How the hell did THAT happen?
 

Well, I've joined the fallen angel crowd too. At zero MPH. With one foot already unclipped at the stop light. The mystery part is why and how I leaned the wrong way and slowly ever so slowly yet with ever so much final inevitability the earth and I approached each other. And then we met. The requisite female witness rolled down her window and inquired if I were OK. I could not say, yes, pretty much except for my pride. Somehow there is a nice strawberry on my lower shin and a lump with another abrasion high on my calf. Lovey busted me as soon as she saw me on that evidence.

Oh well, now I can stop wondering when it's gonna happen to me.

Falling while stopped at a stop light, in front of witnesses.

Does it get any worse than that???

FRED ALERT!!!

FRED ALERT!!!

Someone give that man some PIE!

Now you can start wondering when it will happen again :-)

All my recent crashes have been at near stop, and one was almost exactly like yours. The worst was in front of Radio Shack as I stepped off the bike--my clipless shoes slipped on the concrete and down we went, with me ending up on top of the front wheel over the curb. Tacoed the wheel beyond repair--I had to back the front brake way off just to ride home.

So, you do still have something to look forward to!

SHow many of youse guys are going to go diabetilc over this pie thing? bk

Ride hard enough, long enough, or have the shock of falling and feeling faint and pie is the ideal cure.

Rule #1. unclip the foot on the lower side of the bike.

Rule #2. remember rule #1

How many here have had (or will admit to) a 0mph clipless event? I have, just like terrierman, going over ever so slowly toward the still clipped side with the unclipped foot flailing uselessly.

Thud!

All three of my clipless falls have been with both feet firmly clicked in. I will admit to almost falling toward the clipped side while at a stop twice... But I was able to shift my balance back toward my free foot without anyone seeing. :D

Doe's it hurt as much standing still, as it does when moving at speed? Glad you didn't get hurt.

Going down with the ship is generally not a post-worthy event, unless it was really really painful or humiliating. For example, you were riding in the park, came across the local college's girls' track team, were pausing to, well, catch your breath, came to a stop and failed to clip out as the entire team watched you go down, striking your head against a curb and landing in some dog poop. If you are balding or have grey hair, so much the better.

done that more than once.

when I lived in Ca. I stopped @ a red light and their were quite a few cars behind me, well I figured I would support myself on a metal looking pole with a light reflector on it and about 4.5 feet high; just enough to place your hand on the top on it, jeez it was heavy duty type plastic and over I went, it just kind of bent and with my momentum crash over i went onto my side..
Now of course I jumped up really fast so I wouldn't look to foolish and @ least three of the cars behind me the occupants wew laughing like hell.

So now I track stand, trying to look even cooler.

I thought I was part of the Laugh In skit--Of course I had to come to a stop, then try to take my foot out of the toe cage ? (before my clipless days) and then fall over. By the time I looked up there were several people standing over me asking me if I was okay. The second time I did it, I was on the street, my husband stopped in front of me (not fast), I stopped and tried to get out of my clipless pedals, it wouldn't budge, tried again, still nothing and over I went (very very slow motion). Thank goodness I didn't hit a car going down or have a car run over my head. You really do feel helpless but know there is nothing you can do -- oh how embarrassing especially when you think of the people in the cars who don't know why you are falling over, just that it looks funny and they will have a great time telling all their friends what they saw.

Yah, it is better to report that you were keeping pace with the Italian racing team when one of them rammed a tire pump into your spokes, sending you sprawling into a ditch.

Or has that story been taken? :)

I do worry that I will be out at lunch, in my Fred gear, with my Fred pant leg strap on, at an intersection where lots of college coeds are gathered, and fall into a mud puddle in some kind of slo-mo, completely uncoordinated fashion.

Have any of you noticed that the captive foot on the side toward which you are falling always comes unclipped just as you strike the ground.

People, people, people... I can't believe how many of these tales have cropped up here, of late.
It just involves some basic coordination, cognition, and motor skills

The cognition part seems hardest for me. Though I can't really take any of the three for granted.

You do know what you've just done don't you?

....and then Pee Wee said: "I meant to do that."

JanMM, are you DG's cousin? For some reason when I look at your avatar, I'm reminded of him.

Well... no... but I sure hope folks know that remark was strictly tongue-in-cheek.

That's because we're both good lookin'

:D

Me: You do know what you've just done don't you?

You again:

Well... no... but I sure hope folks know that remark was strictly tongue-in-cheek.

Me again:

Well, speaking strictly tongue in cheek myself, it seems whenever I come up with an observation like that, accurate as it may be, and no matter whether I'm joking or not, I've most certainly committed myself to performing a similar, or possibly even worse (read more embarassing) act myself. In the very near future. Doomed as it were. By my own hand. Unless you have far superior karma, I'm guessing it's only now a matter of days, nay, perhaps hours before you yourself kiss Mother Earth. Not wishing it on you now mind you, more waiting with bated breath, hoping it's nothing serious, and maybe with a cute readhead or two involved to make it all worthwhile....

A friend and I started riding our road bikes again after years of riding MTB with cages. I can't begin to tell you how many times each of us fell over riding clipless for the first time. I start laughing when I think about it. It hasn't happened in years now...It sure was funny at the time.
Until you are really sure of your self start pulling both feet out until you start getting the muscle memory moving in the right direction. Good Luck.

Oh no... you mean it's like "He hasn't thrown an interception in over 3 weeks"?

I'm glad I didn't read this before I went out tonight but tomorrow? Ay, tomorrow, there's the rub.
I'll let ya know how that goes.