Need advice -- falling alot with clipless!

[tattiefritter]

I would also agree with Caligurl and Ionic in that you may just not get on with the pedals. I used SPDs for a while on my MTB but I found that in order to be confident that I could get my feet out whenever I wanted I had to back the tension off so much that my feet would boing out on rocky descents, which is worse than a slow speed topple. Changing to Crank Bros Candys changed it all for me and I have them on all my bikes, including the roadie.

When I first put clipless on my MTB the bike shop advised me (which I ignored and learned the hard way instead) to find a grassy field (soft landing) and practise getting out of them quickly when riding really slowly and stopping suddenly.

I also think that technical offroad riding has made getting out of clipless second nature to me, much more than riding on the road, as you often don't get advance warning of when you might be unclipping you just have to do it instantaneously.

[Dogmama]

I've always had Looks and I love them. To each her own!

Caveat about unclipping - if you are unclipping several yards from where you will eventually stop, be sure that you completely unclip & put your heel on the clip-part of your pedal. If you just rest your foot on the pedal, you may inadvertently clip yourself back in

[mtbdarby]

I agree with Cali and Ionic as well. I was having a TON of difficulty staying vertical. Check your shoes and pedals. I found I had chipped the cleat on the bottom of one of my shoes so I replaced that. Still fell. So I changed pedals to a Ritchie model and have had no problems since (at least that I can blame on going clipless )

Hang in there! I was at my wits end with mountain biking but am back in the swing of things. I also found after a couple bad crashes that nerves were playing a big part in it so I started road biking more. Much easier for me! It has been a great confidence booster as well as a great endurance training tool for me.

Happy riding!