PCeBiker
No-Hands No-Pedaling No-Credentials
- Region
- Canada
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Took a tumble
- Thread starter ChezCheese:)
- Start date
harryS
Well-Known Member
Had two falls in my biking life, none as an adult,
Was pretty proud of that record. Took up ebiking, and now I bike in places we never would biked, and in conditions where I used to stay home. Wiped out on mud a few times. Riding alongside flooded a creek after the waters had receded. Faceplanted on black ice. I don't belong outt here in winter w/o studded tires. Crashed going downhill on a loose gravel. Like marbles. I saw the orange cone at the fork but didn't know it meant trail closed, hadn't been groomed yet,
Normal riding on pavement? I never fall. Nothing spectacular anyway that involved road rash,
Was pretty proud of that record. Took up ebiking, and now I bike in places we never would biked, and in conditions where I used to stay home. Wiped out on mud a few times. Riding alongside flooded a creek after the waters had receded. Faceplanted on black ice. I don't belong outt here in winter w/o studded tires. Crashed going downhill on a loose gravel. Like marbles. I saw the orange cone at the fork but didn't know it meant trail closed, hadn't been groomed yet,
Normal riding on pavement? I never fall. Nothing spectacular anyway that involved road rash,
Tom@WashDC
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Loudoun County, VA.
They do make air-bag vests for motorcycles and for equestrians. They're pretty nice. I considered getting one at one time. They are triggered by a lanyard pull cord attached to your bike. After thinking about it I realized that I've never fallen "off" or been "pitched" from my bike. I've always fallen with me holding onto to the bike.
With the lanyard, I just knew that I would end up dismounting from the bike at a bar, or lunch joint, forget about the lanyard, and "poof!" my vest would inflate and I would be the object of much laughter and ridicule. And those replaceable gas cartridges aren't cheap.
I purchased a Troy Lee mtb vest instead with shoulder, rib, chest, and back protection, and elbow pads.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
well you buy everything else so let us know how it works.Yeah they do.
It's comfortable and stylish.
They have jackets too,..
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Could be a little bit warm in the summer
PCeBiker
No-Hands No-Pedaling No-Credentials
- Region
- Canada
il Munduato
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
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Renee
New Member
- Region
- USA
It's nearly instinctual to put out your hands to break your fall. That's one of the many of the reasons we have hands.
I have fallen only twice so far. Once at a very slow speed riding through a very weedy patch and the weeds got hold of my tires and took me down. And just the other day when I miscalculated and couldn't put my foot down fast enough but luckily landed on a recent application of hydorseed dirt which is very cushiony. So no worse for wear.Nvreloader
Western Nevada
- Region
- USA
My only tumble not caused by riding conditions,
This what my legs looked like (2 months later) after I took evasive action to get away from a trouble some cow (she tried to hook me), on the cross country trail I was riding on last July, I went off the steep downhill side and ended up in a boulder and sage brush pile about 10' below the trails edge.
The bike pinned me between the boulders/sage brush which poked a good sized hole in the right leg.
Took me over an hour to get the bike & me back up to the trail, I was sure glad, I had a throttle and full charged battery's, as I couldn't pedal, (too much pain).
It was several hours before I got back onto the county road and headed home,
the better half was VERY upset with me.
I tried to explain to her, I didn't do, that dam cow caused it, ( I had already passed several with no problems).
This what my legs looked like (2 months later) after I took evasive action to get away from a trouble some cow (she tried to hook me), on the cross country trail I was riding on last July, I went off the steep downhill side and ended up in a boulder and sage brush pile about 10' below the trails edge.
The bike pinned me between the boulders/sage brush which poked a good sized hole in the right leg.
Took me over an hour to get the bike & me back up to the trail, I was sure glad, I had a throttle and full charged battery's, as I couldn't pedal, (too much pain).
It was several hours before I got back onto the county road and headed home,
the better half was VERY upset with me.
I tried to explain to her, I didn't do, that dam cow caused it, ( I had already passed several with no problems).
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Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
The reason we have hands is to be able to use them. It is rather hard to use your hand with a broken wrist.
il Munduato
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
It's a natural human reflex to put out your hands to break your fall and protect your head. Very hard to defeat the reflex without practice.
If you think it's hard to function with a broken wrist... Try operating with a broken face.
If you think it's hard to function with a broken wrist... Try operating with a broken face.
indianajo
Well-Known Member
Sorry about the cow. Fortunately all the cows & deer I have encountered on the streets and highways were hit and killed before I got there.
I'm glad my parents bought me as much milk as I would drink. 15 or 20 falls, only one broken bone. 2017, Going 25 mph on a MTB, gravel made the front wheel go down and I went over the handlebars on arms and chin. Two solutions, do not go 25 in the dark. And now I wear a full face helmet. I tried to buy one before that accident but all bing+google would find me were unvented motorcycle helmets. Hands arms knees were not damaged in that accident, had on $1 cotton+polyester gloves, long sleeve long pants mechanic's wear.
I have hit the chin and hands or arms 7 times since 2008. Front wheel snaps sideways, tire grabs, seat rises up and throws me over the bars on my hands or arms & chin. Glad you real he-men can hang on to the bars. Happened in September 2024, I had to dodge off the pavement to avoid a pickup+trailer that needed all 16' of asphalt for itself. Front wheel sideways, over I went. Was going 8 mph so no damage to me.
I'm glad my parents bought me as much milk as I would drink. 15 or 20 falls, only one broken bone. 2017, Going 25 mph on a MTB, gravel made the front wheel go down and I went over the handlebars on arms and chin. Two solutions, do not go 25 in the dark. And now I wear a full face helmet. I tried to buy one before that accident but all bing+google would find me were unvented motorcycle helmets. Hands arms knees were not damaged in that accident, had on $1 cotton+polyester gloves, long sleeve long pants mechanic's wear.
I have hit the chin and hands or arms 7 times since 2008. Front wheel snaps sideways, tire grabs, seat rises up and throws me over the bars on my hands or arms & chin. Glad you real he-men can hang on to the bars. Happened in September 2024, I had to dodge off the pavement to avoid a pickup+trailer that needed all 16' of asphalt for itself. Front wheel sideways, over I went. Was going 8 mph so no damage to me.
gromike
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- City of Dreams
Every wreck is different. I remember one wreck that I separated a collarbone and broke a wrist. Someone told me I should of just landed on my head, because that was what helmets are for. I wasn't convinced. A broken wrist seems more preferable to TBI, at least in my opinion.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
So many people try supporting themselves with a hand when falling on ice while they are just walking. It ends up with broken wrists, which are very bad and even hard to fix by surgery. As you might have noticed, one hand of Chez is eliminated for half a year. My late wife had her wrist broken as she tried to break her fall. She had a surgery and rehabilitation at the Olympics clinic, yet she could not play her bass anymore.
Wrestlers never support themselves with a hand when falling.
In cycling, we have the bike that takes the impact, and hopefully we wear a helmet. Almost all falls result in the cyclist banging the surface sideways, and that's where the helmet protects the head. Falling face down on a bike only happens on black ice or technical singletracks; that why the full face bike helmet was invented.
In 2023, I had a very bad crash on asphalt at high speed during the race. I stayed on the bike and the massive impact was mostly absorbed by the bike. However, I also banged the pavement with my helmeted head. No injuries to my body (I could complete a 263 km race), and the helmet cracked to save my head.
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il Munduato
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
What do you want me to say?
I guess Chez isn't very smart as she knew of your advise but didn't follow it.
So now we have one who knows what to do, but doesn't when necessary. And another that knows everything from hundreds of crashes.
Personally... I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. Use my experience and avoid crashes.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Did she know my advice before she fell?
Until we stop hearing from you.
il Munduato
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Do you read with comprehension or just immediately pivot to prepare your next lesson for the rest of us
So you're saying allowing yourself to have hundreds of accidents is the best way to protect yourself.
Or is it some kind of Strava merit badge?
kevinmccune
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
glad you are okay could have been much worse,this type of occurence has me gun shy,so much in fact it has me considering something more stable then a two wheeler,have 3 nice bikes I scarcely ride these day because of frequent crashes(mostly balance issues)So we've been over in the French Pyrénées for 3 months at a time now. I got my BH all in working order and was out for a ride exploring. Meandering the country roads here is terrific, and as a rule French drivers are very respectful around cyclists. No issues. Anyhow, day before yesterday I got the end of a hamlet not far from where we live, and the road turned into a two rut farm track. Decided to turn around, carefully because of mud and slope. But the tires began to slip on the side of the rut and braking just made it skid, so I got dumped. Unfortunately my right wrist took the brunt of the fall. Next day at emergency, xray showed a hairline fracture. 2 in fact. So now I'm in a cast for 6 weeks. No riding, no driving, not much cooking. First tumble I have taken on a bike in 60 years! Glad I wasn't going fast at all. Could've been a lot worse. On the plus side, it only cost €95 (off the rack, noninsured retail price) and I'm also absolved of washing dishes for 6 weeks.
ChezCheese:)
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Kitsap Co, WA
Does every discussion have to be an opportunity to rag on others? Please, everybody, just put your sniping on hold.
Being aware of a method to reduce damage and actually put it into practice at 1 second's notice is an ideal one can strive for. But the fact is, I've had no practice in falling on a bike. Or, I could look at it that when I was 6 and going too fast down a hill and tried to turn at a T intersection, and went crying all the way home with a badly skinned knee, I learned never to do that again. And so I will learn from this adventure.
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