abarkley

Happened to me last at 07:00 on a Sunday - not a soul about, just me, the bike and an empty road. What a relief.

Now it says in my newbie cycling books that you shouldn't fall on your outstretched hand because you may fracture your scaphoid bone. What are you supposed to land on?.....the only substitute seems to be ones head.

Retro Grouch 

Nope. And if somebody is around to see it, pretend to fiddle with your derailleur or something so they'll think that you had a mechanical problem insted of just being stupid.

Kragg

NO !!! Never !! Bart Simpson Sez: "Nobody saw me do it, so I didn't do it".

stapfam

Cheeks out and take it on the Butt. Painfull but not for long. That is if you have time to realise you are going over. If you don't have time and find suddenly yourself on the tarmac- then it doesn't seem to hurt.

FarHorizon

Last time I fell over from not unclipping, I used what my daughter once called "the plumbing words." Then I decided that I preferred platform pedals!

starship

It happened to me when my Daughter did a quick stop and I thought she was going to ride through. So I did a very quick stop.

Does that count?

ozbiker

It's more embarrassing if you succeed in getting it right then screw it up.

Last week, rolled up to a red light and track standing - light was slow so I finally gave up and unclipped. As I put my foot to the ground I heard a click - I had managed to score a direct hit on the pedal and clipped in again.

Minuses: Falling over in front of three cyclists which is more embarrassing than falling over in front of motorists. Having to ride to the lbs and ask for a new handlebar.

Plusses: Blood running down your leg quietens the most abusive car driver - far more effective than the two fingered salute!!!

Geo51

I've been riding all of a month. Went for my first "long ride" 30 miles 2 weeks ago. Clipless a week. Just about home, pretty tired, but feeling good, stopped at a red light, over I went. Banged up my knee and landed on my wrist. Couldn't put much pressure on the wrist, but only 4 miles from home. Pull into my driveway, unclip and coast to the garage. Stop and to my horror over I go again on the wrist! Somehow my left foot clipped back in.
2 weeks later I'm still hurting. Fingers and thumb work, but can't do a pushup or put much pressure on the base of my hand. A little google search and I think I'll be seeing the doctor tomorrow. I think I've got a scaphoid fracture. Fortunately its my left hand and I'm right handed. Unfortunately I'm a dentist and screwed if they have to cast it.

JavaMan

None of us should feel bad...

David Moncoutie of Cofidis fell over in today's stage of the TDF because he had to stop suddenly and forgot to unclip!

CrossChain

Yeah, yeah. I threw my chain on a climb last fall. Toe straps pulled down tight. Chain jammed tight. I went over like that old guy on the trike on "Laugh In". As I toppled I actually remembered about not putting a hand down. So I landed on my shoulder. No permanent damage, but walked around like the Hunchback for a few days.

And, yes, some amused friends of course saw it. Still sometimes get "advice" from them while we're all wheezing up some hill.

FarHorizon

You mean WHEN you fall over from not unclipping...

roccobike

I have yet to fall over from not unclipping. I fell five times on my MTB, but none of those falls was from unclipping. Unfortunately, falling is falling and I wish I could have blamed it on the clipless pedals instead of my own riding mistakes.

Reynolds 

Only close cyclist friends. I fell twice from not unclipping and the first thing I did was look around to see if anybody noticed me.

Grampy™

So...... in other words nobody saw you so you're not admitting to it.

globie

I just started on clipless in May and have fallen three times. The first time, I had just pulled over to ask directions of a guy waving traffic around some event. Shook up the guy more than me.
The third one went like this: I was pedaling along minding my own business when a car full of teenagers eased up without my noticing. One yelled "Huh!" very loudly and startled me a bit, but I didn't fall. A few miles up the road, I see this same car stopped at a traffic light. I ease up to them and yell "Huh!" into their open window.
Then I fell over because I had failed to clip out. The teenagers got a huge kick out of it, and I laughed pretty hard at myself, too .. between deep blushes.

LynnH

Oh, the joys of catching up on the new posts, globie that is a big laugh, but I wouldn't have laughed if I had been there! I have not tried clipless yet, may or may not, my mind is totally unmade up yet!

roccobike

Somebody fell 5 times, what, who, me? NAAA!

Shaman

Was standing at a light with two other riders in a recent ride and I hear this quiet little "$-h-i-t" as I watch this girl doing the lean. Didn't dawn on me fast enough that she was falling so I moved my back tire out of the way before she went all the way down. First thing she said... "are you okay?" ??? Where does that come from anyway I'm perfectly happy riding with plain ol' strapless pedals here!

Carusoswi

Accidentally clipping back in after unclipping seems to be my biggest bug-a-boo. Once at a light, I was "standing" unclipped when I decided to put a foot down. To my horror, I then realized that I had inadvertently clipped back-in. I managed to get my foot out of the pedals, but, may have turned my ankle in the process. I didn't fall, but, presented a plenty clumsy picture to the motorists behind me.

So far, one fall since purchasing the pedals a couple of months ago. It makes you feel so stupid - and, somehow, although I never seem to retain a clear picture of my own reaction when I take a spill (for this or any other reason) I always manage to come out of 'em with a bruised wrist or knee - so, I must be doing something other than tucking in as I go down. The good news (I guess) is that, after one pedal-related fall and even a collision with a car, I have no scratches on my new (year-old) bike - none at all - not even a bruised saddle - yea!

Caruso