After 16 crash-free clipless years, I joined Club Tombay today
 

Well -- the title pretty much sums it up. Though I first started using clipless pedals in 1994, and have ridden 10's of thousands of miles without a tumble, I finally joined Club Tombay (clipless division) this morning.

I put a new chain on my commuter bike Sunday, and rode the bike to work for the first time this morning. The shifting was really, really rough on the 3 largest cogs (I think my cassette is worn out), but I pushed ahead as it was time to go to work.

At one point, I have to slow down, turn sharply off the street onto a bike path and head up the side of a freeway overpass to join a bike route across a bridge. As I slowed down to make the tight turn, and shifted into a bigger cog for the hill (forgetting the problems I was having), my chain suddenly jumped a cog and froze on the cassette. All forward motion ceased. My left foot was instinctively and instantly out of the pedal to catch my fall -- but unfortunately as I was still leaned to the right I just kept leaning right, and ultimately fell on my right side.

No major damage (just a couple of bruises) and no witnesses.

I hearby submit this post, though, as a request for membership to Club Tombay/Clipless Division.

As near as I can remember, this is only my second slow-speed fall from a bike. Back in the days of toe clips, I was once coming in from a long ride and pulled from the road into the yard of the house where I was staying. I was unfamiliar with the yard, was slowly maneuvering through the grass, and had to dodge an obstacle at a very slow speed. I s-l-o-w-l-y just leaned past the tipping point and fell in the grass. I guess that was Club Tombay / Toe Clip division.

My mother would be so proud; I hope you approve my membership application.

Sounds like a qualifier to me notwithstanding with the lack of attractive young female witnesses.

If you're looking for full Club Tombay membership you're really going to have to learn to be more inattentive.

The immunity from Club Tombay does not exist.

+1 Welcome! :beer:

As the voluntary membership motivational counselor for Club Tombay I welcome you and after 16 years point out that eventually we're gona get you......................:D

Welcome Benge, your now a respected member of the fallen.





Glad neither you or the bike had to pay too great a price for membership.

16 years - and here I thought I would never obtain membership in this elite club, after 14 years there is hope for me yet. I can only aspire to your lofty achievement and keep practicing I guess.

Anger not the gods of clipless pedals. They have good memories and carry grudges forever.

Redundantly repetitive.

I've long thought that those who deny having fallen due to clipless pedals were not honestly confessing the failures of their past.

I put toe clips on the one bike Saturday, almost got membership in Club Tombay - Toe Clip Division, adjusted the clips to work a little better, almost got membership again, decided that there was a good reason I had tossed those things in the bicycle junk box, when I tried them a couple of years ago, took them off when I got home, this time they went into the recycling bin instead of the junk box.

I don't want to say it, because I may make the Gods mad at me. Glad to hear you made OK.

Yes your cassette is worn out.

Congratulations! It means you have put some miles on that one and let's upgrade!

I've recently taken some pundit's advice (Zinn?) and started rotating my chain every 500 miles (850k) or so between three chains so ideally I'll get a little longer life out of the chains, the cogs and chainrings. Don't know yet how it's going to work but the theory sounded good at the time. And with the Wipperman Connex and the KMC Whatever they call 'em it's easy enough. Just about to start the second round....

Actually, while my cassette is likely worn out, I discovered tonight on the way home that the worn cassette *wasn't* the reason for my shifting problems. When I started climbing a very steep hill on the way home, I noticed something really wrong. I got off the bike and realized I had done a poor job re-tightening my rear skewer when I installed my chain, and my wheel was shifting under load. That's the reason I had the problem while climbing the hill this morning.

With this -- I truly deserve a golden ticket into Club Tombay.

It's my second bone-headed mechanical move this week. As I mentioned in the "zip tie" thread, while installing a bike computer on another bike this week I accidentally zip-tied one of the spokes on my front wheel to the fork.

Not my week.

Is that all it takes to join Tombay? Shoot ill get right on that...

I read recently that, statistically, a cyclist can expect an accident to occur once every 25000 miles. Sounds like you've been piling some up and have now relieved some of the pressure. A couple more steps up the Tombay ladder should pretty much cover you to date. In fact, get up some speed next time and you may get a credit against the future!

I am already a clipless member but I nearly rejoined the other day for reasons of mechanical origin, not inattentiveness. I needed to dismount to hike around a section of "MUP under repair". After repeated attempts, I could NOT get my usual foot unclipped and the end of the MUP is coming up on me fast. Workmen laying concrete are watchng! Finally I remembered that I could just unclip the other foot... which I NEVER EVER do.

Well, I rescued myself from certain humiliation and got stopped but still could not for a long time get my right shoe unclipped. WTF? Final diagnosis> screw fell out and SPD clip was moving all over the place.

I wonder: is Tombay humilation worse in front of male or female witnesses? I'm thinking females are likely to think "poor baby", and males are more likely unsympathetic...but maybe not....

Is there a special division for injuries suffered in a zero forward speed Tombay? My only serious cycling injury came when i couldn't free myself from a powergrip strap I was testing in my garage. I overbalanced with the effort and fell away from the wall I was leaning on. Put my hand out to break the fall. I landed on a piece of shelving, punching the bracket though my left hand between my thumb and forefinger.

That sucked. Surgery to repair the damaged nerve and clean up things, then six weeks of recovery and PT. The scar and reduced range of motion are daily reminders of my stupidity.

I've hit earth a few times.
During a windstorm this year I unclipped on the right side, from which the wind was blowing. A gust tipped me over just enough to fall to my unclipped left.
I must have really looked stupid.

So what does Club Tombay derive it's name? FWIW I have duly search but found no answer.

With so many people falling due to clipless pedals- It was decided to have a Name for the "Elite" membership of this group of people that have Brain fade on a ride- and can blame their event on the inability to unclip from their pedals before gravity takes over. Several members came up with names but like most things to do with cycling- the French had a hand in this. The French verb for falling is "Tomber" so several versions on the word were put forward but it had to have an American slant to it to make it work. With the Coastline of the US have so many "Bays" it was decided to call it "Club Tombay". Sounds a bit continental and exclusive so the Club was formed.

Membership is gained when you can claim that the fall was due to the inability to unclip from your pedals and a meeting of Terra Firma ocurs. This has to occur with a t least one foot still tied to the bike- panic situations where the rider unclips both feet before the fall does not count.

Extra points are given for Blood- The event being witnessed by your neighbours or close friends and the ultimate is doing it in front of a crowd of off duty nurses that show concern over your health.

The rules are very simple but have to be posted on this forum for the 50+ers to judge whether it is worthy of a mention and the grade of that entry. The ultimate would be a Pic or Video of you entering Club Tomber but no-one yet has reached this ultimate special award.

First , welcome to the club! I have been a member for sometime and now hope to join your advanced time without falling.( knock on wood)

Now the Zip-tie thing, I missed that nugget of information. That is funny, hope it didn't do any damage ( didn't go look to be honest) This sounds like something I could be guilty of.

We only do memberships for the fall.......................for some of the other stuff you need to apply to a different organization.........:notamused:




:D

Excellent! What a clever mod you all are! :)

Ill have to include the hospital in my route, from her out.

I thought you started using platforms on your commutes.

I did -- I switched back because I needed a stiffer pair of shoes to head off some problems in my right foot. I got a pair of cycling shoes for commuting with stiffer soles but when I used them on the platform pedals they were too slippery when it rained. So I put SPD cleats on them, and switched back to clipless pedals.

I want a cycling shoe (stiff sole) that I can use on a platform pedal. I have a box of old pedals to experiment with but just haven't done it yet.

Hey, well listen

I applied for a tombay with a thigh bone broken in 3 places due to a 2 mph slippy U turn, witnessed by kids, Moms and the eyeball rolling, head shaking spouse.

If that's the standard, you're going to have to do yourself WAY more harm

(I'm so glad you didn't hurt yourself badly, pal)

Ahhh...so this is a bicycle version of the Brown Eye Ball Club? If I had only known I could have applied for membership last month.

I was in a position of having to bike the sidewalk south on University Ave in Metro Denver. At an intersection I was at the center elevated island in the marked crossing. It was elevated but with a curbed walkway in it. Too late I discovered I couldn't turn into the walkway. Neither could I unclip in time. Down I went.

There I lay bleeding on the ground. While I was assessing the damage and before I moved I heard this female voice from a car stopped at the intersection: "Are you OK?" Before I could reply off she went. I could just hear her telling her friends: "I saw this cyclist fall and cut his leg. I asked him if he was OK but he didn't even turn to look at me, let alone answer."

The scabs are off now and it looks like I may not even have much of a scar. I learned that people will leave a non-reponsive bleeding person on the side of the road if it at all inconveniences them. The bike wasn't damaged at all; which was the important thing.