Had my first "I can't clip out" crash today

[bo55diesel]

Well, the inevitable finally happened today and I crashed due to not being able to get my dang shoe unclipped from the pedal.

I was out riding on the streets and was trying to cross a busy four-lane road. I was getting my track stand on and waiting for a slow moving car to go by so I could get across. At the last minute, the driver slowed down to turn into a strip mall whose entrance was just past where I was balancing. Another car was coming behind him and there was no time to cross.

I felt myself tipping to the right and tried in vain to get my foot free. I caught myself with my right hand, but I landed on a rock the size of a walnut right in the meaty part below my thumb. I'm sure a bruise is coming soon - it is pretty sore right now. All I could do was laugh and twist my foot loose. I got back in the saddle and headed down the road wondering how many people are going to tell their friends they saw some idiot lay himself out in the street on his bike today.
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[brrraptors]

damn, good thing you didn't fall into the path of an oncoming car that couldn't stop. I had a friend in a similar situation and he hit a turning carand went over the hood. cycling accidents are no joke.

what pedals have you got? i've been thinking about getting either the Look Keo or some Speedplays. just dont have the $$ for either right now since i justsplurged on my new racing bike. we need to get a biking thread going!

 

[vctry20]

fixie?

 

[k0betw0]

this is why i don't tighten my straps. sure you cant push as hard, but centrifugal force keeps ur foot in place imo. being able to bail out with loosestraps ftw!

 

[bo55diesel]

Originally Posted by brrraptors

damn, good thing you didn't fall into the path of an oncoming car that couldn't stop. I had a friend in a similar situation and he hit a turning car and went over the hood. cycling accidents are no joke.

what pedals have you got? i've been thinking about getting either the Look Keo or some Speedplays. just dont have the $$ for either right now since i just splurged on my new racing bike. we need to get a biking thread going!

I am very lucky that no cars came into play. I use Time Alium pedals. I ride an urbanized mountain bike, so weight is not an issue. There are road pedals thatare lighter, but these are really good pedals and you can get them on PricePoint or Jenson for around $50 most of the time.

Originally Posted by vctry20

fixie?

Nope, 27 gears to choose from. I rode a fixie once and it is definitely a different experience. I ride between 15 and 25 miles at a time, so the gears come inhandy for the hills.

Originally Posted by k0betw0

this is why i don't tighten my straps. sure you cant push as hard, but centrifugal force keeps ur foot in place imo. being able to bail out with loose straps ftw!

I guess I used the wrong terminology. My pedals accept cleats on the bottom of my riding shoes, so I guess they are technically clipless pedals. I've heardguys use the phrases "clip in"and "clip out" to describe the action of engaging and disengaging the cleats, so I assumed it was correct. Toget my foot loose I have to rotate my ankle 15 degrees outward; I wasn't quick enough this time.

 

[k0betw0]

oh man. in that case thats terrible. ive heard some terrible clipless accidents. ur terminology was right, i just naturally assumed u ran clips and straps andnot clipless. nevertheless, i hope you have a speedy recovery although it seems like the damage wasn't that bad and could have been worse!

 

[bo55diesel]

Originally Posted by k0betw0

oh man. in that case thats terrible. ive heard some terrible clipless accidents. ur terminology was right, i just naturally assumed u ran clips and straps and not clipless. nevertheless, i hope you have a speedy recovery although it seems like the damage wasn't that bad and could have been worse!

Yeah, the damage is minimal. There is a nice bruise developing on my hand, but everything else is cool. I was actually kind of surprised that Idid not get any scrapes.

The bike made it through great - no broken levers, bent derailleurs, or frame scratches. The only mark is a small scuff on one of the bar end caps for my Odigrips and who cares about those?

 

[dl2352]

Man, glad to hear you came out alright. Getting in a bike accident is a constant fear of mine whenever I'm out riding. Doesn't stop me from riding butit definitely keeps me alert and on edge. I guess sense of fear/thrill is one of the draws of riding a fixed gear bike though.

 

[bo55diesel]

I think it would be challenging to ride a fixed gear bike around the city. I'm always on and off the breaks, hopping tracks and pot holes, and all sorts ofother stuff that is easier when you can stop pedaling and/or set your pedals to perform a specific task.

 

[brrraptors]

I got an old fixie frame from the local dump when i went to drop off a bunch of cardboard. But its gonna need a lotta TLC to get it back to riding condition,it'll be a project in the works for the future.

Clipping off in emergency is one of my biggest fears. I was riding along a local highway and a car was passing me on the left all of a sudden he turned rightwithout warning but I as able to brake and escape a crash. Dude apologized profusely and said he didn't see me at all, I must've been in his blind spotfor that moment. I try to be as visible as possible, bright reflective clothing etc. Its sad how many drivers have zero respect for cyclist as they believe youshould be on the sidewalks. Had a buncha kids in a pick up sneak up behind me and hornblast me thinking it was funny. That definitely shocked me for a min.Then driving off with exhaust smoke in my face. cyclists get no respect in most places.

 

[bo55diesel]

Originally Posted by brrraptors

I got an old fixie frame from the local dump when i went to drop off a bunch of cardboard. But its gonna need a lotta TLC to get it back to riding condition, it'll be a project in the works for the future.

Clipping off in emergency is one of my biggest fears. I was riding along a local highway and a car was passing me on the left all of a sudden he turned right without warning but I as able to brake and escape a crash. Dude apologized profusely and said he didn't see me at all, I must've been in his blind spot for that moment. I try to be as visible as possible, bright reflective clothing etc. Its sad how many drivers have zero respect for cyclist as they believe you should be on the sidewalks. Had a buncha kids in a pick up sneak up behind me and hornblast me thinking it was funny. That definitely shocked me for a min. Then driving off with exhaust smoke in my face. cyclists get no respect in most places.

Agreed. My city is not a bike friendly city at all. There are no dedicated bike lanes on the streets, though they have designated a couple ofstreets as "bike routes" which means they painted a stencil of a person on a bike every so often on the right hand side of the lane. The road is notany wider or anything, they just painted a picture on it. Freaking stupid.

I've had my share of close calls with drivers who don't give me any room or cut me off. When they go by and yell, "Get out of the road!" Iyell back, "It's legal!" The best is when they yell or honk and then I catch them at a stoplight. I ride up to their window and let them know inno uncertain terms what an idiot they are and that they should respect riders instead of putting their lives in danger by buzzing them too close or cuttingthem off. There have been a couple of times when a driver put me in a real bad situation where I almost wrecked and they have been invited to pull into aparking lot so that we can sort it out. Curiously, nobody ever wants to square off with the 225 pound bald guy who is screaming at them for driving like afool.