…pulled up to a stoplight two days ago and couldn’t unclip fast enough for some reason. Plop - over I go onto my side. A minor scrap to the end of the pedal but fortunately no damage to the bike. A guy rolls down his window and asks if I’m OK. I tell him nothing is hurt except my pride.
Ever happen to you?
Didn’t happen to me but I was riding a big mountain bike festival and we got to the bottom of a popular trail where there were 20? people talking and deciding what to do next and my friend did the same thing. She just slowly tipped over to one side, I could see it coming but what can you do? I felt bad for her but everyone was super nice about it. Just some hurt pride.
Happened to me but nobody saw it. I was out in the country last year ridingg a new route. Came to a corner where I thought I was supposed to turn, the street sign was gone. Started looking around to see if it was on the ground and got below critical speed couldn’t get unclipped. Plop, trying to unclip while lying on the ground with the bike ontop of you is hard!
I think the stuck cleat has happened to almost everyone.
Last November, I was out for what I knew would be one of my last rides of the year. It was rainy but warm enough, and as I was going along I was thinking how lucky I was that I hadn’t once flatted or fallen all year (in over 4,000 miles). Sure enough, I begin to hear this ticking coming from my front wheel - a stone imbedded. I pulled it out and the tire deflated. So I pull over into the parking lot of a high school, and was actually amused as I fixed the flat.
So I hopped back on the bike and begin to tear out of the lot. Well, the school had recently put sealer on the asphalt, plus it was wet, plus I wasn’t thinking, and the first corner I took my wheel slipped right out from under me - BAM! Some kids who were skateboarding nearby started laughing and came over and asked, “DUDE! Are you alright!?” “Nothing but my pride guys, nothing but my pride.”
The bike was okay.
heh, yep. Riding right in the middle of downtown Minneapolis as I approached a stoplight and couldn’t unclip fast enough. Needless to say in the middle of downtown, there wasn’t a lack of people to see me fall on my @$$.
Oh yes,
It’s quite a feeling knowing there is nothing you can do about it, just accept your fate and wait til you hit the ground. Happened to me in Nice riding my bike to the bike check-in. Just had to wave and smile.
How’s this: You’re riding your motorcycle down the street, a nice custom cruiser. You’ve got your leathers on, looking totally badass. You pull up to a stoplight, nice and easy. And fall right over because you forgot to put your foot down.
It’s the longest 2 seconds and it only happens when you have an audience. Best just to laugh and start riding.
I have managed to fall over twice when I could not get unclipped. Very embarrassing.
The good news is that both times motorist said much friendlier things than I am used to hearing them say.
Twice, so far. Once I was alone, the other time at a busy intersection. It’s going to happen again, I’m sure…
Similar experience…first ride on my new bike with my wife and a friend. As we pull into our driveway, I do my typical thing - unclip the left foot, swing my left leg over the saddle so I’m standing on the right pedal. As I come to a stop, I put my left foot down and as I unclip the right shoe, my left foot slips out from under me…down I go, getting my right pedal jammed into the middle of my back and knocking the wind out of me. I’m lying there on the ground trying to laugh at how funny it must have looked (but unable to make a sound since my wind was gone) and my audience couldn’t decide whether to laugh with/at me or get ready to call 911.
3 times or so the first year I started cycling. The first time was the very first ride on my first bike, really pissed me off. The funniest was in a long line of cars where a train had everyone stopped. I was inching forward, with my foot unclipped, but applying pressure to the pedal (stupid), and just as I went to stop and set my foot down it clips in and I tumble over right into a cop car in front of tons of people. I get up and the cop asks me if I dented the car of all things. Last year I had a good one where I was comming to a stop. I unclipped my left leg as I came up to the side of the road, and got my cell phone out of my right pocket as it was ringing. Over I went as soon as I leaned right. I wasn’t wearing a shirt at the time, so I had to brush away all the dirt and leaves, and then I continued on my way pissed at my clumsiness. Next day I have red itchy bumps all over my body, turns out I fell into poison ivy. Not a good thing when not wearing a shirt and then deciding to ride and have the sweat spread the poison all over your body. Not fun, but kinda funny now.
My last tri I was screaming down a mild grade into a tight turn with an immediate uphill halfway through and out of the turn. The two guys in from of me sudden went through side by side. I got a little distracted. I slammed on my brakes and jammed my shifter to the small ring. I started pedalling out of the turn…oops…my chain is on the bottom bracket. I tried to pop it back up, ran out of speed up the grade…PLOP. The worst part is that I had to go down hill to get clipped in and then turn around and go up.
Uhhh. . .you guys are total tools. I’ve never rolled up on a stop sign, looking left at the super hottie in the Jeep Rubicon, nearly crashed into her bumper, tried to put a foot down only to discover that they are both still firmly attached to the Zero pedals, fallen over onto the sidewalk, scratching a brand new set of Nike Poggios. Never had a super-hottie laugh at me for falling over. . . .
Uhhh. . .NO. . .never happened to me. You guys are tools.
Cheer up. . .you could be this guy. . .
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This is exactly why intelligent riders have one shoe clipped and the other shoe is a regular cross-training sneaker.
You should try that. big grin
I do this ALL THE TIME when people are around! Never by myself…
Once per year.
The most embarrassing one two years ago, stopped in front of some construction work and held on to a temporary road sign without unclipping. The problem was that the sign hadn’t been properly fixed and started tipping. I did a nice slow motion crash including the sign :-/.
Simon
hahahaha. This thread is shinning example of why this forum rocks. All these years and I thought I was just a jackass. Turns out it happens to everyone. Only did it once and it was when I first started riding but did it at a very crowded intersection while waiting a stop light. Turned as red as my helmet.
SM
First time out on the damn things - spent an hour figuring out how to clip into them then - headed out an at the first stop sign about 300m from my house realised I hadn’t figured out how to clip out of them as I slowly fell onto my side…