cehowardGS

I ride my vintage bike 98% of the time. Yesterday, I decided to ride a paved bike trail. So, I took the Litespeed Classic. It has clipless pedals. The trail ride was sweet. The Litespeed, just ****led up the miles. I did about 30 miles on the trail, and called it quits. I took the train back to the city. Now, I am in the city riding with these cleats, I go toward what I though was a smooth pavement up to the bike path, but it was a CURB. I got right up to it, saw where it was indeed a curb, I brake, now I am almost still, I go to move my feet to catch my balance. Can't move my feet, I am clipped in, and oh boy. I went down. My shoulder and my head hit the ground. BTW, I am thinking the whole time "my bike, my bike" . Anyway, I always wear a helmet, no damage there. My shoulder took the bang pretty well, and the Lite speed came out with a few scratches on the left brifter. Everything straight.

It was pretty comical after I hit the ground.. Because I always be kidding with that phrase of "I have fallen and I can't get up"... Well that was the case. After I fell, I fell to the left side, my left foot came up clipped from the fall, but my right foot is still clipped in. I can't get up because I can't twist my right foot to un clip it.

About a 30 seconds after the fall, a bunch of people come over asking me if I am hurt, I smiled and said no, but I can't get up because I am still clipped in. They lifted the bike up gently, and finally was able to unclip my right foot. The red light had stopped the traffic. I have 8 or 9 bikes, no sure, but only one has clipless pedals, the Litespeed. I learned a lot in that fall. In traffic, I will keep one foot unclipped.. If I had one foot unclipped, I would not have fallen.

Can't say enough about wearing my helmet. My head took a bounce off the concrete. Would have been a bad show without a helmet. I am a much wiser riding now too.

Phil85207

I guess the saying is true about use it or lose it. Not using the clip ins for a long time a person forgets about them. Just know that everyone that uses them has done just what you did at one time. Glad you were not hurt.

Doohickie

Toe clips. No straps. A decent compromise.

qcpmsame 

Welcome to Club Tombay. Glad you are okay.

Bill

FrenchFit 

One of the things I didn't like about clipless, all your bikes had to go clipless. I found rotating through clipless and non-clipless bikes screwed with your muscle memory, you ended up making the disengage motion on bikes with straps, and trying to back out of locked in pedals..beside the fact that your stroke became a little screwed returning to non-clipless. I wasn't willing to commit to one system for 8 bikes, ...but I'd didn't much like clipless anyway.

DnvrFox

Oops!!

And otherwise, how was your day, Mrs. Lincoln?

I am glad you are safe.

I am the world's most persistent unclipper.

overthehillmedi

Two things, firstly I foresee a new helmet in your close future and secondly were any of the helpers cute young things? Glad to hear both you and the bike escaped realitively okay.

BlazingPedals

Invalid assumption. If you were clipped in on one side only, that would be the side to which you would fall. With your unclipped foot flailing helplessly in the air.

Welcome to the club.

Doohickie

This is my challenge right now with one of my bikes recently converted to fixed gear while the other 4 freewheel. Different muscle memory involved. I'm trying to rotate back and forth enough to develop a second set of muscle memory. We'll see if that's possible.

DnvrFox

I have one with clipless, a couple with older toe clips (which I keep loose, just to position the foot and provide a bit of lift on the upstroke if needed) and a couple platform. I have no problem with any of them nor rotating through them.

fly7hotel

Second the idea of a new helmet. If you actually hit the helmet on the ground (sounds like you did) you may well have delaminated the fiberglass in the shell. Additionally, the foam will be deformed some. It won't protect as well as new. Hang it on the garage wall as a trophy

Daspydyr 

I never fell so much as when I tried "clipless" last year. I am back to just riding platforms, my wife and my body appreciate the absence of drama. I might dig my old toe straps back out. FEET Belts never did hurt me.

The rest of your ride and commute sound like an excellent adventure.

Doug64

I always considered "clipless" pedals to be a real improvement in safety over toe clips and straps. I think there has been an evolution from the way toe straps were used in the 70s when I was racing and how they are being used today. The way we used toe straps and clips there was no easy way to get your foot out of the pedal. If it did come out the strap was loose or you likely had other problems. If you crashed, the bike was going to stay with you. The only way to get your foot out was to bend over and release the straps. Try doing that in a hurry or with both feet at the same time! Clipless pedals offer a quick, smooth, consistent release; and can be adjusted with light enough tension to allow release during an accident. I also think they are more comfortable than a tight strap.

These cleats were nailed on the bottom of a cycling shoe, the slot fit over the back cage of the pedal. Once the strap was tightened, your foot was not coming out, at least not very easily!

teachme

Glad your not hurt... I think I'll stick with the clips, and loose straps!

oldster

+1 on the toe clips(with the straps loose enough to get out easy)
Bud,

bigbadwullf

Clipless all the way. Hate straps. Nasty. One thing that might have helped(not sure by the description you gave, but bunny-hopping might have helped...?

cehowardGS

Agreed, riding more with clipless would have put me in cue. I am about to make one of my vintage bikes clipless, and start riding them more. I am glad too that I wasn't hurt!!

cehowardGS

I am okay with the toe clips. I have them tight enough to where I can slip my foot out when I want to. No problem with toe clips what so ever.

cehowardGS

That is a where feeling for a split second. Knowing I am going to fall and can't do anything!!

I guess we have many members in this club too..

cehowardGS

We in the same boat, and since I love to commute on my bikes, I am not going all clipless. I will make two more of my bikes clipless and TRY to keep myself in tune to what I am riding.

cehowardGS

Other than the fall, I had a SUPER DAY. This was the SECOND time I have been on a trail. The first time was the day before. I told my Centurion Ironman Master that first day. The Master has toe clips. The paved trail was sweet, and the Master was moving sweetly. The next day I want to see what the Litespeed could do on the trail. Got to tell you, the Litespeed is the chit!! It hits the scale at a mere 17 lbs. It has a lower and higher gear than anything in my stable. It just screamed through the trail. All I heard was a whine of the wheels slicing through the air. That was my second trail ride, I am hooked..

cehowardGS

They were all men, but the women were looking!! I guess I am full fledged bike nut now, anytime one worries about the bike before themselves, gotta be a bike nut!! Yeah, I was lucky, and the bike too. I damage anything on that Litespeed, and I am talking $$$... It is full Ultegra with Mavic Krysyn wheels..

I have 6 helmets, this one gets trashed.

cehowardGS

Good points, might look into getting the cleats/pedals to release more easily.

cehowardGS

If I rode clipless all the time, I am almost sure I would have avoided that fall.


I got 9 bikes, the Litespeed is the only one that has clipless pedals. All the other bikes got toe clips/straps. I have no problems gettign in and out quickly with them..Going to ride clipless more, and put clipless pedals on two more bikes. As I said in my opening post, I am a much wiser rider now!!


I am going to go both ways from now on. Clipless and toe clips/straps..

JohnDThompson 

Some of us still use those.



If you're using slotted cleats, you don't need to pull the straps as tightly as you would with plain soles to get good foot retention. Both my fixed gear bikes are set up for slotted cleats. Once you're accustomed to them they really aren't harder to manage than clipless.