I feel bad as I talked my 82 year old friend into buying his ebike in the 1st place. He would not be riding at all if he had to ride an acoustic. Four of us went for a ride on a popular MUP in N. Michigan. Originally we had planned the ride for today but rain and thunderstorms being forecast had us move it up to Sunday. This bike path is very popular and I was a little concerned about my friend riding with a lot of weekend traffic. The first 4 mi. were great but then there is an uphill section where the path makes a blind hairpin right turn. They have yellow paint on the concrete before the turn that says "keep right" and also a dotted yellow line leading up to, and around the corner clearly showing where you need to be. Well, my friend didn't stay right and sure enough there was someone coming the other way. They both slammed on the brakes. There was no collision but after the sudden stop, my buddy forgot to put his feet down and crashed, splitting his elbow open and hitting his head pretty hard (yes, he was wearing a helmet and was grateful for it) Sadly, I had taken the 1st aid kit out of my rack bag to make room for my wife's jacket so we had to ride to the nearest restaurant where they had a good first aid kit with neosporin and bandages. No stitches required but I'm sure he's in pain today. He has a good attitude about the incident and will ride with us again. Just a few scratches on the bike. Riding these bike paths is no different than driving on the road. You have to stay to the right and sometimes we assume no-one will be coming the other way. The sound of the crash was bad but fortunately both parties were very cordial about it and the primary concern was that everyone was o.k. If it had been a serious road biker going 20mph instead of a lady going 5mph on a beach cruiser things could have been far worse.. Be careful out there!
My buddy crashed yesterday
- Thread starter DDBB
- Start date
Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
I'm glad your friend is okay.
Always important to remind everyone to ride safe. And also important to remind everyone to be especially cautious if you have poor sight lines (or oncoming traffic would have poor sight lines).
Always important to remind everyone to ride safe. And also important to remind everyone to be especially cautious if you have poor sight lines (or oncoming traffic would have poor sight lines).
6zfshdb
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Northeast Pennsylvania
It's for this reason I try to avoid crowded paths especially on weekends. I've seen many near misses and even had a couple myself.
It should be noted that e-bikes can't be blamed directly for these incidents since they aren't much different than conventional bikes. What is different is, as was the case above, there are many more elderly & infirm riders using e-bikes who aren't capable of riding otherwise. I think this is a great thing but I try to keep it in mind when riding close to other cyclists.
As stated above, by all means, be careful!
It should be noted that e-bikes can't be blamed directly for these incidents since they aren't much different than conventional bikes. What is different is, as was the case above, there are many more elderly & infirm riders using e-bikes who aren't capable of riding otherwise. I think this is a great thing but I try to keep it in mind when riding close to other cyclists.
As stated above, by all means, be careful!
indianajo
Well-Known Member
Glad the pains were so minor.
What kills hundreds of old people is sitting in a chair, and accepting rides everywhere. Once my neighbor's children banned her from walking to the grocery with her push cart, she didn't last a year. A lounge chair took out my Dad, (COPD) and maybe my father-in-law (COPD). You did your friend some good getting him out and about, even if this trip was not all good. New experiences are good for the brain, also.
What kills hundreds of old people is sitting in a chair, and accepting rides everywhere. Once my neighbor's children banned her from walking to the grocery with her push cart, she didn't last a year. A lounge chair took out my Dad, (COPD) and maybe my father-in-law (COPD). You did your friend some good getting him out and about, even if this trip was not all good. New experiences are good for the brain, also.
Sad it happened, but relived he is okay. As crazy as it sounds to big city riders, I stay away from the little 5 mile bike path here in Granbury. I used to ride it, but ear phone wearing/texting /dog walking / oblivious walkers keep me away from it. I find it much calmer and safer on the many low traffic streets. I could tell many stories of near misses, and flat tires caused by the antics of walkers/joggers.
There is a huge 40+ mile map in Fort Worth. A great ride on a weekday, but can get pretty crazy on the weekend.
There is a huge 40+ mile map in Fort Worth. A great ride on a weekday, but can get pretty crazy on the weekend.
I totally agree with indianajo in that you did a good thing talking him into getting an E-bike. Getting out and about on it may add years to his life. Everything comes with some risk but it appears this incident was fairly minor and hopefully he'll be back in the saddle shortly. Discuss safe riding with him & the lessons to be learned from this incident and maybe keep this ride for weekdays and plan something different for the busy weekends. At any rate, get him back on the bike as soon as possible and don't feel bad as you appear to be the kind of friend we all need.
Toomanycats
Active Member
I look at it this way- I’m taking some risk every time I go out on a bike, but I could die slowly in a recliner in front of the TV set, too.
We all worry about cars, but statistically, a lot of bike injuries involve crashing into things (I suppose they include mtb there). Trees, fences, bollards, etc. And maybe some are crashing into things to avoid cars.
And I agree about the bike paths- people can be completely oblivious.
I hope your friend recovers soon, and is back on the bike.
We all worry about cars, but statistically, a lot of bike injuries involve crashing into things (I suppose they include mtb there). Trees, fences, bollards, etc. And maybe some are crashing into things to avoid cars.
And I agree about the bike paths- people can be completely oblivious.
I hope your friend recovers soon, and is back on the bike.
Glad to hear the initial accident was not too severe. However, (and I am not trying to be an alarmist), what you need to do is keep an eye on your friend for the next 3-5 weeks. Many elderly when either hitting their head or even severe whiplash, can develop a slow bleed on the brain. This happened 4 weeks after my 79 year old dad fell on uneven concrete breaking his thumb but never hitting his head, just whiplash from the fall. He recovered and is doing fine two years after the event.
Please don’t feel guilty about helping your friend get out and about!! Better to be active living life than watching the world go by!!
I just wanted to share as occasionally there can be a delayed injury in situations like this.
Please don’t feel guilty about helping your friend get out and about!! Better to be active living life than watching the world go by!!
I just wanted to share as occasionally there can be a delayed injury in situations like this.
Al P
Well-Known Member
What we need to adjust to quickly when riding a new ebike is the weight difference between a bike and an ebike. If you don't make that adjustment quickly you can easily fall off the bike when standing still or coming to a stop. I had to learn the hard way when I first got the bike, but fortunately I wasn't injured and no major damage was done to the bike.
Your buddy has a good attitude and will most likely never fall off that bike again, though I'm sorry he hurt himself in the learning process.
Your buddy has a good attitude and will most likely never fall off that bike again, though I'm sorry he hurt himself in the learning process.
Please tell your buddy that I find him very motivating. I have no idea if I will be cycling at 82, ebike or no ebike.
Speedy recovery to him!
Update:.. He's o.k... no complications from hitting his head but he's pretty sore. He's now more committed than ever to become a competent rider. I'm sure he will stay to the right all the time now and hopefully remember to put a foot down when he comes to a stop.. The bike he has is a step through and the seat is as low as it can go. It's not even close to being ideal or efficient positioning for pedaling but he wants to be able to put both feet flat on the ground when he stops. Now he just has to remember to do it.. Thanks for all the comments
Bobsiii
Active Member
That's me as well. I'm not worried about ideal positioning with the motor for help but I'm a relatively frail 76 and want to be able to get my feet on ground right away.
Calicoskies
Active Member
I hope to be still riding into my 80's, may need to switch to a Trike at some point. Love to be out on the trail. Glad this was not a worse outcome. Take care.
john sarber
New Member
Yes it happens and it always sad when you get unwanted injuries.
I had a spill this morning here in Fort Worth on the River Trail . I will change time I ride and direction.
Sad to hear about your friend's fall, but it is probably a good lesson learned. Regardless of our age, we all need to learn how to ride safely. Sometimes it takes a few "incidents" before we take it seriously, and it is fortunate that this one didn't involve any serious injury. I am betting your friend will be conscious of what to do the next time he approaches a blind corner. My wife (75 YO) learned last summer after two nasty falls to not try to steer back onto the paved path if your wheel drops off the edge of the pavement.
trailerguy52
Member
I am glad that your friend wasn't seriously injured. Today I had a few near misses, one guy was looking at his smart phone as he pedaled. A few others came out of a curve on the wrong side of the trail.
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