How many times have you fallen?

[KnottedYet]

I haven't fallen in a year and a half and I am petrified that I will. I keep trying to tell myself that clipping accidents are just part of the sport...

They don't have to be.

You don't have to be petrified every time you get on the bike.

You don't have to ride clipped in to be a "real" rider.

[luv2climb]

It had been years since I crashed, until a couple months ago when I attempted to climb out of the saddle on a first-generation single-speed Dahon folding bike. The handlebar latch came undone and I crashed. Got it on video too! Here's the thread I started with the ride report, pictures, and video with the crash in it: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=42904

Before that I did a few slow-speed clipless pedal crashes. More hilarity!

[Trek420]

4.5 times. In random order:

1) On the Cinderella. This &^% hill with a stop light, I've never timed it right and end up having to start on a hill. Clip in right foot, start rolling slooooowly forward, clip in left, keep sloooowly trying to get going up the ..... topple right.

2) On the Alameda Creek Trail, stopped, looking at the view, straddling the bike ... fell over for no apparent reason.

3) Also on the ACT there's a little whoop dee do at the trail head, steep downhill with a turn and blind corner then an uphill. I was going downhill, dad and daughter downhill towards me towards the apex of the turn. Said daughter a little wobbly descending, I was carefully watching her and missed seeing the head-sized boulder in my path. I did a near picture perfect forward roll off the trail towards the creek far below ... yelling "I'm OK!!" the whole time I rolled " and I was.

My wheels though were taco'd. What a way to need an upgrade

4) Right hooked by a driver in a hurry for a Wendy's burger in Oakland just could not wait till I passed the drive through driveway.

The half is a couple of close calls, blew a tire on a descending turn on the Peninsula, skidded in the gravel as I did but retained my balance. Another was like the thread here "Chris Carmichael saved my life" when a driver turned right in front of me and I followed the curve of the turn.

[KnottedYet]

Sounds like only #1 was due to a clipping problem as the OP discussed.

[Koronin]

2ce. I've had clipless for about a year now. However the ones we have are clipless on one side and platform on the other side. I have no problems at all with the left foot unclipping if needed, the right foot is a whole other issue, and of course the right foot is the one I prefer to put on the ground first. After the 2nd fall, it was about 8 months before I even tried to ride at all with the right foot clipped in. Now I will ride with it clipped in to a point, but unclip it and flip the pedal over when I'm semi near where I many need to stop. I also don't clip either foot in until I've started pedaling. once I've got a bit of speed going I'll clip in the left foot and then decide if I'll bother clipping in the right foot or not. That's on the road bike. The mountain bike has platform pedals and I have no intention on ever putting clipless or cages on it.