Falls when clipped in.

[asterix]

Something a bit like that happened to me. Soon after fitting SPDs I'd done about 4 miles through several sets of lights and then started thinking about where to leave the bike when I reached town. So at the next lights I had forgotten the SPDs as I pulled up alongside a sensible shopping cyclist in the ASL. Started to put my foot down and it was of course stuck. Then I started falling over towards the woman cyclist next to me

I had 2 choices:

- keep falling and take her over as well
- grab her handlebars and keep us both upright

So I did the 2nd thinking I could explain. However, then the lights changed and there was no time to explain.. I left hurriedly and since have often wondered what the woman must have thought

 

[VamP]

I had some apprehension about going clipless because EVERYONE I know has had a clipless moment at some (early) point in their acclimatisation phase. I reckon I got some kind of a record with mine though. After practicing for a few minutes while stationary after I got my new Bianchi, which is the first bike I have had with clipless pedals, I reckoned it was pretty straightforward and took off on a little pootle down a quiet street around the back of my house. I got about a 100 yards in when at a narrow section, a very nice lady driver came hammering down the lane the other way, overtaking parked cars and seemingly totally oblivious of my presence on the road and accelerating straight at me. My only way to avoid impact was to head for the pavement, pronto, but struggling as I was to unclip one foot, I also tried to brake at the same time - and lo and behold - the brakes on the Bianchi actually work, in rather stark contrast to my BSO - I only snatched at the front brake as the said car was approaching fast, with the same force that would have resulted in a small speed reduction on my BSO - and achieved a spectacular dismount over the handlebars, with the bike following behind me. Am not altogether sure what happened during my landing, but I ended up standing on my feet, with just the tiniest road rash on the palms of my hands, and no damage to my bare knees. Must have achieved pedal dismount in mid flight, as the bike was lying on the floor behind me, and some kind of a somersault, via my hands, and straight back onto my feet. As you can imagine I was horrified at the pottential damage to my beautiful bike, but upon inspection the only damage was a scrape to the handlebar tape. Miraculous. Kind lady made sure I was all right by driving off at full speed. I am actually not sure she even registered my presence.


So 1 moment within the first 100 yards, since then all smooth, no probs at all. Don't let any of this discourage you, you will LOVE clipless - promise!

 

[Riding in Circles]

Been clipless for 4 years now and never had a problem. never struggled with it and never fallen off. I took to it like the proverbial duck to water.
Some people do, some people don't, some people need a lot of practice.

Really?

 

[fungus]

3 times in the 22 years that I've been using them. Once when I first tried due to the spring tension being too tight, once when I was trying not to unclip waiting for traffic lights to change, I was rolling along so slowly I just toppled over sideways & couldn't uncilp fast enough & once when I needed to get my right foot out & again didn't unclip fast enough. None of which caused me any harm.


Go clipless just make sure when you start that you don't have the spring tension to tight

 

[Riding in Circles]

When I switched to clipless I was fine for two days, then I found myself at a junction where I stopped and suddenly realised I was still clipped in, I did the slow fall to the tarmac where I lay, clipped in thinking what a pillock I was, never had a problem again, that was about ten years ago.

 

[gaz]

When I switched to clipless I was fine for two days, then I found myself at a junction where I stopped and suddenly realised I was still clipped in, I did the slow fall to the tarmac where I lay, clipped in thinking what a pillock I was, never had a problem again, that was about ten years ago.

You fell out of your trike

 

[henshaw11]

Having read lots about riders falling at traffic lights etc while clipped in, and the struggles clipping in and out. Is there anyone who has never fallen because of being clipped in, never struggled with clipless and who have found clipless pedals a total success? Looking for some positives before I go ahead.

Yeah, pretty much - I started using SPDs a little later than Fungus - 21 yrs mebbe - had a few moments initially. Very occasionally - off-road - it's possible to get caught out, but usually only at low speed when someone stops without warning. Or - very rarely - misjudging balance (eg one foot's out ready to stop, but you go t'other way)

There's been a couple of occasions - that I recall - when the pedal didn't release:

Coming down a steep chute and losing it at the bottom I wound up twisting my knee a little when the pedal didn't release (and only really a problem 'cos my knees are a bit sensitive to twisting).

Back in '02 I managed to bust my fibula in Morzine - kinda the cycling equivalent of spraining your ankle by stepping off a curb. A couple of us on hols hired DH/freeride bikes, and I'd lobbed the SPDs on mine. I'd got to the *bottom* of a DH course, feathering the rear brake over some slightly off-camera runoff down to the pavement - the back slides out. I let the bike go, but it being a) a lot heavier than my xc bike and b) the pedal not releasing, as the bike flipped back up it took my ankle with it. Thought I'd sprained it as first, but it slowly got bigger over the afternoon sitting nursing it.

(My other mate borrowed it for the afternoon, and being an xc-jeyboy like myself managed to bust his collarbone as he ploughed into one of the BSX jumps The bike, not inappropriately named, was a Kona Dudu. Fortunately we we returning home the following day !)

In all that time I've been using them on-road with no problems - virtually all my mileage now is on a recumbent.

Apart from initially when I started riding the 'bent, a few years ago, I don't seem to think about flicking my heel out when nearing a stop - kinda happens on autopilot.

 

[Riding in Circles]

You fell out of your trike

That was a Challenge Wizard recumbent two wheeler, weighed about three megatons.

 

[samid]

When I was switching to clipless years ago I read in a few accounts that you'd fall three times. That's exactly how it went with me, fell exactly three times before got used to it. (FWIW I'm using Time ATAC and love them.)

 

[Dan B]

You fell out of your trike

I rolled a four-wheeled workbike once. Admittedly it did have 15kg of PA speakers mounted behind my head, but I was still quite pleased with myself