Road Cycling - Finally, I understand what you guys mean...

about falling over with clip-in pedals.

I was less than 1/2 mile from home yesterday and slowly rolling up to a stop light, figuring it would change before I needed to stop. Well, it didn't. I realized i was doomed and reached out to the nearest thing...a full size Chevy pick-up waiting next to me. I grabbed the hood and pushed myself back up right as the light changed. Off I went. I did wave "sorry" to the guy as I rode off...good thing it was a beater old Chevy and not a new Mercedes or something.

Learned the lesson even if I didn't actually hit the ground. :)

PJ

about falling over with clip-in pedals.

I was less than 1/2 mile from home yesterday and slowly rolling up to a stop light, figuring it would change before I needed to stop. Well, it didn't. I realized i was doomed and reached out to the nearest thing...a full size Chevy pick-up waiting next to me. I grabbed the hood and pushed myself back up right as the light changed. Off I went. I did wave "sorry" to the guy as I rode off...good thing it was a beater old Chevy and not a new Mercedes or something.

Learned the lesson even if I didn't actually hit the ground. :)

PJ
You will get the hang of it, just hang in there. The pedals will be as if they were meant to be and in no time you will be unclipping without even knowing.. as time goes on you will be coming to a stop and useing your brakes and almost a track stand, then before you know it you will be doing a track stand.
Just hang in there, and when you do fall dont worry the people who saw you fall will be long gone before the embarrassment sets in. :D

Just hang in there, and when you do fall dont worry the people who saw you fall will be long gone before the embarrassment sets in. :D

Not always. In my case, I did my fall in front of two cars going by at the intersection where I stopped (all of half a block from my house - so to make it even worse, these could have been my NEIGHBORS). One pulled over immediately to ask if I was all right; the other I rode by a minute later where he had parked, and HE asked if I was alright, too. Had to tell 'em both I was fine, but my ego was certainly bruised. ;)

That's hilarious, I always get a kick out of the first time falling over with clipless pedals stories. I remember my first one was mith my mountain bike at a busy intersection. I'd been riding with no problems for about 2 weeks, and then for whatever reason (maybe I was flustered with all the traffic or something) I just couldn't clip out and wham! Flat on the pavement. What's more, I ended up taking about 20 seconds to get myself out of the pedals because I couldn't unclip from the pedal lowest to the ground. Man did I feel like a dumb@ss. It's reassuring to know I wasn't the only one who went through that.

Yeah, the stories are funny, that's why I posted it here for everyone.

I have been doing really well clipping out and didn't figure I'd need to at that intersection. Oh well...

The only thing I need to work on is the "perfect" motion to unclip. Haven't found the sweet spot for that yet.

PJ

Yeah, the stories are funny, that's why I posted it here for everyone.
PJ

Here's a funny one, I'll share...

I was riding with two other guys when we were passed by a guy in a black sedan. Maybe he blew his horn at us or passed us too close, I don't remember, but whatever it was ticked us off and the chase was on. We caught the guy at a red light. My two buddies circled the guy's car scowling at him. I followed and promptly fell over right in front of his car. He had to wait until I picked myself up and moved before he could go through the green light. I caught all manner of hell riding back in with those guys that day!

I had never fallen over till I got caught in a wind. I had been lazy and somewhat badly balanced getting my foot down when I stopped. wel that day there was some nice 20mph or so gusts and one caught me just as I was about to put my foot down. it blew me the oppisite way over onto my right.

Oh, that helpless feeling you get the split second you realize you are going over! Reminds me the "cow tipping" we used to do as kids.

I, for one, haven't experienced it.

This year that is.

55/Rad

Here's a funny one, I'll share...

I was riding with two other guys when we were passed by a guy in a black sedan. Maybe he blew his horn at us or passed us too close, I don't remember, but whatever it was ticked us off and the chase was on. We caught the guy at a red light. My two buddies circled the guy's car scowling at him. I followed and promptly fell over right in front of his car. He had to wait until I picked myself up and moved before he could go through the green light. I caught all manner of hell riding back in with those guys that day!

Bwaaahaha... LMAO :D

That's hilarious, I always get a kick out of the first time falling over with clipless pedals stories.


Okay... here's mine. I had just ridden to a nearby town to get some clipless pedals (already had the shoes curiously enough but was running them with toe-clips). I was on my way back home admiring my new pedals when I passed by this pretty girl who commented on them (SPD pedals were rather new at the time). I slowed down and we rode together for a little while. I had just got done telling her about the new pedals when as we approached one of the very few stops on this route, we both braked and I promptly did the "Laugh-In" side-fall. That was pretty embarassing.

not clipless, but toe clips...

a few years ago, a friend and i had decided to ride our fixed gears out to a skatepark in east boston for a late night skate session/long distance ride. at the time i was still using a front brake. so we're playing around riding our bikes on the ramps, being dorks...my friend was a lot better at bike control at the time and he started trying "nose wheelies" down the backside of one of the ramps by leaning forward and feathering the front brake. so i start trying it too. boy was that a baaad idea. on my last attempt, i got going a little too fast, and held the brake for a little too long and, of course, had my feet in the toeclips. went right over the bars and landed with a thud on the flat asphalt. lucky for me i had decided to grab my helmet before i went out. it was the first time i ever wore my helmet riding that bike (i also ride BMX). i was a bit dazed and had the wind knocked out of me. i thought for sure on the way down that something would be broken (collarbone, arm, teeth, etc.). but i was basically fine. the bike was fine too.

when i got my breath back i let a few expletives fly and started laughing as my friend untangled my legs from my bike. if i hadn't had my feet strapped in, i probably would've just dumped the bike between my legs, as is customary in that situation...:)

Okay, now i'll throw in my stories. I have toe clips on both my MTB and my SS road/commuter bike. First time on my road bike, i had been riding my MTB without incident, so it was no big deal, i didn't even think about it anymore. I was pulling up to the bike rack at the Student Union where i work, naturally there were beautiful college girls all around, so i thought i would be a tool and show off a little. I pull up to the bike rack, and hold my front brake in a semi-trackstand type of thing, then reach down to loosen the strap. It was raining in the morning, so the ground was still wet in the early afternoon. as i reach down, the bike decides to go the other way. I panic and try to kick out, but it was too late, and i biffed, hard. I hear the girls laughing at me, and everyone stares at me while i am frantically trying to get up. How embarassing, and all because i wanted to show off a little.

An older lady joined our club....at the first ride it was 2 hours for her to cover 5 miles. by fall she was doing 40 - 50 mile rides.

Every few months she would either trade up or buy a nicer bike. She finally took the dive and bought clipless pedals. First ride was on the clubs sunday social. we were all coming up to a stoplight, I noticed she had not unclipped, signalled my wife, we rode up on each side of the older woman and as she came to a stop and realized she was still clipped in and started to fall, she fell against me as my wife calmly grabbed her handlebar to steady the bike.

about falling over with clip-in pedals.

I was less than 1/2 mile from home yesterday and slowly rolling up to a stop light, figuring it would change before I needed to stop. Well, it didn't. I realized i was doomed and reached out to the nearest thing...a full size Chevy pick-up waiting next to me. I grabbed the hood and pushed myself back up right as the light changed. Off I went. I did wave "sorry" to the guy as I rode off...good thing it was a beater old Chevy and not a new Mercedes or something.

Learned the lesson even if I didn't actually hit the ground. :)

PJ

Yes. This is what it sounds like... when the doves cry....

:D

Welcome to the club!

Koffee

i fell once when i first got clipless... like many others - after "learning" i forgot as i came to an intersection and did a track stand that was too long and forgot i had clipless and fell to the ground.

but what was MUCH funnier! on my road bike my first set of clipless pedal cleats were really worn out so i bought new ones. the news ones were MUCH tighter than the old ones but i didn't think it would be a big deal. in downtown Portland i had blazed past a bunch of cars and then came to a light (still with cars behind me). i did a track stand for a while and then (as it always is JUST as the light turned green) i lost it and started to go over. i did the side-twist that had worked for months with the old cleats and my feet stayed clipped in and i fell to the side (to the left side too). SO the light was green and there was a line of cars behind me in downtown portland i they all had to wait until i unclipped and got back up. I felt so embarassed!

The only time (so far) I've fallen with my clip in pedals is on my mountain bike. I was riding some single track and trying to squeeze between 2 trees that were slightly closer together than my handle bars were wide. Hit one of the trees and tried to rip my feet out of the pedals but they didn't budge. Ended up flat on my back, upside down, both feet still clipped in, my hands still on the grips, and my bike straight up in the air. My girlfriend (now wife) still giggles about that 8 years later.

We were all coming up to a stoplight, I noticed she had not unclipped, signalled my wife, we rode up on each side of the older woman and as she came to a stop and realized she was still clipped in and started to fall, she fell against me as my wife calmly grabbed her handlebar to steady the bike.
That was so nice of you! :beer:

I have had spd's for a couple of years and I never had any problems. Last year I bought a new road bike and I didn't want to put spd's on them so I got road shoes and look pedals.

So I am out riding one afternoon and after about an hour I see this park where there
were a lot of people. I was ready to take a short break and see what was going on
at the park, so I stop on this path that was a little slick. Now I was used to wearing
MTB shoes and was not used to having the cleat sticking out on the bottom of my
shoe. I unclipped and leaned over on my right side but made the mistake of setting
my right foot down flat footed. My foot slipped out from under me and I did this
giagantic painful split with my left foot still clipped in and my bike underneath me.
What made it even worse was the 30 or so people looking at me and trying not to
crack up while I did it.

I ended up having to get new cleats because I took such a big chunk out of it as it slid accross the pavement.

I was riding in the local park where there is a cycling track as well as a jogging path. When I approached the bike rental kiosk along the track, my girlfriend jammed her brake as a kid just cut into her path. As yours truely was oglying at the bikini-clad babes roller blading, I crashed right into her rear and fell right in front of about 20 people hanging around the rental kiosk, still clipped in to my $3,000 Kestrel 200sci....

I got stuck on a cop car:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=49260

At least this driver didn't laugh at you :)

My falls were in clip pedals.. I hadn't gone clipless yet, my old pedals were squeeking, so just replaced my pedals with the only thing the LBS had in stock. MTB toe clips. They had little spikes to hold your show in place. It made it hard to get your feet out.

One day, I came to a road closing due to a downed powerline(day after a storm) and a policeman had the road blocked, I rode up to him to ask some questions. Upon trying to back out and leave, my foot got stuck and I went over right in front of him... this set the policeman off. To paraphrase... "Look, that's why I got out of the bike patrol, if you can't stay on your bike standing still, you have NO business riding on the streets, give it up!". He rambled on some more... emabrrasing. It wasn't the first time I went down with these pedals. They just would not release your foot in a hurry.

After having those awwful pedals, I haven't had a problem getting out of Clipless.

I had introduced my friend last week to my old SPD-R pedals. Rather than go down at a stoplight, he actually broke his cleat. He didn't fall, but had a rough trip home.

here is mine, It was the first day i had gotten to ride in a week or so (very busy and $hity week) and i had put on the clipless the night before. so i was finishing up and i was at a street crossing and i could see where i had parked. I uncliped perfectly and looked right and i was clear, looked left and was blocked by this HUGE sign. so i decided to move up 3ft and look left again. so i hopped and my balance shifted and to the cliped side and WHAM! I was laughing so hard that i could not answer the people asking if i was ok. I felt like a HUGE dork, but i got up and have not fallen since then.

good luck, we all fall!

good luck, we all fall!

That reminds me of the lyrics to one of my favourite songs by the Josh Joplin Group called Gravity (http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/j/joshjoplingroup2078/gravity100126.html).

My favorite fall was at the half way point on my first MS150.
Balloons and banners and people everywhere cheering you on as you pulled up to stop for the night. I pulled up on the sidewalk in front of so many people and just flopped right over. All I could do was get up and laugh at myself. I didn't bother to look to see how many others were laughing.

These fun to read.

Although I have fallen a couple times riding clipless, my most outstanding fall came many years ago. When I was in college my buddy Roger & I were jogging along the grass outside the track, just cooling down after a race. We were separated from the sidewalk by a low chain link fence. Roger nudged me & said "check it out". Two girls ahead: as we drew even with them there was just time to say "Hello ladies" when we both stepped into a freshly dug ditch! The groundsmen were installing a sprinkler line & we hadn't seen it because we were ogling those girls. We went down fast & just lay there laughing while they strolled on. So much for first impressions! Don