UKC

More speed, less haste

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Removed User 14 May 2013
So I'm cycling in to work today. The usual "flat out, take no prisoners" approach. And I'm coming up to the final set of lights in the centre of town where I need to make a left turn (equivalent of right turn in UK) and its red. Its a narrow side street so my brain says "don't wait at the lights, oh no, nip across onto the pavement. And just as I go a car comes from nowhere (his right of way) so I brake hard, come to a grinding halt and promptly fall over cos I can't get my feet unclipped.

So the little guy selling papers on the corner starts to rush to my aid and I give him the look which says "DO NOT MAKE A SCENE - DO NOT TAKE ONE MORE STEP" and I gather my last vestiges of dignity and cycle off (I did say thanks to him as I passed).

There are several lessons in this:

1, Stick to the rules of the road
2, More speed, less haste
3, Learn to unclip on instinct
4, The stupidity of your actions is directly proportional to the number of people watching you.
 nniff 14 May 2013
In reply to Removed User:


Wise words indeed.

I'd also add:

5. If you unclip your left foot, don't try and put your right foot down.
Removed User 14 May 2013
In reply to nniff:
> (In reply to Minneconjou Sioux)
>
>
> Wise words indeed.
>
> I'd also add:
>
> 5. If you unclip your left foot, don't try and put your right foot down.

LOL, done that have you?
michaelc 14 May 2013
In reply to nniff:
> (In reply to Minneconjou Sioux)
>
>
> 5. If you unclip your left foot, don't try and put your right foot down.

First time I was out using toe-clips (with straps) I fell foul of that one. Coming slowly to a halt between lanes of cars, put my right hand down to flip the buckle on my right clip, then went to put weight on left foot. Collapsed in a heap between two cars (all traffic stationary), but at least got my foot pulled out of clip on way to ground.

Was a learner driver in the car on my left, in a driving school car. She looked very shocked like she was wondering what on earth she'd done to cause that
 balmybaldwin 14 May 2013
In reply to Removed User:

6. If you have a choice between 2 lines to take, make the decision early and stick to it. (as a result of not following this rule I nearly went head on into a tree on Sunday)
 nniff 14 May 2013
In reply to Removed User:
> (In reply to Removed Usernniff)
> [...]
>
> LOL, done that have you?

I'm afraid so. There is a variation that goes like this.

Cease overtaking a line of stationary traffic on account of the blue-light police car hurtling the other way, and pull in behind a van. Unclip left foot and put left foot down. Lean to the right to look past the van and see where the police car has got to........
 lost1977 14 May 2013
In reply to Removed User:

my variation on 3 is learn to unclip and ditch (more difficult on a fixie) often safer than an impact with something larger than you
Removed User 15 May 2013
In reply to Removed User:
Haven't used clips at all since the day I almost ended up at the bottom of a lock on the Caledonian Canal with a bicycle securely attached to my feet. I'm not that good a swimmer!
 Toby_W 15 May 2013
In reply to Removed User: My friend saw an old guy on a motor bike stop a lights and just topple over, didn't even try to put his foot out. Ran to help to find the guy laughing on the floor. Everyone looked rather bemused at which point he states "just taken the side car off".

Cheers

Toby

My best, go to play tennis, glide to a halt on bike, swing leg over back of bike, catch racket sat in pannier bag with foot, land flat on my back under bike.
In reply to Toby_W:

Put new cleats on my shoes and went for a test ride round the yard. All OK until I came to a halt and I couldn't release!

Got told this one a couple of weeks ago:

rider coming up to lights which change to red at just the wrong moment, i.e. too late to push on through. He's now in much too big a gear so decides to stop and lean on one of those bollards that you get on traffic islands. He puts his hand out to reach it but it slides off and he lands on the floor. To make matters worse there was a school bus in the other lane

ALC
 jackappleby 15 May 2013
In reply to Removed User:

> 4, The stupidity of your actions is directly proportional to the number of people watching you.

A few years ago I was cycling along a busy road in London when the light turned red and I stopped. When it turned green I was out of the seat cycling away when the crank arm snapped clean off and I was set over my handlebars and collapsed in a heap. I felt many, many eyes on me and a few people came to my aid.

aligibb 15 May 2013
In reply to Removed User:

5. If you unclip your left foot, don't try and put your right foot down.

I think this one might be a rite of passage no?

mine was done coming to a stop after getting a puncture on my way home from work. The way home was a 770m altitude descent in the Alps though, and I had pulled over to the side of the hairpin road that is a ski run in the winter as a van was coming from behind. got left foot out but toppled right and off the edge of the road, down the hill/mountain and ended up stuck in load of pine trees... luckily the guy in the van saw in his mirrors and reversed back up the hill to rescue me. He delivered me home with my puncture and dented pride as I couldn't face fixing it while all bleeding battered and bruised!
 Strachan 15 May 2013
In reply to Removed User: First time I used clippy pedals one of the bolts wasn't in properly. It fell out, leaving the cleat free to pivot and so impossible to unclip. With the other foot in the early stages of nerve regeneration that wasn't coming out easily, so three pretty embarrassing falls that day, including halfway across a busy A road!

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...