Fifty Plus (50+) - Clipless Fall

I have been riding with clipless pedals since I first discovered them in the '80s. I have never fallen . . . NOT ONCE . . . but I did today. :( I rode up to a stoplight, unclipped my left foot and promptly fell on my RIGHT side. Of course there were a dozen cars at the light watching me. :notamused: I can find no damage to the bike and only my knee and elbow are scrapped but it was embarrassing. Of course I'll be sore tomorrow.:o

Sometimes the inevitable initiation takes longer. Glad you didn't fall into the path of one of those dozen cars.

I fall at least once a year. Usually because I can't get out of the pedals fast enough. I just take it in and say to myself, "at least I got that over with.

I just fell for my first time, but it was due to the mud. My bike just STOPPED and i topppled over.

I fell with my eggbeaters this winter. I was on uneven snow and when I stopped and unclipped on the right, I couldn't put my foot down far enough to lean that way and I slowly went over to the left. At about 45% I realized I was falling but it was too late to get my left foot out. Youch!

I no longer wonder "if" I'll fall again. I just wonder when it will be :)

From your description it doesn't sound like you did it right.

You're supposed to yell "Tombaaay" as you go down.

Welcome my friends to the show that never ends.


And congratulations to all for your latest Club Tombay excursion. We always enjoy the stories.

Any hot babes catch the action?

If I fall and it's only me who knows about, well , it didn't happen.

If I fall and it's only me who knows about, well , it didn't happen.

Is that like the old brainteaser, "if a tree falls in the forest but no one is around to hear it, does it make a noise?" :lol:

I'm just way overdue for a clipless fall. Hasn't happened in over 20 years, since I had Sampson pedals (anybody remember those?). Bound to happne again, just don't know when.

Rick / OCRR

If I fall and it's only me who knows about, well , it didn't happen.

I once posted in a thread that there are three types of clipless riders.

Those who have fallen.

Those who will fall.

Those who have fallen but won't "fess" up to it.

I took a considerabe amount of grief over the third one.

Had my "First" fall on a road bike yesterday- but this was a "Non" clipless fall and was due to me not being clipped in.

Falls happen- just make certain that before the next you you have had plenty of practice at falling- Or rather landing.

I fall with clips!!! So there.......:crash:

the first of many falls was with sampsons. A friend and I were just finishin up our very first century. We stopped at a stoplight,with a line of cars behind us and I just forgot to unclip. Down I went. The first thing I saw after I got up was this older woman withblue hair and a look of fright on her face that was indescribable. Wonder as I write this some twenty-odd years later if she thought she had hit me. As soon as I got up I did aquick look 'round to see if any one I knew had seen me fall. The light changed and we rode off. That was my favorite fall.

I NEVER fall when riding clipless including riding on MTB trails.
However the ground frequently comes up and slaps me one.

HI,
I usally land on my ars and my feet still clipped are in the air with a bike attached, very funny I am sure.
I usally get up really fast dust my bum off and try to leave ASAP:o
Jeeze that was DUMB!!
Doug

There is nothing like being unable to unclip in front of 14 other riders and slowly crash to the gravel,as I did on Sat. Happens to everyone. As one rider said now you have your one allowed crash for the season out of the way.

The falling over is bad enough. Scratches on the paintwork, well it just doesn't heal
over like skin. That's the worst bit

Just for the record, you would have fallen the same way with toe clips.

As always, it's not clipless vs toe clips, because both serve the same purpose.

It's clipless OR toe clips vs no foot restraint.

Last fall I fell in my driveway the same way,,,,unclipped my left foot (as usual for me) and the bike fell on the right...i just laughed......

I made a classic clipless fall at the very end of my MTB ride Sunday. We had ridden a pretty hard 10 miles of trail with lots of little rises and technical turns and I was pretty well worn out. At the very end of the ride is a quick 4 foot rise up to parking lot level and I simply had no strength left to make the effort required. I pushed as hard as I could, hoping to keep a tiny bit of momentum going to keep me upright and moving, but alas, the bike stopped and I tumbled to the right side. Without enough energy left to disengage the pedal, I lay there on the ground for what seemed an eternity, unable to twist my right foot enough to make the cleat come away from the pedal. It would have been hilarious if it hadn't been so painful and embarassing. I'm still limping a little bit today from the bruise on my hip and from an earlier incident where I did manage to unclip but took a solid pedal strike to my left shin. Ah, the joys of mountain biking.:cry:

I made a classic clipless fall at the very end of my MTB ride Sunday. We had ridden a pretty hard 10 miles of trail with lots of little rises and technical turns and I was pretty well worn out. At the very end of the ride is a quick 4 foot rise up to parking lot level and I simply had no strength left to make the effort required. I pushed as hard as I could, hoping to keep a tiny bit of momentum going to keep me upright and moving, but alas, the bike stopped and I tumbled to the right side. Without enough energy left to disengage the pedal, I lay there on the ground for what seemed an eternity, unable to twist my right foot enough to make the cleat come away from the pedal. It would have been hilarious if it hadn't been so painful and embarassing. I'm still limping a little bit today from the bruise on my hip and from an earlier incident where I did manage to unclip but took a solid pedal strike to my left shin. Ah, the joys of mountain biking.:cry:

I feel better now. For all of the funny stories, I had never heard another besides one of mine where I fell over because I was too exhausted to unclip. I got to lay there on the soft stuff beside the trail till I stopped laughing (and shaking).

Actually, that is probably my most common type of fall while MTBing. It is such a fine line between powering your way through a tough climbing situation and being stopped by lack of momentum and falling over, unable to remove the cleat from the pedal before falling. I call it the "nomogo" fall. This kind of slow motion fall can be very entertaining as it often involves a slow motion tumble backwards or sideways down a ledge. Just a few degrees of rotation is the difference between an admirable accomplishment or an embarrassing failure. You rarely know which it will be until it is too late to bail out. Never falling means you aren't trying hard enough.

Actually, that is probably my most common type of fall while MTBing. It is such a fine line between powering your way through a tough climbing situation and being stopped by lack of momentum and falling over, unable to remove the cleat from the pedal before falling. I call it the "nomogo" fall. This kind of slow motion fall can be very entertaining as it often involves a slow motion tumble backwards or sideways down a ledge. Just a few degrees of rotation is the difference between an admirable accomplishment or an embarrassing failure. You rarely know which it will be until it is too late to bail out. Never falling means you aren't trying hard enough.

I had a couple of those type falls on my MTB the last being trying to just hop over a log across the trail. I had come to a very slow approach and started to lift the front wheel but timed it wrong and momentum stopped and so did I, over I went.If I had not been clipped in I could have dabbed my foot and continued on but noooooo. Well I have decided that I am a bit too uncomfortable with clipless on the MTB so I have gone back to platform for it.

Well I have decided that I am a bit too uncomfortable with clipless on the MTB so I have gone back to platform for it.

Funny how similar situations can lead to opposite reactions. I find that these types of falls are much less dangerous and damaging than the catastrophic crashes I would have if I attempted to ride my MTB without being clipped in. I consider clipless an option on the road. Offroad, I consider it the only safe way to ride. Trying to do what I do on my MTBs without being clipped in would be suicidal.

The falling over is bad enough. Scratches on the paintwork, well it just doesn't heal
over like skin. That's the worst bit

I do this with all my bike builds (patterened after my brother who restores/rebuilds old motorcycles). As soon as you finish the build, take the bike out into the street, and lay it on it's side. Pick it up and lay it on the other side.

The bike has now officially been on the ground. Now that you've gotten that over with, ride the **** out of it! ;)

You know what? My clipless pedals got me used to falling. Is that a good thing?:bike2:

You know what? My clipless pedals got me used to falling. Is that a good thing?:bike2:

They have to serve some useful purpose :rolleyes:

Richard

Funny how similar situations can lead to opposite reactions. I find that these types of falls are much less dangerous and damaging than the catastrophic crashes I would have if I attempted to ride my MTB without being clipped in. I consider clipless an option on the road. Offroad, I consider it the only safe way to ride. Trying to do what I do on my MTBs without being clipped in would be suicidal.

I am sure you do more on your MTB than I do, I am more or less riding on begin singletrack with a few logs here and there. I will admit though that being clipped in sure is more efficent going up hills. I will probably go back to clips when I ride more and more in the dirt. I love clips on the road and would not think to ride without them, just so much more power.
Quick story....I was riding MTB once and I saw through the trees what looked like a bear but was in fact a huge dog that a dude was walking in the woods. Well the dog saw me and starting running and barking toward me. I freaked and stopped real quick and low and behold fell over in a panic with that mean looking dog running at me.The owner was yelling at the dog to come back and such but all I could see was being bitten. In a panic situation like that is what I am uncomfortable with. It was so quick and I just didn't have time to unclip. I guess with more time I could though....I dunno.

Fear kills.