaunt with my wife.

This bike comes equipped with straps, and I practiced a bit with them in the parking lot previous to taking the bike out onto the road. A bit complicated at first, since the pedals have a tendency to turn upside-down due to the weight of the straps. After a short while it became easier.

The ride itself was just fine, but upon returning home we faced The Hill, a short but brutal incline. I conquer this brute regularly on my Trek 800 Sport, my lungs turning inside out and my thighs speaking to me unkindly but with my backside resolutely and firmly on the saddle. What makes this hill such a challenge is that I must approach it from a sharp right turn, thus sapping momentum. Still, I manage it on the Trek as I mash with the bottom of the middle ring.

I tried going up this hill on the Lotus, sitting on the saddle. It took one-and-a-half strokes to ascertain the hard truth, that it was not meant to be.

I stood up on the pedals. I got perhaps four hard-won strokes with this strategy, but my progress was more lateral than I had wished and I ended up on the left side of the road. I was determined to persevere and as my front wheel neared the curb (kerb) I endeavored to steer right while mashing the left pedal.

Whereupon the chain slipped.

I would have saved myself and the bike were it not for the fact that I had chosen to wear my Nike Pegasus trainers. These are the shoes I wear when on my Trek, as they provide great grip on the platforms. Unfortunately when combined with toeclips the result for me in this instance was somewhat similar to a woolly mammoth out for a stroll in the La Brea tar pits. I was still trying to disengage my left foot when I and the bike went crashing to the pavement.

Skinned elbow, lacerated knee, a large chunk ripped from a saddle wrenched sideways from the impact. Nothing terrible, but I got a lesson in the difference between mountain bike and road bike gearing that I shouldn't really have had to take had I used that ever-elusive common sense I keep hearing about. :rolleyes:

-Rob

I have two dumb falls on my record.

#1. The first day I got clipless, I decided that I was so cool that I'd do a club ride so I rode over to the local bike shop where everyone was gathered for the ride. I was stopping for a light and could not clip out. I fell over right there in front of the whole crew. Th e worst part is that I had to take my shoe off my foot to stand up. IThe cleat was loose and I could not get it unclipped. I rode home instead of going with the other boys.

#2. Two weeks ago I had just finnished a 150 mile ride and was pleased with my self as I had done it in a very good time. There was a pin awarded at the end of the ride and just as I took the pin i fell right over there in the parking lot in front of entirely too many people. I cut my knee up pretty bad and had to walk down to the barbeque event with blood running down my leg. I felt like a newbie!

No one has mentioned destroying their bike in this thread. I managed the uphill thing 15 yards into first ride after bike service and along with bad gashes to elbow, wrist and shin managed to bend wheel at a right angle. Fortunately no spectators to see.

Only fell over once when I was using toe clips. I don't understand why so many people have problems with clipless pedals.

Originally posted by Laggard
Only fell over once when I was using toe clips. I don't understand why so many people have problems with clipless pedals.

I think that maybe the problem people have with clipless is that they are adjusted way too tight at the beginning. Mine were, and I had such a bad time getting in and out that I (upon advice from the lbs guy who sold them to me) adjusted them looser to the point that my feet came out of the clips VERY easily. This did not affect my pedaling, nor did my feet pull out when pedaling, because I just didn't have the power. Then.

Now I am thinking about tightening up the clip adjustment because on my last ride, I pulled each foot out of the clip one time while trying to accelerate. I guess I am finally using all of my legs and generating more torque! Finally!

Originally posted by foehn
I think that maybe the problem people have with clipless is that they are adjusted way too tight at the beginning.

This was my experience as well. I was so excited to try out my new and improved pedals, that I clipped in before adjusting the tension. Left pedal, no problem. But the right pedal, oh boy. I twisted my foot until it was pointing straight across to my left knee, but the damn pedal wouldn't let my shoe go.

So, do I do the smart thing and take my shoe off? Noooo.., I figure if I can just get a little more leverage, I can get out. I need to get my left leg on the right side of the bike. Of course, attempting this in brand new shoes in my garage is like trying to ice skate on roller blades. Predictably, my left foot slips, I fall straight on my a**, and the bike falls on me. No real damage, except to my pride, and one big learning experience: ADJUST TENSION BEFORE USING NEW PEDALS!

Well, that's my embarrasing pedal story..

You guys don't know how much I'm loving these stories.

Well it happened again...same hill. This time I shifted down instead of up. Forward momentom stopped. I unclipped and didnt fall! I Made sure no one was coming and turned downhill clipped in WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING, turned around and made it uphill no problem.

Ha! Now I am the coolest! Don't worry I'll always remember not to get too confident.

Thanks all! :beer:
Ridge

Brushing glass off with my gloved left hand. Hooked my thumb around the seat stay and let the palm run over the tire. Didn't see the bump - my thumb comes unhooked and my hand gets sucked down and jams between the chainstay and the seat tube. What followed was the sickening combination of an incredibly painful burning sensation as the wheel ground its new found "brake pad" coupled with the squishing sound of three bones breaking in my hand (twisting fractures). All the while my right hand is desperately trying to squeeze the brake lever, but I can no longer reach. All of this before I crashed. Not a good day, not a good day at all.

How about this. First week using SPD pedals...

I riding in the 8th annual NC Bikefest and am pulling into the second rest stop of the 62 mile ride, where at least 100 other rides are already stopped to fill up on Gatoraid and Fruit/Cookies/etc...

I unclip my left foot and just as I come to a complete stop on the lawn, I realize that my right is still securely fastened in. I topple over to the right, completely surrounded by all the other riders.

Oh Well...

i don't get it. how do you fall while trying to release? it doesn't make any sense...
unless you forget how to rotate your heel. that's what it looks like happens in most cases.

As I came to a stop I just assumed I could just lift/slide my foot off the pedal and put it on the ground; remember this was my first week, third ride being clipped in. Since my foot didn't go anywhere, my momentem just kept going over to the right and down I went.

Peace

buckheel, that's different... losing your balance and being unable to unclip while you're falling, that can happen a lot.

but people who fall at the light because they were unable to unclip before they were forced to come to a stop, that's weird. shows either that the pedals are broken or insanely tight, or the cyclist is inexperienced, coordinating several tasks he is unfamiliar with. that i can understand.

Is it possible to use clipless as if they were platform pedals, if I didn't have the shoes?

I've used platform pedals all my life, and I may get a bike with clipless pedals in a week, and I'm worried how well I will adjust. Do most people end up taking spills on cliipless when they first start out? I don't mind getting scratched up, but I am worried that I would fall hard because of head trama. I have a neurological disorder that can get worse/cause serious problems from head trauma (bonks to the head... whiplash from a car accident or amusement park ride...), so I'm not sure if I want to go clipless. Maybe I should buy the cheap clipped pedals, for now atleast? (maybe that will help me adjust for when I get clipless?)

I have a brand new Bianchi Veloce and it's my first experience with clipless pedals. I have taken a grand total of 3 rides on the bike and have managed to fall twice!

First time, last Sunday morning. I was at an intersection and was stopped for a red light. I managed to clip out just fine. When the light changed, I pushed off with my still-clipped in foot but when I tried to pedal with my other non-clipped in foot, the sole of my shoe (which is very smooth) shot right off the end of the pedal....I lost all momentum and crashed slowly onto my left side. No road rash, very little cosmetic damage to the bar tape, and very few witnesses. Geez, would it kill them to put a non-skid surface on the sole? When I get home, I notice there's a raised rubber section on the heel - I make a mental note to use that when I start out on the non-clipped foot.

Today, I was riding with my wife up a medium grade hill on a narrow country road. The using-the-rubber-raised-section on the unclipped foot is working to perfection. I'm going faster than my wife up the hill, so being the chivalrous gentleman, I decide to turn around and go back to join her. I misjudged the width of the road versus the arc of my turn and ended up in the gravel shoulder on the opposite side - the front wheel slipped out from under me and down I went, slowly again, still clipped in. Got three 6 inch lacerations across my calf just below the left knee and a few scratches on my left brake lever. Nothing big. The lacerations weren't very deep and didn't bleed excessively, so we finished our ride rather than going home. I feel like an idiot :rolleyes: Got the Neosporin thing going with my cuts.

I love my new bike, but I think that it will eventually kill me before I can learn to contol it and get the clipless pedal thing licked. I guess my new bike will allow me to crash at much higher speeds now:D . Lucky me!

Originally posted by carlk23
Brushing glass off with my gloved left hand...- my thumb comes unhooked and my hand gets sucked down and jams between the chainstay and the seat tube. What followed was the sickening combination of an incredibly painful burning sensation as the wheel ground its new found "brake pad" coupled with the squishing sound of three bones breaking in my hand (twisting fractures). All the while my right hand is desperately trying to squeeze the brake lever, but I can no longer reach. All of this before I crashed. Not a good day, not a good day at all.

Holy CR@P! :eek:

Originally posted by brent_dube
Is it possible to use clipless as if they were platform pedals, if I didn't have the shoes?

I've used platform pedals all my life, and I may get a bike with clipless pedals in a week, and I'm worried how well I will adjust. Do most people end up taking spills on cliipless when they first start out? I don't mind getting scratched up, but I am worried that I would fall hard because of head trama. I have a neurological disorder that can get worse/cause serious problems from head trauma (bonks to the head... whiplash from a car accident or amusement park ride...), so I'm not sure if I want to go clipless. Maybe I should buy the cheap clipped pedals, for now atleast? (maybe that will help me adjust for when I get clipless?)

You can get pedals with a cage round the clipless mechanism, or clipless one side, cage the other, but providing you set the tension as lose as it will go you shouldn't have any real problems.