You hope.

Not always and when they don't you are like a fish flopping on the end of a line...it is funny to watch but not as funny when it is you flopping your legs trying to unclip...experience spoken here but thankfully decades ago.

Oooph, I was going to get clipless pedals in a month too. Maybe not anymore:p Just kidding. Still a little frightening though, I will definately get pedals + shoes.

Gary, your story is similar to mine though you've a few years on me and I worked my way up to a road bike (Ridley Orion bought last month) from a mountain bike. I had my first crash yesterday. Going up a little hill, my gears jammed, clipped out my right foot, but couldn't do the left. Happened to have the ribbon of a driveway to fall on, and while I did instinctively break my fall with my left hand, thankfully it was bruised not broken. My injuries, however, look amazingly similar to yours -- left elbow and knee. More damaged pride and a teeny bit of fear about whether my own poor use of shifters caused the jam and fall. I did get back on the bike and ride home 10 miles though, so I think I'm on the road to conquering it. My LBS is amazing and they have insisted on giving me a gearing lesson, which I'm planning on taking them up on. My MTB bike had 24 gears and numbers on the levers. This 10-gear two-ring thing is new to me. I may have made the mistake of being overconfident.

It's hard for old dogs to learn new tricks. But I do love cycling and commend you for doing it too. And while the fall shook me up some, I almost avoided it and with practice I think I might be able to if it ever happens again. And even though I did crash, injuries to me and my bike were minor. Tomorrow is a new day or maybe the day after tomorrow. Rest assured I'm determined to get back out there though. Be safe y'all.

I must have fallen 5 times my first summer of clipless. Now I overcompensate by clipping out way early. Often have to catch up to group when light turns green. Yesterday, a buddy who's been riding for 50 years fell over at a light. Scrapped his brand new Force brifters (major bummer). As always, embarassment was much worse than injury to body or bike.

He obviously used his face to break his fall. Could not put his hands down, as he is a surgeon. Read the gloves thread. He douses his mitts in alcohol 100s of times per day. His head may stay alcohol free.

Pick a foot to unclip, and stick to it.

In slowing to a stop, there's a moment when the forward momentum is no longer enough to hold the bike upright. Own that by picking the foot to put down -- and unclip it and induce the bike lean rather than waiting for it to happen.

I kept falling (or crashing) until I figured that out. I'd stop and then try to figure out which way the bike was going. Now, I always unclip the right foot, and I haven't fallen in years. And I end up changing the cleat on the right foot at least twice as often as the left.

This is right. If you always unclip with the same foot, then there's no decision to make - it's automatic. You don't have to be paying attention and making a decision as to which foot to unclip.

I find the two previous posts to be ridiculous. Aside from wearing out the cleat and pedal more on one side, you fail to train the body how to do it better. You also fail to develop the ability to compensate for emergencies.
The best motor learning is achieved through bilateral practice. If you have trouble exiting the pedal on one side, practice clipping out that side more. If you have trouble balancing on a bike, spend more time riding.

You haven't crashed until you're flying through the air looking up at the sky and you unclip and toss that 7K bike straight up and away. Had a few of those.

what?

Practice more. Try mountain biking with clipless. Gain confidence. Don't restrict yourself.

Ah. For the OP, the advice is fair, but your path I think would involve more blood. What I described worked for me in learning clipless. Then I went clip less fixed. That will teach you all the skills you describe, in a hurry, with an adrenal gland going nuts.

Happy riding.

It's for anyone who wants to get better at a motor skill. Practice the other side.
Do you unclip the left to take advantage of the road side-slope? That ability won't be very useful if you decide to take those fixie skills to the track.

Until I joined BF I never knew that I was supposed to fall down a dozen times when I first got clipless pedals.