Fell off this morning...

pst88

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. Since beginning cycle commuting a few months ago it's been pretty uneventful for me. Always read on here about poeple crashing or falling off and think it'll never happen to me. Well this morning I came off whilst cornering, totally my own fault. Basically I got cocky, approaching a corner at a modest 15mph, got to the point where i'd normally start braking, but thought "what the hell" and decided to lean in and take it at that speed. Didn't notice the wet mud/slush on the path until it was too late. Hit the ground, slid along, bike hit a wall. No real damage done except I burned a small patch off the top layer of one of my gloves. Got a bit of a bruise on my hip but it's not as impressive as I would've hoped. Oh well, live and learn.

graeme_s-2

Wait and see what it looks like tomorrow morning (or the day after). It might be as impressive as you hoped by then

Glad you and the bike are mostly undamaged. The trick is to learn from it and not do it again.

Today I made a right turn, and caught my back wheel on a damp manhole cover. My back wheel slid about 6 inches, hit the tarmac and started gripping again. Everything was ok. Nothing major, except I did the exact same thing in September, but ended up lying in the middle of the road that time. You'd think I'd have learnt my lesson wouldn't you? :oops:

an rothar mor

I was riding home this evening along A205 minding my own business coming up to a set of lights – on red. Took the inside route between cars and pavement and suddenly found myself riding along a 10cm high ridge of tarmac for the next 20m or so. Fortunately, I managed to stay on but I was quite worried that the rear wheel would slide off and I would fall with moving traffic on one side. That an annoying thing about riding on London roads, one minute you can be on a really nice stretch and the next you hit a bloody great pot hole and trash your rear wheel. For example, on Monday night I was riding from Canary Wharf towards Tower Bridge and moved into left hand lane to take left over Tower Bridge and again went on inside of stationary traffic by pavement and just missed a drain without its cast iron drain cover – now these things are the width of the diameter of a wheel and so you can imagine the damage it would do! It was late and I kept riding but I have a nagging feeling I should have reported it – but who would you report this kind of thing to? :?:

hamboman

an rothar mor wrote:

just missed a drain without its cast iron drain cover – now these things are the width of the diameter of a wheel and so you can imagine the damage it would do! It was late and I kept riding but I have a nagging feeling I should have reported it – but who would you report this kind of thing to? :?:

Blighters steal the things because the price of scrap is so high. Report it to the police or the council I reckon

chronyx

I came off last night in the same way, with the same scar! Must be something in the air...

Glad you're pretty much alright!

dav1

I have done the same before, was hitting a coner nice and fast and the grip vanished leving the bike to slide out under me.

Everyone falls off no matter how you ride, commute, road, MTB (most often)

Best thing to do is get right back on the bike and dont hold back to prevent a knock in confidance. Take into account the reason why you crashed, learn from it and your skill will improve as a result.

Totalnewbie

Comiserations. Had a bad spill yesterday for the first time and it was all my fault which is the worst of it. I won't be doing what I did again, I am ashamed and embarrassed...

Typing one handed as other arm is in sling, chipped my elbow and damaged soft tissue apparently. Got lots of drugs because it is extremely painful, can see this keeping me off the bike for a while as it heals. Helmet cracked on one side too. I am such an idiot, really peed off with self.

graeme_s-2

Ouch - sounds nasty TN. Hope you heal up quickly and painlessly. We've all taken spills that could easily have resulted in similar injuries, don't be so hard on yourself!

chronyx

Wot 'ee said!

Get well soon

jayrulez

My 3rd day cycling and I was being cautious by going onto the pavement to get past a large roundabout. Another cyclist came rushing towards me from a bend and told me to move out of the way. I panicked, gripped thelovely new brakes and fell over the front. The other cyclist didnt stop.
For the next month, I got off my bike and rolled it past that corner! Even now, I am cautious going over that roundabout and the nightmare of someone saying 'get out of my way' before being hit.

Gavin Gilbert

Mine was on Tuesday morning. Just a simple corner I've taken every commute for the past 7 years. Except this time there must have been an oil spill. The back wheel just flew out from under me.

Decked on my elbow and knee. Fracture to the former and the later is heavily bruised and swollen. 10 day wait until I can get back on the turbo. 4 weeks until I'm back on the bike.

So that's my training camp on the Costa Blanca gone for a Burton.

spring91

I fell of my bike tonight too, I was stationary! I had stopped to check out a dumped wheel in a garden that I noticed on my way in this morning. I had one foot on the floor and the other in the pedal strap, somehow I managed to tilt the bike a bit too much towards the strapped in foot, couldn't get it in time out so I ended up falling over with the bike on top of me! It's a quiet road so I don't think anyone saw me. There's usually kids playing football in the street which would have been pretty embarrasing.

I came off like you once by sliding on a smooth manhole cover going round a corner at speed in the wet. Ouch!

Random Vince

an rothar mor wrote:

I was riding home this evening along A205 minding my own business coming up to a set of lights – on red. Took the inside route between cars and pavement and suddenly found myself riding along a 10cm high ridge of tarmac for the next 20m or so. Fortunately, I managed to stay on but I was quite worried that the rear wheel would slide off and I would fall with moving traffic on one side. That an annoying thing about riding on London roads, one minute you can be on a really nice stretch and the next you hit a bloody great pot hole and trash your rear wheel. For example, on Monday night I was riding from Canary Wharf towards Tower Bridge and moved into left hand lane to take left over Tower Bridge and again went on inside of stationary traffic by pavement and just missed a drain without its cast iron drain cover – now these things are the width of the diameter of a wheel and so you can imagine the damage it would do! It was late and I kept riding but I have a nagging feeling I should have reported it – but who would you report this kind of thing to? :?:

don't take the gutter route and you'll not have these problems!

Totalnewbie

Thanks Graeme. I think this will keep me off the bike for a while though, I'm such an eejit. Fracture clinic tomorrow, will know more then.

el_presidente

Totalnewbie wrote:

Thanks Graeme. I think this will keep me off the bike for a while though, I'm such an eejit. Fracture clinic tomorrow, will know more then.

what did you do so we can learn from your mistake?

get well soon

Totalnewbie

Trust me, no one else here will have been dumb enough to attempt it! I dunno what got into me...

There is a shortcut on the way home that I *think* bikes are prob not allowed on (ie prob peds only, one of those passages though there are no signs). There is no dropped kerb for one thing. I usually get off and walk, lift bike onto kerb etc. Esp as there are peds about.

On Thurs I worked late so passage was deserted and I was naughty and decided to cycle it. Thought the kerb did not look high so attempted to hop onto kerb even though a) roads were slippery due to drizzle and b) I have never done this before. Don't know what happened next but I woke up on the ground, think tyre slipped off the kerb perhaps.

I told you it was stupid! I am gutted. No idea why I did it when normally I am so cautious and law-abiding, obviously feeling cocky for some reason. Am paying for it now.

el_presidente

buny hopping the kerb, essential skill for every urban road warrior 8)

Totalnewbie

'skill' being the thing this urban road warrior was missing on that occasion! *sob*