I fell this morning as I was leaving to start my ride. I think I was half asleep while only clipped in on one side. Weight shifted, wasn't paying attention, boom...on the ground. Positive side of things, I was then alert and ready to ride. :p

Point being... get out there and have fun. Don't sweat the small stuff.

I took the fall a couple of months ago. I didn't care what happened to me, I didn't want to hurt the bike. I ride a vintage Peugeot. I'll heal, the bike won't.
Remember this, when you're riding on two wheels, you ARE going down. It's just a matter of when, not if.
Jon

I'm not a "trained" faller-overer, and I don't have springs in my elbows. I just refuse to fall until I'm actually on the ground, when, of course, I have no other honest option. Amounts to pretty much the same thing as "rolling with it" most of the time, and the only damage to me, my kit, or the bike is as much the abrasions caused by frustratedly scooting things around on the asphalt or concrete trying to get up as anything caused by the fall itself.

Good grief, am I the only one that hasn't fallen over on a road bike due to clipless?

Get with the program, dude! Don't keep us waiting ... we have been patient, but we have limits .... :)

Most roads are crowned. When on such a road, you might find it helpful to unclip the foot that is on the high side of the road (towards the center of the road, usually going to be the left foot in the US). Of course, if you happen to lean away from the unclipped foot, this just guarantees a longer fall.

Frankly, I don't actually get the whole falling down because one didn't unclip. Maybe it's the added leverage of my size 51 feet, but I can always unclip before I go down. Well, except for that one time back in 1982 with the Cinelli M71 clipless pedals that had the little button one had to push to release the cleat from the pedal.

SPEEDPLAY : HIGH PERFORMANCE PEDALS

So all of this falling over. Did it pay off in the end making you go faster or is it just added expense and unnecessary risk, for no real benefit?

OP, all I can think of is wearing gloves, helmet and pants. No one seem interested in wearing any sort of crash protection outside the helmet, even if padded clothing is readily available. That is shirts with shoulder and/or elbow protection and pants with hip and/or knee protection.

Weight, comfort, style, and efficacy.

One could wear knee- and elbow-pads ... but how often does one crash hard on a knee or elbow? Skid pads on the hips and sides of the knees might help---but how effective would they be? Zero for padding--enough to make a difference would inhibit movement---so the real need is to prevent road rash, but would the heat of friction and the sliding fabric still cause abrasions?

Also, mobility is really important in the hips and knees, and no one wants to wear pads which slow one down.

Only way to prevent fractured collarbones would be NFL-style shoulder pads. The impact of a 20-30-mph fall isn't going to be mitigated by a little padding. But imagine trying to ride in NFL shoulder pads.

Plus ... people simply don't crash that much and keep riding. Either they learn or quit or are forced to quit.

Plus, people would feel stupid riding a bike in a suit of armor.

Conjecture ...

Of course protective clothing would help.

Uh, wrong! Yes you do. The sooner you realize that the better rider you will be. Knees too. Maybe springs is the wrong term. How about shock absorbers?

I don't understand this thread. When I was new to clipless I had no trouble falling. Still don't. I managed to master it that first day. The OP must be slow or something.

It's just gravity .... go with it.

Actually, I occasionally don a pair of Storelli goalie shorts and shirt for sketchy downhill.

The shorts have the same Lycra as road cycling shorts, but with strategically placed Poron hip pads.

The shirt is like a 3/4 sleeve Lycra skinsuit with thin Poron elbow and shoulder pads.

Normally, I pack it to the top of a climb, then put it over the cycling stuff.

Added benefit, keeps me warm and looks totally super hero.

I haven't found the need to use it for clipless falls, though.

Maybe the OP is riding one of those new-fangled . :D

https://velosurance.com/information-...ing-your-bike/

During winter I fell like this. Not on purpose, but it happened so fast I didnt react at all. I just fell on my side still holding on to the handlebar, rather than trying to soften the blow by sticking my arm out. Considering the severity of the crash I was surprised I wasnt injured. Reading the above link, I now know why.

Yep, what they are prescribing in that link is what some of us are suggesting: don't try to break your fall, keep your hands on the handlebars and don't extend an arm or knee out. Try to be as relaxed as you can be.

My last fall happened exactly like that, and I didn't even scrape anything (except a pedal and some bar tape).

I did in fact roll onto my back after the fall. Again, I didn't even get a scrape or a bruise.

I've tipped over while clipped in 4 times since 2013. It happens. The key is to do it when nobody is looking. :D

The last two times I fell over while clipped in... I was clipped out on my right shoe, but I leaned over too far to my left while stopping.

The secret is to miss the ground.

The danger of serious injury is small. (Though my wife disagrees, because she tried clipless and promptly chipped her elbow.)

These falls happen after you've stopped, so you don't go down hard.

And your first fall might prevent further falls.

I've taught children and adults how to ride a bike, not with cleats. Some students were afraid of falling, so I taught them how actors fall on the stage. First fall on your ankle, then knee, hips, elbow, shoulder. Do it in slow motion, on the grass. I had my students do it. I do it with them not so much so they are prepared for a fall but in helping them realize that falling isn't necessarily a very bad thing. Well, this has come in handy for me, because I have fallen a few times in the last four years, not because of cleats. And having rehearsed the stage fall, that's how I fell from the bike. I didn't get hurt. So I recommend it to you.

So yesterday as I was on the last leg of my commute, they're redoing the road and they were about to repave so at the intersection side, the asphalt was cut straight and at a height of about 6". The gravel was really messy so I was looking just a feet or two in front of my wheel and going slow so I wouldn't slide and fall. I noticed that asphalt cut about 3' from it. I'm happy to report that my reaction to unclip was very fast and I was able to unmount my bike instead of falling off :)

no, no, no. Terrible. You are supposed to Forget to unclip, and fall into the gravel! haven't you been reading this thread?

People like you make the rest of us look bad.

Lol, dont worry, I'm sure I'll join that club at least a few more time...