BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

ugh, sorry to hear that. i've done the exact same thing a few times but luckily nothing worse than skinned knees as a result... but, i basically don't ride clipless anymore around town - only on longer rides. not that it helps your current situation, but i can't offer you much aside from empathy.

that read like a very epic haiku.

...i hope you recover fully and inexpensively.

Health care options for the uninsured.

Sorry to hear about that. I have fallen over sideways going like 2mph before and ended up with just scraped knees also.

As far as rib fractures go, they are quite painful for a while. Even if you got an xray, the treatment is conservative, unless part of the broken ribs punctured a lung.. And in that case, you would know, and it would be kind of an emergency. As long as you don't have kidney or liver problems, you can take Tylenol as directed (depending on which strength the pills are) and motrin 800mg three times a day. That may help. We also tell people to use ice for joints/broken bones and heat for muscles. Unfortunately, sleeping may be difficult. Hope this helps.

I've also tried clipless pedals several years ago and never ever got used to them.I fell several times.My last spill was a bad one and I nearly got killed when it was in front of a moving car.That's when I decided to forget clipless pedals.

Stefb is spot on. There's really nothing to do even if you did break your ribs and you'd know by now if they punctured something.

They take a long time to heal. I did something similar, you have my sympathies.

+1 for ice and Tylenol. I've broken ribs three times in the last ten years. The first time I went to the ER. After several hours and x-rays they said to go home and take Tylenol. I've found sleeping in a reclining chair to be the least painfull, but it takes some time until you get a full nights sleep.

Sorry to hear about your fall.

i bruised my ribs at the youth brigade show at belvederes 1.5 years ago. i'm glad it was at the end of the road season. breathing sucked.

My dad tipped over when forgetting to unclip at a stop, and somehow managed to break his shoulder. He needed surgery and had his arm in a sling for two months. So... could be worse, I guess?

I had my first clipless incident a couple weeks back. I was riding on the sidewalk on 5th Ave down by Bakery Square and a lady steeped out in front of my at an intersection crosswalk where its really narrow between you and the light pole. Well I couldnt stop and to stop my self from clipping the light pole I used my hand to push off it but I pushed to hard and jumped the curb onto 5th right in front of a bus. Luckily the driver saw the whole thing happen and was going slow, but I had to sit down for a few minutes so my heart rate would return to normal.

note to self: skip clipless

I love riding clipless, I really doubt I'll ever ride platforms again. It definitely takes some practice and muscle memory when riding around PGH with all the frequent stops.

i would rather have clipless than platforms. when the weather was bad a month or so ago, i took my mtb out and it really sucked to not be able to pull up if i needed to. i have my clipless pretty loose.. just tight enough to keep the shoe on but not too tight that clipping out is difficult.

Maybe i'm whistling past the graveyard here, but I got some clipless pedals and shoes and it hasn't been a problem at all. Getting out is easy. Getting in takes some getting used to but getting out is just a twist of the ankle.

(Knock on wood just in case...)

it's completely easy - up until that time something unexpected happens and you forget. it's not worth it in traffic as far as i'm concerned.

PS: pulling up is a myth

I stepped from Plank to Plank

A slow and cautious way

The Stars about my Head I felt

About my Feet the Sea.

I knew not but the next

Would be my final inch-

This gave me that precarious Gait

Some call Experience.

-Emily Dickinson

Is it a myth? I felt like I was lifting my feet off of the platform pedals.

PS: pulling up is a myth

Response #1: I thought that was pulling out?

Response #2: Troll.

No, pulling out completely works. Just don't pull out in front of a car.

I won't dispute that the clipless keeps your feet from lifting off the pedals, but I think it's been proven that "lifting" on the upstroke with clipless doesn't really help you.

It helps me not fall off the pedals, and I sure feels a whole lot better.

I mostly ride flat pedals (including in the rain/snow/etc) and I can think of one time in recent memory my foot slipped. Completely my fault - I downshifted too close to the intersection at a red light, when I stood up to get going again the chain skipped and I lurched forward. my foot fell off one pedal and IIRC I somehow got a good whack from the pedal or chainring on the heel/leg/foot as well. so, clipless would have prevented that - but might have led to me toppling over instead, in traffic.

Stefb, there is a philosophical subculture of zealots who vehemently oppose riding with foot retention, apparently led by this nut-job out of the PNW named Grant Peterson. The guy makes lovely frames. If you like and prefer using clipless pedals, continue to use them, it is impossible to explain that preference to someone who does not like it. And for those who do not like foot retention, go thou joyously in it's non-use. There, that should save a lot of time.

I do have an old Bridgestone, but I certainly wouldn't describe myself as a Peterson zealot (and had no idea he was the leader of this alleged "anti-clipless crusade"). FWIW, my pedals are SPD on one side and flat on the other.

I wholeheartedly agree about "do what you want to do", but don't agree there's no point in discussing it - especially in a thread about someone getting hurt while using clipless pedals who otherwise might not have. I'm sure it's a small level of increased risk all things considered, but I do think it is an increased risk.

I think it's really good to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of technology like clipless.

I think it's wrong to assail those that don't use cleats as some sort of odd cult.

I am not some "nut job" because there are times in traffic I want my feet off the pedals NOW - not in a few tenths of second.

Accidents happen quickly. The time it takes to fall from rest on a bike is leisurely in comparison. If your dismount has been - even once - too slow for that stately drop, WTF are you doing playing in traffic?

I hear people ascribing knee pain on the MS 150 to their clipless. Am I a "troll" for mentioning that?

Is it some "philosophical subculture of zealots" that claims a person can ride a bike in regular clothes?

Interestingly, I will not ride clipless in the woods because I am afraid I am gonna bite it and not be able to clip out fast enough and really hurt myself. I know a lot of these things are in my head.

I've adopted the pedaling technique of tipping my toe up on the upstroke and tipping down on the downstroke, thus letting me get some torque out of >200º of each stroke. It's easier in shoes with a bit of heel.

With my meniscus tear, I don't think I even want to try clipless.

The remarks, "pulling up is a myth", and that "pulling up in clipless doesn't work...proven", pretty absolutist, mais non? Particularly in a thread inquiring what to do about an injury, not about the benefits and deficits of foot retention. I'm pretty sure the OP is aware that being clipped in can cause injury. Everyone has a story. There have been times that I have nearly bitten it on the street when I go to sprint and my foot comes off. Shall I not sprint? I find the ability to accelerate quickly a safety feature. If you're going to clip in, start with them loose, and gradually tighten up, simple.

So go out and ride joyously, try different things, and do what feels right to you.

I loved the Emily Dickenson.

And Stu, what you're describing is called "ankling", considered excellent form in earlier eras. A technique also derided by the Rivendellians.

I agree totally with how Mick and salty feel about clipless, from my own personal experience.I was nearly killed riding in clipless pedals due to when I had to make an unexpected sudden stop and pulling out of the pedals less than less than a tenth of a second too late,but that;s all it takes to get badly hurt or even killed.I will never ride clipless again.For me it's not worth it.Just my own personal opinion.

Eh, I think it's easier to get out of clipless pedals in a pinch than it is to get out of clips and straps when they're tight enough to give you any real performance benefit.

There's a place for both - clipless is better on the soles of my feet and has better energy transfer, but if I'm going to be walking anywhere I prefer to use clips and straps. The trick is remembering what you're using at a moment of crisis and reacting accordingly...

I'm new to clipless, and like I said earlier, so far, so good.

This is an interesting discussion here, and I want to be sure I get it, so bear with me: So, the originator of this thread (and I do hope you heal quickly) suffered a "wreck while I was stopped." And boostuv "was riding on the sidewalk on 5th Ave down by Bakery Square and a lady steeped out in front of my at an intersection crosswalk where its really narrow between you and the light pole. Well I couldnt stop..." and salty cites "that time something unexpected happens and you forget."

So the case being made against clipless here boils down to an operator who comes to a stop without clipping out, another operator on the sidewalk who has to choose between hitting a light pole and an old lady (neither of which, by the way, are normally to be found on the road, right?), and an operator who cites the danger of forgetting to clip out.

So if I simply remember to clip out before I come to a stop and avoid the hazards of sidewalk cycling, I should be okay?

Pulling up/across is a big help with accellerating and climbing hills fast. There are a few things about cycling that aren't automatically intuitive and require lots of practice until they become so ingrained that you really can't forget.

For the casual rider who doesn't intend to ever put in that kind of time, perhaps it's best to stay away from those situations. For others, it's worthwhile.

(Boostuv, where are you trying to go through 5th & Penn? I generally avoid that intersection -- though I wouldn't recommend the sidewalk to anyone over the age of 13, either. To Pitt, I would use MacPhereson, Dallas/Linden, Wilkins, Beeler, Forbes. It's a little more roundabout but the traffic is lighter and doesn't tempt you to split lanes or filter dangerously)

ALMKLM, since you are interested in giving it a shot, let me reiterate, locate the tension adjustment on the pedals, learn it and use it. If you're not sure, have a shop show you. Set it loose to start, and increase the tension as your confidence and strength increases. If you know skiing at all, using the setting as the pedals come from the box is like sending a 50 lb kid out on skis set for a 200 lb man.

The efficiency that a constant connection between your shoes and pedals provides is not a myth. Every time you have to adjust to find that "sweetspot" of your pedal stroke, you are wasting energy. Multiply your rpms by the amount of minutes you ride and it adds up (quickly).

Much like Stefb, I was uncomfortable clipping in in the woods because my bindings were too tight (I have also experienced stop-sign spills). I loosened my pedals to the widest setting and I have had no need to tighten them since. The widest setting provides great efficiency and confidence for unclipping.

But I am also a firm believer in "to each his/her own."

But I am also a firm believer in "to each his/her own."

^That.

I started riding clipless for the 'bent, where clipless makes a very appreciable difference on rides of real length. Not having to expend additional energy to keep my feet flailing around in mid-air helps, ya know?

When I got the Bianchi, I found that I'm more comfortable, and 'feel' faster, when clipped in than otherwise, but I've never bothered to measure relative speed.

I can say that, for me, climbing hills is easier when clipped in. Not a myth, just not necessarily universal.

the idea that "pulling up is a myth" is partially a myth.

when spinning efficiently, cyclists tend to generate more power by not pulling up on the upstroke. that much is true. however, some of the most efficient spinners do unweight a bit on the upstroke, which causes the downstroke to be easier and more efficient. try unweighting your foot without it being attached do the pedal, and see how much fun that is.

additionally, pulling up on the upstroke does help appreciably when climbing particularly steep hills or when accelerating hard. any time a significant amount of force is needed to complete the pedal stroke, it's nice to be able to apply it in both directions. this is, of course, of limited utility, but i don't think it's trivial.

for my own personal experience, i feel riding clipless has prevented more minor accidents than it's caused. then again, all (three of) the falls i've had in the past year, i didn't even notice that i clipped out. and i've had more than one occasion where i might've bit it if my foot was allowed to slip off the pedal, which, incidentally, is why they're so useful for mountain biking.

note, though: i don't give a cow's caboose what anyone else uses. do what makes you happy.

@edmonds - good tip. When they installed them at Dirty Harry's, they were fairly loose, and have been just fine so far.

What dmg said. Clipless is awesome once you're used to it and for long rides where the majority of time in your clipless shoes is spent on the bike. I'm perfectly comfortable in clipless in traffic, mountain biking, doing pretty much whatever. They become second nature after a while. You will fall over a few times before you starting just clipping out automatically.

That said, I used bmx style platform pedals and Holdfast or Blaq retention straps for most of my riding, including overnight camping trips so I don't have to carry extra shoes.

fair point "pulling up is a myth" was uncalled for - although hardly any worse than the anecdotal "evidence" and theories offered above as proof that it's "real".

personally - obviously i have my doubts whether it actually helps, but i still ride clipless anyways, usually on longer rides. it definitely feels good to be attached to the pedals, regardless of whether there's any benefit to it or not. absent a mechanical problem like the chain slipping, i can't say i ever have an issue with my feet slipping off the pedals, clipless or not, regardless of how much effort i'm putting in.

for me, the most tangible benefit of it is the mental energy i don't have to spend making sure my feet are on the pedals the way i want them to be. it's one less thing i have to worry about.

hmm... I installed these german dynamo pedals that have blinkin lights in them(white in front, yellow on the sides, red in black). They are sided (the top has metal bits that bite standard shoe soles, the bottom is smooth rounded slippery). They will hold... I'll call them toe cages, which they might have even come with but I bike in so many different pairs of shoes I ignored. I don't think they will do clipless foot retention.

I love these pedals. I get more comments form non-cyclists saying that they are super visible and awesome than any other visibility measure I take (and I take tons). I can't turn them off. I can't forget them. They sparkle. Drivers notice them.

I was never really headed towards the foot retention arena before, but the comfort these pedals have brought me will keep me squarely away. I hope some day they come up with something similar for clipless people too, not sure how that would work but it'd be nice.

Just figured I'd throw that out there.

Deborah - rib injuries suck, hope you heal fast and cheap soon! My rib adventures were always the worst half healed - felt great until that one breath or movement that surprised the hell outta me in the worst way. Hope you don't get that.