DnvrFox

OKAY - People are asking about whether or not folks have fallen while starting on (or even later) clipless. So, vote for what happened to you! You may vote more than once.

khuon

Hmmm... I had to use some fuzzy-logic to figure out where to place my vote. I think some of the choices are a bit vague. Like what's the definition of "starting out" in terms of timespan. Also, for those of us who ride offroad, we crash and fall all the time (and mostly not due to or lack of clipless pedals) so that may skew your results a bit. At anyrate. My first fall happened within ten minutes of getting SPD pedals for my MTB. I was riding home from the bikeshop and had not followed all the helpful suggestions about practicing on grass and while stationary first because... well... no one was around to tell that to me. Of course it happened right in front of a pretty girl I met at a stoplight who was also on her bike and had decided to ride with me. Since then, I have fallen quite a number of times. I think that there are several topics of interest when talking about falling and clipless pedals.

1. Falling due to being locked in
2. Falling while attempting to disengage
3. Falling and still be locked in

The first issue deals with falling as a result of attempting something while forgetting that you're still engaged to the pedals such as coming up to a stoplight and going to dab your foot only to find out it's still attached to the pedals. I rarely have this problem now as it's second nature for my foot to do the right thing. I only need to think of the desired end result and the motions are carried out automagically.

The second issue relates to a conscious decision to disengage from the pedals but doing so ineffectively and losing balance. For me, this is like the first issue in that it rarely ever happens now. It used to happen more frequently with my old SPD pedals when they got clogged up with mud during offroad rides and engaging and disengaging required considerable effort and concentration which sometimes resulted in a crash as I tried to perform the proper pedal operations. I have switched to better pedals on my MTB and my road pedals have never given me this problem.

The third involves being unable to disengage from the pedals during a fall or crash resulting from something else. On offroad rides with my old SPD pedals, this could happen quite often if they were clogged with mud. Nowadays, it's not an issue. Irregardless, my feet now do things automagically and oftentimes I'll be free of the bike after a crash or fall wondering how I managed to disengage my feet. The only times I have been really unable to do so have been on my roadbike when I overlap my toe with my front wheel and wedge it up so tight that my foot has no ability to perform a heel-out motion.

I think there are a variety of situations and reasons that lead to a fall and I don't think that clipless pedals, once the rider has grown accustomed to them, contribute any more or less to the accident when compared with incidents of falls involving riders who aren't secured to their bike. Falls do happen when cycling regardless of pedal type.

BikeInMN

The majority (all but 1) of my clipless crashes were on mountain bikes where I was doing something stupid like wheelies in a parking lot clipped in. The only road clipless incident I've had was on a borrowed bike that was too small and I encountered toe/wheel overlap at an intersection while track-standing... down I went

DnvrFox

Hhmm!!

I think you missed the "for Fun" in the title!

And the question was deliberately stated "Because of" clipless.

And, it was purposely placed in the "Road" forum, not the "mtn biking" forum, nor the "General" forum.

Anyone ever accuse you of being highly analytical?

khuon

Not recently but when they do, I usually ask them for some empirical evidence so I can perform some analysis on the data.

RonH

Well let's see. Hmmm. I can't recall ever falling.




Uh oh. Looks like I got caught.

Actually I did ok when I first started using clipless. It was after using them for several months that I started getting cocky and fell.
Twice while riding too slowly.
At least once while showing off.
Too many times when approaching a stop sign or light and didn't or couldn't get unclipped in time.
Once when riding too close to the curb and my right pedal hit the curb and down I went.
Once while showing another cyclist the "correct way" to unclip.

I'm sure there were other times but my subconscious is starting to block unpleasant thoughts and images.

codiene

I had been using spds on my mtn bike for about a year when I purchased my road bike with look pedals. Well, then it happened. I came upon a red light and the the shoulder was nonexistant with a 6" dropoff and an orange temporary contruction site fence. So I unclip my right foot and stop, then promptly fell over on my left side. It wouldn't have been too bad, but I was in Italy and I fell between two stopped cars. I was too embarrassed to look at the reactions of the drivers.

Laggard

Never

rygreen

I haven't fallen...yet.

I've heard many people say that you will inevitably fall soon after getting clipless. However, I was already used to pulling my shoe out of a toe basket, so the change wasn't major. Also, I set the tension fairly loose to start out with, so I could just "yank" in panic and unclip.

The closest I've ever come to falling has been on a couple of occasions when I was rolling to a stop, and had unclipped my right foot already (the one I always put down.) Something then caused me to lean to my left, and I was barely able to get that foot out.

RobotSonic

ive come close where ive clipped out but still had my foot on the pedal and the cleat got hooked (spr-sl cleats)...but lucky for my ive been able to save myself the two or three times this has happened

itschris

I usually get a ride in at lunch time since my office has a locker rooms. I was cruising back through the parking lot when I noticed a group of women on their way to lunch, one of which I've had my eye on for some time. They wave. They smile I effortlessly maneuver through the parked cars to where they were standing. I swing through a long ballet like arc and come to a stop with a smile on my face, proud of myself... until I realized I was so too anamourned and forgot to unclip and fell and laid there all tangled up in my bike right in front of them.

DogBoy

I moved to clipless in March and got spds. I have not yet fallen, but I've had 2 close calls. Both times, I was unclipped and started leaning to the other side. The first time, I managed to twist my foot out just in time to stop the fall. The second time, I turned the wheel sharply to the left to get the bike to go back to the right, and that worked too.

Stubacca

For road cycling, it's a big 'never' for me. Having said that, I'm sure I'll now go out and fall on my next ride...

BanditManDan

I've not fallen yet with clipless but I did fall while getting used to my toe clips. But since I was already using toe clips the transition was not that big of a deal.

bluejack

I have been on clipless about 6 months now and haven't fallen yet.

I've had some pretty close calls. I usually try to avoid unclipping at
stop lights, either by carefully (illegally) proceeding against the light
if there's no traffic, or by just slowing way down until the light turns
green. The other day I was going very slowly, but knew the light
wasn't going to turn in time so I unclipped my curbside foot -- but
somehow got the balance wrong and started to fall the other way.
My curbside clip is a little looser than the other side, so when in
a panick I tried to yank my foot loose, instead of properly unclipping,
it didn't come free. However, something about that motion rebalanced
the bike, and I didn't fall. Whew!

I'm sure it's just a matter of time, but so far, so good.

miamijim

Ok...so I'm sitting in my apartment adjusting my cleats. I'm leaning against the wall checking the 'float'. I lean to the side to dis-mount. I'm un-able to 'clip out'. As I'm falling I see the corner of my glass table top heading straight for my eye!!! I perfrom an evasive maneuver and put my hand out. Normally I just fall over on my side. Anyways I broke my thumb when I hit. Thumb spika cast for 6 weeks.

Judi Allen

The first time I fell, I was test riding a bike at a bike shop in the parking lot RIGHT IN FRONT of the store.
Luckily no one saw me ( or so I think). I did not buy that bike!

2nd time I was on a really steep hill...stood up in the saddle and just fell over in slow motion. It was quite comical!

Now, I have the urge to unclip on my mind all the time...don't want to fall again!

holicow

I voted for once, but it was way, way back when I first got toeCLIPS. Very first ride.

Went fine until I pulled into the driveway and stopped....and slooowwwly fell over. I completely forgot my feet were trapped. I'm sure it looked like I just fainted or something. Luckily we lived in the country and no one around.

Grampy™

When I bought my first set of clipless I was told either everyone has fallen or they are lying...... Not my words mind you, just what I was told.....

DnvrFox

Wow, so far 21 folks who have NEVER fallen because of using their clipless!

I am duly impressed and bow my head in shame, having fallen two times when I started out.

Congratulations, all you well-coordinated beings from this uncoordinated slob.

John M

Well I fell twice the 1st night I got my looks in 89. After that I never did again, unless I did something stupid Like unclip the left foot and lean to the right........

DieselDan

I've only fallen once, not because I didn't unclip, I unclipped on the left butleaned over to the right. Fortuantly, I fell on newly planted sod, but in front of a convertible of women. I did fall the first time I wore my cycling shoes, I just couldn't feel the ground as well.

SanDiegoSteve

Havne't fallen at a stop since I got Speedplays. I have crashed, and I think they helped me eject better, and at the right moment.

Had a few close ones.

khuon

This thread is starting to remind me of that Monty Python's Flying Circus skit, "The Cycling Tour":

Xythen

I've fallen twice...so far. I just started using clipless a few weeks ago (with much help from Khuon)

I choose '3x or more' 'cause I just know I'll fall again. :| I'm very impressed that some people have never fallen!