I've been very happy with my toe clips, and didn't want to go clipless.

But my wife and daughter got together for Christmas and surprised me with clipless pedals and shoes. It was a very nice present, and I wouldn't want to disappoint them by staying with my old toe clips, so I've now been dragged into the modern world.

Went on a 20 mile ride with the new pedals, and I think I can avoid joining club tombez. At one point I clipped out early, then unknowingly clipped back in before stopping. I was still able to get out before falling.

You do realize you've just jinxed yourself with the mention of avoiding the club!

Don't worry about falling--Just learn the landing procedure.

P.S. Take the camera with you for the next 3 months- We do need action shots of entry to Club Tombay.

By riding with toe clips you've already mastered a more difficult unclipping task than with clipless pedals.

It will take awhile to get used to them, but you;ll probably wonder why you waited for so long. I did fall over the other day practicing track stands, but not everyone trys to do track stands-- especially while clipped in!

Clippy-bump seems to have a non-maths supported probability frequency on bike forums, even this most objective one

Non Clippy-bump seems under reported

(Says the non Clippy-bump, unclipped before the skid, unrepresentative broken femur, non clippy-bump statistical datum)

[QUOTE= I think I can avoid joining club tombez. At one point I clipped out early, then unknowingly clipped back in before stopping. I was still able to get out before falling.[/QUOTE]

that's what I thought too. I rode with toe clips for a long time before switching. Lets see, there was the time I put in my left foot and pushed off the side of my truck and fell over while looking down at my right foot, then the time I was doing a quick track stand at a light ........................

I took a camera with me for weeks and the one day I left it home without it to ride with some of the young Turks of our club. One of them flatted when it was my turn to pull at the front of a pace line and after about 100 years I noticed everyone was stopped behind me. I pulled to the side of the road and unclipped my left and attempted to set my foot down on the curb on y right. I missed and my foot slipped. In an attempt to recover I over corrected and started to fall to my left, the unclipped foot. I went over so slowly but down I went in front of the other club members. Of course I laid there for longer than necessary and got up to discover I had cut my leg just above my new Dura Ace cycling socks. I allowed the blood to drip on the sock and took a picture with my cell phone. I had to submit that picture to get into club Tombay and I assume when you wish to be so honored you will do the same? However if no picture is taken a sworn statement will be judged by the rest of the club members to see if you can be accepted.

These Arte Johnson-themed threads are hazardous to my health; every time I comment that falling over isn't an inevitable consequence of using clipless pedals and that I've never fallen over related to using cliplesss pedals or toe clips going back 30+ years ---> my jinx factor increases.

Heh, heh, heh.

The first ride doesn't necessarily produce the Club Tombay fall, it's when you start to gain confidence. You'll ride all day without incident and, as you return to the parking lot with everybody watching, you'll come to a complete stop forgetting that you're still clipped in.

Keep a firm grasp on your handlebar so you don't scuff your handlebar tape.

Plenty of falls on the mountain bike but I may be the only one to have fallen with clipless pedals due to not be clipped in. I was about to stop and unclipped. There were a few peds about so slowed down and typically the peds were all over the path. Path cleared and I put pressure on the pedal only to have it slip off the pedal. Straight over but luckily fell onto grass so no blood- no damage but no Nurses or pain either.

Millions of people never fall from a bike for any reason. One or two or even three of them many be riders.

I don't get the clipless fall. I've never done it, or even came close or worried about it. Transition from clips to clipless was effortless for me. The only time I ever fell with clipless was on my fixed gear due to a failed trackstand.

Welcome to 1985.

I think there are 2 factors at work here: attention span and learned neurological response.

When you're new to clipless pedals, you have to consciously think about releasing from them as you stop. Those of us whose minds are constantly wandering can forget that we're clipped in until it's too late. That's why the presence of attractive young women is often associated with club tombay falls.

After some passage of time your body developes synapses that cause you to release even when you're not thinking about it.

LOL, I think that statment is just to "fool" guys like ME into trying "clipless", Ah I ain't gona be fooled that easily!! No, just kidding but so far I've don't have any interest in "clipless", had too many friends bruise and even had minor breaks "getting use to them" for my tastes, either way you go, it's all good in the end!

In spite of the above brag.............we will be kind when it eventually happens.

And no, there are no membership applications issues for trackstanding stunts gone bad. Those you have to live with on your own.

Ha! I thought the same thing. See this thread: Clipless Crash - I'm Initiated

Good luck! (I really mean it.)

I'm glad that my wife and daughter only purchase gift certificates at the LBS, (only at my request) that way I can purchase what I want. Personally, I don't think they even know what a "clipless" pedal is.

Those of us who strap our toeclips just loose enough to accommodate release through a fast jerk backward would disagree. As someone mentioned earlier, the issue of learned reflexes is significant. I don't trust myself to own a stable which includes both clipless and toeclip pedals, and I don't want to convert all of my bikes, so this old dog is staying with toeclips, which have served me well for 100k miles.

Anger ye not the gods of pedals with thy hubris.

I do feel very lucky--so far-- on the road bike. The common form of clipless fall is that you unclip left foot and then over balance right. Nothing you can do about it- it happens and when you least expect it. I have done the unclip left and then start to fall right but Mountain biking taught me to trackstand. I have no idea why I have not fallen but perhaps it has always been in a secluded spot away from any spectators- or there have not been any off-duty nurses about.

Now the Tandem on the other hand---

Does that mean I disagree with myself? I setup my toeclips that way, too. I don't think disengaging from toeclips is difficult, I just think that clipless pedals are even easier.

I've never understood the oft reported concern with variety in bike setups. I ride bikes with toe clips, bare pedals and different types of clipless pedals and transitioning from one to another is no sweat. I also ride bikes with different types of shifters, different brake levers and different types of handlebars. I drive my car with manual transmission and my wife's car with an automatic. I wear pullover shirts and shirts with buttons or zippers. I guess some people just have more trouble adapting to variation than others.

I have to admit I took a fall today. Actually unclipped comming to the red light when I decided to check the heart rate. Now I am holding on with the left hand trying to reach the curb with the right foot. Needless to say I was tipping left. Kept the arms tucked in and survived w/o a scratch, but the ego took a hit with all the cars looking on. It will happen one day.

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody sees it, some would ask did a tree really fall? I think if you fall and nobody sees it, it doesn't count. Is the witness thing a key requirement for club membership?