I joined the club

Best one for me was after filtering up the outside of about a dozen cars at a closed station level crossing. Quite a few pedestrians there too that had just got off the train.

Not only had the pleasure of hitting the deck, i had no escape and had to wait there in my embarassement for a few minutes until the barrier opened.

It's a right of passage.

Was out on Tuesday and came accross a lady who had toppled over. Her husband was picking her up. Only her second ride with cleats and she admitted to hitting the deck a multiple times. I spent a few minutes explaining the best technique for unclipping, stopping and setting off again. A little practice in the village square and she was happy.

"why don't they give you advice when you buy these things" was her question. Indeed.

I became a fully fledged member in spectacular fasion a couple of years ago (about a month after trying clipless pedals).

Happened at rush hour at one of Durhams busiest cross road sections (Nevilles Cross).  I filtered right through the traffic to the front of the lights and happened to be positioned in front of one of those bright blue Subarus.  School children waiting at every possible pedestrian crossing.  I had my right foot clipped in and as the lights changed to green, somehow lost my balance when I bought my left leg up.  I could feel the whole of Durham's population laughing, topped off by one angry looking Subaru driver.

Hasn't happened again but that's what I think of every time I stop at those lights.

Do I get a membership card even if I wasn't trying to unclip?

Only a couple of weeks into commuting with SPDs, up a hill on the bike path - then need to cross the road.

Elegantly roll to the central island which has one of those thin signs that direct the traffic to the left of the reservation.

Little did I know it was spring loaded, so when I lent on it..... over I went.

Car coming up the hill that I was waiting for had the perfect view.

I've been down more times than Chumbawumba, but the one that always sticks in my mind is one where I'd been out for a ride with the wife in the forest, got back home and outside our house did a big 90-degree skid to a trackstand-type stop.  This was a stylish and beautifully executed end to the ride and she was hugely impressed by my youth, skill and exuberance.

And then I realised that my MTB also has SPDs, and I was still clipped in.  Down like a sack of spuds, landed right on my left hip, made a bruise the size of a rugby ball, couldn't walk properly for a week.  

great to hear other people's stories on this!

i've done 3 or 4 when i first switched to clipless - i think the most ridiculous one was when i was sat with a group of mates waiting to start a club ride, already unclipped on one side with my foot on the floor, then somehow managed to unbalance and fall over on the side that was still clipped in!

just remembered another good one, coming down an unfamiliar farm path with some loose gravel into a 90 degree bend (probably a bit too quick) and panicked. i couldn't slow down and unclip at the same time so opted to slow down enough as to not hurt myself and then gracefully crashed into a hedge / some nettles... 

1st ride for me as well.

Knew I would so came prepared - rode up & down a country lane with a grass verge on the side so I would get a soft landing.

Sure enough, wanted to stop & couldn't unclip so toppled dead weight into the ditch right in view of an oncoming car.

Which didn't stop BTW, they were probably too busy laughing!

The sound effects would have been worth recording. The noises of a   v-e-r-y   s-l-o-w--m-o-t-i-o-n chute velo punctuated by each riders curse*as he went down.

All it needed was for us to be passed by a man in an escaped bath tub to give it that full Last-of-The-Summer-Wine effect.

Many years ago, when the world was still young and toes straps & cleats where the norm…..

The cycling club, of  which I was a member, somehow found itself invited to take part in the parade for the annual fete in the village in which it was based.

At some point, as is the way of such things, the procession slowed to a halt – and we, being the proficient cyclists we were, track-stood en-masse. All very impressive (to those easily impressed) – Until one of us goes down…. taking the rest of us down in a slow motion domino effect.

My membership to the club started on November 25 1991. I had SPDs on my bike for 3 minutes before I joined the club. My most recent was was captured on camera

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPxOcG6g-hG/

So even after over 25 years of clipless riding it can still happen to you.

Been riding with cleats for over five years. Just got new pedals a month or so ago, and they're a lot more difficult to clip out of. A lot. Had a cleat moment and fell into a temporary roadwork barrier last week. 

Only came off once, way back in the mid 90s on the way to tesco trying not put a foot down round one of those stupid dog leg barriers (panniers both sides not helping) as I decided I wanted to see what the condition of the cut through path was like (it was shit). fell sideways between the barriers just avoiding landing on sternum on top of one of the barriers so just a bif of a scrape on the leg and a chain 'stripe'

I'd say only unclip one foot anyway just before coming to a stop, foot down then unclip t'other.

I had plenty of practice with platform on one side and SPDs in the other on my MTB. I always unclipped to the platforms: intially upon any sort of chance of a stop, then progressively cutting it closer to the dismount. By the time I got a road bike it wasn't an issue. I still try to unclip early and freewheel or soft pedal with my midfoot on the unclipped shoe the last few revs before a stop. Hasn't really worn out my outsole, and in any case I'd much rather scuff my sole than my face, but YMMV.

Still I had one topple where I leaned to the "wrong" side and barely managed to kick out my foot just enough to jam it out of the pedal and hit the back wheel of the rider next to me. I was alert enough to grab her dutch bike by the seatpost in order to hold her upright. She had no idea what she had witnessed and tut-tutted at me to watch out for other riders, as if I was trying out a reckless new dismount style. Fortunately, in hindsight, the lights changed and she rode on just as I was about to explain myself.

In primary on the RH lane at the entrance to a very big and quick roundabout. Came to a slow and increasingly panicked stop, finishing with a undiginified side plank on my left hand, still fully clipped in. Voice from concerned and amused driver behind me:

"You allright?"

"Yeah, I'm good"

My one and only clipped in topple was in traffic queue at some red lights. Fortunately my upper (right) leg was unclipped so I was able to lift it up enough to then twist the bike to release my other foot. Still waiting for my membership card.

Fifth ride? I fell off on my first, with both feet attached to the bike.   I'd got the tension on the pedals wrong and couldn't unclip.   I rode into a pub car park and leaned against a wall to try to unlace a shoe but toppled over and was as helpless as an overturned turtle until a kind (and very pretty) young lady emerged from the pub to help.

Shortly after that I was on holiday in France and fell off while clipped in.   This was in front of a bar full of French patrons, most of whom were sitting at pavement tables outside.   To make the spectacle even more enjoyable for them I was wearing a Union Flag jersey.