How often do you fall?

diamondbacker

Just to follow on from another thread on here, how often do you fall off?

I had what I'd call my first major(ish) fall after 3 weeks of riding approx 3x a week. I was feeling a bit cocky and I went over a jump with a 2 foot long and 2 foot deep hole on the other side - I went over too fast pulling too hard. Bike went from under me and I landed hard on my back. Winded and hurt like a b*stard!

Anyway, how often did this kind of thing happen when you started and how often do you still fall?

toasty

I don't fall enough, probably once every six months or so. I need to ride outside my comfort zone a bit more often. I graaaadually push my boundries rather than diving in at the deep end

simon2names

more often than i care to admit!

had one the other week, thank god no one saw, went straight over my handlebars going over a log across the track that was no thicker than my arm. Think i cried out in shame and embarrassment more than pain!

Mrs Toast

Fairly rarely, but I'm very (probably too) cautious. I occasionally have offs which are more like comedy dismounts, where I slowly jump off the bike, normally landing on my feet. These normally follow after I've clipped the handlebars on a tree. -_-

Only really bad fall I had was when I first got my bike, and I tried to follow Mr Toast down a narrow path. Hit a rock, panicked, hit the brakes, started tipping, went to put my foot down, there was no ground, fell 6ft sideways! I managed to acquire an interesting collection of bruises and grazes that day...

toasty

Please note I did advise quite strongly against following me down that path :P Didn't realise quite how dodgy it was.

dave_hill

Depends how pished I am and whether I'm carrying a kebab or not.

counterculture

i had a good one on the devils staircase, a low speed over the handlebars tangle up, wouldve looked good on film, what made it better is noone actually saw it.

apart from that i dont really fall, i increase gradually with what i attempt, i daresay im due one though

XxxBFGxxX

every time i go of road lol. i push my self like hell lol. i blame my rubish forks tho so i am changing them soon and new brakes

Captain Turok

Falling off is learning!
I'm always learning...

captainfly

Thankfuly I have yet to have a major off, but I haven't been pushing that hard due to a lack of armour of funds to fix my bike :roll: Though I do mangage to rip up my shins and calves quite often due to misjudging my foot angle when trying to lift up the back of my bike, just so long as blood is spilled the god of MTB is happy

andrewjoseph

I've had several major falls, cracked ribs, separated shoulder, trauma induced deafness in left ear, lots of cuts and bruises.

In fact I fall off quite regularly, at least once a week, though not usually too serious.

flashbax

Just so happens I got a bit to big for my boots last night and jumped off a wall with a 3ft drop forgot to lower the seat and landed wrong (didnt lift front up) ended up in a heap with my bike..Only had the bike since sat and thats the 2nd off

.blitz

I used to be a serial crasher but as I get older it takes longer to recover and trying to ride while still injured is no fun at all. I'd rather ride like a wuss day-in day-out than be a hero in a plaster cast.

Kiwi Kranker

Toasty wrote:

I don't fall enough, probably once every six months or so. I need to ride outside my comfort zone a bit more often. I graaaadually push my boundries rather than diving in at the deep end

+1

I reckons its an age thing too, I run my own business so if I dont work I dont get paid so I tend to think twice now before giving something outside my comfort zone a crack. Sucks really Wish I was ten years younger

Still I woudl fall at least once every major ride though generally down to poor line choice or just being a dick on the bike!

myopic

too often, though not as much as I used to. Partly because I'm a better rider, and partly because I'm getting better at bailing out when I see a fall coming!

Chaz.Harding

All the time. It's generally AT LEAST once a ride on a good ride...

I tell myself it's cause I'm pushing the boundaries of what I can do! In reality, it's probably because I'm sh1t!

joshtp

Toasty wrote:

I don't fall enough, probably once every six months or so. I need to ride outside my comfort zone a bit more often. I graaaadually push my boundries rather than diving in at the deep end

im the same, very rarely fall, i tend to progress slowly, although when i do fall it tends to be doing something totaly stupid, or trying to get huge air of a tiny jump, so its usualy bad.
if your reasonably sensible you shouldnt fall too often, but the ocasional crash isgood, it wakes you up, and helpd you to progress.

joshtp

On second thoughts i probably crash more than i think i do, maybe one every two rides?

stevieboy

Once a year I have a biggie which results in new wheels usually

Never fell off in the light though, always at night with the lights on

cgarossi

I don't fall off too often. Its usually because the person in front of me has stopped dead and im in my SPDs.

But saw a nice advertisement for wearing a helment a few months ago. I was sat at the bottom of some steps in town taking a breather. Some guy came down on his supermarket special with 'disc' brakes. Tried to ride down the steps (which are shallow and long, easy to ride), pulled on the front brake and went straight over the handle bars and planted his head into the concrete. I thought he had broken his neck but five seconds later heard him moan in agony with a nice trickle of blood from his forhead. Called an ambulance and gave him a lecture on helmets.

xtreem

Me not often. But when I'm pushing too much, then I fall.
Last Sunday after droping the 4ft drop, somehow I went to the right instead of left,
so I hit a root at an angle, front tire didn't hold, and I got smacked on the ground and
dragged my self for about 10-15yards.

And thank god for fullface, because I think I hit a root with the jaw protector
while i was dragging. :shock:

supersonic

All the time. Mostly minor stuff, but I can't remember the last time I rode and didn't fall in someway.

Anonymous

all the time, never too hard and never causing damage to myself or my bike. i only fall off because im rubbish though

blister pus

I was doing fine till I had a big one the other week.

supersonic

blister pus wrote:

I was doing fine till I had a big one the other week.

I usually wait until I get home for that, hate having a dump in the open ;-)

blister pus

I actually swear there was a little mud involved in that incident. But I never checked.

supersonic

There is a joke about a skid in there too lol

Eranu

I read this earlier and couldnt remember the last time, it must have been fate Just had a nice off, back slid out and I slid into a tree stump buckling my front wheel and then I followed through nicely with my knee

dav1

probably every couple of months, usually not too bad.

Last time I fell twice in one ride just being cocky. Was going down some woodland steps and went over the bars early on after hitting a rut (and going too fast) then near the end was riding over a glass floor (modern building with massive lights around it), hit it at a bad angle and again tood fast and slipped over.

robertpb

54 years of falling off two wheels and I'm still in training.

Laugh when you fall is the best thing I've come up with.

It's a case of when you start mtbing you fall off because you don't know the parameters of anything, when you get to know the parameters you can't help but break them.

So the falling off doesn't change.

REMF

nearly every ride, always minor. *touches wood*