creativepart

So, today was my first fall on my road bike. I got clipless pedals and shoes about 6 weeks ago. So, I've been worried about a fall ever since. The fall today really had nothing to do with the clipless, I would have fallen even without them.

I was climbing a shot kick up on a bigger hill, I was in the the lowest gears all the way around and I was standing and pumping up the kick. Suddenly, the pedal fell out from under my feet and down I went.

As I'm laying in the very middle of the road, what do you think my first thought was? "Did anybody see that?" The second thought was "I'm OK." and the third thought? "I hope no cars are going to run over me." It seems like the run over me thing should have been my first thought.

There were no witnesses. I was surprised as I heard that there are always witnesses.

I'm fine. Some road rash and a little sore. But let me say, that at 61 years old, falling onto the pavement is NOT something you want to do. When you're 12, OK, that's part of the deal, but somewhere north of 40 years old falling down is not a thing you do.

I think the reason the chain dropped off the little ring was that I added 2 links to my chain to accommodate a lower geared cassette I just installed the day before yesterday. There have been a couple of dropped gears since then. Just none while standing on a climb before this. OK, so, I'm not a bike mechanic yet either.

It was hard to trust the bike the rest of the 8 miles home. In fact on the two remaining hills I got off at the steepest parts not wanting to do the standing thing again -- well, not wanting to do the falling thing again.

WestCoastDan

ouch!
....if a cyclist falls on the road and nobody sees it, did he really fall?
Hang in there and get that chain length checked out.
+++

volosong

Glad you're okay. I know what you mean about one's first thought is, "How embarrassing. I hope nobody saw that." A couple weeks ago, I was in Rome and rented a bike for several days, (fantastic way to get around Rome...but you can't be timid with the traffic). On the trip back to turn in the bike on one corner, I couldn't get my foot out of the cleat fast enough and fell over. Was barely moving, but my first thought too was, "I hope nobody saw me". Of course, in over-crowded Rome, I was seen. Surprised me that nobody came over to see if I was okay. Took a few moments to untangle myself, then I was off. Still, nobody seemed to care that I got "up close and personal" with the cobbles.

creativepart

There was a noise. I heard it. There was a fall.

digibud

I don't understand standing in your lowest gear. But first, let me give you a hard time for no being able to properly set an inner stop for the front derailleur. Have somebody show you...hit youtube. The consequences of eating a chain can get pretty dramatic but the process of ensuring it won't happen is really quite simple. But it wasn't because of adding two links. A low Stop adjustment would be the same for a chain of this or that length. Are you sure the added length was correct and your derailleur is taking up the slack properly?
Back to standing in your lowest gear....really? Typically a person would drop in the rear cogs to a pretty hard cog and get in the middle or large ring up front before standing...and walking up a hill. You stand in a low gear?

Blackdays

You're so helpful.

Kind of Blued

If you have to get out of the saddle on your lowest gear to get up some of the hills around you, I would suggest getting more low-end gearing. I like to figure out how many gear inches I need to get up the nastiest climbs In my area, then have one more gear on the low end below that, for those days when I'm semi-bonking into a headwind up a mountain.

Also, the fact that your clipless pedal "fell out from under" your feet sounds bad. If you were tired and your form got sloppy, you may want to think about a lower gear and focusing on your form. If you were just riding normally and your cleat disengaged or your pedal failed, you may want to pay attention to your cleat/pedal setup. You might need to tighten something to keep your cleat from disengaging so easily.

creativepart

I've been biking all of 7 weeks, I started on March 20th. So, you can bet that I'm not very experienced, or in good shape physically. I'm over 220 lbs and in my 60's as I said. So, yeah, I was standing in a low gear to get up a short kick in the hill I was climbing. It was the only way I could get up that kick at that time.

As to the gear, I probably do still need some lower gears. My bike was purchased with 12 -26 cassette and a standard double. Saturday I replaced the cassette with a 13 -30 and that's helped a bunch. But I probably need a compact double as well. I've been working on getting that purchased, too. You may notice my location -- the Texas HILL Country.

I think have the low stop adjusted properly I believe. I believe the chain actually wrapped too much around the low gear on the RD first, and then dropped off of the crank. Obviously, I'm going to check this very carefully. I added the two links when I changed the cassette, but I was not sure I really needed to do that. I'm going to double check this as well.

I misspoke about the pedal dropping out from under me -- I was still clicked in when the pedal dropped from the chain dropping off of the crank. In fact, the cleat didn't come out of the pedal on that foot until I hit the ground.

I realize that I'm a novice and I'm learning -- which unfortunately was what happened today -- I learned some things.

PS. Just to be clear, I bought my Hybrid Trek on Mar 20 -- I bought the used road bike 10 days ago and that was the bike I fell on today. I'm out riding 6 days a week working on getting better in every way I can.

njkayaker

(I've been on a hill where if you stood up, you'd fall over backwards. Many people didn't have gears low enough and many fairly-strong riders walked it.)

njkayaker

Note that problems with chains are more frequent when standing and when it's the most inconvenient (that is, on hills). Standing while climbing means problems are more likely than doing just one of these.

Don't assume there's no technique to standing. It takes some practice doing it smoothly (which will reduce the likelihood of problems).

If you did not drop your chain while shifting, then it would seem your standing technique might be is a bit rough.

Lower gears.

Ideally, you should never need to stand. (My gearing is low enough that I don't need to stand.)

If I am understanding what you are saying, I'd don't think is is very likely, unless your standing technique is really messy or if it happened when you were shifting.

Everybody was a beginner once. Just keep in mind that there is skill involved in standing and shifting (especially) on hills.

LowCel 

I must be a complete loser, even when I was a cat 3 I had to stand on some of the climbs around here when in the lowest gear I had. If that's not bad enough I was praying to the cycling gods that I could somehow find a lower gear. I don't see anyone in my area that doesn't stand when climbing in their lowest gear.

I hope that one day I am as strong as all the people on here and I can just set and spin up 18% - 22% climbs.

climber7

have you ever ridden up anything over, say, a 15% grade? i can't remember if i've ever actually stood in my 34x25 (my lowest), but i've definitely been out of the saddle in 34x23 or 34x21. so it doesn't surprise me that much that OP had to do that, and even if it did, so what? there's no rule against it.

and OP, maybe you had an andy schleck: https://velonews.competitor.com/2010/...ome-off_130090

also, digibud, note that in that article, Zinn explains that schleck HAD A CHAIN CATCHER and still dropped his chain. so having the FD properly adjusted isn't a guarantee of anything.

LowCel 

Sounds like you are doing great to me, just keep out there. I would like to say that the climbs will get easier but we all know, it doesn't get easier you just get faster.

njkayaker

It really does depend on one's gearing and the steepness of the hills. The OP's gearing is almost certainly too high, for him.

njkayaker

And the FD adjustment is mostly an issue when actually shifting.

thisisbenji

Something like this happened to me the other day, I was sprinting against the wind when my chain snapped and I was on the ground before I knew what happened. There was even a car behind me! lol.

And as for going up hills the ones I usually do are 15-18% grades and when I do them in my lowest gear (39x28) I usually stay seated, if I decide to stand up I usually go to the next gear down the cassette, but I'm not much of a stander unless I'm riding offroad.

bikerjp

I don't understand the reason behind this. Certainly some people, like me, are not strong enough to sit up certain climbs. Why, exactly, is it wrong to stand? I have some steep, for me, hills and while I might be able to sit all the way up my legs get tired and I stand to use different muscles and to take pressure off the back because when the hill is steep enough even the lowest gear can feel too high.

Laminarman

Sometimes this board is so helpful and enjoyable. And sometimes you get a response like this... OP, stand if you have to.

thump55

Look on the bright side, when cars see a 61 year old laying in the road, they'll at least swerve.

Keep on truckin'.

Get that chain problem fixed though or it might be worse next time it happens.

digibud

My response wasn't meant to me mean. If it came off like that to the OP allow me to apologize. Racing over rough rode is one thing but in most cases dropping a chain to the inside is nearly always a matter of the stop not being set properly. "let me give you a hard time" was my way of being somewhat lighthearted. With regard to the standing thing, I am no expert. It may be that I've never hit a 22% hill that required me to stand in my lowest gear. Frankly, if I hill required me to stand up in my lowest gear I doubt I would be able to climb such a hill. It would be my -guess- that on -most- hills, standing will most likely involve getting into a harder gear. If you are pedaling sitting down and it's getting tough then most everyone who chooses to stand will find themselves dropping to a harder gear. If my attempt to point this out was rudely put then again, my apologies. I also chafe at rude responses and it wasn't meant as such.

jbholcom

My thoughts exactly!

Phantoj

Very strange. On the road, I've never ever dropped a chain except when I was shifting the front derailleur.

njkayaker

Yes. I think something else (maybe, even shifting) was going on.

caloso

Standing in my lowest gear at Mt. Diablo. The switchbacks are pretty steep.

OP: you're doing great. Stand, sit, do the hokey pokey, or whatever it takes to get to the top.

Phantoj

Hmm... you like to climb hills in the "middle or large ring" and a "pretty hard cog" in the rear? Where do you live?

On, say, a 5% grade, big ring + a "pretty hard cog" would require either incredible power or a ridiculously low cadence...