Commuting - Clipless Disaster

Well it actually wasn't that bad but the title sure grabs the attention no? Anyway yesterday I left work on my new bike with my new clipless pedals happy as a clam. About two blocks latter I stop at a light and unclip my left pedal. Wait, I twisted my shoe but no unclippage. Go to the right foot quick. I narrowly averted falling down. So I hobble onto the sidewalk and I take off my left shoe which is still attached to the bike and I hobble one-shoed back to the office. It seems that one of the screws that holds the cleat has fallen out. There I try to unclip the cleat by putting pressure on the shoe; no dice. I try the leatherman; no dice. So I finally unscrew the the remaining screw by turning the shoe around and around. Then I recommence with trying to pry it out with the leather man. Still nothing. Finally after loosening the delimiter screw all the way I am able to pry out the cleat with that trusty office implement: the letter opener. Finally I am forced to take the subway home and pedal home from the subway in my office shoes.

use some blue loctite next time :thumb:
or at least grease the threads and check to make sure they're tight every month.

Frustrating. I'd say that's as close to a disaster as you can get other than falling under a bus. I fell with my clipless for the first time on Saturday. Most exciting thing to happen in the town I was in this month.

I had that happen and nearly got run over by a big dump truck when I was laying in the road right past a blind turn in the pitch black. I'm lit up pretty well and that's what saved my *****. The bad cleat was under neath me and the bike and I couldn't twist it off the pedal. So I crawled off to the side of the as best as I could. In hindsight I figured out that the smart thing would have been to just untie the shoe. :o

+1. Unclipping the foot that's pinned under the bike can be difficult even if the cleat and pedal work ok, especially if there's traffic and you're in a hurry to get out of the way. Ask me how I know. :)

--J

I had mine loosen up before, but they didn't come out completely. I always carry tools so I can tighten them if needed. It's gotten so that I check them before every ride though now. I received some extra cleat screws for free by emailing the makers of them and they mailed me out some so now I have spares.

I still have a scar on my elbow from my first week on clipless pedals

Screws coming out is dangerous. ALWAYS use thread locker on cleat screws.

I still have a scar on my elbow from my first week on clipless pedals

My scar is on my left knee. I seem to refresh it every year of so.

I had that issue not once but twice. Now the screws are tightened so tight that I lost one screw a month ago and the cleat did not budge. I also tend to bring an extra screw with me just in case.

When that happened to me I just unclipped the right foot instead of the left and left the shoe on the bike....

Thats never been a problem for me. I never heard that cleat screws back out like that. Gotta make you mad when you remember to twist your foot and still can't get them out.