Another beautiful ride RUINED by )(&*&%$ CLIPLESS PEDALS!!!

Today was a gorgeous day....ideal for riding. I put on my very cute new riding outfit, loaded up with water, map, money, health card, phone, granola, sunglasses, gloves and was off.

I'll start by mentioning that this is only my 2nd year riding, but my abilities and confidence have made great strides. Today however, the cycling gods had it in for me.

I rode down the nature path for about 10 minutes until I got to the first intersection I had to cross. I started to roll slowly toward it and planned on riding across but then I heard a car and though I'd stop. But I had forgotten I was wearing those )(*&*&^%$$# clipless pedals! I have been riding my mountain bike lately and it has ordinary pedals so I guess I forgot. Then I got the sickening feeling as I began to topple over that I wouldn't get unhooked in time. It is the most helpless feeling in the world, isn't it?

CRASH

I crashed onto my side, with my knee hitting both the bike and grinding into the gravel/pavement. Lots of expletives rang through the air. A garbage truck rolled by and the guy asked me if I needed any help. I smiled and said noooooooooo.

It's not the knee, or the pain or the ugly way it will look for weeks to come, but the total loss of dignity that I hate. And to have to cut the ride off that soon and go home!!! After all the time it takes to get ready!! There was a huge flap of skin hanging down, all white and rubbery and I knew I'd have to turn back. So my bike and I limped home. The breaks must now be mis-alligned because it went "tsh tsh tsh" all the way home. I was too pissed off even to check which wheel it was, will deal with that later.

What a waste of a good riding day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think this is my fifth crash and considering how often I just fall down on the pavement walking, it's a miracle I have any knees left!

Some pictures for your interest....sorry about the long post, I just thought I'd vent to some people who might have gone through this humiliation too!

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I fell over because I couldnt get out of my clips quick enough a couple of week ago. It hasn't happened to me for years!

Fortunately though, I did it at the end of a 30 mile ride as I pulled up to stop on my driveway.

The only people that saw me were my kids but still a little humiliating

Oh, and my knee looked no where near as bad as yours.

I agree though, that "I'm not out quick enough and going to hit the deck" feeling is really frustrating and seems to last much longer than the fraction of a second that it probably does!

I fell over last week when exiting our driveway. I was trackstanding and trying to open the gate at the same time (which is tricky enough), but then our dog decides to come and make things interesting. He got in my way and my reflexes weren't quick enough to unclip in time, down I went. Fortunately, I wasn't hurt too badly and noone saw me fall . I went out anyway and did a friday evening 20-miler, nice and easy.

Poor you! Did your kids have a good laugh? It's good to hear that this also happens to experienced cyclists. I guess I'm lucky that it happened early in the ride and not miles out in the middle of nowhere!

LOL! I think the humiliation is by far worse than the injury, good thing no one saw you!

My first time on clipless pedals i decided to ride down the road to a nearby greenway for some practice.(Insert word of advice to anyone new with clipless pedals here: start by practicing in a parking lot)
As I approached the main road I started to unclip, but my apartment complex has a section of coblestone at the entrance that threw me off balance and i couldn't unclip. I slammed down on the brakes to avoid heading into oncoming traffic and tumbled just short off a car driving by. Almost made me want to throw those damn things away, but now I manage to get around with ease. Of course, I still occasionally have those "Oh my god!" moments of panic.

Thought provoking question: Since "Chicks dig scars", do chicks really dig their own scars?

I wasn't going to mention this, but since you've mentioned it yourself, I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience with the Shimano multi-release SPD pedals. Jessica (juf2m) has Wellgo Mtn Bike Pedals on her bike, and I've turned the release tension way down, but she still seems to have problems getting out.

I'm wondering if switching her over to the Shimano pedals w/ multi-release cleat will make it noticably easier for her to release, or whether I should just stick her on platform pedals. Thoughts?

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They say "it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks" especially true in my case at 58 years of age. I've been riding since I was 7. I got a 91 Serotta with Look carbon pedals 2 years ago. Bought the shoes and cleats, took one ride down the block and now all that stuff is gathering dust in my garage. There is no way I'm attaching myself to a bike and riding on the street! To many years of platform pedals to change now. They may be fine on velodromes or in the Tour , but not for me. I know about the benefits of full cycle push pull and all that, but I also remember how many times I had to put my foot down to stay up over the years.

I hope that you heal up soon and ride safely.

I’ve never used the Wellgos but I do have SPDs on my bikes. I have them set kind of medium/loose. Just a quick little twist and I’m out. For me they are just as fast as pulling out of toe clips.

OUCH! Are those your first battle wounds?

Unfortunately no.... *blush* but it is by far the worst one. This is my third or fourth crash on cement (the very first was merely toppling over standing at a stop sign, my first day of being in the pedals), and I've had one crash in a bush, but that wasn't my fault we were in a group pileup.

I have also fallen down a couple of times just walking down the street...I must be remarkably clumsy!



LOL! Not really, although I consider it a kind of badge of honour of being a new cyclist in some twisted way.....

It really hurts now though, feel like a nail has been hammered through my knee!

It's a state of mind thing, like learning to ride a bicycle. It just takes time to become aware that an extra step is necessary when you come to a stop. I ride Campy Pro-Fit, and they're set pretty tight, but haven't had an accident in three years of riding. Well, not due to being clipped in, should I say...

Clipless on the MTB was really hard, until I realized that SPD pedals were a lot easier to GET INTO than toe clips. Then, I really started liking them. In fact, I take them off the MTB and put them on our tandem when it gets taken out - much easier to get started if you don't have to stop and flip the pedal around and around - just stamp your foot on it and go.

I used the SPD Multi-Release cleats with my first set of clipless pedals. You can release them by rolling your foot to either side, which is a much more natural motion than twisting your heel out. They'll even release straight up if you pull hard enough.

Yikes! That sounds scary too! I'll stick with twisting my heel!

You've got to be really careful about the pull up and out part though! My husband used to have a pair of pedals that he got because they have a lot of float, but no matter how he set them up he could pull out by pulling up too hard. Twice he crashed because of pulling both feet out at the same time and then he tossed them in the trash. I can't remember the brand off hand, but someone else he was talking to said he wouldn't give them to his worst enemy.

Looks like a nasty cut! hope it feels better soon. I've fallen over a couple of times by not getting out of my cleats fast enough, but never got anything worse than a bruise or two. I think I've always landed on my hip/shoulder though.