Originally Posted by aerodave
I'm about to get a new road bike, and I've already got my new shoes. It will be my first experience with clipless pedals, and I'm excited to try it out.
Everyone says that everyone falls when they're new to the world of clipless. Maybe I won't, but it sounds like I probably will. People don't seem to make it sound like a huge deal, so I'm guessing it's not the worst thing that could happen.
I don't think its guaranteed you will fall. But ah haven't you fallen before from your bike for any reason - bad angle with a railway track, slippery patch due to rain, whatever? It pretty much feels the same to fall with clipless as it does to fall without clipless.
Although I guess your bike ends up falling a bit more on top of you than otherwise if you're still somewhat attached to it.
When I got clipless I was super conscious about unclipping since people said everyone falls. I didn't fall at all in the first while I had them. Then I was on a wooden bridge, needed to stop and I keep twisting but the shoe was stuck in the cleat. Since there was a train passing the bottom of the bridge I decided falling would be better than keeping on going.
Wood does not hurt as much as asphalt
Usually a clipless fall is an insufficient speed fall, so its nowhere near as much force if you fall while flipping over some road hazard you didn't notice going fast.