Life with clipless pedals

I recently purchased my first "real" mountain bike -- a 2005 Specialized Stumpjumper Disc hard tail. It is, by far, the nicest bike I've ever ridden.

I took the bike out on a first "shake down" ride this afternoon after work. This was my very first experience with clipless pedals, so I tried to be extra mindful of their operation. Overall, the experience was positive. The "clip in/clip out" dance becomes intuitive rather quickly. However...

They say there are two types of riders that use clipless pedals: Those that HAVE fallen, and those that WILL.

I'm now in the "have fallen" category. I knew it would happen eventually, but I didn't expect it to happen on my first ride. I lost a little skin on my right knee, and somewhat more skin on my right elbow. Nothing broken, but I'm starting to hurt a bit.

Luckily, there was no one around to witness my ungraceful flop.

More luckily, I fell on relatively smooth concrete. It could have been much worse -- like asphalt or gravel. Ouch.