[Typetwelve]

Well...knew it would happen eventually, took my first "clipless" fall today.

I started riding clipless last season. Outside of a few "that was close" moments, I managed to not take a tumble because of being locked in.

Until today.

I was riding through a small town and hit their "main street" intersection. I need to go left so I moved into the turn lane and slowed to stop (it was a red light). As usual, I un clipped with my R leg and began to tilt the bike to the R to shift my weight. As soon as I started this, a motorist pulled up right besides me (I was sitting in the far L side of the turn lane, he was immediately to my R). He was so close in fact that I had no room to lean so I instinctively shifted my weight L...still clipped in with the L leg.

Like most say, it happened pretty slowly with my thinking "Oh sh*t! I'm still clipped in!!" But it was too late, I tried to kick my leg out but down I went. I managed to do a strange fall and didn't completely bite it but I laid the bike down and took a knee.

All in all the damage was small, skinned knee, scraped my L shift/brake lever a bit and scraped my rear wheel skewer. Could have been worse.

I got up, embarrassed as all hell, and gained my composure. The light turned green shortly thereafter and the motorist quickly drove off without a word.

Oh well. I knew it would happen eventually, at least the price was small.

Anyone else have any good "first time fall" stories?

 

[Charlie the Unicorn]

16 years later, I'm still waiting for my first fall.

 

[SauronHimself]

There are two types of cyclists: 1) those who fall when using clipless pedals 2) and those who lie about falling when using clipless pedals.

 

[SBard1985]

I always mix it up, as far as un-clipping my left and right foot so I don't become dependent on one side vs. the other. It keeps me a little more focused, especially when I unclip my left foot because I am way more comfortable unclipping my right foot.

That sucks you fell like that. I would have been so bummed out. I fell once, I was in a bike shop leaning against the counter, just sorta tipped over, kinda sucked.

 

[Randy99CL]

16 years later, I'm still waiting for my first fall.

Charlie, my man, you're tempting fate by posting that statement here!
Just think about how much less it would have hurt if you'd have gotten it over with 16 years ago!

If I were you, I'd go out right now, ride the bike into the back yard and fall over.

 

[RoadrunnerLXXI]

I started riding clipless last season. Outside of a few "that was close" moments, I managed to not take a tumble because of being locked in.

Until today.

I was riding through a small town and hit their "main street" intersection. I need to go left so I moved into the turn lane and slowed to stop (it was a red light). As usual, I un clipped with my R leg and began to tilt the bike to the R to shift my weight. As soon as I started this, a motorist pulled up right besides me (I was sitting in the far L side of the turn lane, he was immediately to my R). He was so close in fact that I had no room to lean so I instinctively shifted my weight L...still clipped in with the L leg.

Like most say, it happened pretty slowly with my thinking "Oh sh*t! I'm still clipped in!!" But it was too late, I tried to kick my leg out but down I went. I managed to do a strange fall and didn't completely bite it but I laid the bike down and took a knee.

All in all the damage was small, skinned knee, scraped my L shift/brake lever a bit and scraped my rear wheel skewer. Could have been worse.

I got up, embarrassed as all hell, and gained my composure. The light turned green shortly thereafter and the motorist quickly drove off without a word.

Oh well. I knew it would happen eventually, at least the price was small.

Anyone else have any good "first time fall" stories?

I always unclip my left pedal first while I am slowing to a halt. Did you go to Roanoke or Eureka?

My first fall clipped in the pedal was on my mt. bike in a convenience store parking lot back in the 90s. I was trying to stop to talk to some friends. Fell like a noob. Scraped my knee as well but the Trek 930 is Cro-Moly, no harm done.

 

[spade2you]

Hell, two days ago I was on the bike and missed clipping in. I didn't fall, but I caught a pedal pretty hard on my shin. Cussed for a few minutes.

 

[Roland44]

16 years later, I'm still waiting for my first fall.<object classid="clsid: D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="1" height="1">

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You managed to do 10 years more than me without a fall. I started 6 years ago, still no fall. Let's hopw that we will continue like this, good luck to both of us...

 

[Jay Strongbow]

First time: About a month into riding, and shortly after declaring I had the whole clipless thing mastered and would never fall, I took my bike up to Acadia national park. It's beautiful there.
Anyway, I went out just before sunrise, get a few miles out along the rocky sea shore and the sun is coming up over the Atlantic and bouncing off the water lighting up some pretty deer in front of me. I'm into nature and it was a stunning site so I put on the brakes to stop and admire. Shortly after doing so.....OH FCK.....I realized I didn't unclip and also knew it was to late to do anything about it. Down I went. The funniest part is when I got up the deer were looking right at me with a WTF-is-with-this-idiot look about them.

 

[mpre53]

The old "unclip right/lean too far left" fall is classic.

My last fall was kind of a first. I was about to turn right, and a jogger running on the sidewalk just stepped into the street without looking. I managed to stop and unclip my right foot just fine. She had headphones on, of course. What I didn't realize was that I had stopped on a patch of sand. When I started to pedal off, the rear wheel slid on the sand---to the right, naturally. :lol:

 

[Bill2]

I started riding clipless last season. Outside of a few "that was close" moments, I managed to not take a tumble because of being locked in.

Until today.

I was riding through a small town and hit their "main street" intersection. I need to go left so I moved into the turn lane and slowed to stop (it was a red light). As usual, I un clipped with my R leg and began to tilt the bike to the R to shift my weight. As soon as I started this, a motorist pulled up right besides me (I was sitting in the far L side of the turn lane, he was immediately to my R). He was so close in fact that I had no room to lean so I instinctively shifted my weight L...still clipped in with the L leg.

Like most say, it happened pretty slowly with my thinking "Oh sh*t! I'm still clipped in!!" But it was too late, I tried to kick my leg out but down I went. I managed to do a strange fall and didn't completely bite it but I laid the bike down and took a knee.

All in all the damage was small, skinned knee, scraped my L shift/brake lever a bit and scraped my rear wheel skewer. Could have been worse.

I got up, embarrassed as all hell, and gained my composure. The light turned green shortly thereafter and the motorist quickly drove off without a word.

Oh well. I knew it would happen eventually, at least the price was small.

Anyone else have any good "first time fall" stories?

It's a rite of passage- don't sweat it.

 

[Cyclin Dan]

Re: Well...knew it would happen eventually, took my first "clipless" fall today.

This has happened to me twice...kind of. One time I was at a crowded place, stopped right on the edge of the sidewalk. My left foot unclipped and on the sidewalk, my right for clipped in (grass on my right hand side). I was looking for someone, and looking off to the right. Someone walked by and bumped in to me on the left side and knocked me over in to the grass. That's not really my fault, is it?

Another time was in winter, and I got to spot where for about 20 feet there was snow/ice covering the entire road due to the shade. I unclipped one foot (right) and was kind of walking through slowly with one foot on the ground and one clipped in. My front wheel hit a frozen boot print in the ice that jerked the wheel to the right and then stopped it dead in it's tracks. I went down on my left side. That was just stupid to try and ride through...I should have got completely off and walked the bike.

I haven't ever forgot to unclip at a light or something and fell.

One funny story...we were riding along a flat/slightly downhill road and pushing a big gear. We made a left turn in to a canyon that is immediately about a 10% grade. I do this often, and so I shifted in to an easy gear. The guy I was with had never rode here before. He was still on a big gear. He coasted about 10 feet up the hill and stopped (planned stop) to find a rattle on his bike. We found the rattle and went to ride off. Just as he got his second foot clipped in he realized he was in way too hard a hear to push and immediately went down. I'm laughing just thinking about it...I hear behind me "clip, clip...oh f+ck....crash".

 

[DaveWC]

There are two types of cyclists: 1) those who fall when using clipless pedals 2) and those who lie about falling when using clipless pedals.

I must be the third type, those who would have fallen but they do so next to a city bus and it stops their fall.

 

[Dave Cutter]

I had always (or at least since 1964) used the toe cages... and I still like them. But all I ever heard from other cyclists was I ought to try clipless.

I have to admit I gave into the peer pressure to switch mostly because I didn't want to look old school. Partly because I am old. But I also wanted a decent cycling shoe selection as well.

I didn't think the conversion would be anything to speak of... after all I already had to slip my foot from the cage.

After my first long ride I returned home and was in my own driveway... unclipped my left foot (my custom/habit) and the bike started to fall right. I pulled my foot... as if pulling it from a cage... and it didn't budge. When I realized I was past track-stand balancing and was going to fall I decided to just relax... after all I was near the edge of my drive way and would merely land in the neighbors thick lawn.

I was mistaken. I was not near enough the grass to land on turf. I hit the concrete like I was dead weight.

That has been a couple years or more ago. I am likely as about as healed as I am going to ever get from this. After the scab and bruise went away I was left with a soreness. I have some arthritic problems... so maybe that's part of it. The low-dose aspirin I take for heart health also leaves me pretty much pain free. So... no problems.

Plus... I really like my cycling shoes!

 

[Kerry Irons]

I As usual, I un clipped with my R leg

Hint: unclipping your left foot will prevent those embarrassing chain ring tattoos on your calf. Just saying.

 

[captain stubbing]

only ever had one unclipping fall and it happened in my lounge room!

landed on the coffee table, and then couldn't extricate myself from the mess....the wife was rather amused by it all whilst i was swearing my head off asking her to help me out haha!

 

[spuds]

My best performance happened in front of a large group of cyclists hanging around the water fountain. Was returning home after a long ride in So-Cal summer heat, rode up to the fountains and I guess my legs were so spent I couldn't muster up the strength to unclip and

SLAM-O

heard "are you all right?" and some chuckles. At least one of the dudes piped-in and said it "happens to all of us".

Awesome memories

 

[Typetwelve]

Hint: unclipping your left foot will prevent those embarrassing chain ring tattoos on your calf. Just saying.

Yeah...for most of the season last year I would unclip L first. I'm actually left handed and mostly left side dominant...except that darn left leg, which is weaker than my right. I stopped unclip ping the L so my L leg could become my "starter" leg when taking off. Perhaps it's time to go back to the way I did it before...

 

[Opus51569]

Well...knew it would happen eventually, took my first "clipless" fall today.

There are two types of cyclists: 1) those who fall when using clipless pedals 2) and those who lie about falling when using clipless pedals.

Don't forget those who have never tried clipless...

 

[turbofish]

Re: Well...knew it would happen eventually, took my first "clipless" fall today.

I'm been riding clipless pedals since '85 and it seems that I only forget to clip out at stop signs when riding with a group. Yeah, it still happens!