First Five Rides + a Fall - Turbo Turbo Tero 6.0 X

[California]

My first four rides on my new bike were very enjoyable. I didn't stretch myself too much as I am getting used to riding a traditional bike again. I rode both on dirt trails and pavement. I think having a mountain bike has really opened up where I can go and enjoy the ride without having to worry about being able to maneuver around an obstacle (which is quite hard with a very long wheel base on a recumbent and skinny tires).

I also thoroughly enjoy being able to go up very steep grades and not having to insanely exert myself to get to the top. The amount of battery is far more than I need, but I like having a ton of torque.

The drop seat has been helpful for getting the bike into a car, and I was surprised that despite the weight I didn't have any real trouble getting it into an electric sedan even with a several inch jump between the seats (the seats don't fold flat). The only challenge here is the front fender gets in the way and bends a bit, and I have already removed it.

Specialized is supposedly ordering me a thing where I can carry a bag on the back as I would like somewhere to carry a lock, a jacket, some food and whatever but nothing as large as the panniers they are promoting.

I have had my bike for about a month, and I somehow managed to fall off my bike already. After riding a recumbent road bike for 20+ years, I think I only managed to fall off once. In general I am cautious with sporting activities whether skiing (avoiding steep drop offs), hiking (avoiding scary cliff edges) or biking. So I am not sure what happened.

I went to an area with mountain biking trails and looked at the steeper sections but I was not comfortable with the road surfaces. I decided to be very cautious and just ride along on the flat trails in the park. The trail I chose was somewhere where the rangers road their trucks, and during the heavy rains of this year, a lot of grooves were present. I wasn't really sure where to ride and moved from spot to spot. The trail was flat but somehow I did manage to fall. I think I was going about 10 mph. I may have used my brakes a little, but I was not trying to stop.

I fell mostly on my right side, but impacted both arms, one leg and the core area. The first day the core area hurt a lot, but now it's mostly my right side in general. I conveniently had a big celebration to go to that evening with 3 doctors in attendance and they said it will take 6 weeks to heal.

The crash happened 6 days ago, and I am a bit cautious about returning to ride when I am more healed. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about what I did wrong or how to ride in this messy kind of stuff. Most of what I have found on the internet seems to be geared towards people who want to "mountain bike" whereas I want to ride on trails away from traffic and have no real interest in technical mountain biking other than to not fall down.

 

[John from Connecticut]

My first four rides on my new bike were very enjoyable. I didn't stretch myself too much as I am getting used to riding a traditional bike again. I rode both on dirt trails and pavement. I think having a mountain bike has really opened up where I can go and enjoy the ride without having to worry about being able to maneuver around an obstacle (which is quite hard with a very long wheel base on a recumbent and skinny tires).

I also thoroughly enjoy being able to go up very steep grades and not having to insanely exert myself to get to the top. The amount of battery is far more than I need, but I like having a ton of torque.

The drop seat has been helpful for getting the bike into a car, and I was surprised that despite the weight I didn't have any real trouble getting it into an electric sedan even with a several inch jump between the seats (the seats don't fold flat). The only challenge here is the front fender gets in the way and bends a bit, and I have already removed it.

Specialized is supposedly ordering me a thing where I can carry a bag on the back as I would like somewhere to carry a lock, a jacket, some food and whatever but nothing as large as the panniers they are promoting.

I have had my bike for about a month, and I somehow managed to fall off my bike already. After riding a recumbent road bike for 20+ years, I think I only managed to fall off once. In general I am cautious with sporting activities whether skiing (avoiding steep drop offs), hiking (avoiding scary cliff edges) or biking. So I am not sure what happened.

I went to an area with mountain biking trails and looked at the steeper sections but I was not comfortable with the road surfaces. I decided to be very cautious and just ride along on the flat trails in the park. The trail I chose was somewhere where the rangers road their trucks, and during the heavy rains of this year, a lot of grooves were present. I wasn't really sure where to ride and moved from spot to spot. The trail was flat but somehow I did manage to fall. I think I was going about 10 mph. I may have used my brakes a little, but I was not trying to stop.

I fell mostly on my right side, but impacted both arms, one leg and the core area. The first day the core area hurt a lot, but now it's mostly my right side in general. I conveniently had a big celebration to go to that evening with 3 doctors in attendance and they said it will take 6 weeks to heal.

The crash happened 6 days ago, and I am a bit cautious about returning to ride when I am more healed. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about what I did wrong or how to ride in this messy kind of stuff. Most of what I have found on the internet seems to be geared towards people who want to "mountain bike" whereas I want to ride on trails away from traffic and have no real interest in technical mountain biking other than to not fall down.

View attachment 154083

My riding philosophy over the last couple of years or so has changed. If I have any doubts, I don't ! Several years ago, while rail trail riding my
Trek XM 700 Commuter over a small patch of 2" processed stone. I had ridden over exact same spot many times with my E-MTB.
As I approached the stones I decided last second 'go for it.' When I hit the stones I was barely moving ( a problem right there )
My commuter started to lean. I got past the point of recovery. Ok, "How do I land " ? Hip, shoulder or both.

In that split second I opted for my shoulder to take brunt of my fall.... I tore my rotator cuff, better than a fractured or broken hip.
My shoulder healed on it's own. Thus from that point on my mantra has been..."If I have any doubts, I don't. " Yes that can sometimes
put a damper on riding, but should I have serious or even a not so serious crash that will be a complete riding washout...I'm 76.

Good luck. Safe riding and let us know how things go.
John

 

[California]

In that split second I opted for my shoulder to take brunt of my fall.... I tore my rotator cuff, better than a fractured or broken hip.
My shoulder healed on it's own. Thus from that point on my mantra has been..."If I have any doubts, I don't. " Yes that can sometimes
put a damper on riding, but should I have serious or even a not so serious crash that will be a complete riding washout...I'm 76.

Good luck. Safe riding and let us know how things go.
John

Glad you healed on your own. I probably should have turned around when I saw the ruts.

 

[John from Connecticut]

Glad you healed on your own. I probably should have turned around when I saw the ruts.

Many times the decision is split sec Go, No go and typically 'we' opt for Go.
We've all done it, Once I got past the reluctance to opt for the safer way It was
very easy the next time trouble popped up.

I'm not lecturing, but we tend to underestimate falls...Look at me. I was barely
moving on flat ground with some processed 2" stone.... How bad can that be ?
Torn rotator cuff bad with required surgery to repair.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@California: I wanted to congratulate you on your Tero X and later I read about your crash. Very sorry to hear about it! Get on well soon!

I crash a lot (I hate crashing but often cannot help falling with the e-bike). I think your crash resulted from one of the wheels of your Tero X lose the traction (it can happen on a full suspension e-bike too even if FS bikes maintain traction better than less advanced ones). The reason of your crash was either your front or rear wheel traversed a rut at a wrong angle *(almost parallel to the rut). Ruts is the worst thing to be ridden of all! Let me share a similar experience of mine that happened some 6 weeks ago.

I was riding a forest fire-road at 15 mph (it is fast as for the forest) on my Vado. I could notice the road almost totally taken by a tree trunk across the path width. The only remaining space was a little puddle. I should have dramatically slowed down but no, I zoomed the opening at the full speed. My rear wheel slipped in the puddle and it sent me flying together with the e-bike. My head hit some tree-roots hard but luckily it was helmeted. When I regained my senses, I discovered I could get up and move. My left thigh swell instantly.

I was suffering for exactly six weeks but as you mentioned in another thread I was hardcore and was riding afterwards. I'm not completely healed yet but at least the pain has gone.

As I said, riding the ruts is the worst of them all. If I meet a rutted road, I avoid it at any cost or ride it extremely slowly. The only advice I can give to you is:

• Whenever you are about to crash, stay on the e-bike with your hands on the grips and feet on pedals. The e-bike will take the biggest portion of the impact (not you)
• Always wear the helmet.

Again, so sorry to hear about your crash!

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Sounds like the old soft sand or very soft dirt thing? If you’re not actively powering along at least a little, that stuff will grab your front tire and change your whole day. A few years I went right over the handlebars in Lake Placid, pulling off the paved road onto what I thought was a normal dirt shoulder.

Nice bike though, right? I think the Teros are fantastic.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Another thought @California:
Whenever you are about to ride a difficult terrain (slowly), drop your seat halfway (that's what you have the dropper seat post for!) In case of losing the balance, you can press the brake levers and support yourself with your feet!

 

[Prairie Dog]

Very sorry to hear about your fall. My first word of advice would be to keep your head up and vision in front. Many falls typically occur when you don’t spot that rock, root or rut in timely fashion. Training yourself to keep focused on the trail in front of you will help lessen the chance of falling. Spotting impediments further ahead along the trail will allow you to position yourself and your bike with a more preferred approach.

Ruts are common on mtb trails particularly after heavy rains. To avoid your front wheel from getting trapped, try to focus instead on coming at it at an angle. Riding parallel will cause you to sink and crash which might have occurred in the case of your fall. Maintaining a constant speed (not too slow/not too fast) will help with momentum to get you through more challenging terrain.

If you can, it’s always helpful to get advice from more experienced riders. I wear knee and elbow protection each time I hit the trails and it might provide you with some reassurance next time you head out or at least until you feel more comfortable to go without.

The Tero X is a very capable bike but knowing how to take advantage of its features might require a slight learning curve but in time will inspire more confidence in your rides.

Chin up and hope to see you back in the saddle soon.

 

[California]

I'm not lecturing, but we tend to underestimate falls...Look at me. I was barely
moving on flat ground with some processed 2" stone.... How bad can that be ?
Torn rotator cuff bad with required surgery to repair.

Wow. That's quite a fall. Glad your still riding.

 

[California]

@California: I wanted to congratulate you on your Tero X and later I read about your crash. Very sorry to hear about it! Get on well soon!

I crash a lot (I hate crashing but often cannot help falling with the e-bike). I think your crash resulted from one of the wheels of your Tero X lose the traction (it can happen on a full suspension e-bike too even if FS bikes maintain traction better than less advanced ones). The reason of your crash was either your front or rear wheel traversed a rut at a wrong angle *(almost parallel to the rut). Ruts is the worst thing to be ridden of all! Let me share a similar experience of mine that happened some 6 weeks ago.

I was riding a forest fire-road at 15 mph (it is fast as for the forest) on my Vado. I could notice the road almost totally taken by a tree trunk across the path width. The only remaining space was a little puddle. I should have dramatically slowed down but no, I zoomed the opening at the full speed. My rear wheel slipped in the puddle and it sent me flying together with the e-bike. My head hit some tree-roots hard but luckily it was helmeted. When I regained my senses, I discovered I could get up and move. My left thigh swell instantly.

I was suffering for exactly six weeks but as you mentioned in another thread I was hardcore and was riding afterwards. I'm not completely healed yet but at least the pain has gone.

As I said, riding the ruts is the worst of them all. If I meet a rutted road, I avoid it at any cost or ride it extremely slowly. The only advice I can give to you is:

• Whenever you are about to crash, stay on the e-bike with your hands on the grips and feet on pedals. The e-bike will take the biggest portion of the impact (not you)
• Always wear the helmet.

Again, so sorry to hear about your crash!

So helpful Stefan.

I'm very impressed you were back up there so soon.

I did not know that rutted roads were so dicey. We don't really have them around here so I didn't think all that much thought other than that I was a bit confused.

I do always wear a helmet. Only the little sun thing was damaged, but I should probably replace it anyways.

 

[California]

Sounds like the old soft sand or very soft dirt thing? If you’re not actively powering along at least a little, that stuff will grab your front tire and change your whole day. A few years I went right over the handlebars in Lake Placid, pulling off the paved road onto what I thought was a normal dirt shoulder.

Nice bike though, right? I think the Teros are fantastic.

I didn't realize soft sand had that affect.

The bike is a dream.

 

[California]

Another thought @California:
Whenever you are about to ride a difficult terrain (slowly), drop your seat halfway (that's what you have the dropper seat post for!) In case of losing the balance, you can press the brake levers and support yourself with your feet!

I have been dropping the seat going downhill, but hadn't thought of using it in difficult terrain. I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are saying here. Brake a little and put more weight on your feet? I remember knowing that I was falling but I can't imagine in that brief second doing anything. Or is this how I should be riding?

 

[California]

Very sorry to hear about your fall. My first word of advice would be to keep your head up and vision in front. Many falls typically occur when you don’t spot that rock, root or rut in timely fashion. Training yourself to keep focused on the trail in front of you will help lessen the chance of falling. Spotting impediments further ahead along the trail will allow you to position yourself and your bike with a more preferred approach.

Ruts are common on mtb trails particularly after heavy rains. To avoid your front wheel from getting trapped, try to focus instead on coming at it at an angle. Riding parallel will cause you to sink and crash which might have occurred in the case of your fall. Maintaining a constant speed (not too slow/not too fast) will help with momentum to get you through more challenging terrain.

If you can, it’s always helpful to get advice from more experienced riders. I wear knee and elbow protection each time I hit the trails and it might provide you with some reassurance next time you head out or at least until you feel more comfortable to go without.

The Tero X is a very capable bike but knowing how to take advantage of its features might require a slight learning curve but in time will inspire more confidence in your rides.

Chin up and hope to see you back in the saddle soon.

Super helpful. Since this is all new to me I have been very focused when riding my Tero. I'm trying to figure out so many things that I don't really drift off. That is great advice for anytime not on a paved road.

I do have some old knee and elbow guards from rollerblading. I think I am mostly concerned about my head as I had a friend who has real problems post accident with her head. The doctors say shoulders are the most common issue on bike falls.

I'm going to wait the full 6 weeks before riding other than something super short out of the house.

 

[kahn]

A rut can easily grab a tire and not let go. Actually, not that different from dealing with railroad tracks. You can to cross at a reasonable angle or else your tire/wheel will get trapped and down you will go. Same for seams in the road or between the road and shoulder. Even yesterday, riding on streets, there are a few places where the seam could grab a wheel so I try to make sure to aim slightly across it even if I'm going in its same direction. Last year I remember riding down from a mountain pass on a paved road but the state had done some sealing of cracks in the pavement. They applied what I'd call liquid asphalt. Some crossed the direction of travel but others followed it. On two or three occasions the sealing created parallel ridges, maybe only an 1/8 of an inch high and I found my wheel trapped. After that I was very aware to steer through or across those very carefully since it was at a good downhill speed.

Heal quickly and just be cautious.

 

[California]

A rut can easily grab a tire and not let go. Actually, not that different from dealing with railroad tracks. You can to cross at a reasonable angle or else your tire/wheel will get trapped and down you will go. Same for seams in the road or between the road and shoulder. Even yesterday, riding on streets, there are a few places where the seam could grab a wheel so I try to make sure to aim slightly across it even if I'm going in its same direction. Last year I remember riding down from a mountain pass on a paved road but the state had done some sealing of cracks in the pavement. They applied what I'd call liquid asphalt. Some crossed the direction of travel but others followed it. On two or three occasions the sealing created parallel ridges, maybe only an 1/8 of an inch high and I found my wheel trapped. After that I was very aware to steer through or across those very carefully since it was at a good downhill speed.

Heal quickly and just be cautious.

Wow only 1/8 of an inch causing a wheel to be trapped! Astounding.

I really did not know these ruts were so problematic.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have been dropping the seat going downhill, but hadn't thought of using it in difficult terrain. I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are saying here. Brake a little and put more weight on your feet? I remember knowing that I was falling but I can't imagine in that brief second doing anything. Or is this how I should be riding?

When you see problematic terrain ahead (rutted or sandy or muddy road), drop the seat as low as you could support yourself with at least one foot in case of the trouble. Of course, you would be pedalling with your knees bent. Ride slowly. When you feel your e-bike is losing its traction, use both brakes to reduce speed to safe crawling, and support yourself with the leg if needed. After the segment has finished, raise the seat to the full height and ride normally.

There are four things that make it easy to fall:

• Suddenly locked front wheel (due to any reason). Like the rut you described earlier.
• Front wheel slipping sideways on any object ridden on (like a wet three branch on your path)
• Excessive power delivered to the rear wheel in the slippery terrain (too high assistance) makes that wheel slip sideways
• Applying the rear brake only might get the rear wheel slip sideways.

Hope that helps!

 

[Tom@WashDC]

My first four rides on my new bike were very enjoyable. I didn't stretch myself too much as I am getting used to riding a traditional bike again. I rode both on dirt trails and pavement. I think having a mountain bike has really opened up where I can go and enjoy the ride without having to worry about being able to maneuver around an obstacle (which is quite hard with a very long wheel base on a recumbent and skinny tires).

I also thoroughly enjoy being able to go up very steep grades and not having to insanely exert myself to get to the top. The amount of battery is far more than I need, but I like having a ton of torque.

The drop seat has been helpful for getting the bike into a car, and I was surprised that despite the weight I didn't have any real trouble getting it into an electric sedan even with a several inch jump between the seats (the seats don't fold flat). The only challenge here is the front fender gets in the way and bends a bit, and I have already removed it.

Specialized is supposedly ordering me a thing where I can carry a bag on the back as I would like somewhere to carry a lock, a jacket, some food and whatever but nothing as large as the panniers they are promoting.

I have had my bike for about a month, and I somehow managed to fall off my bike already. After riding a recumbent road bike for 20+ years, I think I only managed to fall off once. In general I am cautious with sporting activities whether skiing (avoiding steep drop offs), hiking (avoiding scary cliff edges) or biking. So I am not sure what happened.

I went to an area with mountain biking trails and looked at the steeper sections but I was not comfortable with the road surfaces. I decided to be very cautious and just ride along on the flat trails in the park. The trail I chose was somewhere where the rangers road their trucks, and during the heavy rains of this year, a lot of grooves were present. I wasn't really sure where to ride and moved from spot to spot. The trail was flat but somehow I did manage to fall. I think I was going about 10 mph. I may have used my brakes a little, but I was not trying to stop.

I fell mostly on my right side, but impacted both arms, one leg and the core area. The first day the core area hurt a lot, but now it's mostly my right side in general. I conveniently had a big celebration to go to that evening with 3 doctors in attendance and they said it will take 6 weeks to heal.

The crash happened 6 days ago, and I am a bit cautious about returning to ride when I am more healed. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about what I did wrong or how to ride in this messy kind of stuff. Most of what I have found on the internet seems to be geared towards people who want to "mountain bike" whereas I want to ride on trails away from traffic and have no real interest in technical mountain biking other than to not fall down.

View attachment 154083

Other than a helmet, what kind of protective gear are you wearing?

 

[California]

Other than a helmet, what kind of protective gear are you wearing?

Just a helmet.

Is there anything else I should be wearing?
I do have some old rollerblading elbow, knees and wrist pads.

But in this fall although I got some dirt rash on the skin, my general core/right hand side is just achy. I don't think anything protective other than say a giant pillow would have helped. Or maybe there is something out there I have never heard of?

 

[California]

When you see problematic terrain ahead (rutted or sandy or muddy road), drop the seat as low as you could support yourself with at least one foot in case of the trouble. Of course, you would be pedalling with your knees bent. Ride slowly. When you feel your e-bike is losing its traction, use both brakes to reduce speed to safe crawling, and support yourself with the leg if needed. After the segment has finished, raise the seat to the full height and ride normally.

There are four things that make it easy to fall:

• Suddenly locked front wheel (due to any reason). Like the rut you described earlier.
• Front wheel slipping sideways on any object ridden on (like a wet three branch on your path)
• Excessive power delivered to the rear wheel in the slippery terrain (too high assistance) makes that wheel slip sideways
• Applying the rear brake only might get the rear wheel slip sideways.

Hope that helps!

Very helpful as always Stefan!

Interesting way to 'fall' then, going slow enough so you can brace the fall with a foot.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Just a helmet.

Is there anything else I should be wearing?
I do have some old rollerblading elbow, knees and wrist pads.

But in this fall although I got some dirt rash on the skin, my general core/right hand side is just achy. I don't think anything protective other than say a giant pillow would have helped. Or maybe there is something out there I have never heard of?

Below is what I wear, everytime I ride. I'm 65 years old, after putting a few thousand miles on my ebikes, I managed to fall a few times. I broke my ribs twice in 13 months when I fell on paved trails. I do not share the road with cars, but I admit to riding very aggressively. It stands to reason that wherever you ride, the more miles you accumulate, you will eventually fall, crash, or somebody will crash into you. Since I have worn my full gear below, I have fallen hard on mtb trails and paved trails a few times. I get up every time with nary a scratch, no bruises, no pain. It's worth it. Especially the elbow pads. When I fall on my elbows, I feel nothing, and they absorb all of the force of the impact.

Chest/Back/Shoulder/Rib Protection Vest by Troy Lee Designs
Elbow Pads by Demon United
Knee Pads by Demon United
Hip/Tail Bone Protection Liner by GForm
Carbon Fiber Tipped shoes by Merrel