Went clipless today.... first fall tonight

[Yen]

I finally decided to just pick some pedals and get on with this decision, so I chose the Shimano M520 SPD pedals. They were put on my bike today and I learned how to clip in/out on the trainer at the shop.

I practiced in the street tonight, back and forth in front of the house. I slowed to tell Hubby something as I passed, and forgot to unclip. Down I went, to the left, landing hard on my knee. My first real fall on the bike of any kind, and on my first day going clipless. This doesn't really raise my confidence, but I bounced up, laughed, checked out the scratches on the bike, the bruises on my legs, and rode off. Darkness was setting in and rescued me for the night.

I'm wondering if I should develop the habit of unclipping with my right foot instead of my left. I always remove my left foot and keep my right foot on the pedal, but I can see the safety advantage of falling to the right instead of the left. If a car had been passing on my left at the very moment I fell.........

Does anyone have some tips to make this quicker to learn -- in addition to practice, practice, practice?

[kirra77]

Hi Yen, When I first started on an SPD I felt once and vow that I will practice until I can unclip without even thinking. I bruised my knee cap and scraped a layer of skin.

The trick is to loosen up your spd clip. I found clipping and unclipping become easier as the cleat is more adaptive.

For one week when I first started on spd, i was clip only on one side. I practice unclipping on that side.

Now I have upgraded myself to speedplay cleats and thansk god I have not fallen. Don't give up!

[Yen]

Thanks, glad to know there's hope.

The tension is set quite low and I have no problem clipping out. I just forgot to unclip before I stopped to say something to my husband, and down I went. He said it looked slow-motion.... that's how it felt but I remember thinking, about halfway down, "oh no, my first fall!".

[alpinerabbit]

I always unclip with the same foot - I was told this early on and adopted, in my case right side, you choose.

[Tuckervill]

There are lots of different opinions on whether to always unclip on the same side or not. I try to think ahead and evaluate the situation and unclip on the side that's most feasible. I usually default to the right side, though, because I've always leaned the bike to the right when I was standing over it. Maybe it has something to do with being right-handed. Or, I usually mount from the left side, and I usually do a running start, which means my left pedal is my push-off pedal.

Even if I unclip left and lean that way, I'm still going to push off with my left pedal. That's just how I am.

That said, you can develop the ability to unclip on either side depending on conditions, and if you want to be ready for anything, you probably should. Until you have your confidence in the clipless system, you should do what makes the most sense to you, and then learn to adapt to the situation.

Everyone falls!

Karen

[ilima]

Another advantage to unclipping with the right foot is that most roads are canted for drainage and you'll often naturally fall to the right. When I first started and unclipped to the left, I would often find myself leaning right. I still mostly unclip with my left foot, but am better about balancing correctly. Only time I unclip with my right foot is if I am going to set my foot on the curb.

[Southside Sally]

I feel your pain, literally! I did the very same thing on my first ride on my first road bike.

When I finally got up the nerve to get back on the back (several months later) I rode it in my yard, clipping, unclipping, stopping and starting. I also ot into the habit of unclipping only on the right. I have put about 600 miles on this bike since April and haven't fallen once.

Keep practicing!

[JTchaser]

Talk to anybody that rides with clips and they all have their stories of falling. I remember years back one of my healthnut friends coming for coffee with scrapes all over her arms, face, and legs. She explained the injuries were from falling off her bike and almost getting ran over by a car and being so embarassed because of the large group of riders they were riding with at the time and how ticked she was at her hubby for making her use these stupid clip things! Never made sense to me because she couldn't ride the rest of the weekend and sat in the hotel while they all rode.

Fast-forward about 8 years, and now I've begun to ride and experienced a few falls, without serious injury, just merely some "war wounds." I talked to my friend's husband after about 2 falls because of my clips and recalled the story of her fall all those years ago...he was mortified at my perception of his abuse in the story and he explained it was completely his fault because he forgot to tell her she had to unclip ahead of time. He just looked at my hubby and wisely said, "Remind her to unclip ahead of time, especially when she's tired."

Sure enough, when we're close to home and I'm growing weary, my hubby will remind me to unclip when coming to the stoplights, and I'm thankful for those reminders sometime...but it's becoming more natural and more just part of the whole riding thing. Don't let it get ya' down...you will fall, everybody does! Personally, I got a really cute pair of shoes out of my hubby after one of my last falls because he felt sorry for me!

[Jacki O]

There are lots of different opinions on whether to always unclip on the same side or not.

My husband (un)clips with his right foot so that, if he falls, he's more likely to fall curbside. Conversely, another cycling buddy always (un)clips with his left side, making the point that you're more likely to fall to the clipped in foot - which, again, would be curbside.

I've always been a left foot clipper in & out-er; but, with the new bike I got 2 weeks ago, I'm trying to train myself to clip in/out with my right foot as my husband suggests - or at least be ambidextrous. And, you know what? With one exception, each time I've fallen in my cycling career, it's been to my LEFT, whether my left foot is the one clipped in or not.

I continue to overthink the entire clipping in and out process; but, I believe the moral here is to figure out what works for you and then be confident doing it, regardless of what works for other people. Good luck with your pedals, Yen, and know that you're not alone out there!

[whiteknuckles]

I myself am brand new to clipless pedals, they are the albatross around my cycling neck...I struggle with them each ride - mostly it's a mind-game, but also, literally, they break my stones, even at the easiest tension. I have Look keos. The consensus from everyone I talk to is that more time in the saddle with them will make you more savvy. I myself clip out right first always..force of habit and I think, too, it's b/c I'm right-handed. Two of my three clipping in/out falls have been to the left side...my problem is more related to starting off & losing balance...my 2 cents is just to respect the pedals, plan ahead & try to keep calm. Take your bike to an empty parking lot, too, one afternoon & just clip in/out, put yourself in situations where you have to think quickly...and see how you fare. The key is that you have to be confident enough to know that whatever case presents itself, you can effortless clip out & stay safe. Good luck!!!

[malkin]

I always unclick left, and all my 'club tombay' falls have been to the right. I'm thinking about and hoping to develop an emergency response where I clickout both sides. I got it right a couple weeks ago after my tire explosion, so I think there's hope for it.

[Yen]

Thanks everyone for sharing your help and experiences.

It's getting easier. It's almost automatic. I had to stop very quickly a couple of times this weekend, and both times I immediately remembered to unclip.

I like the feeling of being attached to the bike, especially on hills when I can use the whole leg instead of just having to push. With the whole leg engaged in the climb, there is less stress on my 52-year-old knees and climbing seems easier.

The only thing I don't like.... and I'm assuming I'll get past this just as I got past learning to shift again.... is that I have to "think" again when we go out riding. With platforms, I had more of the "throw my leg over and go" feeling. Now, I feel like I have to engage my brain more and pay more attention to unexpected events that require sudden stops. I don't like that feeling..... but I'm thinking this new brain activity will help keep me younger.

[tzvia]

When I first started riding a 'real' bike (the Scapin SLX/Dura Ace bike I still have), I used Campy Victory pedals (toeclips). Hated them, there had to be something better. I mean Jeeze it's the 80's. When I found out about clipless, I bought LOOK pedals. They worked, but had no float so I continued to look for something better. Found a brand called "keywin" or something like that. They were light weight, but took the strength of an OX and a wide twist to get out of them. I kept telling myself that I would get used to them, until I was doing a climb on a small street in Santa Barbara. There was a stop at the top, and I stopped but could not clip out. I fell to the right like that guy on Laugh-in on the trike (I'm giving away my age here). Fell right over into the dirt like a putz. How embarrassing. That was my last ride on those. Tried several other brands till I found Speedplays. I am comfortable clipping in and out and love the float. Whatever you settle on, you have to be comfortable and confident in them. It's a lot like saddles, it has to work for you or it can make your ride miserable.

Tzvia.

[bikerchic]

Congrats Yen on your going clipless decision, I think it's the best way and I was very hesitant on doing it, glad I did!

Falling seems to be just part of the initiation of going clipless, I think we all have our "horror" stories about our first fall, I know I do!! Oh, and my second and third too....so you see it could be worse! ;-)

You're right about having to think each move ahead of time at first but soon it will all be like second nature. But by and large the best move was going clipless, lots of advantages to it and you've name some of them, one with the bike and hills are easier.

Good luck and most of all have fun!