Ms. Coordinated Here. Falling with Clipless Pedals

[azfiddle]

I'm new here- first post! I've had the road bike for two weeks, and switched to the clipless pedals this afternoon. After reading the posts here, and talking to my husband, I knew there was an adjustment process. I successfully maneuvered the lock in- swivel out procedure riding around the neighborhood. But.... I didn't escape unscathed. I was at a stop, my foot was safely out of the pedal but I had neglected to get my foot down firmly onto the pavement (those soles are slippery!) and down I went - right on my bottom. Fortunately the only audience was my husband, who also caught the bike....

Sharon

[MamboGirl]

But.... I didn't escape unscathed. I was at a stop, my foot was safely out of the pedal but I had neglected to get my foot down firmly onto the pavement (those soles are slippery!) and down I went - right on my bottom. Fortunately the only audience was my husband, who also caught the bike....

Sharon

I would say you escaped unscathed! Your husband caught the bike! I fell on the pavement. Got a couple of nice bruises and a skinned knee.

[azfiddle]

I know it could have been way worse and reading all these other stories was very helpful!

I hit the ground pretty hard, was definitely feeling it last night, and I'm sure there is a good bruise, but it's way better today. I didn't have any problems on my real ride today, now that I know about how to put my weight on my heels of the shoes and not on the plate or the slippery part of the sole!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Like Knot, I prefer riding platform pedals, not clipless systems.
Despite what everyone is always insisting on, I maintain that one can indeed ride perfectly well and 'efficiently' without clipless systems. -Unless maybe you are competing/racing.

[Tropical Scream]

<snip>Then I don't know why I forgot the left foot was clipped. But I guess I wasn't concentrating because I tried putting the left foot down on the ground, and by the time I realized it was clipped in. it was too late. <snip>

New member here. I wanted to thank you for your post. I went down -twice- on my last ride and decided my motto was, "I am -so- going down." Here's a link to the picture that inspired the quote:

http://tropicalscreamer.blogspot.com...day-humor.html

I'm just getting back into riding. One of my old Look clipless pedals was too hard to unclip even on the "easiest" setting, so I got new Shimanos. They were so easy to unclip that I sort of forgot that I was clipped in. (I never fell with the hard-to-unclip first pair. The difficulty of clipping out made me pay attention.)

My first stop, I clipped out right and leaned left. (I was trying to switch over to unclipping the right foot first so I could stop bumping my calf against the chain/gears.)

My next stop, I clipped out left and leaned right.

One scraped elbow later, I've decided not to try to change which I unclip first. It also was a great lesson that I need to be mindful when I ride. It was definitely a lack on concentration on my part.

I'm off to read all the posts in the Forum. I am so happy to have found this spot on the 'Net thanks to a Google search.

Best regards,
Darilyn

[nsandz]

Ugh! I was just convinced by my boyfriend and the local bike shop owner that going clipless was the best thing for me. So I did, and now I have fancy new pedals and shoes...I hate it! I am reluctant to ride my bike now. EVERYTIME I ride I fall off at some point. Not only is that embarrassing but it hurts too, I always get bruises and cuts. I have a ton of advice from multiple sources on how to avoid falling but I don't think technique is the problem. I panic real easily while riding clipless I am afraid a car will cut me off, or a child will run out in front of me, or I will just fall over in the middle of an intersection. I know these are unlikely, but I panic nonetheless. I don't like being scared of riding my bike. Whenever I panic I cannot get my foot un-clipped. I hope one day soon this will stop otherwise I am going back to my sucky regular pedals

[redrhodie]

Ugh! I was just convinced by my boyfriend and the local bike shop owner that going clipless was the best thing for me. So I did, and now I have fancy new pedals and shoes...I hate it! I am reluctant to ride my bike now. EVERYTIME I ride I fall off at some point. Not only is that embarrassing but it hurts too, I always get bruises and cuts. I have a ton of advice from multiple sources on how to avoid falling but I don't think technique is the problem. I panic real easily while riding clipless I am afraid a car will cut me off, or a child will run out in front of me, or I will just fall over in the middle of an intersection. I know these are unlikely, but I panic nonetheless. I don't like being scared of riding my bike. Whenever I panic I cannot get my foot un-clipped. I hope one day soon this will stop otherwise I am going back to my sucky regular pedals

Just go back to your old pedals now! They worked!

[ny biker]

Ugh! I was just convinced by my boyfriend and the local bike shop owner that going clipless was the best thing for me. So I did, and now I have fancy new pedals and shoes...I hate it! I am reluctant to ride my bike now. EVERYTIME I ride I fall off at some point. Not only is that embarrassing but it hurts too, I always get bruises and cuts. I have a ton of advice from multiple sources on how to avoid falling but I don't think technique is the problem. I panic real easily while riding clipless I am afraid a car will cut me off, or a child will run out in front of me, or I will just fall over in the middle of an intersection. I know these are unlikely, but I panic nonetheless. I don't like being scared of riding my bike. Whenever I panic I cannot get my foot un-clipped. I hope one day soon this will stop otherwise I am going back to my sucky regular pedals

Under what circumstances are you falling? Is it because you're coming to a stop but aren't clipping out in time? Unclipping with one foot but then leaning the other way? Trying to unclip but just can't get your foot out? Something else?

I think it can help your overall confidence a lot if you can get over the fears, so it's worth trying. But having a ton of advice from multiple sources can be overwhelming, so if you can specify when/why you're falling, we can figure out specifically how you can address it and overcome it.

Also, practicing in a safe environment can help a lot. Did the people at the shop help you practice clipping and unclipping? At my LBS they put my bike on an indoor trainer and let me practice for as long as I wanted. You can also practice indoors by being near something to hold onto, like a doorway or sturdy piece of furniture (desk or table, not a chair), or a balcony or porch railing. Or if you can find a big grassy field, you can practice there since it's a much softer place to fall if you don't get clipped out in time.

[nsandz]

The bike store was/is very nice to me, they let me practice on a trainer and the owner coached me and told me that I should unclip one foot 1st and place it firmly on the ground. I should make sure that I have the brakes on while unclipping my other foot so the bike will not move around a lot. I was told that unclipping at the top of the pedal stroke is the easiest. Also, before each ride I practice with Kevin (my boyfriend) holding the bike up and then I ride around in a parking lot or something for a little bit.

The thing is that I can do it, I just don't enjoy it. I am constantly afraid of being in a situation that I will not be able to get my foot unclipped in time. For instance, while following Kevin he will stop unexpectedly and I nearly crash into him and can't get my foot out in time. (We started signaling to each other so I know when he is stopping, but sometimes he still forgets) Anyway, I usually find myself falling when I stop quickly. I cannot go through the motions in time. When I stop quickly I am not able to get my foot unclipped at all and fall over. Also, sometimes I panic because I am afraid I will not be able to unclip and then of course I cannot unclip. Due to this I spend the whole ride constantly clipping and unclipping my foot while riding just incase. Also, I am scared of making tight corners on my bike because I know I will not be able to unclip incase I need to steady myself. Kevin says that it will eventually become a learned behavior and I wont have to think about it anymore, but I am doubtful.

[Yelsel]

Ugh! I was just convinced by my boyfriend and the local bike shop owner that going clipless was the best thing for me. So I did, and now I have fancy new pedals and shoes...I hate it! I am reluctant to ride my bike now. EVERYTIME I ride I fall off at some point. Not only is that embarrassing but it hurts too, I always get bruises and cuts. I have a ton of advice from multiple sources on how to avoid falling but I don't think technique is the problem. I panic real easily while riding clipless I am afraid a car will cut me off, or a child will run out in front of me, or I will just fall over in the middle of an intersection. I know these are unlikely, but I panic nonetheless. I don't like being scared of riding my bike. Whenever I panic I cannot get my foot un-clipped. I hope one day soon this will stop otherwise I am going back to my sucky regular pedals

Also try adjusting the springs so that you can get out really easily. Whenever you feel nervous, you should be able to unclip and move your foot up slightly... then if you need to put your foot down suddenly you can, or when you feel confident the issue has passed you can slide back and clip. Also consider a clipless system with a big platform -- I learned on Crank Brothers Mallets.

And I was in the slow group, I fell all the time at first with clipless pedals. But *I* wanted to use them, so I was motivated to keep going until I figured it out. If it is just your LBS and bf's opinion, go back to the pedals you like. If you need more power, or for longer trips, look into the half-cages that you can easily slip your feet in and out of - or again get something with a big platform so you can clip in on bike paths if you want. Get more confident in riding in traffic, and someday if *you* want to, try out clipless again.

[nsandz]

Also try adjusting the springs so that you can get out really easily. Whenever you feel nervous, you should be able to unclip and move your foot up slightly... then if you need to put your foot down suddenly you can, or when you feel confident the issue has passed you can slide back and clip. Also consider a clipless system with a big platform -- I learned on Crank Brothers Mallets.

And I was in the slow group, I fell all the time at first with clipless pedals. But *I* wanted to use them, so I was motivated to keep going until I figured it out. If it is just your LBS and bf's opinion, go back to the pedals you like. If you need more power, or for longer trips, look into the half-cages that you can easily slip your feet in and out of - or again get something with a big platform so you can clip in on bike paths if you want. Get more confident in riding in traffic, and someday if *you* want to, try out clipless again.

Just for the record, no one forced me, it was suggested a lot and finally I decided (on my own) to give it a try. I do like having clipless for the reason that when I am using them right I am able to go faster and hills are easier for me to do with them. The other issue is that I am training to ride longer as next year we want to go cross country on our bikes, and from what I am told it will be more advantageous to have clipless for a long journey. Do you think that is true? Anyway I don't feel that I was forced, and I do see the use and feel the difference, but my confidence is not there at all. But I will try your suggestions and am happy that you made them.

[abejita]

So tuesday, I got my speedplay lightaction pedals installed on my bike. I rode 3 or 4 miles around the neighborhood, stopping at each block to practice unclipping and stopping.

So yesterday, hubs and I take off for the lake. We turned the corner of our street up on and my chain totally freezes up and I can't move my pedals at all. (chain suck) I manage to unclip my foot, but I put my toe down (with the metal cleat) instead of my heel (with the rubber sole) and slip and end up laying on my side in the street with my tires spinning. To make matters even better...when I slipped, I hit the topbar of my bike with my pubic bone so hard that I now have an 1 1/2 cut on my girly bits. I was so pissed because I've had this issue with my bike since day one and have brought it in at least 5 times for them to fix it. Rode my bike home, standing up, and put it on the rack on the truck and brought it back to the shop.

I am right handed and have driven a standard all my life. Unclipping my left foot seems very natural to me.

[Cataboo]

Chain suck's nasty and can be hard to get rid of... But when you get it, instead of trying to pedal forwards, pedal backwards a little bit and see if you can undo it before your chain gets completely wedged in.

[abejita]

The bike is only 4 wks old and I have been having problems since day one. Mostly with the chain on the back derailleur jumping around when I am not shifting, but I've had other minor chain suck incidents before this one too. It has a year warranty, so they are either going to have to fix it or get me a new bike.

[tctrek]

Ugh! I was just convinced by my boyfriend and the local bike shop owner that going clipless was the best thing for me. So I did, and now I have fancy new pedals and shoes...I hate it! I am reluctant to ride my bike now. EVERYTIME I ride I fall off at some point. Not only is that embarrassing but it hurts too, I always get bruises and cuts. I have a ton of advice from multiple sources on how to avoid falling but I don't think technique is the problem. I panic real easily while riding clipless I am afraid a car will cut me off, or a child will run out in front of me, or I will just fall over in the middle of an intersection. I know these are unlikely, but I panic nonetheless. I don't like being scared of riding my bike. Whenever I panic I cannot get my foot un-clipped. I hope one day soon this will stop otherwise I am going back to my sucky regular pedals

I felt exactly the same way for a long time. I finally got over it by riding clipless just in spinning classes. I rode with platform pedals on the road. After quite some time and feeling very comfortable clipping in/out on a spinning bike, I tried on my road bike.

One of the keys to learning to ride clipless is to have a pattern and style that you always follow exactly the same every time. Here's mine:
1. To start out, I clip in my right foot.
2. Raise up the right foot to about 2 o'clock position
3. Push down on right pedal while hoisting myself up into the saddle.
4. Clip in left foot. Note: I can rotate the crank a couple of time without my left foot clipped in if I have trouble clipping in. Try not to look at your left foot as you clip in... it can put you off balance
To stop:
1. Hopefully, have a little notice that you are going to stop
2. Unclip left foot as approaching stop. Braking, slowing down, I might actually hang down my left leg ready to stop.
3. Fully braking, put your left foot down. Keep control of the bike - continue to brake... at this point you are a one legged girl on a skateboard
4. Lean bike left. when you are stable and fully planted, you can release the brake, but don't lean right or you can take off attached to the bike.

I do it exactly this way every single time. After a few rides following this, you can practice stopping with less advance preparation -- sudden stops. It's the same movements, just faster and you must be aware and focused.

I've had three falls in 2 years and all of them were zero mph, right foot clipped in, losing focus, not braking and leaning right.. the bike took off without me and down I went. Every time there were other riders around.. embarassing.

But, I agree with one thing -- riding your bike must first be fun. So, don't let riding clipless steal your fun. Platform pedals and toe clips are fun too!!