Zoomy cliplessness!!

[Melalvai]

I do want clipless some day, when I can afford the shoes. In the meantime, I just got clips last week (free from a friend). I left the straps really loose for a couple days, until I got used to getting in & out. I rode several days with no problem but last night my foot got stuck and I fell over. I checked the bike over first (scuffed my brooks saddle) and then myself (mostly intact skin but who cares--it heals).

[DDH]

Congratulations on going clipless. I went clipless last fall and loved it. I was so scared to do it because of falling, but once I did, I love, love, love them!!!!

I did real well with mine in the begining because I was still aware of that fear of falling, but the minute I lost that, I fell. I got cocky!!! LOL I thought I was just going to pull up to my mailbox and grab my mail and then ride up to the house without getting off my bike. Pulled up to the mail box, never un-clilpped and missed. PLOP!! over I went. I jumped up, looked around (even though I live on a dead end dirt road with no one around) made sure no one saw me, checked my bike and walked up to the house. LOL
I was scuffed a little, bike was find, but I was embarrased.
I almost fell again the other day while riding up hill. I dropped the chain and it jammed and since I was going up, I was coming to a stand still fast and my mind didn't want to work with my legs to get my feet out. I did though in the nick of time and then I looked like a drunk trying to get off the bike and catch my balance while holding onto my bike and taking it everywhere with me. Must have looked hilarious to those driving by.

Be sure to tell us your story when it happens to you.
Trust me, it's not nearly as bad as our minds try to make it. At least mine wasn't.

[Jiffer]

My only fall from not unclipping in time was SO NOT MY FAULT! It was one of my first times on the tandem (which was my first experience with clips). We were stopped. I was clipped in, DH was not. We were taking off up a steep incline. He had some brilliant plan for getting us going, which was different from our norm, but didn't share it with me. We, therefore, lost our balance before DH was ever even clipped in. He tried to balance the bike with his right leg on the ground, and I feverishly tried to unclip as the bike went down in slow motion on a major street, cars passing, people laughing hysterically at the beached whale. (Well, they were laughing in my mind, anyways!)

Since then I've gotten used to them and now have them on my new single. Haven't fallen yetm, though sometimes I scare myself a little! I'm even proud of myself that I wait as long as I do to unclip now. I used to unclip way sooner than necessary, but the more I ride, the more I know how much time I need and can even cruise slowly up to a red light, in hopes of it turning green before I have to stop all the way, without fear of falling over. Check out me and my bad clipping self! (Now that I said that, I'll probably be sharing a falling over story tomorrow!)

[twinkie]

I've purchased three bicycles in the past year (one mountain bike, one road bike, and one "upgrade" on the road bike - my bike shop let me do a trade in), and I've fallen at least once on the inaugural ride on each bike (and I don't even have clipless pedals on the mountain bike!). I've just resigned myself to falling. I've only recently started riding again, so I'm still working on balance. Add clipless pedals/shoes to that equation, and it's bound to spell disaster. Once in a while, the BF is around to help (see my MS 150 post!), but most of the time, he's there to help me get unstuck while I'm sprawled with my bike on top of me.