My clipless moment or The art of the horizontal track stand

Initialised

So I'm climbing towards Harlow Hill. I drop to one on the rear cassette and it goes too far, the bike grinds to a halt. I track stand for what felt like ages, knowing the topple is coming, standing there simply delaying the inevitable. Then I lose it. Bike falls left, I'm still clipped in, so at this point I'm thinking over you go. But I go straight down, my chin hits the end of my GC2. I thrash about on the floor get unclipped, check for a broken jaw, OK, check for bleeding, there's blood, lots of it and little bits of subcutaneous tissue. There were little lump of fat that used to be my chin in my hand. I got my phone out and used it as a mirror. There was a gaping wound, it looked about half an inch deep and an inch wide, I could see the bits under my face. It looked like it had gone almost to the jaw bone. That's when the shock hit.

As luck would have it a police car came past (bear in mind this was on a single track country road). First time I've been please to see a police car for ages. There'd been an RTA further along. Looked nasty but no one hurt, clearly more important than a lone cyclist with his face hanging off. I flagged them down and raided their first aid kit cos they wouldn't stop to help. Patched up and got home (7ish miles). Got in, had a look and thought that needs stitches so called for an abulance and got diagnosed as being in shock.

A few hours waiting in casualty and my face now looks like this:



Think twice about going clipless, or keep your gears indexed.

roger_merriman

Ow!

never mind chicks dig scars!

some one had to say it! personally I think thats a load of tosh but seems the thing to say!

The Rookie

Or learn to unclip as soon as it goes Pete Tong......

3 Clipless comedy falls, you learn the best way is to jsut go with the flow and wait for the crunch....

Simon

Initialised

That's my fifth in all, hopefully the worst and last. GC2 to the face is not something I want to repeat.

My chic didn't dig having to come 30 miles to pick me up from casualty because my bike beat me up. I could always grow a beard to cover it.

While I was balancing I was too focused on balancing than unclipping. TBH it's my fault for not sorting the gears as soon as they started jumping. Jockey wheels look totally worn and its always been jumpy around 4-5 so I'm getting a rear mech (mechs and brake levers are all that aren't upgraded).

EKE_38BPM

At the first sign of danger, unclip. Simples.

CRAIGO5000

Keep your chin up

chadders81

I finally went yesterday, in front of a load of Clapham yummy mummies.

They were very concerned and one gave me a tissue to wipe my knee.

There was a brief, fleeting gaze which said 'my husband's at work until 5pm and you've got great legs'.

But I was like 'no way, I've got to go to Richmond Park and do a lap in under 20 minutes'.

baronsouthside

So glad to come across this thread. Ive recently just changed to spd's and have had two topples in about a four week period.

I've never seen anyone else do it but i was kinda thinking to my self surely if i do it then others do it too but then i thought, maybe its a subject that we dont talk about. You know, like the puncture Fairy.

Beware the topple Goblin.

The Rookie

Chadders81 wrote:

There was a brief, fleeting gaze which said 'my husband's at work until 5pm and you've got great legs'.

But I was like 'no way, I've got to go to Richmond Park and do a lap in under 20 minutes'.

I'd get yourself checked for concussion, as clearly you took a bang on the head.....

Simon

sketchley

I had few clipless moment when I started including; stopping at a cash point and unclipping on one side then leaning to other to use the machine only to end up on my arse with bike in the air. The other nasty one was unclipping the right leg and then swinging it over saddle to get off the bike without unclipping left (comedy moment indeed and you only do that once). I also ended up in a bunch on stinging nettles going off road and loosing all forward momentum in some mud.

The other discovery was that, with SDPs at least and if not too tight, if you are going over pull up and towards the frame on the foot going over, it will unclip as eventually the angle will be such that you pull out sideways. It does happen rather late in the fall but you can still catch yourself.

rubertoe

CRAIGO5000 wrote:

Keep your chin up

You stole my line - 12 months clipless and still topple free!!!!

sketchley

rubertoe wrote:

CRAIGO5000 wrote:

Keep your chin up

You stole my line - 12 months clipless and still topple free!!!!

You are so going over today after saying that! Good luck! :twisted:

Corporate Camper

Initialised wrote:

Patched up and got home (7ish miles). Got in, had a look and thought that needs stitches so called for an abulance

Sorry you got hurt, glad you're on the mend! I don't think I'd have called an ambulance though, I'd worry it was being diverted from something a bit more "life & death"... my vote would have been a taxi :-)

davis

Corporate Camper wrote:

Initialised wrote:

Patched up and got home (7ish miles). Got in, had a look and thought that needs stitches so called for an abulance

Sorry you got hurt, glad you're on the mend! I don't think I'd have called an ambulance though, I'd worry it was being diverted from something a bit more "life & death"... my vote would have been a taxi :-)

+1

dcurzon

recently, i turned left on a side street in Islington, and went up the left of a large van/truck thing, only to find that the cyclist in front of me stopped for seemingly no reason. i was clipped in and couldnt unclip. i thought i was going over, but casually put my right arm out and leant on the van/truck. Kinda styled it out.

Van/truck started pulling away. No bother, i just casually 'bounced' my hand along its side to stay upright. Bike in front still hadnt moved off.

Van/truck passed me. No where for hand to go....

zenistar

I've had two clipless falls now since i started riding again, one was on a steep farm track where the backwheel started to spin and i stalled out, ended up toppling to the side and landing thigh first on a rock - had a grapefruit sized black and purlple bruise covering my thigh for the next couple of weeks. The same night i went over when the front wheel lost it on a wet tree root

I'm still not too confident with clipless, for my commute they are no problem but for any other off road work I am nervous about them still.

In fact my conundrum of the day is do i wear clipless for my MTB skills course tomorrow or do i swap in the flats.

Blacktemplar

Racing towards traffic lights, just as they change to amber and I think "I can make it" - unfortunately so does car coming the other way across the junction. Cue emergency stop at the lights, followed by an "oh sh1t" moment as I realise I'm still clipped in.

A school bus draws up at the lights, and I can see concerned children pressing their angelic little faces against the windows - "mummy, why is that man lying on the pavement with a bike on top of him and blood gushing out his knee?" :oops:

If you want an audience though, you can't beat Arran Ferry Terminal. Brother in law screams down the ramp to try and catch the ferry back, stops dead in front of the waiting throng of foot passengers then topples majestically onto the quay. Priceless

Confusedboy

Topple Goblin. I like that.

bails87

Initialised
I don't think a new rear mech will sort it. Or did you just want the excuse?

Chadders81 wrote:

They were very concerned and one gave me a tissue to wipe my knee.

There was a brief, fleeting gaze which said 'you remind of my 5 year old daughter when she fell off her Dora the Explorer bike yesterday'.

Chadders, FTFY.

eltonioni

What's a GC2 ? :?

All spudfalls are glorious comedy moments, thanks for sharing yours.

paulus69

I've had a few falls with SPDS and when my bike was being fixed the other week borrowed a friends one, and think I might go back to flats!

bails87

Aha, GC2=Ergon grip with a little bar end attached?

edhornby

I had one recently - cycled from my house to my Mum and Dad's following Mrs Ed and miniEd in the car, on their drive and can't get my foot out and fall into the hedge - Dad's response 'you haven't broken the hedge have you???'

Initialised

Yes, Ergon GC2. Helps delay the tingles in my fingers. Not very nice getting one embedded in the chin though. Maybe I need a road or CX with nice curvy drops so it doesn't happen again...

New rear and front mechs ordered. Partly excuse, partly cos the old ones came with the bike and don't quite work right and I have approval. Now I need an excuse to upgrade the forks and frame.

So has anyone else been left in casualty and scarred for life after a Topple Goblin attack or can I claim a dubious numpty of the month award?

walkingbootweather

eltonioni wrote:

What's a GC2 ? :?

All spudfalls are glorious comedy moments, thanks for sharing yours.

Obviously these are an improved version of the much maligned GC1.....

But seriously, either Initialised has man boobs (and if you have seen Newcastle fans at an away match this is a possibility), or they are posh bar ends

Initialised

Just the one 'small lump' of breast tissue on one side. Getting more noticeable as my body fat goes down. No way near big enough to hit me in the face let alone take a chunk out of my chin(s)!

Yes, they are posh bar ends/grips, don't get one in your face.

ThatBikeGuy

I have been to A&E with a bike related issue however i didn't fail a trackstand and impale myself.
Some years ago as a wee lad i was out riding with a friend, going down this hill doing maybe 20mph i lost the back end on some wet leaves and went horizontal. Scraped all my left side; elbow, hip, knee and managed a broken collarbone.
No helmet so i assume i had concussion however when asked i just answered "i can't remember".

deptfordmarmoset

I'd try energy bars instead of ergon bars next time you're feeling peckish - you're clearly finding the ergon ones indigestible

Oh, and next time, don't tell anybody you were going at 0mph at the time, just tell them you were going at full tilt! Because, let's face it, full tilt is pretty close to horizontal...

Initialised

@DFM: lol (and it hurt you bar steward)

Oi. Totally unintentional trackstand due to unfettled rear mech. Don't all clipless moments happen at or near 0mph?

I suppose being clipped in could make any fall worse. Maybe I should take them off when the ice comes back and steer clear of dogs. Never hold me up as an exapmle of how cycling is a perfectly safe pastime/mode of transport. My face says it all.

deptfordmarmoset

Initialised wrote:

@DFM: lol (and it hurt you bar steward)

Oi. Totally unintentional trackstand due to unfettled rear mech. Don't all clipless moments happen at or near 0mph?

I suppose being clipped in could make any fall worse. Maybe I should take them off when the ice comes back and steer clear of dogs. Never hold me up as an exapmle of how cycling is a perfectly safe pastime/mode of transport. My face says it all.

And at full tilt I reckon ''full tilt'' sounds more impressive than 0mph.

Initialised

I'll use that on non-bike people in future.