Ever been unable to unclip from pedals?

[Patrick88]

I had an incident I remember when I first got pedals that you clipped into and was going slowly with pedals clipped in. The truck infront of me stopped and I stopped them just fell. There was lots of traffic - fortunatly all stopped - but I felt like a cake.
Yours please, or am I the only one?

 

[Claes]

Never fallen off bike due to clipless pedals, I should say that I first rode shimanos first clipless pedals, look type. Still have them on the winter hack. They must be around 15 years old now. Have ridden Look and time on the road, and shimano SPD in the bush.

 

[gruppo]

I had an incident I remember when I first got pedals that you clipped into and was going slowly with pedals clipped in. The truck infront of me stopped and I stopped them just fell. There was lots of traffic - fortunatly all stopped - but I felt like a cake.
Yours please, or am I the only one?

It happens to just about everyone when learning to use clipless. Not everyone has the fun of doing it in heavy traffic though. You have to use clipless pedals for awhile before you become with the exit routine so you can rely on body to do it instinctively in an emergency.

 

[tyler_derden]

I wnet down on my MTB once because I couldn't get out of a pedal. I went down on the side that wouldn't come out, so I couldn't get up for quite a while. The problem turned out to be a lost cleat screw. When I truned my foot to get out of the pedal, the cleat didn't turn in the pedal so the pedal didn't let go.

Check and tighten your cleat screws periodically!

TD

 

[danch]

Twice for me (so far...)! First time I just coasted to a stop in front of my house, forgot to unclip and tipped over into my wife's flower bed. No witnesses that time, fortunately.

The other was on a windy day - stopped at a light, unclipped my left foot and set it down. I just put a toe down and kept the bike mostly upright. Did I mention the wind was from my left? A big gust came up, and I started to go over - tugging on my right foot in a state of panic as I sloooowwwly tipped to the right, then BAM! I was on the tarmac. Woman in the car to my left said "Are you OK?" "Yeah, just feel a little dumb, is all." Try to make that one look like you meant it!

 

[aTmSpectre]

first time i ever wrode a trail with them. ended up rolling down a hill sideways with my bike attatched to me. good times

 

[JohnO]

No problem on the road, but the MTB was another story. I didn't get the cleats completely tightened down when I first went to SPD pedals, and the loose screw jammed the release, so my right foot got locked into the pedal and absolutely would not come out. Rolled off a hill, the bike and I swapping ends, until a tree stopped me. I had to take off the shoe to disconnect from the bike. Got a real nice chainring gash out of that one.

Many years ago while in college, I rode up to the dorm on my fancy new (for me) all Campy Record bike, and for some reason, my foot hung up in the clipped pedal. The bike stopped. It hesitated for just a moment. And gracefully toppled onto it's side. Splat! Right in front of several really cute girls, too...

 

[eric_the_red]

I've done it a couple of times, both off-road so there was nice soft bushes and dirt to land in. And one time on a club road ride I watched a new guy take out 3 other people at a red light when he couldn't unclip, went down like dominoes. Sometimes it pays to be a little slower and not at the front.

 

[Daremo]

Yup ....... even with experience I've done it ...........

Usually it is because I was trying to bust a track stand at a light while waiting, and the light took longer to change than I thought, so I fell without being able to clip out fast enough.

Awefully emabarassing in an intersection to be brushing off rock pebbles .....

 

[cdawnreed]

I just got my bike yesterday, and went out for a short ride. I was crossing a busy street, and saw this car coming around the bend, so I slowed down to wait on him to cross, and he slowed down thinkin(I guess) that I was going to dart in front of him. Well I cam to a complete stop and fell out into the middle of the street. Everyone at my LBS had warned me that I would fall a time or two.

My pride was hurt, my new bike is scratched and my knee is still bleeding. But I can't wait to get back on!

 

[el Ingles]

I had an incident I remember when I first got pedals that you clipped into and was going slowly with pedals clipped in. The truck infront of me stopped and I stopped them just fell. There was lots of traffic - fortunatly all stopped - but I felt like a cake.
Yours please, or am I the only one?

Been there , done that .

 

[KMKS]

i did this just the other day on my first ride w/ clipless pedals. I was really getting the hang of it, and then i stop and put 1 foot down. I was on a slight hill though so i started leaning towards the side that was still clipped in and BAM. took me forever to get unclipped once i was down too. Very embarassing.

 

[origanic]

Never fallen off bike due to clipless pedals, I should say that I first rode shimanos first clipless pedals, look type. Still have them on the winter hack. They must be around 15 years old now. Have ridden Look and time on the road, and shimano SPD in the bush.

Fell twice in my SPD petals in the bushes on my frist ride, a few other mishaps on and off with them, my Look road petals, i have not fallen in yet, *knick on wood* and hopefully it stays that way

 

[Craig Walsh]

I just got my bike yesterday, and went out for a short ride. I was crossing a busy street, and saw this car coming around the bend, so I slowed down to wait on him to cross, and he slowed down thinkin(I guess) that I was going to dart in front of him. Well I cam to a complete stop and fell out into the middle of the street. Everyone at my LBS had warned me that I would fall a time or two.

My pride was hurt, my new bike is scratched and my knee is still bleeding. But I can't wait to get back on!

Happened to me.

I crashed two or three times when I first I got them.

Now I clip out without even thinking about it. Just natural.

 

[majorhavoc]

Luckily, never happened to me, but I practiced for a couple of hours when I switched to clipless. My younger brother decided to get into cycling for fitness and badgered me to take on a ride with some friends of mine (all hard-core hammers). I finally relented and had him meet us. He showed up on a red Motobeccane, decked out in red kit, including a red under-seat bag and red gloves. Anyway, we are completing our warm-up mile and we stop at a red light, everyone ready to take off. My brother coasts up, trying to look SO cool, stops and just falls over with this dumb-founded look on his face. I'm LMAO just thinking about it.

 

[skydive69]

I had an incident I remember when I first got pedals that you clipped into and was going slowly with pedals clipped in. The truck infront of me stopped and I stopped them just fell. There was lots of traffic - fortunatly all stopped - but I felt like a cake.
Yours please, or am I the only one?

I did the same thing the first day I used Speedplay pedals. I approached a major highway and the question in my mind was whether to stop or continue. I was pedaling very very slowly, and suddenly realized I had to stop. I quickly tried to unclip my left foot with negative resutls, and then frantically tried to unclip both simultaneously unsuccessfully. It was the most helpless feeling to start falling clipped into both pedals. I hit like a ton of bricks on the roadway lying there stunned and embarrassed!

It even happens on a very high level. I have a friend who was on the national team (triathalon) training in Colorado Springs. He was approaching a group of women triathaletes waiting in a group, and wanted to make a good impression on them. He came riding up to them, couldn't unclip and toppled over. He said it was the most embarassing moment of his life.

 

[scrav]

Yes! ive done it! 2 times i think.!

 

[theyoungkid]

Twice for me (so far...)! First time I just coasted to a stop in front of my house, forgot to unclip and tipped over into my wife's flower bed. No witnesses that time, fortunately.

The other was on a windy day - stopped at a light, unclipped my left foot and set it down. I just put a toe down and kept the bike mostly upright. Did I mention the wind was from my left? A big gust came up, and I started to go over - tugging on my right foot in a state of panic as I sloooowwwly tipped to the right, then BAM! I was on the tarmac. Woman in the car to my left said "Are you OK?" "Yeah, just feel a little dumb, is all." Try to make that one look like you meant it!

your first tip, a... same with me but right on top of the dog

 

[MidlifeRider]

It's happened to me twice thus far -- once on my first-ever ride with clipless pedals, and another time after I'd logged several thousand miles on them.

On each occasion, I was making a sharp, low-speed turn on a narrow rural road and simply toppled over. I was lucky both times -- no one saw.

 

[remicman]

It's happened to me twice thus far -- once on my first-ever ride with clipless pedals, and another time after I'd logged several thousand miles on them.

On each occasion, I was making a sharp, low-speed turn on a narrow rural road and simply toppled over. I was lucky both times -- no one saw.

I have only had my clipless pedals for a couple of weeks and have yet to fall. I had been warned over and over again that it would just be a matter of time before I fall.

Maybe its just the type of pedals I use (shimano double sided mtb pedals on my trek 1500) and the fact that they are relatively loose but I cannot imagine not being able to get out of them very quickly. I have been completely stopped and remembered at the last minute to unclick with no problems. Maybe my pedals are too loose? I haven't clicked out inadvertantly so that doesn't seem to be a problem. From all the stories it appears this happens most (even to veterans) in an emergency when you have to click out in a split second.

Maybe it is just a matter of time.