[norcom]

I'm wondering how many out there blame your clipless pedals for your broken bones. I'm pretty sure that if I weren't clipped in I wouldn't have a broken leg right now. But that's my situation and the way I came off the skinny.

Were you clipped in when you broke your XYZ?
If you were, do you think your injuries would have been less severe if you weren't?


I don't have a fear of clipping in again but I'm very unsure if/when I'll have the guts to try that skinny clipped in again.

Just wondering...

 

[timbone]

If I were in flats i'm sure it would have helped. It also would have helped if the pedal was lubed better. The spd's were a little sticky...but it happened so fast it may not have mattered.

 

[.Danno.]

Skinnies and clipless are a really bad combo.


All my significant injuries have happened while riding flats, but that's because I only XC clipped in. I doubt clipless are a lot more dangerous, except on skinnies...

 

[norcom]

Skinnies and clipless are a really bad combo.

I had to learn that lesson the hard way.

 

[iridexc]

i was on flats and it was one of the only reasons i had the balls to hit the dirt jump as big as i did...

 

[mojojojoaf]

Hit a cow at about 20-25mph- clipped in. Good news my bike was still attached to my feet when I hit the ground after flipping aobut 10ft in the air. Bad news, whether I had been on flats or not would not have made a difference. I have never felt like being clipped in contributed to any of my accidents other than riding in clay around Gemini Bridges UT in early spring. I was glued to my pedals in that case but nothing worse than falling over when I stopped for a break.

 

[outdoornut]

I've broken bones on flats and clipped in. All of mine happened so fast it wouldn't have
mattered. Even clipped I can usually get unclipped pretty fast and have even landed on
my feet after going over the bars. Then again, I don't like skinnies that are very high
anyway so have never had the opportunity to fall off those.


ODN

 

[bad andy]

I have no idea really, but I won't be jumping with clipless anymore

 

[langford]

I broke my ankle due to clipless pedals, but it was a bit of a freak incident. Sliding sideways down a steep descent (due to sloppy braking skills) I managed to stay in control, noticed my right foot (uphill side) was at the bottom of the crank rotation and thought I should move it, but didn't want to interfere with my delicate balance at the time. My heel hit a mound on the trail and because of the angle I was on the pedal did not unclip. Crunchy noises and a broken ankle were the result. 3 months of no riding.
If I'd been riding on platforms, I woiuld have totally recovered from the slide and kept going.

But.... I think I will keep riding clipless, will try and avoid sliding sideways.

 

[MTBKauai]

I was clipped in when a noob took me out on A-line. No way to know if the injury would have been better or worse if I was or wasn't clipped.

 

[ATLRider]

I did not break bones as a result of being clipped in but tore both ACL and PCL after an unsuccessful bail on a DH course jump. My body twisted and my shoe stayed clipped. I felt the ligaments pop. Finished the run knowing my knee felt weird. When I went to throw my leg over the bike to get off I realized my knee was not attached right anynore. Had surgery 4 weeks ago and had the ligaments replaced. I have been jumping including dirt jumps for ever on clipless as well as flats, but for now on jumps and DH will be done on flats.

 

[YoungGun91]

For me it's natural to clip out when I'm in a bad situation.
I was flying down a run at Keystone (clipped in) and my wreck happened so fast I don't remember anything, but sure enough, when I came back to my senses I was clipped out and about 10 feet from my bike.

 

[[email protected]]

i ve been riding clipped in since i was 8 and one day i was on the bmx race track and hit a double and unclipped and landed on my face. since then i will never use spd pedals they have to much float i now use time z tacs. if i hadnt clipped out it i would have landed it

 

[farfromovin]

I've heard of friends breaking bones while falling, especially at slow speeds while clipped. Luckily, I haven't broken anything while clipped even with many falls. Last weekend I went over the bars on some technical XC trails, it all happened too quick. Somehow I landed unclipped? Time pedals... I just started real MTB'ing but have a long history of road riding so clips come natural. I have no doubt a lot of people can get hurt with clips on the trails if they aren't used to them.

 

[russelr]

Hit a cow at about 20-25mph- clipped in. Good news my bike was still attached to my feet when I hit the ground after flipping aobut 10ft in the air. Bad news, whether I had been on flats or not would not have made a difference. I have never felt like being clipped in contributed to any of my accidents other than riding in clay around Gemini Bridges UT in early spring. I was glued to my pedals in that case but nothing worse than falling over when I stopped for a break.

a cow???? haha that is tooo funny. did you have to true your wheels?

 

[FireLikeIYA]

I just broke my wrist after crashing while clipped in. It was an OTB accident and I was actually able to unclip myself mid-crash. The time I spent concentrating on unclipping could have prevented myself from landing the way I did and breaking my wrist however if I just went with the fall clipped in it would have been much worse. In my accident platforms would have been ideal.

 

[Mountain Cycle Shawn]

What about an option, for those of us who have been lucky enough to never have broken a bone? Now that I said that, I am worried that i'm gonna break one.

 

[russelr]

yeah that was dumb

 

[keith_mahoney]

I just broke my wrist after crashing while clipped in. It was an OTB accident and I was actually able to unclip myself mid-crash. The time I spent concentrating on unclipping could have prevented myself from landing the way I did and breaking my wrist however if I just went with the fall clipped in it would have been much worse. In my accident platforms would have been ideal.

Really? You went OTB and had the time to think "hey I should should twist my feet and clip out right about now"?
I have gone over the bars 3 times in the last couple of weeks due to being in unfamiliar terrain or grabby Juicy 7's. I ride Times and each and every time I flew out of the pedals, over the bars and on the ground before I knew what happened.
Maybe you should be some kind of special agent like the 7 million dollar man with that kind of time dilation abilities.

 

[Mountain Cycle Shawn]

Really? You went OTB and had the time to think "hey I should should twist my feet and clip out right about now"?
I have gone over the bars 3 times in the last couple of weeks due to being in unfamiliar terrain or grabby Juicy 7's. I ride Times and each and every time I flew out of the pedals, over the bars and on the ground before I knew what happened.
Maybe you should be some kind of special agent like the 7 million dollar man with that kind of time dilation abilities.

That's not uncommon. It's amazing the amount of things that go through your brain and the things you can do to save yourself in just a split second. Then later you think to yourself, "how did I do that? Or, how did I know to do that?" I think for a lot of us who live on the edge, you learn how to deal with stuff like this and you learn how to rely on your instincts.