"Clipless" Are The Ones You Clip Into. "Clips" are the ones with no clips....

While I am not so bold as, say, Dylan who regularly plays with the border of human sanity, I do "ride hard" and "take it to the edge" on occasion. I am also not a slight man and so I have damaged by bike in many ways. I've broken spokes and chains, had to replace a derailleur and a brand new set of shocks; I've bent a lot of things that were meant to remain straight.

All of these things have happened while on the trail. Damage is to be expected and prepared for.

When I ride on the road, smooth and easy, I don't expect any such damage. Imagine my consternation, then, when my left pedal fell off mid-ride last night when I joined Blake and Crystal on their training. Not just the pedal, but the pedal and arm fell off. Right off.

Upon closer inspection I found that the bolt meant to keep that arm on the axle had somehow come loose then fell off. A mile or two later the arm itself fell off. I didn't find the bolt and so now get to do that thing I love to do so much: Spend money and time on my bike.

For almost 3 years now I have been considering the purchase of some fancy clipless pedals. As I rode and tried, for the zillionth time, to find some justification for spending that money my current pedal was good enough to fall right off.

Clipless!

Sidebar: I learned a lesson yesterday that I have learned many times before: My Texas biking garb is /not/ suitable for the canonical pacific northwest weather.