Can't get your feet out in time?

grumpygrandad

Just wondered where the most embarrassing place to fall off your bike is? I've seen it happen plenty of times on sportives where the hills have got too big and unfortunate riders haven't been able to get cleats out of pedals quickly enough (not really embarrassing because we've all been there haven't we?) However, when out with my brother in law on bank holiday monday, we had to stop for police who were sorting out a minor traffic accident in Newquay. This is Run to the Sun weekend (the town comes to a standstill while it is taken over by youngsters in their blinged up motors.) My brother in law very very nearly came off in front of a car full of five teenage girls. They laughed ALOT (too much really). As they went past it made us laugh that the wheel arches of the car were rubbing against the tyres - all five of them were chunkers. Anyone got any embarrassing stories?

geoff_ss

The only time it happened to me was before clipless pedals. Although my toe straps were loose my tatty overshoes became entangled and I fell over outside the cafe in Bakewell at the feet of amused shoppers. As you say embarrassment was key :oops:

btw chunkers? pretty or ugly?

Haven't been to Newquay since my wife and I stopped competing with a motorbike and sidecar in the Land's End Trial. Usually quite chilly at Easter.

Geoff

teulk

At a set of traffic lights, i slowed down just a tad too much before trying to unclip, couldnt get unclipped and just toppled over onto the footfath - picture me on my side on the path still in a perfect riding positon hoping no one had seen.

grumpygrandad

Chunkers = 5 rather overweight young ladies. Could do with getting out on bike for a few hours!

sicknote

I have not on the clipless peddles yet but have got close, just got to railings in time

Did do it when I had top clips and got to a crossing just as the lights changed, made the mistake of doing both straps up tight and could not get my foot out in time, so when right over like a log.
It was a busy street and I was coming home from work.

Someone did ask if I was ok but did not see if anyone was laughing as it was head down and off like a bullet :oops:
Funny thing is my foot came out easy when on the floor :roll:

White Line

I once fell in front of a police van at the lights. :oops: The thing is though, a traffic cone got all up in my way! Honest!

Then last week when it was nice and sunny I was at the lights practising my trackstand skills and beside me on my left was a convertible BMW of some sort. Stupid toe overlap with the front wheel got the better of me. Foot wouldn't move down. Brown trousers! Started to tip over towards the empty back seat in the convertible...

Got my foot out. Just.

AMcD

Years ago when commuting to Manchester there was a well-known bloke who, looking back, probably had Tourette's. He used to walk round town blowing very loud raspberries at unsuspecting shoppers.

I was stationary at lights when he came up from behind with an almighty raspberry and I toppled over into the road :oops: (in the days of toe clips!).

Does anyone from Manchester remember this guy?

doyler78

I always had a problem on my flat bar bike and spd pedals unclipping, so much so that I rarely used them for 4 years. Anyway worst time was when I was rolling up to a set of traffic lights in the middle lane of 3 lanes of traffic going my direction with another 2 going the other way in rush hour traffic heading into the centre of Belfast. Being a nervous clipless rider I unclipped nice and early but when it came to stopping I leaned the opposite way and of course the enevitable happened smack down in the middle of the road and I managed to trail the chain off as well on the way down. Such a panic as I had as I was stuck in the middle of the road with traffic on either side and lights about to change. So had to get myself up and my chain back on. I looked round and people were just sort of staring at me but no one seemed to be laughing. I just imagine they were all wondering how the hell you fall off a bike :oops:

Interstingly enough as soon as I moved to spd-sl pedals I felt much, much easier more comfortable with clipping out (clipping in is another matter - still manage to slide off the top sometimes). Took to them almost immediately. Have not come close to falling yet on them. Best move I ever made.

grumpygrandad

So glad I started this thread. Of course I had to gauge the level of embarrassment before sharing my own experiences! Most recent one (of many) was approaching a T junction and carefully timing my exit onto the main road. Stopping me from entering the main road? A Ford Fiesta approaching the junction. The driver? My wife. This took my mind from disengaging in time and inevitably the topple occurred. Skinned my shoulder and elbow. My wife's reaction? She cracked up! She didn't even bother stopping! We had words when I had finished my ride.

GavH

Came off this way the first time I went out clipless - but at the end of the ride. In my front garden in full view of the neighbours.

youngatheart

I joined the ranks of the embarrassed a few nights ago as an SPD first-timer. All the guys who cycle into work gave out the the "I've been there lessons" and the first tentative attempts were in the privacy of the garden. One foot at a time and no falls. I've got this I thought!
So out I went to do a few laps to see how things went and was going nicely (new bike as well by the way) along the outer ring in Belfast when I noticed some friends from church on a training walk coming towards me. All the concentration went on controlled stopping and I fell into their feet!!
To their credit they have kept their silence in exchange for generous sponsorship on their next charity walk - but oh boy it was embarrassing

chippy436

fell off in front of loads of shoppers, decided i needed a energy drink as i was knackered, pulled up in front of a shop forgot i was clipped in and fell of the path and into the road.. and broke my arm

And no one thought of helping... but drink went down a treat.

paul_or

I did it once, first time out, and ended up in a hedge. Quite painful. I've since given up with cleats and clipless, and now ride with toeclips instead, and i'm far happier that way. I used to end up taking one foot out when I was a hundred yards from a junction in order to over compensate for my nervousness!

rogerthecat

Hi, just goy some Shimano R086 Road Shoes and I am expecting to come a cropper sooner or later :oops: , my question is, which is the best way to hit the ground, Arm outstreached or not :?:

Thanks

DaleH

Almost fell off, pulled up to a set of traffic lights, right hand lane (to turn right ) unclipped left foot as i rolled to a stop ,then slowly over ballanced to the right .
I just managed to pull my right foot out , without much grace and saved the fall ,pulled the rear wheel in the air and as it bounced back down the rear light fell out of its mount . I went back amoungst the two lanes of traffic to pick the bits up and took the short route home . :oops: :oops:

hodsgod

I have never fallen over, I have the tension wound right off so its easy to gat my feet out. The one time I came close to it was when a kid ran out in front of me. I just had to stop and somehow got my foot out.

TomF

First time riding clipless was on my MTB a few years ago. Cleaned the top of a tricky climb in the Peaks, only to roll to the top and, admiring the view, forgot I was clipped in (natch) and fell into and over a fence..! The sheep didn't look amused....

Never managed to have this problem - touch wood - on the road bike, though on the Koppenberg during this year's Tour of Flanders, there were a few in front who had come to a standstill and couldn't unclip before hitting the cobbles..!

emjayjay

this happened to me a couple of weeks ago. we'd just finished a club ride, and there were about 5 of us approaching a small roundabout. some of us were turning left, and some were turning right. i was turning right. i was almost at the front of the queue of traffic, left foot out, and on the floor, right foot still clipped in. as i looked over my right shoulder to see who else was turning right with me, i couldn't see past the car behind me, so i leaned a little more. and promptly fell over!

nothing more a than a bruised ego, as i fortunately landed on the island at the junction.

pompeypoppy

I'm so glad it's not just me!

Picked up some spd's last weekend, and after carefully working out what I needed to do to clip out by using a table one side and a wall the other, I ventured out. Feeling confident, I clipped in my right foot and went to clip in my left, completely forgetting that I wasn't moving! Cue me falling into the road reight outside the house.

Have falled over at the traffic lights once also, to th concern of the driver next to me...

Having ridden now several times with them i'm still building up the confidence, but my riding style has improved significantly.

themightyw

Nearly came a cropper this weekend. Was out in the Dorset countryside, charged round a corner and saw a river ford right in front of me. At first glance it looked too deep to get through, at second I thought 'Going to... make... it!!!' and kept peddling, then changed my mind at the last second and managed to leap out of the saddle. Foot plunged straight into the depths of the ford. I can only imagine that the crowd of bewildered locals staring at me were admiring my courage, rather than laughing at my incompetence.

bigbelly

I had just gotton the spd's a few days before and practiced my normal commute to work at the weekend with the wife at a slow pace. When we reached Blackheath, I noticed a family walking along the path so I slowed down, looked back to see where my wife was. When I turned back to face forwards, to my horror a little lad was far closer to me than I expected, so a slammed on the brakes... tipped eovere ver so slowly to the left. It happpened in slow motion. I was laughing my head off as I went down.

Then I heard my wife laughing even louder. The combination of my rucksack and upturned legs made me "look like a upturned tortoise".

AMcD

Nothing to do with SPDs - sorry to go off topic - but a funny fall. I was on a beginners' MTB day. A bloke and I had hung back from the group to have a clear run at some great single track.

The bloke whizzed off but ended up over the handlebars and landed on his back with a very loud popping sound. I thought he'd cracked the back of his head or broken a bone, the 'pop' was that loud :shock: .

As he lay prone I said tentatively "That sounded awful. Are you OK? Did you crack your head?"

'No' came the reply...........'I think I just landed on me bag of crisps'!!