Road bike crashing - your experiences.. had my 1st one 2day

jedster

its not the years its the milage

I think it also depends on the conditions you cycle in. I commute in all weathers. The two minor offs happened in conditions that fairweather cyclists would be less likely to encounter.

J

redddraggon

jedster wrote:

By the way, Redddragon, do you think you may be riding a bit close to the edge of the road?

Obviously, I wasn't watching where I was going.

My positioning on the road is normally fine....these were quiet lanes, no reason the hug the side of the road.

I'd just lost concentration and I wasn't watching where I was going and that's how I ended up getting to close to the edge, and the edge sort of crumbles away.

If the road had been a busy road with traffic, I wouldn't have lost concentration and so wouldn't have slipped so close to the edge.

patchy

John C. wrote:

Last week , converted my old bike to fixed, 100 yds up the road at 17-18mph I noticed my left shoe lace was loose, next thing I new was I was being picked up off the middle of the road , I'd stopped peddling :oops: When things go wrong they go wrong very quickly.

Yes, the fixed bike is rather unforgiving when you balls it up, isn't it? I lost the front last Thursday night when doing about 27mph down green lanes: tried to adjust but as i'd stopped pedalling, i ended up eating tarmac.

Luckily, as i was cilpped in, i managed to keep the bike above me so no damage and was able to get up, give the swerving car drive behind me a thumbs up and set off again – logic being that I heal for free but bikes cost money to fix

boybiker

My crash was in a cat4 race when some guy I was riding next to went down on some gravel taking me with him :?
Luckily I slid along on my arse so had some nasty road rash on my back and my arse.Ive seen several crashes on club runs ranging from comedy falling off at 0 mph when they forgot to unclip to quite nasty right hand bends tightening far quicker than expected in the wet ooouch.

jjojjas

mididoctors wrote:

jjojjas wrote:

I'm nearly 40. I've been on bikes all my life, commuting, XC, D/H racing for 3 years, touring for 2 and now giving road riding a go.
I can could one one hand the times I have fell of........what the hell are you lot doing???
Are you riding back from the pub or something???

its not the years its the milage

In that case I should have crashed a bit more......
Maybe its experience

mididoctors

jjojjas wrote:

mididoctors wrote:

jjojjas wrote:

I'm nearly 40. I've been on bikes all my life, commuting, XC, D/H racing for 3 years, touring for 2 and now giving road riding a go.
I can could one one hand the times I have fell of........what the hell are you lot doing???
Are you riding back from the pub or something???

its not the years its the milage

In that case I should have crashed a bit more......
Maybe its experience

yeah yeah yeah... you may think commuting all your life with some weekend mountain biking and 2 yrs of touring and now STARTING to ride on the road is a lot of miles but let me tell you etc etc etc etc... (thats enough)

unclemalc

boybiker wrote:

Ive seen several crashes on club runs ranging from comedy falling off at 0 mph when they forgot to unclip .

I've done that no end of time. I am always acutely aware of THAT moment when you realise you are NOT going to unclip in time and its "Oh well - over we go..."

Jazza1969

Phekdra wrote:

Does a clipless moment count as a crash? :oops: There was actual blood...

Phekdra

Yes they do as far as I'm concerned. My worst ever crash was a clipless moment last winter - fractured pelvis - couldn't sit properly for weeks.

Do accidents before you even get on the bike count? I dislocated my knee cap when I bashed my leg off the car wheelarch lifitng the bike off the roof carrier. Never felt pain like it.

unclemalc

benvickery wrote:

I need to get a hat to stop this happening again!!

:shock: YES... :shock:

unclemalc

Jazza1969 wrote:

Phekdra wrote:

Do accidents before you even get on the bike count? I dislocated my knee cap when I bashed my leg off the car wheelarch lifitng the bike off the roof carrier. Never felt pain like it.

Dislocated kneecaps... :shock: :shock: :shock: ...don't go there - please...

whyamihere

Not had a crash on my road bike yet. I've had some massive crashes on my mountain bike though. In the group I rode with, it was acknowledged that I probably fell off the least often, but when I did come off it was always absolutely massive. For example, messing up a jump and ending up landing 20 feet down the hill on my head...

Fortunately, I did judo for a few years as a nipper, so I know how to fall, and managed to mostly avoid serious injuries while crashing, despite them looking pretty horrific.

ratcliri

I always take absolute care when riding.. I ride very quickly but always assume the worst out of everyy road user! In London you have to.. anyway went thru a grren light last week at speed with a friend just in front. A BMW ran the red light and a t-boned the guy at about 25mph! Bike torn in half, and I ended up in hospital :x

neeb

Eerily, like reddragon I also came off three times in July in the space of two weeks... before that I'd been crash-free for years! Maybe mars was in the as-yet-unidentified constellation of the cyclist too near to an eclipse or something...

The thing is they were all silly mistakes. I'm always very aware and alert when charging down hills etc. and fortunately have avoided really serious crashes so far. The silliest one was when I was just doing about 20mph on a straight, empty cycle path and took one hand off the bars to check stuff in my back pocket, which I must have done a hundred times. I ended up leaning just slightly too heavily on the other handlebar, felt the bike oversteer and didn't quite manage to correct it in time. So in total now I have the reddened remains of three abrasions on my left elbow, one on my right elbow, three on my left knee and one on my hip...

Fortunately the bike only suffered abrasions to the levers and pedals, I think because I always fell on the left (i.e. not the drivetrain side).

Just wish I could stop myself picking at the scabs before they fall off naturally....

jjojjas

ratcliri wrote:

I always take absolute care when riding.. I ride very quickly but always assume the worst out of everyy road user! In London you have to.. anyway went thru a grren light last week at speed with a friend just in front. A BMW ran the red light and a t-boned the guy at about 25mph! Bike torn in half, and I ended up in hospital :x

Thats the pisser though isn't it. No matter how carefull or even skilled you are at riding/driving/whatever.....your always at the mercy of the other guys skills or awareness. Earlier on I said I could count on one hand my accidents, I can. One of them was standing (over my bike) at a round a bout junction. Next thing i know I'm on a car bonet. Driver was still pissed from the night before and just disn't see me.

MoonCircuit

The trick is to tuck and roll. And don't try to look cool. Going limp helps a lot too. It's putting your elbow/arm out without rolling that leads to all sorts of injuries like broken collarbones and torn shoulders, I've done both.

eh

Lost count to be fair although some of them have been racing incidents, if half the bunch in front of you goes down there really is nowhere to go but join them.

Have done all the silly clipped in topples, both with SPDs and then clips & straps, DOH!

Ice, greasy roads, gravel have all got me at some point.

Still most embarressing was hitting a bollard on a cycle path after being distracted by a female cyclist wearing a very short skirt :oops:

gabriel959

I had my first one 2 weeks ago. I was riding on a cycle lane on the road, was drizzling and wanted to go onto the cycle path (as the cycle lane was ending) ... there was a small dip on the pavement to do this but I was going too fast (22mph) and I just slid off the bike and landed in the pavement. Bike on the middle of the road. No one stopped!

Results: Three abrassions. Two in my leg and one on my elbow. Shredded gloves (new ones as well!), hole on my nice shiny top, bent and scuffed gear/brake shifters. scratch on the rear triangle and a clicking noise by one of the spokes