Have you fallen in clipless pedals?
 

When you first started with clipless pedals or even after you had them for a while, have you fallen? I would love to know the percentage of people who have NOT fallen at some time or other.

This is what "Club Tombay" is for.

The meetings go something like this: Hi I'm Maddmaxx and the other day while sitting perfectly still on my bicycle I...........................................;)

I have fallen when first starting with clip-less pedals. I believe more to them being miss adjusted than any other reason. I have replaced them with Eggbeaters and with them I have not had a problem. I don't "believe" I have fallen do to forgetting about them, but that is a possibility.

Not only did I fall with new clipless, but also with straps and clips when I started using them! It's amazing how resilient patellas really are.

Would almost say a pointless question- but it is not. Big worry about going clipless is "Will You Fall"- Of course you will. But the trick is to do it in front of your neighbours and friends. Then you quickly learn how embarrassing it is and don't do it again.

And we are still waiting for the Action shot of the Clipless fall- If any one has any.

The good thing about falling over is that you are stationary. If you were moving I'm sure it would hurt rather than just be embarrassing. I fell over thrice.

I think you mean, have you fallen with clipless pedals and not been able to release (or forget to) in time. If someone rides enough, they will fall, but often it isn't much of a fall, and if you release, it is no different than any other time you fall.

So, I would say I have never fallen with clipless pedals - which is odd since I am normally not all that co-ordinated. Perhaps it is because most of my riding was done on private trails where there where no bystanders. From reading these threads, it seems to me bystanders are a requirement. :rolleyes:

I never completely tipped over. A few times, I did get way past 45 degrees and managed to clip out and put a foot down just in time. Each time, I thought I was clipped out with my foot resting on the pedal, but it was clipped back in. I had a slightly pulled muscle for a few days from the awkward recovery.

There were also a few panic situations at stops, but I got clipped out in time.

Now, after 10,000 miles, I don't have to think about it at all. When clipless was new to me, I had to plan my stops, clipping out in advance and making sure to lean that way.

I have but it's been a long time - 10 years maybe.

NOBODY ever had more difficulty getting acclimated to using clipless pedals than me. I'd do OK getting them set up and at the start of a ride but, at the end of a ride when I was starting to tire, my foot would bind up, I'd panic, and over I'd go.

My son turned me on to genuine Shimano SPDs and the silver, multi-release cleats. It was like turning on the light switch. That's the only thing I've used since. The multi-release cleat made such a difference for me that I've been afraid to try anything else.

I didn't realize that I had funny feet until I started setting up clipless pedals for other people. If I stand normally, my heels form a 90 degree angle and my toes point 45 degrees in each direction. Cross country skiing required, for me, constant attention to keep my toes pointing straight. The outside heel edges on my shoes wear down quickly. I'm thinking that my feet tend to roll to the outside (supernate) and that makes most cleats bind up and not release as easily.

On the Roadie, I went for quite a while before I decided to try a "free" pair of clipless, SPD compatible Wellgo pedals. I got into them OK, but couldn't get out and fell. Other than that one encounter, I've never fallen on the road due to clipless pedals. Ruts in the road are another story.
On the Mountain bike, I had a really tough break in period with clipless and fell many times.

Started riding mountain bikes, and went clipless LONG before I should have. Known locally as "Captain Crash" for going down with the ship so often.

But road biking, fell only twice, and one was my own fault. There was a time I did a power skid for the sole purpose of scaring some old coot at a health club (someone DnvrFox's age), but as I came to a stop, forgot that I was clipped in and fell into a bike rack. My, how it hurt. The old coot thought it was pretty funny.

Yes, in the road, stopping for a car at a four way stop. With the requisite young attractive female to ask if I was injured. Which of course I was not, other than my ego. No big deal.

Last time was about 8 or 9 years ago. Started from an intersection with a group that included my ex wife. I was in the back and clipped in as the others wobbled all over the road. Nowhere to go but down.
Yes I have fallen over with clips and straps, too. Maybe more times than with clipless.
I have also crashed twice when pedals have snapped off. The second time I almost fell again as I stood up with the pedal still clipped to my shoe.

I've fallen a time or three. The last time was when I unclipped my right foot and the bike started leaning left.:eek: I hate when that happens. :rolleyes:

I fell with my feet still locked in one time, that was enough(knock on wood)!

I was newish to the pedals and was out riding with my wife (then girl friend)
Pulled up to a light and thought I'd be clever and not release from my pedals
and just grab hold of a mail box to steady myself, I did a beautiful job of
managing speed and braking I just sort of hovered for a minute with-out moving
right beside the box. Then with very casual ease I reached out to steady myself
by puttting a hand on the box...
What I got hold of was the Mail Box Door Handle, the door swung down and out ,
and I did too...
I try for Casual Ease no more, if it means getting out of one clip early that is OK now.

I still use toeclips and straps. I can recall only one incident, about 15 years ago, in which I could not extricate a foot in time to prevent a low-speed "cow tip" -- my chain skated over the top of my inside chainring as I tried to accelerate from a stoplight trackstand. This was entirely my fault, because I had otherwise delightful third step gearing (49-46-43 / 13-16-19-23-26) with too wide a spacer set between the inside and middle rings.

Yes, I have fallen in clipless pedals-as almost everyone has. Mine was at a stop sign, and I stopped, unfortunately, where it was sloped exactly opposite of the shoe that I had unclipped, so I fell towards the clipped in side, and fell over of course. I now ride platform pedals with traction pins (some refer to them as BMX style pedals). Not because of falling, but I never got comfortable with my foot being in the same position for an entire ride, and my heels have a natural tendency to point in, so I had to move the cleat position very far inward on the shoe(which moves the shoe further out from the cranks), in order to not be scraping my heels on the crankarms constantly. Just never got to where I felt comfortable with clipless.

10 years ago 2 times within first month. Never again (because of the clipless pedals).

It happens. No big deal. Don't worry about it.

Yup! In my driveway of all places. I was tired and forgot to unclip in time.

I'm wondering how much longer it will be before some government agency declares clip and clip less pedals a safety hazard to cyclists and/or some group of lawyers go after pedal manufactures for producing a dangerous product. I would bet it would be within hours of a clip less fall showing up on youtube! Be careful of what you want shown in a video.

I've fallen three times, but never as a result of clipless. The most recent was on the way to work yesterday morning. The first two dozen patches of ice were no problem. The 25th is where I slid--only until I ran out of ice. Then, when the tire bit into the asphalt--at 45° to my line of travel--it pitched me over the bars.

My first thought after crashing is always, Wow! They really do unclip in a crash!

And FWIW, I highly recommend the tuck-and-roll method for the unplanned flying dismount. The end result is so much better than the slam-down-and-skid-across-the-pavement method I've used in the past. Third time's the charm, I guess. ;)

Back on topic...

What did it for me is that the owner of my LBS is a great coach. After we got the pedals and cleats mounted and adjusted, he took me out to the parking lot and demonstrated the proper method of coming to a stop, unclipping and putting your foot down.

He watched me go back-and-forth, doing stop-and-go drills for five minutes, then told me, "Do that for another half-hour, then come back in". He checked on me a couple of times, made some corrections, then after that half-hour, he gave his permission for me to ride home.

I'm grateful for that early do-it-'til-it's-automatic, then do-it-well-beyond-boredom training. I'm absolutely certain it's the reason I've never had a clipless fall.

I did late in the season last year and once when I first bought them. Too much traffic, too many holes in the pavement, oncoming traffic that makes you stop unexpetantly, lots of people watching. I think htat is all the ingrediants necessary for me to fall over.

TSL is right. They do unclip quite nicely in a crash, even a slow-speed one.

Don't ask me how I know.