Destined to fall

[kat_h]

I tried to fight fate today but eventually it won.

I was across town, heading home but I had to run an errand on the way so I wasn't on my usual route. As I stopped at a light and tried to unclip the cleat twisted in my shoe and wouldn't release from the pedal. I accepted that I was going to tip over, but one final kick made it release and I was fine... for the moment. The light changed and I clipped back in to ride. At the next light I realised the cleat was still loose in my shoe and I still couldn't unclip. At that point I saw a friend who I hadn't seen in ages and I really wanted to stop and say hi, but I literally couldn't stop. The light turned green and I kept going, trying to decide what to do. Normally I carry some tools but last week I stripped the allen wrench I needed for the cleats.

I was fairly close to my parents' house so decided to head over there and see if I could borrow and allen wrench to tighted the bolts on the cleat. I spent the next four blocks trying to get unclipped, and was successful. No one was home at the folks' but the neighbours saw me brought out the tool box so I could fix myself up and get going. I also had to convince the neighbour that I'm not crazy for biking.

As I got back on my bike, happy that I had managed to fix the cleat and avoid the slow speed falls that come with learning to ride clipless, I fell. Just tipped right over for absolutely no reason. Today was just the day for my slow speed fall.

[Tuckervill]

aw you poor thing! ::it's still funny!:::

Karen

[Mr. Bloom]

Sounds like a good outcome. I never thought of tightening cleats as part of my pre-ride routine...until the same thing happened to me on Sunday!

[berkeley]

Oh man.

I am learning to use clipless, and I was so proud of clipping out my right foot at the first red light, that I promptly fell over to the left.

[hirakukibou]

Aww. I hate falling and most of the falls I have had (there aren't THAT many) have been standing still for no real reason, although my first fall was when I missed a turn, and my partner took it and I was trying to brake on sand and skid and fell over in a big mess. Then later in that ride, I was just standing and fell again!

Thanks for the reminder about the cleats.

[SouthernBelle]

Glad you're OK, but darn that's funny.

[kat_h]

Sounds like a good outcome. I never thought of tightening cleats as part of my pre-ride routine...until the same thing happened to me on Sunday!

I'm going to put some loctite on them once I'm sure where I want them.

I'm glad you guys think it's funny too. I had to chuckle, even at the time.

[mimitabby]

Glad you're OK, but darn that's funny.

++++

[F8th637]

I had that happen to me on a social club ride. We stopped for lunch and I could not for the life of me get my shoe off the pedal. Thankfully, I didn't fall but I did have to take my shoe off and roll it into the bike shop next door. They pried my shoe off the pedal, replaced the cleat, and gave it some locktite free of charge for me. You've just reminded me I need to check my cleats again.

[Melalvai]

Some days it seems like you can't escape destiny.

I escaped a couple falls on my bike one morning last year, only to slip on a rock I was WALKING on later and hit my head.