have you done this...

trust me, it happens -- i've been clipless since '03, and i've had three falls while clipped in; surprised i haven't fallen since i got the new pedals.

if there's some tension adjustment on your pedals, loosen them up until you get used to them. if not, unclip aggressively and often 'til you get used to them.

tnladywolfe said:

ok i m new to road cycling and i just got shoes and new pedals for my bike. well i went out that day to get the feel of them. ummmmm i had my first fall on my bike ever in 2 years of riding. i could not get my feet undone fast enough. im going on friday to do some more getting use to them. is this normal that i cant get my feet undone fast enough or do they did more adjustments? any tips on this im missing?

Don't worry, it's normal. But, unlike toe clips, you have to anticipate when you are going to stop/unclip so you don't slow down to a crawl, in which case you topple.

It does take some getting used to at first (I haven't fallen yet😎 'knock on wood'😉 ) So be sure to think about when you are about to unclip/stop, sooner than later it will become second nature.

Good luck!

About twenty years ago I went to the bike store to try out a new bike, which had the new clipless pedals. I walked it out to the sidewalk, mounted up and clipped in and went about two yards. I was preparing to go out the driveway and into the street when I saw a car coming some distance away. It was far enough away that ordinarily I would have proceded out into the street. But since I was not used to the new bike and pedals, I decided to stop. Which I did, and then I slowly toppled right over, still locked in. So I might hold the Guiness World's record for shortest time from trying the clipless pedals to falling over. About one second. (I bought the bike.)

i have fallen twice already this season. [img]cyclingforums.comcool.gifOpen ↗[/img]

first time i was behind a car on an uphill at a stop sign. i was rolling slowly up behind her cause i was anticipating her going forward at her turn so i wouldnt have to unclip and stop. well, this chick was driving a manual and she actually rolled backwards like 4 feet and i jumped, couldnt get my foot unclipped and fell.

the second time i was just sort of rolling around waiting for my group ride to leave the lot, and i was goin along with a curb on my left side. When i saw that my group was going a different route, i stopped to see what was up, tried to unclip my left foot (i always put my left foot down first), and my heel hit the curb and didnt unclip. I fell. Thank god i only fell on my left and not my derailer side....that couldve gotten expensive.

First time it happened to me was when I was on my way to work .
It was 5.30 in the morning, I was rolling up to some traffic lights , came to a stop, unclipped my left foot and for some unknown reason leaned to my right!!!
I thought oh well, at least no one would see me this early in the morning,wrong!, I looked behind me and there was a bloke in a jeep crying with laughter, he was laughing so much he missed the lights change!

I've fallen three times (so far), once in my driveway, once at an intersection and once daydreaming on a country road.

Make sure you unclip before you come to a stop, as you're rolling up to your stop, do it then.

I did it tonight mountain biking, haven't done it on my road bike. Some technical parts of the trail slow me to a stop, and when I try to unclip last minute, I go down. Kinda of embrassing, and it's never fun landing on a bunch of stationary rocks.

Congratulations and welcome to the club 🙂 I think it is almost an initiation ritual that happens to every cyclist at some stage. Mine was only a few hours after I got my new shoes & pedals......luckily.....it hasn't happened since ! You will be used to them before you know it....then go back and try riding without them :eek:

Scarantino said:

I did it tonight mountain biking, haven't done it on my road bike. Some technical parts of the trail slow me to a stop, and when I try to unclip last minute, I go down. Kinda of embrassing, and it's never fun landing on a bunch of stationary rocks.

As opposed to landing on moving rocks?

Xsmoker said:

As opposed to landing on moving rocks?

Rocks like the ones behind me in this picture, as opposed to the smaller, broken up gravel-like rocks that slide around (usualy on steeper sections of a trail)
[img]img402.imageshack.uselpyf1.jpgOpen ↗[/img]

I bought my first (since I was a kid) bike in Jan this year. I count it a really good ride if I don't fall down at least once. Every ride there is some new combination of factors that causes me to not manage to get my left foot out of the clip: uphill, signal light didn't change when I anticipated, gravel on the road, leaned wrong way in a slow sharp turn, chain came off -- but I'm learning. Meanwhile, you might try WD40 on the cleats.

I've fallen a few times. Surprisingly it was when I was using my old mtb spd pedals. Since I got road pedals I haven't fallen once and they're easier to get in and out of for some reason.

OoAmericanGirl said:

I've fallen a few times. Surprisingly it was when I was using my old mtb spd pedals. Since I got road pedals I haven't fallen once and they're easier to get in and out of for some reason.

SH@T happens. I have fallen after getting cocky when trackstanding at an intersection (or attempting to because I am not very good at it). You just have to time it correctly. I know how much tension it takes to extract my cleats and I know how much time I have if I know I am going to have to put my foot down. But, I have still looked like an @ss on a few occasions. 😉

nice photo