How many times did you fall using clipless pedals?

[rockyroller]

zero w/ cleated shoes & pedals. I did a lot of reading on bike forums & was & still am, very careful, conscious & thoughtful. also, I keep my release very light, so even if I rarely forget I'm clipped in, the foot releases on it's own. that might be the key for me

didn't start falling off my bike until I started mountain biking (w/ flat pedals)

 

[Parcicle]

No clipless falls (so far). Closest I came was struggling up a hill in Bristol, tried changing gear and the chain pinged off. Only saved it by pure luck.

Waiting for the mountain bike clipless - that's when it's going to go to shoot

 

[semakof]

Twice, same day within a space of 2 minutes!!!

It was my first time using a cleat. I held on to a wall, clipped perfectly and rode the bicycle to my gate. Forgot I was clipped. Fell right there. It was shocking. Got up and dragged myself outside the gate, wondering what happened. Feeling all the pain running through my body.

Clipped again. Found myself on the floor almost immediately. Haaa. What happened?? The fear of doing it again enveloped me. I wanted to turn and go back into the house. Should I ride, should I continue. Didn't know what to do? Looked left and right to see if somebody saw the great fall. Didn't see anyone. Summoned courage to give it another try.

Clipped again with only the right leg, pushed forward without clipping the left leg. I continued like this, slowly for about 2 km till i got the confidence to clip the left leg. It was the slowest of my ride that day. I was super conscious of the whole situation and was already thinking of how to unclip without falling. After riding for another 2 km, I decided I've had enough. Didn't want to take further risk or fall far away from home. I started visualising how I will unclip without falling when I get home. At about 100m to my home, i tried unclipping the right leg, it refused to come off. I became alarmed. I can't imagine falling off again. What??? I just started struggling with both legs from the clip until it got loose and both legs were hanging in the air until i came to a wobbling stop with both legs on the floor. phew, that was close.

I spent the rest of the day poring over youtube searching for how to clip and unclip my cleat and watching several videos of people falling off their bicycle due to clipping inexperience.

Today, I am now more conscious of unclipping whenever I stop the bike and its been a good one. I have not fallen off my bicycle since then.

 

[Roadrat77]

Twice within a couple of days of first using them and got used to them and then one day I pulled into a gap in a line of parked cars to let a van coming the other way through, the right clip jammed and I very nearly fell straight into its path and he would have had absolutely nowhere to go but straight over my head, at the last possible microsecond the clip freed and I was just able to literally save my skin - just as white van man went roaring past (he had speeded up considerably which caused the yes/no/damn moment in the first place) - never used them since.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

I have only fallen once as a result of using clipless pedals. It was not long after I started using them.

Unclipped when stopping at traffic lights. Next thing I star falling to the side still clipped in and couldn’t get my foot out in time. Changed the foot I unclip and never had a repeat.

I had a close call when my foot momentarily got stuck in an SPD pedal. I have been finding the release on them to be inconsistent and that incident made me eventually lose faith in them. I moved to Atac pedals and cleats , for rides where I anticipate doing more walking at the other end, as a result and they have been perfect.

 

[GeekDadZoid]

I fell once at a near stand still, no great drama but hurt a bit, rode with them for a year. However I just didn't like the extra stress they gave me pre ride so I went back to flats and will probably never go back.

 

[Roadrat77]

I fell once at a near stand still, no great drama but hurt a bit, rode with them for a year. However I just didn't like the extra stress they gave me pre ride so I went back to flats and will probably never go back.

Agree - I felt the same but I kind of put up with it until I very nearly came to grief over them and that was it - enough was enough. I can definitely see the advantages and on quiet open roads, great, but on the dog-eat-dog-eat-cyclist roads of my native south Birmingham they're a liability in my eyes.

 

[Sharky]

I've fallen over too many times when using clipless pedals. Not caused by the pedals, but by black ice, pot holes, gravel on the road surface and a vauxhall corsa. In each case, hit the tarmac and in all cases, my shoes separated from the pedals and the bike slid away from me. Thus no additional injuries caused by being mingled with the bike. All exactly as intended by the pedal manufacturers.

 

[tribanjules]

It’s mandatory to fall 3 times, so back in 2013 the first was bedside a bus at a red light, second ditto by old rover factory and third was pulling up smartly at home then over I went to clonk head on my car too. Luckily bike was ok 🤣🤣👍🏻

 

[antnee]

A couple of time as I remember started of with SPD's on both road bikes though on the hybrid I had the type that had clips on one side of the pedal and flat on the other side of the pedal so I didn't have to change shoes still got SPD's on the winter bike but have Time I:clic SPD-SL's on the summer bike never had much bother since occasionally clipping in after stopping. wouldn't dream of being without them now

 

[Deleted member 1258]

It’s mandatory to fall 3 times, so back in 2013 the first was bedside a bus at a red light, second ditto by old rover factory and third was pulling up smartly at home then over I went to clonk head on my car too. Luckily bike was ok 🤣🤣👍🏻

No its not compulsory, I'd been using them for a while before I fell off and I've only done it once.

 

[ianrauk]

No its not compulsory, I'd been using them for a while before I fell off and I've only done it once.

Indeed.
I really wish people would stop spreading the silly myth that everyone has a clipless moment.
I know most people are being light hearted about it, but there's really no need.

 

[Dogtrousers]

No its not compulsory, I'd been using them for a while before I fell off and I've only done it once.

No indeed, it's not compulsory. I've never fallen as a result of a "clipless moment" (ie coming to a standstill while failing to release your feet from the pedals). But, like you, I have fallen for other reasons and my feet have never stayed attached to the bike at the time.

 

[ColinJ]

I've fallen over too many times when using clipless pedals. Not caused by the pedals, but by black ice, pot holes, gravel on the road surface and a vauxhall corsa. In each case, hit the tarmac and in all cases, my shoes separated from the pedals and the bike slid away from me. Thus no additional injuries caused by being mingled with the bike. All exactly as intended by the pedal manufacturers.

The same for me.

I did fall off a couple of times in the early days of using clipless but then I loosened the release tensions to minimum*** and got used to them, and since then it has been a case of occasionally falling off 'with' clipless pedals as opposed to 'because of' them. (On ice, mud, gravel...)

*** I recently tightened the pedal tensions a couple of clicks because the mechanisms had become a bit sloppy. I found a compromise where release was still easy, but the cleat was gripped more soundly.

 

[tribanjules]

No indeed, it's not compulsory. I've never fallen as a result of a "clipless moment" (ie coming to a standstill while failing to release your feet from the pedals). But, like you, I have fallen for other reasons and my feet have never stayed attached to the bike at the time.

Same as having a chuckle apparently isn’t permitted.