Pride comes before a ....... :-)

Thejensierocks

Hello peeps,

Hope you are all well?

I have only been cycling for around 2 years now and went clipless for the first time today.
50 feet down the road I heard my better half shouting, thinking I had forgotten my phone I stopped swiftly and .... you guessed it ..... fell over, Delboy stylee. Oops!

Luckily I broke the fall of my beloved bike ... with my body.
Then proceeded to wrestle with it for what felt like forever trying to get my feet free.

Oh the shame ..... the horror.
I knew I was going to fall but didn't think it would be quite so quickly hehe :-)

Can anyone make me feel better with a similar experience ..... or is it just me.

Nice to "meet" you all and sorry I'm typing this so slowly, the elbow is still throbbing.

Cheers
:-)

rickeverett

I have cycled for many years before my first real fall last month in the wet on a carpark. Took a bend too fast on smooth tarmac. smash.

The cleat thing hasnt happened to me, dont think it ever will now but I suppose falls eventually have to happen.


Get back out asap. You may be a little cautious for quite a while when you get back on. I'm still hesitant on bends.

Tjgoodhew

I was pulling up to a traffic light and behind me was a white van with three builders. I unclipped fine with my left foot as always, went to put my foot down and realised i had stopped next to a huge pothole. I couldn't find the floor and toppled back the other way.

Lets just say i got a heap of abuse from the builders and the two cyclists also stopped at the lights found it pretty funny too.

Luckily i havent had another moment since

Kieran_Burns

Pulled out of a car park (country pub) and leant back to check my saddle bag was zipped up, over-balanced and toppled sideways into a bramble and nettle patch.

You try extracting yourself from a bike / bramble / nettle combo without getting stung to buggery. I failed.

Feel better now?

Cartebleu

First time I went out with cleats, I stopped at a junction near my house as a white van with builders drove by. I couldn't unclip and did the embarrassing fall of shame. I think the builders got a good laugh out of that one.

mm1

There's a story about a well known London Pro whose team was using the first generation of Campag clipless pedals (before Campag very sensibly licensed the Look design), having toppled over at a crossing he couldn't get out until a little old lady with a shopping trolley came along and helped him take off a shoe. Seems this happens to almost everyone.

BrandonA

The first time I did it was the first time I tested cleats too. I didn't even make it out of the garage. I was leaning against the wall with one hand to test clipping in/out. I then pushed slightly off the wall whilst concentrating on a foot fell towards the centre of the garage. Luckily no damage was caused to the bike and only a bit of bruising the body.

I've only done it once on the road which was not long after the above example. In this scenario I was approaching traffic lights. I slowed down as they were red. There was one car in front stationary at the lights. The lights turned green so I decided to stay clipped in. The car infront was slow to accelerate which meant I lost all forward momentum, utlimately came to a stop and fell towards the curb.

I now make sure that I unclip in advance to places that will likely require me to stop. I'd rather have to unncessarily re-clip in than forget to clip out. No further instances since these early ones though.

fatdaz

I had an off on Friday as I came round a corner and hit a patch of something incredibly slippy. Lost the front wheel, just about managed to recover and instantly hit a second patch of slippy stuff and lost the wheel again. Cue 25 yard slide down the road in more slippy stuff which gave me the time to work out that the slippy stuff was slurry (liquid animal sh*t). It turns out that a tractor had just had some sort of mishap and dumped the sweet smelling slick all over the road. Fortunately I fell on the cheaper side of the bike so just new bar tape, QR skewers and pedals required but I lost a chunk of skin, knackered my knee and had to complete the last 25 miles of the ride covered in blood and cow sh*t.

Thejensierocks

Feeling much better now folks, thanks for sharing.
(it's like Pedals Anonymous)

I did feel a complete t*t if I'm honest but strangely also saw the funny side. :oops:
Such a wierd feeling when your head is screaming "stop pishing about and take your foot of the pedal already!" ... then the panic set in, I think probably when I was at a 38 degree angle or so....

I fully expect to fall over a few more times yet...until my brain decides that falling over is actually a bad idea and gets trained to unclip before stopping.
Thinking of buying some cheap inflatable water wings and wearing about 5 on each arm and leg to act as bumpers haha.

On a more serious note I'm beginning to think her indoors had an ulterior motive for shouting. She has been dying to see me fall over since I bought them at the weekend...hmmmm :idea: .... bet the footage is already on Youtube.

Thanks guys...I'll keep practicing.
Cheers

Mikey23

Onto my front lawn and being watched by all the kids playing in the street...

chopchopchop

Got stuck in my cleats whilst setting them up, wife and kids pissed themselves at me.

First time out stopped at a junction and decked it, luckily into a grass verge so didn't fall all the way.

simon_masterson

It happens to many - it's just a matter of becoming accustomed to having your foot bolted to the pedal. If what you're used to is the opposite of this, you may end up having one of these 'moments'. Before long you'll instinctively unclip at junctions and you'll be more confident.

danchandler

My old man did it at squires coffee bar at sherburn near Leeds infornt of nearly 300 bikers. I was chuckling to say the least

Thejensierocks

Once I'd got back up and my crimson fizog had returned to its pale self I carried on my merry way and finished my ride.

I took the opportunity to clip and unclip dozens of times on the way round my usual route.
The main thing is I absolutely love the pedals and being clipped in (apart from the obvious of course...ahem...cough)
I can honestly say I will never go back to flats after this.

Even just rolling along, as I say clipping and unclipping, I was only a minute off my best time for the route! :shock:
It's so efficient it's astounding to me as a noob, the amount of energy we waste on flats must be enormous.
My heart rate was way below average and everything felt so...dare I say....easy. Despite a howling wind and lashing rain.

Really looking forward to getting out and trying to beat my best time.

Good job the Garmin has an auto pause on.....for all the times I fall over..haha

smoggysteve

The first thought after hitting the ground is always......

SH!T! I HOPE THE BIKE IS OK!

Usually as you lay there pi$$ing blood out of your knee, elbow, shin etc

fat_cat

Latest one for me (there have been a few) was after turning a corner to be faced with a very steep 15 -20% hill.

In completely the wrong gear lost momentum, thought I needed to MTFU and push the peddls harder, rather than unclip and down I went like a sack of.....

OP - don't worry I'd be amazed if it hasn't happened to everyone at least once.

veronese68

Thejensierocks wrote:

On a more serious note I'm beginning to think her indoors had an ulterior motive for shouting. She has been dying to see me fall over since I bought them at the weekend...hmmmm :idea: .... bet the footage is already on Youtube.

My first thought was that she'd done it on purpose. So what was the reason for calling you? Assuming she could give a reason rather than just laughing at you.

drlodge

Never done it, you're an idiot.

See how full of pride I am? ;-)

keef66

Well I came on here a while ago saying I'd never had a clipped in fall. The very next day I rode into a field gateway to answer a call of nature, unclipped the left foot but was outwitted by the uneven ground and the bike went right. Luckily completely unobserved, no damage / injuries, so it didn't really count. Worse was the fall I had onto the pavement at the end of the drive. Both feet clipped in but at the last moment heard a car approaching at speed so decided to stop. Got it badly wrong and failed to unclip either foot. Went down like a fridge on to the expensive side of the bike. Back on the bike in seconds and speeding off down the road in case my wife had seen me. Thought I'd taken all the impact on my right knee which was bleeding quite enthusiastically, but I later discovered some chunks missing from the knuckles on my right hand, and my 3 lowest gears went courtesy of a bent rear mech hanger. Touch wood I've stayed rubber side down since then...

Thejensierocks

Veronese68 wrote:

Thejensierocks wrote:

On a more serious note I'm beginning to think her indoors had an ulterior motive for shouting. She has been dying to see me fall over since I bought them at the weekend...hmmmm :idea: .... bet the footage is already on Youtube.

My first thought was that she'd done it on purpose. So what was the reason for calling you? Assuming she could give a reason rather than just laughing at you.

That made it even worse, she wasn't shouting me at all she was shouting across to a neighbour! haha
All I heard was her delicate foghorn leghorn voice...

Thejensierocks

drlodge wrote:

Never done it, you're an idiot.

See how full of pride I am? ;-)

Ooooooohh ... my hero! :roll:

Mikey23

Quite proud of myself last night. Had to make an emergency stop due to a speeding yoof on a narrow country lane into the sun. Managed to get myself to the side with full brake and instant unclip. Probably saved my life. Those early pratfalls are embarrassing but you will get the benefit sometime or other...