MikeyBoyAz

I love clipless fail stories. Mine was back on the MTB doing some urban rock crawling (stair cases etc). I bottomed out the crank and the rest is history. Never had a problem since. Back then it was just SPD MTB system. with the SPD-SL the worst I get is not locking the pedal IN. Pedal Struck my shin hard enough to bruise the bone and cause a hematoma, which is still there (wasn't that long ago, maybe a month). Started heat therapy and the whole calf turned green and purple. It kind of sucked to say the least.

bikerjp

Despite the photo evidence, I find this all very suspect.

MikeDVB

Yeah I'm just using the MTB SPD, not using SPD-SL currently.

MikeDVB

That's why cleaned was in single quotes. She did what she called cleaning, I call it disarranging my disorganization so that I cannot find things where they should be. .

So what if my pedal wrench doesn't go on the window sill at the far end of the garage - if that's where I left it, that's where I expect to find it when I need it next!

Pirkaus

There are 2 kind of people who ride clip less pedals, those that have fallen, and those who have yet to fall.
I can unclip both feet with equal ease, for emergency purposes now (lots of practice).
When stopping in traffic, I always unclip my right foot, that way I am leaning away from the traffic.
My most memorable fall was at a traffic light at a crowded intersection, I rolled up to the stop line, stopped and proceeded with the slow motion fall with 4 lane of cars watching me. The only injury that day was my fragile ego.
Glad to hear you sustained no major injury, I was expecting broken bones etc from the title.
Pirk

b_t

FWIW, I took up spinning in the winter and used SPD cleats for about 10-20 classes before I ever rode outside, and have never fallen off the bike. That would be another way to at least get you familiar with the clipping/unclipping.

Dirt Road

Did anybody expect that a "busted knee" would be more of a horror story here? (Maybe my jaded outlook is showing.)

daihard 

I was certainly afraid. I knew that the OP had just gotten a Synapse Carbon 3 as he talked about it in another thread. Crashing that new bike and truly *busting* his knee... that would have been truly horrendous.

JimF22003

I have what used to be a beautiful looking DA DI2 rear derailleur. It's scuffed all to hell now. Not because of being able to unclip (that I can recall) but because of various other low-speed mishaps. It still works. It's only battle scars

MikeDVB

Yeah, my friends said, 'It adds character!' and then they said, 'It's going to get scratches and dings from rocks flipping up and simply using the bike anyways.'

I suppose I should have said 'Scraped up my knee' rather than 'Busted' but the thread title was too long and I didn't have room to be more descriptive .

I've got the unclipping and putting a foot down figured out now where this won't happen again... At least not like that . I can't say I won't ever fall over again as it's certainly possible and I don't want to jynx myself but I, at least, won't fall over again because I accidentally re-clipped.

timtak

The gears can still change okay but the derailleur hanger be bent. The hanger is the little piece of aluminium connecting the gears to the frame and it is designed to bend to protect the derailleur. Is is a little strange that it is not bent imho.

BTW is there a light injuries thread?
I head-butted the road.
This guy face butted a guard rail (nasty)
Both of us are okay now. I think.

MikeDVB

It looks straight to me:


Where it looks like it doesn't line up with the red line in the middle is due to perspective and that part of the chain being further away from the camera.

If something looks amiss to you let me know - my LBS looked at it today when I swapped out for a demo saddle and didn't see anything wrong.

scott967

Your story sounds a little like my experience a couple weeks ago. In this instance they are repaving a road I use, and first step was to grind down the asphalt to the gravel, It was pretty much un-rideable, but instead of turning around and taking a different route, I saw that the concrete gutter/curb was still in good shape and I figured, "I can ride that no problem" (normally the road surface would be level with the gutter, but after scraping it was about a 4 in drop). So I proceeded down along the gutter. Went OK for a block or so. Then (not exactly sure -- happened fast) I'm guessing I was getting a little bit too far to the left and started to correct, but I think sometimes at slower speed you are starting to turn right but your front wheel actually tracks left a bit at first. Anyway I went off the gutter on the left, but I think I was still turning right so the front wheel against the gutter edge threw me right off. Sort of like that pro on Paris-Roubaix or Tour of Flanders last month if you saw that crash (not so bad at my speed of course). Fortunately it launched me to the right far enough I missed the curb and landed in the grass between the curb and sidewalk, so body was OK but bike ended up on the curb. So like you my right brake lever and RD got some scratches and I was kind of bummed (first impact) but now I figure it's just "war paint". I keep hearing how fragile the der hanger is, but I can't see any problem (don't have the Park tool for that but I can't see any functional issues at all).

scott s.
.

MikeDVB

Adjusted front and rear derailleurs. Both were a smidge off. Was rubbing chain a bit in back when on the fifth smallest cog and rubbing the derailleur a bit in the front when in the largest on the front smallest on the back.

Fixed the rear with the barrel adjustment on the derailleur and the front needed it's cable tightened a smidge. Working beautifully on the stand now I just gotta put some power on it and see how it handles. I have my multi tool with me so I can make fine adjustments to the high and low limits if I have issues getting into top or bottom gears.

I set the upper and lower limits a little conservatively to avoid throwing a chain as I can always loosen them up a bit if it's too tight but if it's too loose I could toss the chain.

zymphad

When I put my foot down, feet still clipped is at the 6 o clock so the foot free pedal is at 12, quite hard to clip back in for me.

MikeDVB

I had them both unclipped and my right side pedal was at 6... Novice mistake.

rumrunn6

glad the fall wasn't worse. wifey tripped while walking once and landed on her knee on the curb while she was out with her girlfriends. broke her kneecap in 1/2 like this illustration. they got her to the ER in a cab and waited for me to arrive an hour later. man I never saw swelling like that. she was on morphine in short order and in surgery 8 hours later.

https://centralcoastortho.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Patella-Fracture.png

MikeDVB

OUCH that would suck. Did you ask her if she was an experienced walker after all was said and done?

JReade

Except when you round first or second.

zymphad

Yeah I'm a novice too and waiting for my first fall. Also noticed in your OP you were close to the curb. I avoid curbs now, even if I was using flats. On Intersections I take over the entire lane, I don't want cars accelerating next to me while going across intersection.

MikeDVB

It was like 11 PM and I was in my neighborhood - there was nobody around to see me fall [or any cars to try passing me] but yeah - if I'm nervous I take the road.

I did just get a mirror for my helmet that attaches with velcro so I can see what/who is coming up behind me without having to constantly twist my head around.