But it was my own dumb fault. Was doing horrible with SL pedals so I got some spd ones today simply because my cleats broke and the shop didn't have SL cleats. I love spds so much, they are comfortable I have grip when I stop...I just got cocky and went way too slow clipped in

Yea... So I too considered going clipless, for awhile, until I saw my son who can ride 2X better than I, ride clipless and fall over... WHY.? Because he was in the wrong gear,? going to slow,? or just what whatever combination happened, there he was on the ground... Since then, I think that any kind of "Normal" bicycling does NOT involve clipless... IMO

It happened to me a few times when I was learning to ride clipped in. One thing that will help is to loosen the tension on the clips. Mine are very loose. So loose that I can clip in and out very easy. That makes it second nature to clip in and out.

Practice, practice, practice. That's the key. You should be able to use clipless at zero speed but you probably need to develop the skill first. First, reduce the tension on your pedals as others have pointed out. Then go somewhere without traffic...a parking lot or park, for example...and practice slowing to a near stop in a straight line without unclipping. Make sure you have open space in front of you so that you can roll forward after you slow. It works best if you slow with your pedals parallel to the ground. Once you've gotten use to straight line, try large circles.

The big "ah ha!" moment for me with clipless is when I realized that I don't have to consciously turn my foot to get out. That takes way too long. When getting out you just let your ankle go limp and move your leg. The foot will rotate and instantly unclip. I can get my foot on the ground in the same time as if I were riding flats.

I got used the clipping in and out of clipless. But I read about how they did studies and clipless wasn't faster than flats (yeah maybe it's a hair faster for sprinting in racing but I'm not racing) and realized how rediculous it was that I had put all this effort into trying to make clipless work for me. My feet hurt, it was always a hassle to have to constantly bring and change into a second pair of shoes, it was annoying to walk around off the bike, and I always had to be a little conscious about the pedals which added a hair more stress to all my rides.

Long story short I went to Five Ten shoes and DMR Vault flat pedals...
https://www.adidasoutdoor.com/FT07.h...07_color=Black
https://www.dmrbikes.com/Catalogue/P...lt-2/Vault-NEW

And it's so much more enjoyable to bike. My feet no longer get cramped and hurt after riding, with this particular combination it's so comfortable riding it might be more comfortable than my regular shoes for walking around. Going biking is a lot easier and less work. No concerns about biking to a destination then walking around. The five ten shoes use a special extra grippy rubber so my feet still grip the pedals like clipless for every direction other than pulling your foot off the pedal.

If I needed to keep my feet firmly attached to the pedals while wildly sprinting I'd definitely go with clipless. If I won or lost a race by 10 seconds I'd probably go with clipless. If I was already using clipless and felt like it would great I'd stick with it. Clipless is a good system for what it's designed for. But I see it like a manual transmission vs an automatic transmission on a car - I prefer the ease of use of an automatic (flats) vs the greater control but greater work to use of clipless (manual).

While you might have a heart warming story to tell, you aren't answering ChloeSnow's question. She didn't ask about clipless vs platform. Her "question" was more about technique than about equipment.

The highly agressive...and not moderately dangerous...spikes on the pedals have nothing to do with the "grippiness" of the shoe/pedal combo? But, again, this isn't about what you do.

ChloeSnow seems to prefer clipless. 'Nough said.

Blah, Blah , Blah… Sometimes it's just not "worth" it to work a certain "technique" for said positive results... Who really cares about a 1/10 of a second gain in commuting times, versus the "dangers" or falling over because you need to stop every block, or when a vehicle cuts you off, riding the bike instead of riding the bike 20, 30 40+... miles in a race without encountering a single stop sign or a red light, or vehicle, I propose you would actually loose time, maybe even a noticeable time, with every stop, un-clipping, and with every start clipping in, I believe I have seen 100s of people taking 2, 3 4, revolution's to finally clip in and start riding their bikes after a stop like normal...

Blah, blah, blah. Just the normal "clipless will kill you" stuff.

If a technique will provide a positive result, it is always worth the effort to "work" on it. If someone asks about a technique or needs help with something, is your response "just ignore it"?

I don't race. Never have. Never will. But I do commute and have never found clipless to be a detriment. In fact, they have made me a better rider because I do stop at all stop signs and stoplights but I don't necessarily unclip at each one. Being able to track stand and/or come to a complete stop while still in the pedals has increased my balance and bicycle handling skills...one of those "techniques" I've worked on for a positive result.

Which can be tricky if you ride multiple bikes. But yeah, minor seat and cleat adjustments can make a huge difference when your knee really starts killin' ya. Especially the seat height, a seat that's too low is a certain recipe for knee pain for me, 100% of the time. I see pros who ride very low on their bikes and have no idea how they can do it, I simply cant.

I haven't fallen over in clipless pedals since about the first month or two of using them 11 years ago. However, I still have a hard time getting into them when the light turns green on a steep uphill incline with cars waiting behind me and onlookers enjoying the spectacle.

Somehow they're still worth it. The bike just doesn't feel right without them.

I don't see [MENTION=489600]ChloeSnow[/MENTION] asking a question at all. Just a comment that she was cocky. That's part of the process, and I suspect she knows it.

I have many years of experience of various kinds of foot retention. I clip in and out reliably and quickly without looking. I feel more secure with SPD cleats than without. I'm not saying they're best for everyone but that they're best for me. I commute in heavy traffic with them, and I ride all kinds of steep hills. Practice is key.

For what it's worth, I set my pedals loose. My right foot goes in second and comes out first, so that is even looser than my left one. The only times my foot has come out inadvertently were in panic stops, and coming out was a fortunate thing, so I think I have them set right for me.

yep, when you ride with SPD (or other foot retention system) everyday for over a decade like i've been doing, you tend to get pretty good at it.

so good that it becomes completely mindless. i rarely even bother to un-cleat unless i know i've gotten boned by a yellow light and i'm gonna be waiting for a while for a green. otherwise, i just track stand the vast majority of the time.

it was kind of strange though that i didn't have my first fall of shame until i was 8 years into it. i was waiting for a very skittish driver with ROW to proceed through a 4 way stop and my track standing skills finally failed me. oh well, it happens.

I can't quite track stand after all these years, but I can do close to it. I was using Look cleats one day in around 1990, and I was towing my toddler daughter in a trailer. I stopped and couldn't unclip at the time. I nearly panicked, envisioning the trouble that would ensue with an injured father and a helpless child. But I was right next to a dumpster, so I grabbed it and stayed upright, and nothing happened.

The only time I've fallen with cleats was many years later, in around 2008. My wife was sitting on the grass, and I was riding on it. I hit an incline too steep to keep my momentum, so I fell over on the grass, very slowly and gently. I broke out laughing. My wife thought I had done it on purpose and asked me why.

A year or two later, I convinced her to get SPDs. She fell once, soon, and wasn't happy. Then she fell again and cracked her elbow. She's not using cleats any more. She used to use toe clips but won't any more. I'm not going to recommend anything else in that area. She's fine.

Luckily, I haven't had too many falls to this point, but my second to worst wouldn't have happened if I had been clipped in. I was on a ramp descending from a bridge onto the bike path on the other side. I upshifted to my big ring and the chain came off. My pedals spun out from under me, my left toe hit the ground and I went down. I went and bought shoes and pedals within a week. I love them.

I've fallen exactly one time because of the clipless pedals. In fact it happened this morning on my way to work. I thought I had left my keys at home, I stopped abruptly, irritated, thinking that I was going to have to go home to retrieve them. I somehow got leaning to the opposite side that I normally do, didn't get my foot out on that side quickly enough, then just gave up and went down. Text book landing, though... right flat on my flank. If I'm going to fall, I prefer that to sliding down a ramp on my elbow at 15 mph.

My biggest fear of going clipless, falling on NYC streets and traffic. I just bought today some Shimano PD-M324s (dual pedals). I guess we will see how that goes... although I'll definitely start practicing in the park.

We'll We'l much later and I haven't fallen again. The pedals have definitely helped me get up hills I wouldn't have made it up otherwise and helped me stay on the pedals in the rain. Also it just feels better. I recommend you use the regular spd pedals rather than spd on knee sideone side flat in the other, one of the advantages of spd is that you don't have to get the right side because there's always a right side facing you. It's part of what I didn't like about my look pedals. Good luck!

I use the multi-release cleats (SH56) & set my pedal tension real low. stays cleated but comes out easier. in fact, the cpl times I forgot to un-cleat in advance of a stop, at the last minute when I went to take my foot off the pedal, they un-cleated & I was fine. since I'm new to cleated pedals I make a conscious effort to un-cleat my left foot, in advance, & roll to the intersection or wherever I plan to un-cleat & stop. keep that foot hanging so you remember which foot to put down! :-) I still un-cleat by pushing heel out but it's just easier/faster with these

SHIMANO SPD Cleat SM-SH56 (Multi-Release)

Another vote for track standing. You anticipate the stopping and slowly get into a position where you can balance without moving. There is nothing hurried so if you want to unclip - you do so. It is all about planning. I have days where I don't touch the ground except for at home and at work. Long red lights are just another challenge and it gives you something to do while waiting - sort of like fidgeting.

As for SPD - I prefer then over flats but I ride both. I don't find there is much of an adjustment as I rarely take my feet off the pedals. Maybe I unnecessarily twist my ankle out on flats since I am so used to it? I also make sure my shoes are walkable. I couldn't care about how stiff a shoe is - I only care how it feel s when walking. I often wear my clipless shoes all day at work without issue.

Falling is an inevitable part of cycling, clipless or not.

After finishing my first century at the end of August in 100% vintage fashion, I converted to SPDs since I really have always struggled a bit with toe clips/straps as far as comfort. Fell over on first two rides, the first one was not bad at all, ended up in the grass, scrape on seat-stay. The next was... bad. Slammed hard into the middle of the pavement. Got home OK, the bruise started coming in on day 2. Would eventually extend from upper hip, across the buttocks, down the thigh halfway to knee, huge. Limping/restricted motion for nearly a month. Even finished off with a nasty rash I had to treat with steroid cream.

So much for clipless falls just being more embarrassing than painful. I had lowered the tension, but after that I backed it all the way out. Just last night I put a click of tension back in, since they just felt gimpy.

So I have mixed feelings at this point... I can say, vastly more comfortable than cramming my foot into a cage, so beautiful to ride in.

Well, I dunno about that. We're talking about low speed or stopped falling as a result of forgetting how to put a foot down at a stop. I don't think that happens often without foot retention.

I get this feeling you're just trolling the thread...There's no need to fall over - ever - on a bike on the road when you're an adult.

That's because you're think emotionally rather than rationally. All two wheeled vehicles are inherently unstable when they're at rest. I fell when I first got my clipless, and again making a slow speed tight u-turn, and again when I forgot to unclip. Just try and find someone that rides a bike (or motorcycle) that has never fallen.