Long Tom

A month into using cleats, I was arrogant enough to think I'd skipped the standard intro to being clipped into pedals. Nope! I was out exploring and came up to an intersection... thought I wasn't going to need to stop until oops! Need to stop. Next thing I know I'm doing the slow-mo TIMBER! towards the pavement. And I'm a tall tree.

Everything survived but my hubris, and I went on to ride 46 miles, though it took me a few miles to stop feeling rattled. Bruised my elbow. Knocked my rear rim out of true.

So... I do think my left cleat is a bit hard to get out of, so I was going to try reducing the tension on it a bit. I'm a Clyde at 6-4" 200+ and do climb aggressively so I want to be sure I don't loosen it so much that I pop out inadvertently. I guess that's my question here- any thoughts on that.

stilltooslow

Dork!!





Kidding of course......think of it as a right of passage for clipless users. Now you're done with that!

OldTryGuy

Welcome to the club!

Velo Vol 

A month is good. I think mine was within a week or two.

contango 

I went almost a year without falling over until it happened for me. I was slowing at a junction to turn across the traffic, didn't realise just how slowly I was going, and then I was on the ground. Just for good measure it was about 100 yards from St Paul's Cathedral - the big one in central London that has one or two (thousand) tourists around at any given time. So I got to feel a right prat.

Much like you I checked I was in one piece, checked the bike was in one piece, checked the RD wasn't going to shift into the spokes (I fell to the right) and then got back on the bike and got on with it.

Long Tom

My routine, such as it is, is to unclip the left, non-drive side. This is mainly because my right hip is messed up and doesn't do impact well, so I use my left leg for anything that's a bit dicey. Not to protect the derailleur. But, I've noticed that my right cleat pops out of the binding easily enough, whereas the left is considerably harder. So I'm going to take a little tension off the binding on that left cleat.

Binding?! Why do I keep calling it that? Could I be... jones'ing for ski season perhaps?

coppercook62

I did mine first day

Street Pedaler

I got my first over with only five days in. No point in prolonging the inevitable.

kenji666

I'll bet those folks and the cop at that intersection are still laughing. Well done.

Cyclelogikal

Welcome to the realm of every biker eventually. I don't don't what is worse, doing that or wrecking at speed!

Either way, it will eventually happen. Like when I use to ride motorcycles................all new riders I use to hear talk about how they were going to be careful and never fall over and all I could do is walk away laughing!

anthony 555

Just once I've done it at least 3 times. Once at an intersection with a cop waiting to cross I did not think he was ever going to get out "are you alright" between the laughs. At an open bridge with about 20 cars waiting for it to close, sure made their day. And last but not least stopping to pee fell on a large rock rite on my hip, 3 years ago and still have the scar to show for it. Waiting for number 4.

Jseis 

During the STP my group headed off from a sidewalk with ramp, and I thought I'd clip in early then two seconds later the rider in front jams the brakws and I stop dead...fall bang down right side, drilled my right knee, god did that hurt. My own fault. Clipping in and out requires some advance thinking and if you get lazy you might get trapped (and my Time Criterium cleats are not very forgiving if you want to bail in a hurry).

KypD

My first was hungover riding home at about 7am...no fun.

Long Tom

Battle scar!

CandSAdventures

Did one at the Hotter N' Hell.....in the parking lot! in front of about 100 of my "closest" biking buddies....slowed to a stop, too close to the rider beside me and unclipped only on that side....every photo taken of me on that ride shows my right knee skinned and bloody and my pride following along behind.

cvskates

The three times I've toppled over at an intersection the part that amazes me the most is how no one appears at all concerned. Not once has anyone asked if I was okay (granted, I'm normally cursing at myself for being a putz).

I was joking with my wife that the next time I tip over at an intersection I was going to stand up, hold my elbow, then start screaming like a 3 year old. Maybe ask the person behind me at the intersection to kiss it better.

Badger6

Yep, Welcome...at least you did it on a Saturday ride (I think)...try being a dude 10+ years into cleats, and doing it on your morning commute, with one of your coworkers right next to you. Now that is embarrassing!

kcollier5

I was pretty happy that I had never done it, and had been riding clipless for about 6 mos when I started to get some knee pain so I bought a set of Speedplays. First Saturday group ride with about 25 people, we pull up to a stop and for the life of me I couldn't get unclipped. Bam, down AND to add insult to injury, I fell just as there was a break in traffic, most of the group is pulling away AND I dropped a chain. After putting my chain back on, clipping back in, thanking those who stayed with me, getting another break in traffic, we all about blew out catching up to the group and I think one guy did end up dropping because of it...

zvez

ha! happened to me on the way home from the shop after having them fitted. Didn't know enough that you had to adjust headed home, clipped in, feeling like a pro racer, ride up my steep driveway to pull into garage, unclip...........UNCLIP..........uhoh, try as I might can't get my feet out from the clips, luckily garage door was up, aimed for the garage wall and just didn't quite make it and fell over, fortunately no one saw me!

Street Pedaler

beautimus!

Cyclelogikal

Dang Tom that is one nice goose egg! Wear it proudly!

ILUVUK

I am so glad that I fell about 200-ish yards into my first clipless ride. got that out of the way immediately.

Trek0701

This hase even happened to me with toe straps, when it got caught on the tongue of my shoe.