Originally Posted by donheff

When I learned I followed Al's advice about practicing unclipping and it paid off. A couple of weeks ago, I was following a guy on a fixie down the new bike lane in the middle of DC's Pennsylvania Avenue. By the corners there are rubber pilings that serve as dividers to keep cars from turning into the bike lane. At each corner with a red light the fixie guy would reach out and use a piling to help him stay balanced clipped in. When he turned off I thought, "I like that, I will have to give it a try." So I did. Unfortunately it turned out the rubber pilings are as flexible as wet noodles. As soon as I grabbed one I started falling over to the right - into traffic. I barely saved myself but just did - preserving my no full fall record. I looked like an idiot to everyone nearby