First Time Falling Clipped In



Uawadall

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2015
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I tried to go uphill after stopping at a stop sign and turning left(my brother who was the guide for the day told me left when I was at the stop sign). I was in the biggest gear and couldn't pedal, this resulted in me tumbling in a ditch. I kind of rolled with my shoulder and didn't feel any pain when I got up. I had to have my brother call my phone though, it dropped somewhere in the bushes. I thought it was pretty funny. Do any of you have any funny or not so funny stories of falling while clipped in?
 
Most have fallen at least once, then you learn to disengage well before a intended stop or uncertain situations. It's not nearly as bad as one would think...just a bit embarrassing if there is an audience.
 
You cannot be called a cyclist or a biker if you haven't experienced a fall or a crash. I remember when I was learning how to ride, my brother would always tell me to have courage and not be scare of falling because I have to fall or crash sooner or later otherwise I wouldn't learn. In other words, you only learn after a fall or a crash. I don't want to cite how many times I have experienced a fall but I assure you that no one here can say that they have an immaculately clean record when it comes to accidents.
 
Uawadall, your incident reminds me why I always keep my phone in my seatbag. I ride alone often, and want to have the phone safe in the event of a crash.

I'm not in the majority though, since most of my riding buddies carry theirs in their jersey pockets. Seems pretty dumb to me, since the main reason I carry the phone is in case I'm hurt in a crash on the road.
 
dhk2 said:
Uawadall, your incident reminds me why I always keep my phone in my seatbag. I ride alone often, and want to have the phone safe in the event of a crash.

I'm not in the majority though, since most of my riding buddies carry theirs in their jersey pockets. Seems pretty dumb to me, since the main reason I carry the phone is in case I'm hurt in a crash on the road.
I have a few jersey's and some cycling apparel with zip pockets that can be an alternative to placing it in a typical jersey pocket. For the most part I keep my phone in the jersey pocket for ease of access. I often get lost on purpose to explore and use the gps for navigation on the way back. It would have sucked if id been out alone and lost my phone, i'll think about that next time i'm out riding.
 
You might want to look at handlebar mounts. Probably not as secure in a crash as the seatbag, but handy if you're using the phone for navigation. I have an older Garmin Edge 705 which I stem-mount when needed for navigation (not too often).
 
Uawadall said:
Do any of you have any funny or not so funny stories of falling while clipped in?
I was going across a concrete bridge. Someone had spilled some diesel fuel on the road. Learned one cannot stay up on a thin film of diesel fuel.

Just sat in the road until someone driving by asked if I needed help.
 
My most memorable was at the top of an unlevel hill at a traffic light with 4 or 5 cars right behind me. I somehow lost my balance and couldn't unclick in time. I went down like a felled tree. Only thing hurt was my pride. I unclick way ahead time now ... and keep my phone in a seatbag.
 
Everyone who has rode a bike before has crashed one way or another. But we always pick ourselves up and do it again. I have countless scars and road rashes from riding bikes my whole life. I should be called the walking wound. Back then I didn't think much of it. But I should of been wearing more protective gear and better foot wear. That would of saved me from a lot of bloody toes and feet.
 
Fortunately, most of the clip-related fall stories I have are pretty amusing. They all involve unavoidable obstacles or simple accidents, though. I've never been injured from such incidents, and none of my friendly riders have either. Obviously, I've heard the horror stories of riders that took an innocent tumble and out up seriously injured. :/
 
Kiefster said:
Most have fallen at least once, then you learn to disengage well before a intended stop or uncertain situations. It's not nearly as bad as one would think...just a bit embarrassing if there is an audience.
Yeah, I would hate if there were an audience. I just hate really embarrassing moments in general. Also, the fact that you have to get back on your bike afterwords is the worst part of all.
 
gavinfree said:
Fortunately, most of the clip-related fall stories I have are pretty amusing. They all involve unavoidable obstacles or simple accidents, though. I've never been injured from such incidents, and none of my friendly riders have either. Obviously, I've heard the horror stories of riders that took an innocent tumble and out up seriously injured. :/
It's good to hear that you can joke around about your accidents. That's usually a sign that nothing serious happened. For other people, it has led to broken bones, so it's nice to hear that you had a good experience.
 
joshposh said:
Everyone who has rode a bike before has crashed one way or another. But we always pick ourselves up and do it again. I have countless scars and road rashes from riding bikes my whole life. I should be called the walking wound. Back then I didn't think much of it. But I should of been wearing more protective gear and better foot wear. That would of saved me from a lot of bloody toes and feet.
Yeah, it's nothing to be too embarrassed about. It happens to the best of us. I think that the only thing you can do afterwards is to analyze where you made your mistake and take precautions so it doesn't happen again.
 
First ride out with shoes clipped in wasn't pretty. I got to a incline, didn't gear down, couldn't get unclipped fast enough. I fell, did a half somersault with the bike strapped to me, landed HARD on the bike seat. I had a very sore/bruised pelvis. That was within 5 minutes of owning the bike. It's been a month now. One little scar left, wearing padded shorts, no more falls!
 
When I first started riding clipped in I was terrified, and I definitely didn't unclip fast enough to break my fall the first couple times.
Like anything else, it's takes awhile to get used to, and then you'll find it becomes second nature.
What really helped me was just trying to move past that fear of falling...it'll probably happen, but obsessing over it is just going to make you a shakier rider overall.
 
I did decide it was in my best interest to get SPD clips and matching shoes. This weekend, I will practice being "clipped in" in my parking lot.

Bob
 
Did it the other day! Waiting to cross at traffic light, the pavement and road was wet and as I set off, the bike decided to slip out from under me! The cars waiting to drive past barely gave me time to get my self up and to add insult, they didn't let me get to the other side of the road so I had to go back to the side I was just on! ^_^ So yeah, I've fallen off a few times in my life! :p Uusally in wet, snowy or frosty weather :D
 
On my second ride on a new bike that had cleats I fell at busy stop sign at intersection at 0 mph speed when freed right leg, but weight unexpectedly shifted to left. Was very embarrassing cause happened in the view of dozen cars. Funny part is - I told my friend couple of days before that that I never fall because of that and it happened! Knocked left knee, though which was hurting for a week.
 
totolik said:
On my second ride on a new bike that had cleats I fell at busy stop sign at intersection at 0 mph speed when freed right leg, but weight unexpectedly shifted to left. Was very embarrassing cause happened in the view of dozen cars. Funny part is - I told my friend couple of days before that that I never fall because of that and it happened! Knocked left knee, though which was hurting for a week.
For me, I never have a problem at the stop sign, usually it has to do with not having the gear low enough when turning uphill(or even starting uphill). Sometimes, I don't unclip at a stop sign and stay up on balance alone, only on country roads with very low traffic(it will catch up with me eventually).