Feel dumb, fell over while stopped...
 

Don't worry, the bike's ok. Today while stopped at a red light, I bent down a bit to get my water bottle just as the wind blew. Put me over onto my clipped-in side. I'm sure the stopped cars got a kick out of it as I flailed trying to unclip my other foot before hitting the ground. I've been riding since last Nov and was hoping to be done with these pedal/road bike issues. Anyone else still do this klutzy stuff?

Well.....I think most of us have been there, done that. I did it once with both feet clipped in, while trying to trackstand waiting for traffic to clear...fortunately there was some nice soft grass that I fell onto.

We call that an Artie Johnson. I'd be surprised if Lance Armstrong hasn't done it a few times.

Borrowed a bike with Shimano SPD pedals but not the same as the ones as I had. The cleats were just different enough that I could not clip out fast enough and had to clip out laying on the road ...I have been biking far to long to have done this.

Truth be told, I'm guessing everyone who had tried clipless pedals has fallen over at least twice...

Once early on when just learning the technique, and a second time, long after mastering the technique but "distracted" for a moment. That's all it takes. A very odd feeling isn't it?

(...let's see...if today is Wednesday the 15th then next Thursday is the...unclip right foot like so..wait left .. LEFT.....LEFFFFTTT...... "####" .....)

Yup. Been there.

Pulled up to a stop and noticed a good looking woman in the Benz I was next to. Next thing I remember was my head bouncing off her door panel.

Most embarassing!
Jim

If there's a contest, so far you're the winner :D

Yep I did it the other day tried to do a u turn too slowly ... oops. Thankfully there was no one around that early in the morning and me and my embarrassment could skulk off into the dark without anyone seeing.

I just bought the clipless pedals for my mountain bike at the same time i got them for my road bike. So I am used to not being clipped in while mountain biking. So I fell 5 times when I wasn't able to clip out fast enough. I guess it wasn't that bad since the only one there to laugh at me was my dog and my buddy that was behind me, but the cactus i stuck my hand in while falling wasn't the best feeling.

I fell two times the summer of 2004, both times in front of a bunch of people.

I can't remember the last time (if ever) I fell purely because of a clipless pedal, but I've had many, many close calls, especially when already comfortably stopped, like you, when a gust of wind comes out of nowhere, catching me in a precarious position.

How about trying to trackstand on the fixie with clipless pedals, oh wait, that was also with clips, twice. The other embarassing one (especially if you aren't clipped or strapped down) on the fixie is to forget that you are not allowed to coast. Losing your footing and flying forwards (though not falling) probably looks pretty funny, especially if done while barrelling through an intersection...

I just got my clipless pedals and have been on a few rides with a couple of close calls, but no falls (knock on wood). I have managed to get my foot stuck in a toe clip and take the tumble as I tried to get my foot out, of course it was in front of one of the hottest girls I have seen at college (a true freshman move). :D

Haha, fun time on the fixies. I remember the first time I went on a real ride on my fixie I was coming up on a bumpy section that I had ridden who knows how many times and habitualy tried to coast over them. All I know is somehow I didn't crash, but there's nothing like being picked up and tossed by your pedal.

As for clipless I grew up with them mountain biking, so only the trees have seen my antics. Lets just say there are a lot of trees that could tell stories if they had mouths.

Embarassing? How about Artie Johnsoning clipped into a recumbent. The pedestrians I'd stopped for could only wonder who had landed that strange fish. I now sympathize with turtles who find themselves on their back.

Oh yeah. Broke a wrist that way once. The only good thing about that day was that I learned that if you look like you're in severe pain and you ask random strangers how to get to the local hospital, you tend to get pretty good directions.

Thanks for the post...now I don't feel so bad for having falling over while using my trainer. :D
A few weeks ago I set it up in front of the TV so I could get in a good workout, but there was this weird rattling sound coming from the back. I thought well maybe the thing was just getting old. Turns out the wheel wasn't bolted in tight enough to the trainer and had started to come loose. I was hammering away and then all of a sudden found myself falling over, still clipped in, with the trainer caught in the spokes. I felt like such a doofus. I was going to make a post when it happened, but I was too embarassed! Thanks for helping me come out of the closet on this one. lol.

I've fallen in plenty of intersections. Especially those four-five lane ones in the middle of rush hour. :)

About 2 months ago, I was starting on a slight hill to go on a ride to try out my new cassette, which had a 27 tooth gear. I normally start on a 17 to 20 tooth gear on the 39 ring, so that it gives me plenty of time to clip in before I need to start pedalling. Between the fact that I had lubed up the chain and left it on the 39/27 combination and the slight hill, I ran out of steam before I was clipped in on my right foot and fell over as my foot slipped off of the pedal trying to give myself another stroke. Very embarassing. Only scratched the skewer QR, though, and it happened right by my driveway.

I can relate. Freshman year, not even with clipless, just getting on my crappy old mountain bike. YOu know how you can do that thing where you step up and stand on the pedal on the opposite side of the bike to mount? Weel, I tried it on the pedal on the same side of the bike, with my right foot (standing on the right side of the bike). I went up, "oh ****..." right over the bike on to my left side. And needless to say, right in front of a HUGE crowd of people just coming out of class.

As i tried to get myself untangled from my bike I made sure to stand up as quickly as possible and do a most incredible hero pose, just to make sure that everyone knew I fully intended to fall on top of my bike... :p

That's exactly what I did afterwards, too! Thanks everyone, it's nice to know I'm not the only goofball out there.

Just wanted to commend you on being one of the few people to follow the proper "bike crash report" protocol. Bike condition FIRST, then rider................ ;)

This beats my stories hands down!!! I've fallen from not clipping out more times then I can remember. Thanks for the laugh! :roflmao: :roflmao:

I've done that a couple times over the years. It happens. In fact, the only times I've gone down on my road bike have been while stopped. :rolleyes:

First fall last night. Turning (slowly, about 2 mph) on gravel near construction, couldn't get clipped out fast enough and did the slo-mo fall. Guy rolled down his window and asked if I was okay. Scrapes and bruised ego. I had been congratulating myself on having not fallen after a month of riding clipless.

For any Houstonians out there, it was at 610 and Braeswood.