The thing about being a new rider...

[trista]

Is the bruises :eek:!!!!

From waist down I am covered in bruises. Holy cow! I look like I've started a tackle football team. Just when I got rid of the bruises from my first fall (aka first ride with clipless pedals), I fell AGAIN because I leaned to the wrong side at a red light :rolleyes:. Of course there were a MILLION cars in the intersection. They probably thought I was drunk or something the way I collapsed from a standstill.

Not to mention the leg bruises from near-falls and near-misses. I even have a bruise right on my butt! Highly uncomfortable....

I hope I get a little more graceful with experience, LOL.

[Cataboo]

I dunno. I'm still covered in bruises. but maybe my kayak gave them to me.

[TxDoc]

I hope I get a little more graceful with experience, LOL.

Not sure about how graceful it gets ;) but 30+ years of cycling here, and still sometimes I crash... :eek:

[blumensh]

You guys are scaring me! I've been been terrified of when my first crash is going to come. A friend was out riding a few weeks ago with a neighbor who was getting in her last ride before a triathlon and she ended up hitting a groundhog :eek: She went flying over the handlebars and ended up with a separated shoulder...and he tells me this the day I buy my bike. Now every time I go out I'm looking for ground hogs!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Blumensh, don't get freaked.
I've been riding for 4 or 5 years now, over 7000 miles I estimate, and I've never gotten a bruise from a fall. In fact, I've only fallen once so far- one rather gentle tipover in an empty parking lot while practicing the first few weeks on my new bike. (I realize i may be jinxing myself now)
I ride in busy traffic in town with multi-lane intersections, long rides on major highways, to the stores in town on errands, and on back country dirt roads- the whole gamut.
From reading this forum over several years, I know my not using clipless has a lot to do with my not having fallen. Of course here's a difference between crashing into something or being hit by another bike or a car, and your everyday clipless tip-over falls. Sometimes there is nothing we can do to avoid a crash, but I've been lucky in that respect.
As to clipless, personally I would be terrified by falling when I come to a stop while riding in traffic with cars all around me. If I ever go to clipless pedals I will put a LOT of practice in first in empty parking lots, on grass, or on barren roads -even if I had to drive to get to a good spot to practice. A lot of practice before I ever would go into traffic with them.
Clipless is a personal decision. I think clipless makes little sense when you do a lot of in-traffic riding with frequent stopping or riding in limited visibility conditions (unexpected sudden stops), and more sense when you do competitive speed riding or long open road rides with few stops. Just my rambling thoughts... :)

[blumensh]

Blumensh, don't get freaked.
I've been riding for 4 or 5 years now, over 7000 miles I estimate, and I've never gotten a bruise from a fall. In fact, I've only fallen once so far- one rather gentle tipover in an empty parking lot while practicing the first few weeks on my new bike. (I realize i may be jinxing myself now)
I ride in busy traffic in town with multi-lane intersections, long rides on major highways, to the stores in town on errands, and on back country dirt roads- the whole gamut.
From reading this forum over several years, I know my not using clipless has a lot to do with my not having fallen. Of course here's a difference between crashing into something or being hit by another bike or a car, and your everyday clipless tip-over falls. Sometimes there is nothing we can do to avoid a crash, but I've been lucky in that respect.
As to clipless, personally I would be terrified by falling when I come to a stop while riding in traffic with cars all around me. If I ever go to clipless pedals I will put a LOT of practice in first in empty parking lots, on grass, or on barren roads -even if I had to drive to get to a good spot to practice. A lot of practice before I ever would go into traffic with them.
Clipless is a personal decision. I think clipless makes little sense when you do a lot of in-traffic riding with frequent stopping or riding in limited visibility conditions (unexpected sudden stops), and more sense when you do competitive speed riding or long open road rides with few stops. Just my rambling thoughts... :)

That does make me feel better. Right now I'm using cages. I thought I'd give myself some time to get used to cycling in general and then add the clips. I have a steep enough learning curve as it is (I signed up for a Triathlon on 8/22).

[shootingstar]

I have fallen off the bike 3 times since I returned cycling in 1992. 2 of those times were because of black ice in the winter.

And I average approx. 3,000- 7,000 kms. yearly for cycling. Last year it was over 7,000 kms. I haven't lived in household with a car since 1980 so cycling is transportation, fitness and vacation travel method in a heavy way. I'm not a mountain biker either. Most of my cycling all these years are on paved roads, paths and or hard-packed dirt/fine gravel surfaces.

If it's just cycling around the city on shorter trips with many intersections stops, heavy traffic and pedestrians crossing roads, then clipless may not always be practical daily.

But then I'm not a clipless person.

You know, I just came from spending vacation time 6 days in Copenhagen where there is the highest rate of daily cyclists in the world....tons of women...and alot who aren't cycling clipless.

[Crankin]

I've had some bruises, but hey, that's what I expected. None of them were from clipless falls, of which I had one, awhile after I started using them. Most of them were because of my own lack of skill, resulting in a crash. None of them were from crashing into an object or car (just the road). My most spectacular was when I was in Austria and I had to navigate a curb cut on a narrow turn. I was not accurate in getting back on the path and I went down a ravine, but I must say I was laughing all of the way. I knew I wasn't hurt, so I sort of just enjoyed the tumbling. Got a few scratches from thorns and some road rash on my arm. A quick squirt of the water bottle and my Neosporin that I always have in my bag saved the day. I was more concerned with getting dirt in my Speedplay pedals when I walked out.

[Blue_Fedora]

I stayed with cages for a long while... and at first had a few tumbles with them due to my inability to get the timing right when it came to getting out.

I just switched to clipless in May and did very well on the trainer... and very well in the cul-de-sac near our home... and very well in a flat section of off-street bike path. I had good confidence after all that :) Then I took the bike out on a real street during the early morning weekend hours and did very well there... UNTIL... until on the return journey I had to navigate a particularly hairy (to me) section of road where there was oncoming traffic (though in honesty the traffic was quite a bit away). Mentally it was too much to handle the traffic, the road, the clipping out... and that was the end of it. Tremendous tumble that resulted in my left knee being terribly torn up and road rash across my left butt-cheek. I finally got myself together and resumed heading back to where my car was parked. Then at a complete standstill with the left side clipped out beautiful and just standing there, I just lost my concentration and leaned to the right and that was all she wrote. I experienced the longest tumble ever... it amazed me how long it took between my "oh crap, I'm falling over" thought and the actual hitting of the ground. Felt. Like. Forever. LOL! So from that one day I was torn up on both sides.

Mentally that messed me up and since then I've only been able to use clipless in the cul-de-sac. DH said it would be damaging to the cranks to keep putting on and taking off the clipless pedals so I have returned back to cages... and I'm very mad at myself. I don't know how I'll ever get back to riding clipless again since it's a mind-thing at this point and sometimes that's the hardest (for me) to overcome :(

Cycling should be enjoyable in my opinion. When it's not and it's too stressful because of the clipless pedals, I won't ride. I love to ride so for now I'm back in the cages and very disappointed in myself.

Bruises will heal, be patient with yourself and continue to enjoy cycling :)

[Biciclista]

stay with cages as long as you're comfortable with them. OP, are your "clipless" pedals loose enough? I don't fall much either. You've just been unlucky I think.

[Cataboo]

I only used cages a few times before switching to clipless - I gotta say, cages freaked me out a lot more than clips.

I did have a few of those slow motion topples with clips to begin with - and I haven't had any of those since (last 3 years)

Road biking - I've had 3 "crashes" that in the grand scheme of things weren't really all that bad - one I was clipped in and someone that I was drafting behind braked and swerved suddenly - whether I was clipped had nothing to do with it when you're going fast and someone takes your front wheel out. bruises & road rash. then I've had 2 crashes on platform pedals on my surly - and I have no idea why that bike likes to crash me. either I have this mental image of it as a tank and do things I wouldn't do normally on a bike with it or it's the 130 mm stem to make up for the too short top tube that gets me in trouble. Whatever. I don't ride that bike clipped and it crashes anyways.

Now mountain biking is a different story - the more aggressive I am mountain biking means I crash more. That's because of my lack of bike handling skills. Or something. I don't really think it makes a difference that I'm clipped in or not, 'cause generally I'm trying to get over a big log or whatever and topple over on a log. If I do a couple falls like that, then I decide alright, this just hurts and ride a lot more cautiously the rest of the ride and don't fall anymore.

I almost always have a bruise on my butt from the saddle poking into it if I get off the bike and stand over the top tube.

I think the bruises on my arms and legs currently are actually from my kayak - carrying it myself for the arms, and doing self/group rescues for the legs. Least that's the only reason I can think of for why my entire inner right thigh is a huge purple bruise and about 1/4 of my calf is.

I do bruise really easily and usually have no clue how I did it though.

[TxDoc]

Hi Lisa -
actually clipless pedals are much safer than toe-clips or platform pedals, quicker and easier to release and reduce the possibility of sprains and fractures. However, the bulk of bike crashes, at least among the people I ride with, are due to fast sprints on uneven roads or slippery corners which you sometimes find on race courses, or (fortunately less frequently) to a close encounter with a 4-wheeled vehicle while training...

[shootingstar]

I don't know how I'll ever get back to riding clipless again since it's a mind-thing at this point and sometimes that's the hardest (for me) to overcome :(

Cycling should be enjoyable in my opinion. When it's not and it's too stressful because of the clipless pedals, I won't ride. I love to ride so for now I'm back in the cages and very disappointed in myself.

Bruises will heal, be patient with yourself and continue to enjoy cycling :)

Rather than get caught in debates and inferiority complexes on clipless vs. non-clipless, choose the method that makes you the most confident cyclist. Otherwise you won't stick to cycling alot/long distances for the long-term. I mean for the next few years/decades of your life.

I am not disappointed in myself for not going clipless.
I would be seriously crazy if I did ...and I wouldn't have joyfully stuck to cycling for so many years in life so far. I would be more disappointed in myself if I left cycling forever.

I would submit that here in North America, we will never get cycling mode share ramped up to critical mass if we keep on the clipless vs. non clipless mentality track (plus have lousy cycling infrastructure).

It deters alot of potential cyclists who want to stick to cycling for a long time.

[trista]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one bruised up :)


stay with cages as long as you're comfortable with them. OP, are your "clipless" pedals loose enough? I don't fall much either. You've just been unlucky I think.

They are at their loosest setting, but unclipping isn't the issue. Both times I've fallen due to clips (the first time was my very first practice session in the cul-de-sac), I was unclipped on my lead foot. Just leaned the wrong way.

I went clipless because when I am not clipped, I feel like I'm losing 80% of my power. I've been doing spin class forever, before cycling, and i was used to having those clips and putting power to the entire rotation, not just the pushing down part. So when I started cycling on a real bike, I couldn't wait to go clipless. But, my skills are lacking and I am still learning. Hence why I mostly ride on deserted farm roads where intersections are rare. Of course it had to be in one of those rare intersections where I had to fall :rolleyes:.

All that said, I use dual-sided platform pedals. First off because when I pull the kids in the trailer, I don't go clipless. I don't like to be bound with them behind me and plus I have to stop a lot. Second, because I don't clip in on the lead foot till I'm out of traffic and have no cars near me. Call it nerves, lack of skill, whatever, but for now I usually wait until I'm away from traffic to clip.

I like the dual-sided pedals a lot - gives me the option of going clipless or not.

[ginaleah]

You're not alone. The only time I have ever fallen on my bike was when I was stopped at a red light at a huge intersection with my lead foot unclipped and the other one clipped in. It happened in slow motion but I landed HARD on my knee and still have a little trouble with it. It's a really unglamorous way to get injured, isn't it?

[Blue_Fedora]

{snip}
I went clipless because when I am not clipped, I feel like I'm losing 80% of my power. {snip}

Thank you! That was pretty much my point of why I'm disappointed in myself for going back to cages. I know I'm losing a crapton of power and it impacts my performance.

[KnottedYet]

Here's a fun rant on pedals: http://www.rivbike.com/article/clothing/the_shoes_ruse

A little science: http://jn.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/83/6/3351
this sounds like a good one, but I can only see the abstract: http://www.jelectromyographykinesiology.com/article/S1050-6411(07)00181-2/abstract
proof that whatever theory you want to support, you can find research that will support it: http://www.fredericgrappe.com/CV/bibliographie/D7.pdf
And you can have it both ways: http://www.springerlink.com/content/n453621502u03657/

Or you can ask yourself if you would trade net mechanical efficeincy for increased pedalling effectiveness: https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/abstract/sportsmed/doi/10.1055/s-2008-1038374 (in other words, clips are great if you are sprinting)

Why do we women feel this urge to beat ourselves up, tear ourselves down, and be disapppointed in ourselves? Why all this deep and heavy emotional baggage and guilt over a pedal? Don't worry. Ride now what works now. Try again what you think should work better in a month or two. Get strength and bike handling skills up the wazoo, take a break from the emotionally fraught and overwrought clipless experience for a while, and then toss the clipless back into the mix.

(and ride your clipless every which way in a big grassy field. That was the best clipless advice anyone ever gave me!)

[AMP]

:(I'm only a couple of months back into cycling after a long--15 year-- hiatus. I love my new bike, cannot believe the efficiency of the SRAM red, how light weight the bike is, how easy, or easier the hills are.
Then I get to pedals. Sigh. I am gamely soldiering on with clipless. Two sets, two pairs of shoes.
But while on a ride last evening over rolling hills, I just couldn't enjoy the speed because I kept worrying about crashing and not getting my foot out/off the pedal.
Also, when I do clip out on the paved road, my clip on my shoe--I have speedplays now--skids like crazy, and I'm afraid I'll fall that way.
I miss my cages, and I miss not being so afraid.
I do get the power tansfer...I get up hills more efficiently...but now I'm too afraid to gather the momentum on the downhill to get up the next one. So each hill is its very own little mountain.
I'll give it another month and see if I can get the fear factor under control. If not, I'm going to have to go back to my other pedals.
For being new to cycling, I'm noticing this exact discussion on so many forums. It seems the technology is not "elegant" enough not to cause anxiety.

[KnottedYet]

I miss my cages, and I miss not being so afraid.


Ride what you like.
Not much point in being miserable on the bike.
Everyone has their own preferences. And they do better on their own preferences than on someone else's. Don't be afraid to be yourself.

I managed to find a pedal wrench with a super-long handle (and a hollow handle so I can add a pry bar to make it even longer!) so I can switch pedals willy-nilly as the mood strikes me. It's lovely! Freedom and power and leverage to beat the band! :p

[trista]

Here's a fun rant on pedals: http://www.rivbike.com/article/clothing/the_shoes_ruse

I loved that article! I do use the upstroke on hills, but I can't sustain it, and I have always thought it must be my inexperience or lack of strength - that all cyclists must be able to pull up AND down at the same time on both feet, all the time. After reading that, I feel a little differently.

Maybe I feel like I lose power when going clipless because I've been TOLD that so many times. Sitting here at my desk, I can't say whether I actually do. Two falls in 1 month BECAUSE of clips has me thinking, maybe I should go without for awhile....

[malkin]

Between cycling, my natural clumsiness, and my work with kids with autism I can't keep track of where all the bruises come from.

:)

[Veronica]

I get a bruise every time I ride. I don't know where they come from... they just appear after every ride.

I wear mountain bike shoes when I ride. They don't skid on the asphalt and I can wear the same pair of shoes no matter which bike I'm riding and Crank Brothers eggbeaters on all my bikes.

Veronica

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Why do we women feel this urge to beat ourselves up, tear ourselves down, and be disapppointed in ourselves? Why all this deep and heavy emotional baggage and guilt over a pedal? Don't worry. Ride now what works now. Try again what you think should work better in a month or two. Get strength and bike handling skills up the wazoo, take a break from the emotionally fraught and overwrought clipless experience for a while, and then toss the clipless back into the mix.

Well said, Knot.

[ny biker]

My trainer's advice before I got clipless pedals was: don't get them unless you can laugh at yourself when you do something dumb.

And yeah, do what makes you happy, otherwise what's the point? Forget about what everyone else is doing and what anybody else thinks. Just have fun.

[JennK13]

I'm a klutz, so I'm no stranger to falling. I fell on my brand new bike the day I bought it, in the parking lot of the LBS as I planned to ride home on her. Couldn't unclip the road pedals and fell. I fell 3 more times in the those pedals because I just couldn't get loose, so I took it back and switched to SPDs. I still sometimes forget to unclip and fall over, always in slow motion.
I also went down pretty hard going under a bridge crossing after storm. It was shaded by trees on each end and dark as it's an under pass. I didn't see the mud slick that covered the trail from one side of the underpass to the other. The trail turns and drops down into the underpass, and I was doing around 25 mph when I hit the mud and slid for literally 30 feet - it was like a slip and slide. I was covered head to toe in a thick layer of black, slimey mud, 6 miles from home. At least it was the last 6 miles of my 30 mile ride! Fortunately, the mud "broke" my fall, so other than being a little bruised on my elbow from hitting the ground, I didn't have any road rash. DH had to get the hose out and hose me down once I got home, peeling off the mud.
I have campus pedals on my commuter - SPD on one side, flats on the other. I also wear moutain biking shoes when commuting so I have more grip on the foot than my road shoes offer when I do step down. I also don't have to worry about missing my cleat when starting off because I have a flat base either way and can go. Makes it a lot more comforting.

[marni]

I manage to bash myself somewhere on my legs or arms every time I ride without falling whether from failure to unclip or hitting or running into something. I have had my share of stupid failure to unclip or leaning the wrong way, invariably in full view of an intersection full of traffic, or a parking lot with everyone sitting in their cars. I am a natural klutz with a very scattered attention span at times.

That being said, I love my bmx clips and my double sided pedals, because on long rides I can shift to free riding and move my foot around, and I can walk normally since the cleats are recessed in both my biking shoes and my biking sandals.

Do what makes you happy, keeps you comfortable and safe.

[Cataboo]

I was practicing reenter and rolls in my kayak this evening, so I've managed to scrape up and bruise the front of my thighs from my knees to my hips.

We were just about to go to the grocery store and I was in mid-calf shorts, and R said... "You cannot leave the house looking like that. Go put some long pants on"

I was going "wha?" And he was like "You look like someone's taken a baseball bat to your legs... " I told him "At least I covered up the arm bruises" and went and put longer shorts on.

[ny biker]

:(I'm only a couple of months back into cycling after a long--15 year-- hiatus. I love my new bike, cannot believe the efficiency of the SRAM red, how light weight the bike is, how easy, or easier the hills are.
Then I get to pedals. Sigh. I am gamely soldiering on with clipless. Two sets, two pairs of shoes.
But while on a ride last evening over rolling hills, I just couldn't enjoy the speed because I kept worrying about crashing and not getting my foot out/off the pedal.
Also, when I do clip out on the paved road, my clip on my shoe--I have speedplays now--skids like crazy, and I'm afraid I'll fall that way.
I miss my cages, and I miss not being so afraid.
I do get the power tansfer...I get up hills more efficiently...but now I'm too afraid to gather the momentum on the downhill to get up the next one. So each hill is its very own little mountain.
I'll give it another month and see if I can get the fear factor under control. If not, I'm going to have to go back to my other pedals.
For being new to cycling, I'm noticing this exact discussion on so many forums. It seems the technology is not "elegant" enough not to cause anxiety.

I'm not sure I understand -- why are you worried about crashing when you're going downhill? Did you have the same concerns with regular pedals?

[PamNY]

Why do we women feel this urge to beat ourselves up, tear ourselves down, and be disapppointed in ourselves? Why all this deep and heavy emotional baggage and guilt over a pedal?

I'm fairly certain men do this too.:D

It is an interesting discussion though -- I would love to try clipless at some point but just don't see doing it in the city.

[Crankin]

Is your bike skidding, or do you mean the cleat on your Speedplay is skidding across the road?
If I clip out early, in anticipation, I just rest my foot on top of the pedal. Yea, it slows you down, because you can't really pedal, but mostly in these situations, you are coming to a stop. Otherwise, you will ruin your cleats by dragging your foot on the road when you unclip.

[Eden]

One thing to remember is that clipless pedals are like ski bindings (in fact modern ski bindings were the inspiration for the first clipless pedals) - if you do fall and your foot is twisted your foot will pop out on its own.

[Catrin]

I wish that "I" could "just" bruise. Apparently I just skip the whole bruising stage and head straight to cuts, abrasions, blood and scarring from chain, chain ring, and BMX pedals. My calves are becoming quite a sight! However if that is what it takes, then that is fine. At 50 years old I won't be entering a sexy leg contest. I guess that it depends on the definition of a sexy leg....though they do have many more muscles than they once did :)

[KnottedYet]

Catrin-
You've mentioned cuts and scarring from your bear trap pedals several times now. What exactly are you doing on your road bike that leads to wolloping yourself on the pedals?

And what is this "leaning" the bike you do to mount and dismount that is grinding up one pedal?

[Owlie]

I fell the second time out on my road bike. I've fallen on ice and scraped my chin. I've had several newbie clipless falls. Two of those resulted in a scraped knee (I fell on the same one twice). I still have a bit of a bone bruise from getting hit with my pedal (SPDs) when I had a minor fall a couple weeks ago.

[Catrin]

Catrin-
You've mentioned cuts and scarring from your bear trap pedals several times now. What exactly are you doing on your road bike that leads to wolloping yourself on the pedals?

And what is this "leaning" the bike you do to mount and dismount that is grinding up one pedal?

I have these pedals (http://www.rei.com/product/752200?preferredSku=7522000012&cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-7522000012&mr:trackingCode=F7824FFE-FB85-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA). Those metal thingies are not sharp at the top, but the edges get me quite often.

I am getting better, but they most often get me when I am moving the pedal around to get the right pedal at the right height when I am preparing to start. Or when I am walking my bike from my car-port to the apartment and my leg brushes the pedal - generally my right leg as I walk it on the left side of the bike. I seem to be improving at avoiding the pedals as I only have one new pedal wound this weekend out of 60 miles worth of riding. They also tend to draw blood when I am walking the LHT when it is still between my legs.... I really do like the pedals better than the plastic bear-claws I had as the metal thingies keep my feet from slipping 99% of the time.

I lean my bike over to get my leg over the saddle and top tube - the tube is high enough that I really can't do it any other way. Sometimes I lean it over a bit too far and the left pedal hits the ground - the outside "spindle" bit - unsure what that is called. I can't lift my leg high enough to get it over the TT without leaning it... If I were to remember to check to see where the pedal is before I do this then it wouldn't be so scruffed up :o

Thankfully at least my chain/chain ring bites are decreasing greatly in frequency :)

I figure taking a file to the edges of those metal thingies would defeat the purpose of having them - and they do their job well!

[trista]

I hit my legs on the pedals of my hybrid when pushing it somewhere all.the.time. I don't on the road bike. I'm not sure why... I think b/c it is so much lighter and lower, I can push it w/ 1 hand and walk further away from it.

I decided tomorrow I'm going to ride free - no cleats. If I like it, I'm going to do that for awhile until I have more experience on the road bike. Maybe doing that will allow me to heal my legs without adding more bruises!

[Catrin]

I hit my legs on the pedals of my hybrid when pushing it somewhere all.the.time. I don't on the road bike. I'm not sure why... I think b/c it is so much lighter and lower, I can push it w/ 1 hand and walk further away from it.

I decided tomorrow I'm going to ride free - no cleats. If I like it, I'm going to do that for awhile until I have more experience on the road bike. Maybe doing that will allow me to heal my legs without adding more bruises!

I don't know how a touring bike actually is considered as far as "classification" is concerned. I have different pedals on my flat-bar road bike and it is lighter than my beloved steel steed. However I don't want to ride it right now - not until I can afford to get a re-fit. I do prefer to push the Wanderer with both hands rather than one.

I am just happy I only got a couple of new scrapes this weekend from it - the rate is decreasing, thankfully for my legs...

Good luck Trista - as far as not being clipped in I feel quite stable and comfortable riding with just my BMX pedals. I do not have toe clips or anything attaching me to the pedals, and I like that just fine for now. Eventually I do want to try cleats again, but not now.