DogBonz

Hi all-

So, I am new to clipless pedals and I had my first fall the other day. I figured that I would post it because I am sure that anyone who has switched to clipless has had their fair share of falls because of them in the beginning… and, come on now, not much is funnier people falling.

So, I am coming home from a ride and although it was very windy, it was sunny and fairly warm. I pull up inform of my building and while still rolling I unclip my right foot (as usual) and lean over to my right side (as usual). Just as I loose all forward momentum, my right foot just begins to touch pavement. Right about now you would think that for a beginner this is a pretty smooth, almost perfect, dismount in process. That’s what I thought at the time… But Oh no, mother nature was having none of that. Just as my right foot touched terrafirma an enormous gust of wind broadsided me. The next thing that I know I am listing 45 degrees…. To the left! I have that weightless feeling and realize that it’s possible that I just might be falling. Then the disbelief sets in and I’m thinking to my self “how can I be falling? My foot touched the ground.” Next thing I know BAM – I slam into the ground. Yup, I had definitely been falling. It didn’t hurt at all and I just lay there for a second laughing. I was laughing until I realized that the hot chick that lives across the hall had witnessed the whole incident and was also laughing (but not with me if you know what I mean)… So was the mentally challenged kid (oh, look how PC I am – honey quick, take a picture) who lives down stairs. So there I am, lying on my side, with a hottie and a handicapped kid laughing at me. He then runs over to me, smacks his helmet (I swear you can’t make this stuff up), smacks mine (as I am lying there helpless), and proudly states “helmet good” Talk about insult to injury. Well… all this just too much for said hottie. She is laughing so hard that in between humiliating fits hysterical laughter and trying to catch her breath, she blurts out in bits and pieces “Oh my God!... too fun… funn… funny… OHMYGOD… ITHINKIMGONNAPEEMYPANTS!” I think that she meant it because she quickly ran inside holding her crotch like a 4 yearold doing the potty dance.

So, I unclip my left foot and quickly get up and carry my bike into the building, As it turns out, the only injury sustained was to my pride. The kicker is that every time I pass this kid he imitates my slow motion fall -in very slow motion- noises and all. But, I guess that it could be worse. My new nickname could be peepeepants instead of helmet.

Daytrip

Pretty funny. I think that kid's got a great sense of humor. You too, btw. The hot chick could use more tact, and maybe some Depends.

trinity000

I am an Instructor teaching Electronics to my class. I just read that at my desk while my students were working. I couldn't stop laughing out loud, that is way to funny. Now my whole class thinks i am a weirdo because they don't get it (i am pretty sure none of them understand clipless pedals).

That was a great morning lifter upper.

Probably because i am so worried that was going to happen to me when i first got my bike; however i have been lucky so far.


thank you for the comic relief on a boring monday morning!

mista_chewey

lol this was funny
maybe you should call the hot girl peepeepants next time you see her instead

shuffles

At least she'll remember you now.

PaulRivers

OMG that's funny. :-)

I've just had the typical "I was worried about falling while riding, but only actually fell over while the bike was completely stopped and I didn't quite clip out in time" stories.

obsidian6

That is a pretty awesome story indeed! Glad you have a good sense of humor

(I got a good laugh at the helmet bit )

ridndirty

i've had 2 experiences with this also . my first one was at the park right before my ride. i arrived at the park and had to fill my water bottle. at this park they have fountians right near the parking area so i get on the bike and sort of roll over there to fill up i put my right foot on the pedal but what i didn't know was that i was clipped in. i hadn't intended to so i get to the fountain and stop and i'm like whoa whoa whao flailing around trying to not fall and i actually saved it.

just recently i was riding on the mup intending on taking alot of pictures. so i stop and roll to a stop in the grass couldn't unclip and fell to the left right on my camera bag filled with my $700 camera. i just layed there and laughed a bit. felt like a kid again= priceless!!!

gearhead82

I went clipless a week ago. I just figured out why I haven't fallen yet. I obviously just haven't found the right audience yet!

urbanknight

Funny story!


Now that you said something, it's bound to happen soon.

Suzie Green

That's like bragging that you never get flat tires. You just put the royal whammy on yourself.

HastyDeparture

I narrowly avoided my first clipless fall yesterday afternoon. I was coming down a steep hill to an intersection at the bottom. The light turned red just as I reached the bottom of the hill going roughly 35mph. As I braked hard to stop in time, my first thought was to shift down. Just before I came to a complete stop, I realized that I couldn't put my foot down, because, of course, it was stuck to the pedal. I wobbled a bit, and quickly ducked into the right turn lane and made a right, feigning mechanical problems (not too far from the truth), where I was able to detach my foot. Had I not quickly wobbled away, I'd have wound up either in the middle of the intersection or awkwardly lying on the hood of the car on my left. Whoops.

Ludl94

"So there I am, lying on my side, with a hottie and a handicapped kid laughing at me. He then runs over to me, smacks his helmet (I swear you can’t make this stuff up), smacks mine (as I am lying there helpless), and proudly states “helmet good”"


LOL that's so funny, and good point she will remember you now. but then again, i probably shouldnt be talking because i will be getting my clipless shoes in a bit, so i will be falling down too
still funny though...hahahaha

umd

Incorrect

Kai Winters

"helmet good"...One smart kid.
Great story DogBonz thank you.
No need to feel humiliated at all. Better to fall over like that and laugh at the silliness of it than curse and rage.
The best part of this is you will remember this incident 20+ years from now and still laugh.

I fell over when I came to a stop sign and forgot to loosen my toe strap...first time using straps around 16 years ago. I fell over and was flopping like a fish trying to pull my foot out. There was a car on my left also stopped at the sign. The woman was looking at me while I was laughing and flopping around. I was laughing at the situation and still do to this day. One of my fond memories of a lot of miles and great times on my bikes.

JayC

What do you weigh? About 50#s? It would take hurricane forces to blow me back over the opposite way. The price you pay for being a clyde I guess.

chadteck

So the kid wears a helmet all the time or he was outside riding his bike? I think you threw that part in there

umd

I've see a fair number of mentally disabled children that wear helmets all the time, especially the ones prone to banging their heads on things.

Nappy

You totally missed your in with that hottie, You totally could have talked to her and started a conversation out of the embarassment, but instead you lay there with a handicap kid smacking you on the head.

bigmand

Been clipless for just about a week now, and had my first "incident" today. I was coming out of the post office (on a decline) and I was slowing to check if the way was clear. It was not, there was a truck coming, so I slow down a little more. I try to guage how fast he's going, how fast I'm going, when he is going to pass, etc. Apparently, he starts to slow also. So here I am, going about a hlaf mile an hour downhill and wobbling horribly, so what do I do..... I try to put my foot down. But alas, it is still attached to the pedal and I start leaning. So in one quick swipe of my foot and a bout of swearing, I get my foot out and it makes contact with the ground. About this time, my brain sends a message to my hand - "let go of that little lever, you might need to protect the rest of this idiot if he goes toppling over." So, of course, being on an incline, I start heading downward. I start doing the whole "hopping on one foot while the other one is attached to the bike" routine trying to prevent myself from falling and/or being flattened. I finally get the brake clamped and I stop moving just in time to watch this truck go by and this guy looking at me like I'm "special."

mista_chewey

i think you missed the part where the hilarity caused her to lose control of her bladder and had to run inside to pee

DirtPedalerB

in the presence of hot chicks the likely hood of falling increases 200% or more

wcoastbikr

My first time falling I fell for the same reason, gust of wind when trying to stop and I ended up tipping the other way.

I've fallen three times because of my pedals. Zero damage to the bike because I lifted up the bike before it hit the ground. Unfortunately all three times the saddle gave me a beating in the boys. lol

rollin

I saw it all as a slow motion scene from the Matrix. You looked preety cool until you hit the deck!

DogBonz

I knew that you guys and gals would get a chuckle out of me on this one. I figure if you can’t laugh at your self who can you laugh at, right. The kid in the story does wear his helmet almost all of the time, and when ever he goes outside to play. Only thing his looks more like a hockey helmet. And, like I said, you can’t make this stuff up. Now, whenever he sees me he points and shouts “HELMET” with big smile, so I guess I have managed to be a continual source of amusement for him…, which is cool, I guess.

Who ever said that your chances of crashing go up 200% in the presence of a hot girl was absolutely correct, although I think that you may be aiming a little low at 200. I may have missed my chance with her that day, but it has given us something to talk about, so, we’ll see how that goes.

For the record, my mass is slightly north of 50lbs people, in fact, I am about a pizza and a six pack away from being a Clydesdale… and it was very windy that day. Although, on second thought, I may have tried to unclip my left foot a little over enthusiastically thinking that my right foot was already firmly planted, this could have resulted in my weight shifting, but I’m still blaming this one on the wind.

I am glad that my crash could amuse a few more people, and now that I have made a nice big deposit to the bank of Karma, I can now laugh freely and uninhibited at others with out fear of retribution from the Road Bike Gods.

Lesson learned – helmet good!