Falling Off...

TMR

I'm just making the transition from MTB to Road - been watching loads of videos on YouTube and some of the crashes are spectacular. I can't remember the last time I fell off/crashed my MTB. How often do you guys fall off/crash your road bikes, and generally, what's the cause?

Anonymous

Once, maybe twice a ride.

The cause is usually alcohol.

TMR

NapoleonD wrote:

Once, maybe twice a ride.

The cause is usually alcohol.

I like you. But not in a gay way...

Matt the Tester

depends mate, who are you with? what causes the accident? just ride safely and you should be fine!! just watch out for BMW drivers and White Van drivers!!

Buckled_Rims

Over 15 years ago since I crashed a road bike, but if I did crash it will most likely be a slow speed crash as it'll be something to do with my clipless pedals (Shimano 105). I've had them for 6 months and still find then hard to clip out of despite being on slack setting.

Skeltron

Usually it involves a car pulling out on you. Or some prick being a shite driver.

WraithWarrior23

Buckled_Rims wrote:

Over 15 years ago since I crashed a road bike, but if I did crash it will most likely be a slow speed crash as it'll be something to do with my clipless pedals (Shimano 105). I've had them for 6 months and still find then hard to clip out of despite being on slack setting.

hehe, I had a very slow speed fall due to my clipless pedals. Also despite being on the slackest setting, about a week after I had them (never used them before) I came to a junction and thought I could pull out until I saw a car coming down the road, so stopped and forgot I was clipped in :oops:

A school kid walked past and asked if I was ok (it was a very embarrassing moment)

robz400

In 4500 miles I've fallen off once about 3 weeks ago. I was doing 25mph and a car came past very quickly and close and I managed to hit the kerb.

I now have a very big scar on my left arm and leg!

Anonymous

I crashed last year at 40mph going down a hill. Lost the back end under braking on gravel.

It hurt.

Read about it here if you can be ar5ed!

http://napoleond.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/errrr-hello/

I've fallen on ice twice too, once at about 20mph on a bypass roundabout the other climbing at slow speed.

They didn't hurt so much, just a few bruises and scrapes.

Ands

I have only ever come off once - the cause was stupidity as I tried to bunny hop onto the pavement whilst riding parallel with the kerb at about 40kph (was on mtb/slicks). I landed alongside the car window of the guy who had just cut me up. :oops: (The alternative might have been to go into the back of him so maybe I did make the right decision.)

I nearly fell off a few weeks ago when going up a 10% hill. I looked for another gear and the chain jumped off the sprocket and got wedged between the cassette and spokes. I came to a complete standstill as I couldn't turn the pedals and really didn't think I would unclip quick enough. Luckily I did.

idkPhil

Stupid pedestrians.
and being too far forward while sprinting while clipped in and somehow losing balance, rear wheel coming off the ground and me hitting the ground. Had to be my most painful crash.

Other than one crash involving pedestrians, and the other involving an unskilled clipless rider (myself) pretending to be cavendish.I've really only crashed twice in the last 12 months. I had to have been going at least 30mph in both crashes. The second one left me stunned on the ground and trembling, nothing broken though, got up and rode away with torn shorts and a torn jersey both times.

the road rash really sucks and hurts, almost as much as scratching your bike, tearing up your bar tape and scuffing up your shifters does. I have never been MTBing so I can't really compare crashing on a mtb to crashing on a road bike.

But I imagine colliding with a tree doing DH single track riding would have to really hurt, do you MTBers get anything like tree rash?

tl;dr not often at all, but when it happens you can probably expect to need some new clothes.

thel33ter

I've had plently of SPD related topples, because I don't use them much. I've had a few sketchy slow slides on ice and got hit by/hit a yellow Hyundi pulling out in front of me a while ago.

@IDKPhil

Treerash?

Most MTB crashes are silly, slow ones that don't hurt much, or the flat out flying around boucing off stuff really hard kind. This mainly happens cause the faster you go, the easier most things become till you run out of grip.

Spatulala

Came off for the first time on Sunday, doing the SW Tour Ride. Over the top of Peak Hill, fast descent into a tight left hander. I chose straight on into the ditch, as trying to make the corner would've lost me rear end, and I figured that would hurt more (both me and the bike).

No excuse, I know the road well as it's only 5 miles from home :oops:

Dmak

Came very close to falling off recently. Alcohol, a funky cig, darkness, over enthusiasm and a pot hole were all to blame. Somehow managed to stop myself going over the bars into parked cars and gently floated the remaining 25 miles home.

Will soon be going clipless and buying a road bike, from what I've been told and read above, this transition is likely to be a painful one. :shock:

father_jack

Dmak wrote:

Came very close to falling off recently. Alcohol, a funky cig, darkness, over enthusiasm and a pot hole were all to blame. Somehow managed to stop myself going over the bars into parked cars and gently floated the remaining 25 miles home.

Will soon be going clipless and buying a road bike, from what I've been told and read above, this transition is likely to be a painful one. :shock:

Pity a copper didn't stop and charge you..

Dmak

Yeah such a pity, what exactly would a police officer charge me with out of interest?

father_jack

Police man's son here, you can be arrested and charged and get a fine for being drunk and high on a push bike.

Scum like you give proper cyclists a bad image. Bet riding home at night with no lights either eh?

jim453

Father Jack wrote:

Police man's son here, you can be arrested and charged and get a fine for being drunk and high on a push bike.

Scum like you give proper cyclists a bad image. Bet riding home at night with no lights either eh?

Jesus. You need to relax.

Welcome to the forum Dmak. Noticed how easy it is to make people cry on here? Funny isn't it. If it wasn't so sad.

Dmak

There is quite frankly no need to be quite so offensive, especially to someone you do not know.

As far as my cycling goes I cover nearly 1000 miles a month. My commute is a round trip of 45 miles which I ride on a ten year old MTB with slicks and 7 gears. Funnily enough it has lights fitted.

Would you like a cup of tea Father?

Anonymous

To be fair, he admits to being drunk and stoned (the drugs being an offence in itself)...

Dmak

jim453 wrote:

Welcome to the forum Dmak. Noticed how easy it is to make people cry on here? Funny isn't it. If it wasn't so sad.

Cheers Jim, I didn't realise the mention of Bob Marley cycling would be quite so offensive on here! Thanks for renewing my faith in this website, I've only just got my foot in the door

Anonymous

I personally don't give a sh1t how much you ride, taking drugs and then riding isn't something to brag about on an internet cycling forum.

morstar

I refuse to tempt fate with any bold claims that will result in my next ride going tits up.
However my last two incidents involved having a door opened right in front of me whilst using a cycle lane approaching lights. It was a panel van, so I couldn't see the impending twatage occurring.
Last one was a sit down in a spiky bush on the mtb. Quite simply trying to go both left and right at the same time due to indecision invariably ends on the ground.

jim453

Don't say you weren't warned. They'll carry on slagging you off for a bit then get bored and move onto something else. On the whole a nice bunch though. If a bit smug/holier than thou at times.

Anonymous

No Jim, I'm a police officer who has very vivid recollections of dealing with an accident where a 17 year old woman was killed by a drug driver (who had taken cannabis).

Dmak

jim453 wrote:

Don't say you weren't warned. They'll carry on slagging you off for a bit then get bored and move onto something else. On the whole a nice bunch though. If a bit smug/holier than thou at times.

1 out of 3 isn't too bad! I did hope for a slightly more relaxed crowd here. I love cycling, that's why I'm here, I don't want to bicker with anyone, forums have a strange effect on people eh.

Spatulala

NapoleonD wrote:

No Jim, I'm a police officer who has very vivid recollections of dealing with an accident where a 17 year old woman was killed by a drug driver (who had taken cannabis).

If only that driver had ridden his/her bike home instead of getting in the car

Anonymous

Spatulala wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

No Jim, I'm a police officer who has very vivid recollections of dealing with an accident where a 17 year old woman was killed by a drug driver (who had taken cannabis).

If only that driver had ridden his/her bike home instead of getting in the car

Or not taken any.

neeb

Dmak, cycling on the road while under the influence of drugs, legal or otherwise, is extremely stupid and irresponsible - not nearly so much so as driving in a similar state, but you are still likely to be putting other people's lives at risk as well as your own.

Still:

Scum like you give proper cyclists a bad image.

That was uncalled for. If everyone who has ever got on a bike after a couple of beers is "scum", there wouldn't be many "proper" cyclists around. Which doesn't make it any less stupid.

mattward1979

I will admit to cycling back from the pub when really I should have gotten the train.. Not out of my box kind of drunk, but when you know you have had a couple more than was intended but you convince yourself your fine..

Its the reason I dont drive....

Not defending it, just saying it happens, and Id rather hear of someone being a tad worse for wear and cycling than someone jumping in a death can and driving home.

Best of all, Id rather they made Taxi's free for drunk people

leech

Back to the original question..... Two falls this year:
First one thanks to a lovely old lady in a car pulling out on me
. Second one.... my fault. Last Tuesday, clipped kerb, road rash and cracked rib. Thankfully the bike only picked up a few scratches.

I'd only been on Lucozade Sport though.