Well that's my clipless moment done with

suzyb

Coming up to a set of traffic lights today, I'm about 100 yards away when they go to red. I know they wont be red for long so I start pedalling slower so I wont have to stop.

However my well laid plan is scuppered by a bin lorry who decides to overtake and pull back into the left lane (it's a dual carrigeway). Since I don't want to overtake it leaves me with less road than I had. And the lights don't change fast enough. I have to stop but can't get my left foot unclipped so over I go :oops:

Fortunatly there isn't much damage, none at all to the bike and I only have a scraped elbow and sore wrist (my left wrist never did like me putting my weight on it ). In fact I'm pretty sure the bike didn't actually hit the ground thanks to the angle me landing on the pavement left.

And this happened after my right arm was almost taken off when I pulled into the middle of the lane coming to a roundabout because I was going to go right round and a 4x4 still decided to overtake.

One last thing, even though he'll probably never read it...big thanks to the Mercedes driver that was stopped behind me at the lights who got out his car to make sure I was OK

Cafewanda

You have been through the wars today haven't you? :shock: You take care out there.

Jay dubbleU

Pleased you're OK - bit of a rite of passage - can't be a fully fledged cyclist without at leat one clipless moment 8)

mudcovered

-null- wrote:

However my well laid plan is scuppered by a bin lorry who decides to overtake and pull back into the left lane (it's a dual carrigeway). Since I don't want to overtake it leaves me with less road than I had. And the lights don't change fast enough. I have to stop but can't get my left foot unclipped so over I go :oops:

Umm. You may have more than one. My last clipless moment (about 6 years ago) was outside work after riding with them for over 12 years. :oops:

Mike

Kieran_Burns

Clipless Cherry well and truly broken.

Headhuunter

I find that if you want to stay clipped in whilst cycling slowly or even stopped, just pull the brakes and you can usually balance, or just cycle slowly, against the brakes whilst maintaining control.

Matt.K

Been riding clipless for about 4 months now, still waiting for my first proper 'moment'.

I thought it was coming a couple of weeks after I got the pedals. Had to stop unexpectedly, couldn't get unclipped, then managed to unclip the left foot, by which point I had already started leaning to the right. :roll:
Time slowed down and I thought 'this is it, my time has come'. Somehow during that thought I managed to wriggle my right leg around enough to free it and just caught it on time!


On a slightly related topic - anyone considering going clipless, I just got some Shimano M520's from Chain Reaction Cycles for only £18.49, down from £39.99 !

suzyb

Matt.K wrote:

On a slightly related topic - anyone considering going clipless, I just got some Shimano M520's from Chain Reaction Cycles for only £18.49, down from £39.99 !

They were 18.99 when I got them

Did almost have a moment yesterday when I got home but managed to grab the gate. Think I'll need to check the cleat and make sure it is secure. It seems to be getting harded to unclip the longer I use the pedals.

W1

Had two clipless moments since I did the switch a couple of months ago. The first was on the first morning - car moved towards me so I came to a stop and didn't have time to unclip. Second time was a week later, taxi did the same thing! Now am a bit more prepared and happy to clip/unclip more often in traffic.

merkin

Haven't had mine yet, although I have had a few near misses since getting them about 3-4 months ago.
In some ways worse than a clipless moment ,I stopped on a verge for a swig from my water bottle on a ride before christmas and stood in dog poo. There is still poop squidged in my bloomin shoe many weeks later. :evil: Being cycle shoes there are a lot of crevices for it to lurk and they don't get walked in enough to clean them naturally.

davis

merkin wrote:

There is still poop squidged in my bloomin shoe many weeks later.

Dude, hosepipe, then wash them properly.

shouldbeinbed

mine have been super grippy today. I bottled out and rode the last few miles on the flat side after a few desperate last moment yanks to get a foot out.

Hoping that the oil bath will have worked its magic by later this morning.


I've gone over once and all I could think to say to hide my embarassment from the ped that helped me up was: 'its never been right since they nicked my sidecar'

teticio

i was going to write "i think i have managed to avoid having any clipless moments" but then thought better of it as i'd be tempting fate. ah damn, i've written it anyway..

so far, the nearest i've come is a serious wobble and cutting my leg on the chain ring as i wrestled it out of the pedal.

i had some cheapy one-sided pedals as a compromise but recently upgraded to the shimano m647 pedals... what a difference!!! they clip in and out exactly and only when i want them to and they seem to have a lower profile so i don't bang them on passing rocks. also they are reasonably comfortable for riding with normal shoes for short distances. they are quite heavy and expensive though!!

suzyb

Woke up this morning with some new aches

hoolio

A touch of copperslip in the pedal can help with disengaging.

suzyb

I spoke too soon...another day another clipless moment

This time I got a nice soft landing on the grass verge, the bike however didn't fare as well as the rear wheel was knocked out of the drop. Easy fix that didn't require any tools but I'm still glad I've started carrying a multi tool now.

I also think I've realise why I haven't been able to unclip either. I'm just not twisting my foot enough :oops:

GamingAddict

Your first moment sounds similar to mine, red light i decide to slow dow but don't give myself enough time. So easily done.

Luckily my one and only time, seems you aren't so lucky, maybe it time to loosen the clip system with 2 in 2 days

GA

sarajoy

-null- wrote:

I also think I've realise why I haven't been able to unclip either. I'm just not twisting my foot enough :oops:

Maybe you've got a bit too much float? Can this be adjusted, depending on your pedals or cleats? How tight do you have 'em?

Mine are pretty loose and I've had a couple of times where I've managed to get a foot out in panic-unprepared-mode but they're tight enough that I can pull up without popping out

suzyb

Pedals are Shimano M520s at the loosest setting with the cleats that come with them (SH51 I think)

sarajoy

Maybe it's just habit then - have to admit I do find when riding a hire bike with flats that I now end up coming off heel-first..!

mudcovered

sarajoy wrote:

Maybe it's just habit then - have to admit I do find when riding a hire bike with flats that I now end up coming off heel-first..!

f I was hiring a bike I'd be carrying a pedal spanner and some SPDs :twisted: . I'm okay on the flat but can't keep my feet from pulling up when going uphill

Mike

lastant

Had my first 'moment' on the commute in yesterday - just a few hundred yards up (City way rather than Fleet Street) from Cannon Street station.

Filtering slowly to the left of the traffic as it slowed down, some clown in a suit decides to step out from between two cars and rather than carry on stops in the road. I slow to a stop, suddenly realise what's about to happen and topple 'gracefully' to the pavement as I swear at said clown for stepping out...

...not particularly graceful getting up is it?! Had a couple of people ask if I was alright, and a fellow cyclist telling me I was definitely in the right a bit further up the road so not too bad.

First clipless moment was followed by my second one just ten minutes later thought - chain slipped as I was coming up to the north side of Trafalgar Square and misjudged some lights. Think I was still a bit shaken by the first incident to be honest.

Noticed a couple of scrapes on the back of the bike today which I'm a little annoyed about. Going to have to touch those up methinks.

seataltea

So what are people holding themselves up on ?

My Northern commute takes in town, country road and towpath, during the 8 mile journey I rarely touch the ground.

Using street furniture and the odd car I remain upright, no driver yet has shouted at me for putting a hand on their car (they will at some point).

Should we unclip on a ride or use everything around us to stay clipped in ?

suzyb

I unclip whenever I have to stop. Try to do so in plenty of time now as well as even if I might not need to stop.

merkin

Surely not unclipping and holding onto a car means it is only a matter of time before it all goes disastrously wrong? Maybe that's the fun in it, if a car takes off unexpectedly you would surely end up landing in an undignified heap in the middle of the road.

emotionless_softcore

seataltea wrote:

So what are people holding themselves up on ?

Track standing for the win.
Although I have found that near clipless moments seem alarmingly likely to occur while trackstanding, esp. on a bike with blatant pedal/front wheel overlap, like my current one. Just need to sharpen up on the balance a little, and hopefully avoid landing in an undignified heap in the middle of the road.

Chicane-UK

I always unclip as I approach any situation where I may have to stop (lights, a junction, crossing) rather than having to risk a quick unclipping situation in a matter of seconds. It does of course mean the lights may change to green or something and you then need to try clip back in as traffic gets moving but with SPD-SL's I find I can normally still pedal without being properly clipped in and then re-attempt to clip in properly once clear of the junction.

Have been using SPD-SL's now on my (occasional) commute since about August, but only had my first clipless moment towards the end of last year when I'd just gone ploughing up a hill and slowed for some traffic - left leg was too tired to put in enough force to unclip (the SPD-SL's require a seemingly excessive amount of force to unclip, compared to SPD's) and I just coasted to a stop and tipped over into the road. I was surprised that it didn't hurt at all and I just lay there thinking "Well there's my clipless moment, finally...".

Courteous motorist very kindly hopped out of his car immediately as I fell over asking if I was ok.. I was pretty impressed because, had it been me, I'd probably been surpressing laughter if I'd seen myself topple over like that! But I was already back on my feet and just said I was fine..