clipless pedals: fell off again!

popette

Hiya,

I've been cycling for about two months now, 6 weeks of that time I've been using clipless pedals. My first venture out resulted in two hilarious falls. It wasn't a problem as it was very early in the morning and the roads were quiet. I brushed myself down and laughed it off.
Since then my confidence has grown, I've been racking up the miles (48 miles in 3 hours on Sunday) and I thought I had the pedals sorted. However, last night I fell again. This time during peak time traffic and actually into the oncoming traffic. A white van man stopped just in front of me. My knee got quite a bad cut but worse than that is my dented confidence. I feel a bit low about the whole thing. A few minutes later an oncoming car nearly ran straight into me as it overtook a slower moving car. By the time I got home to my four young children, my nerves were shattered.
I want to go fast. I want to go far. I don't want to die!!
I read somewhere that everyone always has 3 clipping falls. I really hope that this is the last one.
feeling sorry for myself so hope you have some words of encouragement (purleeeease)
Popette

il_principe

Stick with it, it will become second nature. Are your clips nice and easy to clip out of or are you just forgetting? I've never actually fallen (touch wood) but had some pretty hairy moments when I first started. Tried riding a mates hybrid the other day and found "normal" pedals felt totally wrong.

My Best Bike

Alcdrewcp

Keep at. One thing I might sugest is do some start stop practice some where very quiet to help rebuild you cliping/unclipping confidence.

Unknown

Keep going with the clipless pedals, you WILL get used to them and they'll benefit you in the long run. My partner was very worried about using them but we've been out a few times and she's now getting the hang of them , even when there's traffic about.

Dunedin

somekindofwizard

Only started last week and took a fall on Brixton Hill, my own fault really, thought that practising was too much effort and jumped straight in.

Never have a problem clipping out, but clipping in is a pain in the @rse, especially turning right with oncoming traffic and you have managed to stand on a single sided pedal the wrong way again...

popette

I've slackened the tension so it's really easy to unclip now. However, I was clipped out when I fell off. I unclipped left, as I always do, but then I think I must have tried to put my right foot down and keeled over to the right. what a fool! I actually find clipping in to be a bit harder at the moment. Sometimes it goes right in straight away and other times I'm fiddling around, slipping off the pedal etc.

Thanks for your advice guys. I'll keep at it. I think I shall go out again tonight.

ah, btw, I'm doing the manchester to blackpool ride in July. I was warned that some riders my suddenly stop just in front of me and that I should be careful, particularly if I'm clipped into my pedals. anyone found that to be a problem on this kind of ride and what's the best way to deal with it?

alecstilleyedye

fwiw i always keep left clipped in and right out when stopped. depending which bike i'm on it's either a nice quick clip in with one foot (single sided look 206s on summer bike) or a slightly fiddlier affair with the flat one side/cleat the other look pedals on the winter/commuter.

i find that when stopped at a junction with a pal of mine, he trackstands in a high gear and i clip out making sure i have a low enough ratio for a quick getaway. we almost always get away at the same time.

if i had a better signature, i'd use that instead

Albionrider

We all have our clipless moments - I find that for me when I come to a stop I always unclip my right leg, while keeping the left clipped in. So on the rare occasion when it does go wrong I'll fall to my left which in most cases is into the gutter / verge.



Always Outnumbered, but Never Outgunned

Billyfatboy

After a few close calls with a pair of tiny SPD pedals I changed to Look pedals and have found them much safer. Although they are similar pedals I found the broader plate just easier to unclip. I also have my dismounting side relatively loose and now don't have any of those panicky foot wrenching moments. However I still fell off two weeks ago! Lots of cars and people around and it all looked very messy, definitely a character building moment![:D]

popette

I unclip left so I can put my left foot down on the curb but maybe it would be better to do it the other way around. I'll give it a go tonight and see if it feels better. I'll go out later on in the evening though so I don't hit the traffic as I did last night.

Eat My Dust

I unclip on the left side. Surely this is safer as you are leaning <i>away</i> from the traffic when putting your foot down. I've only had one fall and this was to the left (pavement) side. I don't fancy falling <i>into</i> the traffic!

SNAPS

bigjim

I fell off when I had just fitted clipless but my foot automatically twisted and I unclipped. If I had had straps I'm sure I would have fared worse. I always unclip on the left and do it early. I set off clipped in on the right and pedal with the heel or middle of my left foot until I am sure that I have a clear road in front of me. I did the Blackpool ride last year with little clipless experience and had no problems but as above made sure of a clear road before fully clipped in. Just unclip early at junctions, crowded areas etc. becomes second nature.

Jim

Nothing to prove.

edwardvarla

Popette

I'd stick with the left foot as your logic is correct.

I also had my third fall with clipless this weekend. I was only going up and down the Close with the kids and forgot I was on my road bike and not by MTB! Then again I've always been dopey, and am sure I'll have more falls. Good fun all round this weekend as the same day my son went over his handlebars and my wife sprained her wrist falling off my son's scooter. It was only the 3-year old in our family who managed not to hurt himself!

As for the near head-on collision, do you wear hi-viz? I have an old safety hi-viz vest which I sewed some buttons and elastic on so it is nice and tight.

Whereabouts in Cheshire do you ride? (I'm in Helsby)

Cheers

Edward

Ashley_R

Ah the joys of the zero mph crash, we've all been through it!

Only surprise is that someone said that everyone does it 3 times, reckon I've done a few other peoples share as well then![:I]

Stick with it popette!!


You can lead an elephant to water but a pencil must be lead

popette

Hiya,

I cycle around altrincham/lymm/knutsford area. There is a high density of very fast range rovers and other assorted gas guzzlers around here due to all the footballers!

On Sunday, I went from Altrincham to Sandbach and back - my furthest yet at 48 miles. I've also ventured over towards the peak district a couple of weeks ago. I was fine twiddling away in a low gear but my husband mashed his way up and bonked after a couple of climbs. (Hope I'm getting the terminology right here :-))

There is a big hill in Helsby isn't there? We don't the opportunity to get out together much because of the sprogs but we have talked about coming over that way on one of our future rides.

Where do you ride? Are you part of a club? Everything I'm reading about cycling (and I'm reading quite a lot) says to join a club. What do you think?

popette

I don't wear hi-vis illuminous stuff. My shorts or leggings are black but my top is bright light pink. I also have silver spangly shoes (now with a spot of blood following my fall). All my stuff does have reflective patches on it but perhaps this isn't enough?

edwardvarla

Helsby Hill is just for walkers, no bikes allowed, and it's not that big anyway. If you do make it out here, then anywhere off the A Roads in the diamond between Frodsham, Chester, Winsford and Nantwich is nice for riding, I'd definitely recommend getting over here.

I wear the hi-viz stuff if I'm going to be out around dusk (e.g around 9.15ish now). A pink top should be enough at normal times.

I haven't joined a club as I don't really have the time with two little ones, and I don't mind riding on my own. If you get bored riding on your own, it's definitely the way to go. If it's not a sexist thing to say it might be safer than riding as a lone female.

PS, this is definitely a sexist thing to say, pass on my comiserations to your husband for being beaten on the climbs by his wife!

popette

A few friends have said to me, "what, you're going out ON YOUR OWN????" I'm not sure if they're concerned that I might get hit by a car or if it's because of some of the nutters that might be out and about. I do worry about the cars a bit, particularly when they're about to hit me, but I never really worry about the nutters. I'm 6ft tall and it's usually me that intimidates the blokes not the other way around :-)

jedster

Poppette,

I had 3 clipless falls - 2 very early on and then one later when I was getting complacement. Fine since (touch wood).

I think it is fine to take the left out but I take the right (I'm right footed and it feels marginally easier to clip and unclip with my stronger foot). I would not get in the habit of putting your foot on the curb when you stop. This puts you in the wrong orad position in a queue of traffic - cars (or much worse trucks and buses) will pull alongside you and then your stuck in the gutter. You should be stopping mid lane so you are squarely in following vehicles line of sight.

J

simbil1

I always unclip left foot at the bottom of the stroke. When you are slowing down you get used to putting the left pedal down and it seems much easier (for me) to unclip with it down. I find it hard to unclip with the pedal up. As others have said, left seems to make more sense so if you fall you go into the pavement/gutter instead of into the road.
It's good to practice unclipping each foot at various positions too so you can pull it off quickly in an emergency.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/thefirstsimbil/Bikes

fuzzy29

<font face="Tahoma"></font id="Tahoma">I bought my first clipless pedals about 16 years ago and have had plenty of 0 mph crashes. This was mainly due to the Onza pedals I had on my MTB, which were rubbish!

Now on my road bike, if I am approaching a junction or roundabout where I might have to stop, I unclip both feet and ride on top of the pedals. When I can start to move again, I clip back in. Also, practice clipping in and out as much as you can, it will feel completely natural before too long.


If I had a baby elephant, I'd ask Banksy to paint it....

Unknown

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by simbil1</i>

I always unclip left foot at the bottom of the stroke. When you are slowing down you get used to putting the left pedal down and it seems much easier (for me) to unclip with it down. I find it hard to unclip with the pedal up. As others have said, left seems to make more sense so if you fall you go into the pavement/gutter instead of into the road.
It's good to practice unclipping each foot at various positions too so you can pull it off quickly in an emergency.

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http://picasaweb.google.com/thefirstsimbil/Bikes
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">I'm the opposite. I unclip left, but at the top of the stroke. No idea why, just can't even imagine unclipping at the bottom of the stroke when coasting to a stop. When stopped, I just pull the right pedal up to set it into position and that's it.

popette

Thank you for all of your replies. It's good to know that even seasoned cyclists have these embarassing incidents too.
I've been lurking for a while, never daring to post (the world of male dominated forum is so different to the mums club message board I normally post on). Will definitely continue posting after such a great start.
:-)
popette

stevec205gti

My two penneth - it's probably not wirth trying to unclip with the opposite foot to the one that feel natural. What normally happens is that the foot you take off/unclip leaves your "favourite" leg for you to push off with. I unclip my left foot, but that's only because back in the day when I was about ten my first pair of toe clipped pedals were my dads old ones, and he'd broken off the little tab that was fitted to the pedals for you to flip them round the right way on the righ hand pedal, so I had to stop with my left foot down!!!

What may be more worth while (and I don't wish to sound patronising) is to work towards not unclipping at all - slowing down to a near stop and slowly coasting before hazards/traffic lights etc means that you begin to ready yourself to stop and after a very short while your balance and foot position are all prepared for you to put your foot down so you don't have embarassing topples (you may even find that eventually you don't bother unclipping at all and happily trackstand until you're ready to move off)

Burning brake blocks - the smell of fear

A Spokesperson

Hi Popette, I had my third fall yesterday turning right off a busy road into a quieter one... I have been 'clipless' now for 3 weeks and that's one fall a week so far! the first two were safe but this one put the wind up me a bit! I too unclip on the left (not sure if it's up or down though) and it was starting to turn right and then changing my mind that was my literal downfall.. having decided not to go, the bike was already leaning right and foot remained clipped in even as I hit the deck in front of a patient driver who was waiting in line behind me... (I'm using Shimano 424s and am very happy with them.)
It looks like there're a huge number of us new clipless converts out there at the moment having read other recent posts. There must be a reason for it!... I really think that these pedals have improved my cycling (quick set off from stop and extra efficiency up those hills)and so are worth the effort and the odd tumble. And what about those beautiful bruises? Such pretty colours!!! I hope you keep at it... If you will then I will!

popette

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by stevec205gti</i>

My two penneth - it's probably not wirth trying to unclip with the opposite foot to the one that feel natural. What normally happens is that the foot you take off/unclip leaves your "favourite" leg for you to push off with. I unclip my left foot, but that's only because back in the day when I was about ten my first pair of toe clipped pedals were my dads old ones, and he'd broken off the little tab that was fitted to the pedals for you to flip them round the right way on the righ hand pedal, so I had to stop with my left foot down!!!

What may be more worth while (and I don't wish to sound patronising) is to work towards not unclipping at all - slowing down to a near stop and slowly coasting before hazards/traffic lights etc means that you begin to ready yourself to stop and after a very short while your balance and foot position are all prepared for you to put your foot down so you don't have embarassing topples (you may even find that eventually you don't bother unclipping at all and happily trackstand until you're ready to move off)

Burning brake blocks - the smell of fear
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I normally do try to coast to potential stopping points. It was so busy out on the roads last night that this was impossible because it was two or three sets of light changes before I could get through (I don't cycle down the middle of the road to get to the front).

I know just what you mean about pushing off with your favourite leg. I can give a really strong push with my right so that I've got a bit more momentum and a bit less wobble and can try to get my left clipped in.

night night

in the wire

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by jedster</i>
I think it is fine to take the left out but I take the right (I'm right footed and it feels marginally easier to clip and unclip with my stronger foot). I would not get in the habit of putting your foot on the curb when you stop. This puts you in the wrong orad position in a queue of traffic - cars (or much worse trucks and buses) will pull alongside you and then your stuck in the gutter. You should be stopping mid lane so you are squarely in following vehicles line of sight.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I've been clipless for a couple of weeks now and while reading tips on technique, this makes the most sense to me.

Also, being right-footed I feel I have more control and this is the way I instinctively do it. The only near tumbles I've had so far are because I've tried to put my left-foot down because people have recommended it on this board, and instinctively leaned to the right. Cue the 'patting head / rubbing tummy' feeling of uncoordination.

I reckon it's safer to do what's more comfortable rather than introduce a new risk by doing what's not.

frogcp

If you're cycling 48 miles in three hours then there won't be many nutters that can catch you [;)]

You keep going girl!!! [:D]

For someone who's only been doing this for two months you're doing just great [8D]

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Vultures circling high in a clear blue sky - must be a traffic jam near by.

popette

Aw Frog, you made my day.

I've always had a reasonable level of fitness but I'm more built for power so have never been really into endurance events - running anything more than 200m is endurance to me. But with cycling, I seem to be able to keep going and going. My plan is do 100 miles by September. It's seriously addictive. I'm reading that I should have some recovery days when I go really slow and some days when I go really hard but I find it very difficult to do anything but go as fast as I possibly can, especially when I see other cyclists about. Overtaking my first cyclist was a great moment! Have been overtaken many times since, usually by old wiry blokes, but it just spurs me on to get better. Seeing the age of some of the guys who are cycling in this area reassures me that it will be a sport I can continue with forever. I used to do athletics and now wish I had got into cycling when I was a youngster instead.

Thanks again :-)

frogcp

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I seem to be able to keep going and going.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote"> Ever thought of applying for a job with Duracell [:D][;)]

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Vultures circling high in a clear blue sky - must be a traffic jam near by.

The Bosscp

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by popette</i>

I've slackened the tension so it's really easy to unclip now. However, I was clipped out when I fell off. I unclipped left, as I always do, but then I think I must have tried to put my right foot down and keeled over to the right. what a fool! I actually find clipping in to be a bit harder at the moment. Sometimes it goes right in straight away and other times I'm fiddling around, slipping off the pedal etc. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by popette</i>

I unclip left so I can put my left foot down on the curb but maybe it would be better to do it the other way around. I'll give it a go tonight and see if it feels better. I'll go out later on in the evening though so I don't hit the traffic as I did last night.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">


Sounds like you're unsure of which foot to unclip and put down.
I personally ALWAYS only ever unclip right during a ride to put my right foot down, and leave left clipped in from the moment I set off to the end of the ride.
It will become second nature more quickly if you don't have to think about it. One less thing to think about will help - you don't want to be having to think 'which foot shall I unclip here?'