Clipless Pedal Fails
Hey Everyone,
To make some humor on Monday morning (and to recover my bruised ego) lets see if anyone has some clipless fail stories they would like to share.
I bought my first pair this weekend and practiced plenty in the store to the point where I had no problem clipping in and out . Once I got on the road, my prep did pay off, as I had no issues unclipping at lights without falling over.
Until I got to Fullerton and Racine.
As the light turned green and I was getting ready to proceed, I pushed off the ground with my unclipped left foot with a little too much force to the right. In a somewhat slow motion topple I flopped over. Didn't help that it was a crowded intersection with plenty of pedestrians, cars around me, and a whole group of people getting ready to get on the bus right behind me.
Luckily no injuries except for a few scrapes for me and a mark on my handlebar tape (which im sure is normally the case), however the embarrassment was more than enough to ensure I dont make that mistake again, and I haven't. At least the people around me were familiar with clipless pedals and didn't think it was my first time riding a bike and that I had no balance whatsoever.
Anyone else with some stories?
Views: 3040
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on
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Good one. I almost toppled over this morn at Lake and Des Plaines. Did anybody see me?!
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Permalink Reply by Julia 3.5/7.5 mi on
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Oh no!! (I bet that's on our security cams :) I work right at the intersection)
I just started riding clipless a week ago. So far so good, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. I had one close call on Halsted on Thursday last week where I totally forgot to unclip. I was in the right lane with traffic merging south of Chicago Ave, when everyone slowed down quickly. I braked with plenty of room to stop, but totally forgot to unclip! I somehow/luckily was able to twist out right as I started to tip left.
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Permalink Reply by David Ugarte on
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I fell the first day but it was on grass so it was no big deal. The second time I fell was a week or so later right as I was pulling up to a friends BBQ. I didn't un-clip in time and ended up flopping over with my bike still clipped so it kind of made it look like I was riding my bike while laying on my back. Everyone got a good laugh and I was forced to explain to everyone WHY my shoes clip to my pedals. Now when I ride someone else's bike I'm like what are these rudimentary platform things in which you simply mash down on?
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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on
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These falls can happen with old school clips also. My only fall in the last year was at a dead stop after stopping at a hardware store. I forgot I had clips on and that one of them had a tendency to get caught on the shoes I was wearing at the time. Down I went.
Both my daily rider and my touring bike are now sporting BMX platforms. Partially, I will admit, because they are available in so many fun colors. But they also feel great. I did not miss the clips _at all_ on a 60+ mile ride on Saturday and I most definitely do not miss them while commuting.
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Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on
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Been riding clipless since sometime in the 90s, not sure when, earlier rather than later though (Sampsons back then, then Looks, now Look KeOs). Falling over (and embarrassing oneself) is pretty much a once-in-every-five-years sort of thing. My most recent incident happened a couple months ago, trying to cross Irving Park somewhere between California and Damen. There was a median with a crosswalk cut through it, so I pushed off from the near curb, and unclipped my left shoe in the median. Unfortunately, my center of gravity was to the right side of the bike. With all my weight on my right foot and the bike tipping in that direction, I was unable to yank my foot from my pedal and landed on my right knee.
There was a guy crossing with his toddler daughter in a stroller. She was fascinated by the whole thing.
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Permalink Reply by SlowCoachOnTheRoad on
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Perhaps you may fill me or us in, for the uninitiated (I spelled that 5 times before getting it right). Firstly, why is it called clip-LESS if it is has a clip? Secondly, would I be right (just guessing here) that the advantage is that one is pulling and pushing (duh) thus doubling the foot power (but also doubling the rider's actual effort since there is no free ride - but maybe not completely double as the leg still has to go around the half circle one doesn't ordinarily pull - so approaching double the effort). Thirdly, I was always under the impression that clipless pedals require special shoes that hook on somehow, thus would I assume one must carry an extra pair of shoes for just walking around after getting off the bike?
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Permalink Reply by BruceBikes on
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Sorta pulling this thread off topic a little, but to answer SlowCoach's questions:
"Clips", originally, were those cages you see attached to the pedals of some bikes. When the technology came along to attach your shoe to the pedal without those cages, it was called "clipless". Kinda confusing now though, huh?
It's more than just pushing and pulling. You take advantage of a much larger circular range of muscle power. You also have special rigid shoes to better transfer all that power to the pedal. It means a potentially greater power output, seen from the bike's point of view, but a much more efficient transfer of power, from your point of view. For a given speed, you can maintain it with less power with a clipless setup.
Of course the downside is, yes, you must use special shoes. You wouldn't want to duck-walk around in road racing clipless shoes, but many manufacturers make walking friendly clipless shoes. Check out Teva, Keen, Shimano, and Five Ten for some examples.
SlowCoachOnTheRoad said:Perhaps you may fill me or us in, for the uninitiated (I spelled that 5 times before getting it right). Firstly, why is it called clip-LESS if it is has a clip? Secondly, would I be right (just guessing here) that the advantage is that one is pulling and pushing (duh) thus doubling the foot power (but also doubling the rider's actual effort since there is no free ride - but maybe not completely double as the leg still has to go around the half circle one doesn't ordinarily pull - so approaching double the effort). Thirdly, I was always under the impression that clipless pedals require special shoes that hook on somehow, thus would I assume one must carry an extra pair of shoes for just walking around after getting off the bike?
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Yeah, "clipless" is clearly a misnomer. I don't know why the term caught on. Maybe because the previous way of attaching shoes to pedals was using toe clips. To the extent that toe clips and straps are no longer required, the pedals of which I speak are "clipless".
The advantage of any way of more tightly binding the shoe to the pedal is that you can improve your pedaling efficiency. The pedal+cleat or pedal+toe clip+toe strap combination allows you to exert force through a larger part of the pedal stroke. I'm not sure it would be twice as much, but certainly more. You are correct that there is no free lunch, however, during that increased arc, you use somewhat different muscles.
I use the Look KeO pedal system on my bikes. To walk around much (safely, without ruining my cleats) I need covers for the cleats. A lot of people like Shimano's SPD system for this reason. The cleat is smaller, so the shoes often have ridges that don't interfere with the pedal, but protect the cleat from impact on the pavement when walking. I keep a pair of shoes under my desk at work for post-commute/shower walking. The covers are sufficient for the other walking I do. If I'm just bopping around town, I ride a bike with old-fashioned block pedals or suffer with my Looks and tennis shoes. You can also get platform adapters that give you a bigger flat surface.
The best way to figure all this stuff out is to wander on over to your LBS sometime and just look at what they have for sale. Ask a couple questions if anything is unclear.
SlowCoachOnTheRoad said:Perhaps you may fill me or us in, for the uninitiated (I spelled that 5 times before getting it right). Firstly, why is it called clip-LESS if it is has a clip? Secondly, would I be right (just guessing here) that the advantage is that one is pulling and pushing (duh) thus doubling the foot power (but also doubling the rider's actual effort since there is no free ride - but maybe not completely double as the leg still has to go around the half circle one doesn't ordinarily pull - so approaching double the effort). Thirdly, I was always under the impression that clipless pedals require special shoes that hook on somehow, thus would I assume one must carry an extra pair of shoes for just walking around after getting off the bike?
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After a year streak of not falling from when I first got them - I did the perfect, slow motion fall last week right at Grand and Lake Shore Dr. Was leaving Ohio St beach and got stopped on the path as it drastically sloped down to the street by a car turning right. No big deal - clipped out and was talking to my friend - unfortunately the side pitch on the path was to my left and I had clipped out of my right pedal. Felt like I needed a Wile E. Coyote 'Oops' sign in how slow motion I toppled! And of course a beautiful Thursday evening on the lake shore path so absolutely no one else was around. <facepalm>
I only fell twice getting used to them last year (helped that I used them on the computrainer a lot before hitting the roads) but both times were also on the lake shore path. My big adjustment was remembering to unclip the foot on the side that I am turning to. Inevitably I cut a quick left turn with my right foot unclipped. Only took me once to forever remember that lesson! :)
(and apparently it is to post one of my embarrassing moments to go from a reader of chainlink to a member finally!)
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Permalink Reply by S on
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If you got with MTB pedals and shoes, the treads on the MTB shoes extend past the cleat so you get pretty good grip and can walk around in them. Aside from the other advantages people have mentioned, clipless pedals can also reduce any hot spots you get in your foot since the rigid sole plate on cycling shoes means that you're pushing with more of your foot and don't have all the pedaling force concentrated on the small bit of your foot over the pedals.
SlowCoachOnTheRoad said:Perhaps you may fill me or us in, for the uninitiated (I spelled that 5 times before getting it right). Firstly, why is it called clip-LESS if it is has a clip? Secondly, would I be right (just guessing here) that the advantage is that one is pulling and pushing (duh) thus doubling the foot power (but also doubling the rider's actual effort since there is no free ride - but maybe not completely double as the leg still has to go around the half circle one doesn't ordinarily pull - so approaching double the effort). Thirdly, I was always under the impression that clipless pedals require special shoes that hook on somehow, thus would I assume one must carry an extra pair of shoes for just walking around after getting off the bike?
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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on
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Of course the downside is, yes, you must use special shoes. You wouldn't want to duck-walk around in road racing clipless shoes, but many manufacturers make walking friendly clipless shoes. Check out Teva, Keen, Shimano, and Five Ten for some examples.
If you want cleat-compatible shoes you can walk in, look for mountain bike shoes (as opposed to road shoes) or sandals. I've got a comfortable pair of Keen sandals that will accommodate cleats, as well as some sleek looking Pearl Izumi mountain bike shoes.
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