First Off

Bushfire
Bushfire Posts: 27
edited January 2011 in Commuting chat
Had my first off today after two & a half years cycling & 6 months with clip ons. As offs go I guess it could have been worse. 10 miles an hours front wheel went from under me on a mixture of wet leaves & mud. No major damage (bruised hip & sore finger) even better no damage to bike. Probabaly a good introduction to the process that is bound to happen again.

Comments

  • hfidgen
    hfidgen Posts: 340
    Bushfire wrote:
    Probabaly a good introduction to the process that is bound to happen again.

    Hope not! Glad you're OK! Be sure to give the bike a really thorough checking over for dents, if you've created a weak spot you might need to get it checked out! If something snaps on a bump you'll definitely be doing this again...
    FCN 4 - BMC CX02
  • cyclingpast
    cyclingpast Posts: 111
    As first offs go that's not too bad; My first was after 2 weeks and landed me in intensive care- not pretty!
    Giant Defy 3
    FCN 5

    All wrenching and no riding makes me frickin' angry...
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Good job it wasn't worse.

    Did the bike land rear mech-down? If so, check it's not bent etc.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • Bushfire
    Bushfire Posts: 27
    I think being clipped on I took the brunt of the fall from the bike. Checked the bike over when I got home & everything seemed to be in place.
  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    Welcome to the club, my shoulder and knee are still scabbed after my last off. Serves me right for insisting on staying on the bike all winter. Am tempted to get armour.
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.
  • davis
    davis Posts: 2,506
    Bushfire wrote:
    Had my first off today after two & a half years cycling & 6 months with clip ons. As offs go I guess it could have been worse. 10 miles an hours front wheel went from under me on a mixture of wet leaves & mud. No major damage (bruised hip & sore finger) even better no damage to bike. Probabaly a good introduction to the process that is bound to happen again.

    Dude, bad luck, and I hope you heal up quickly

    As a wee spot of advice, relax your arms/shoulders as much as possible: your muscles can react faster if they're relaxed, and you'll be able to absorb the slips better. It's tricky to do, because your natural desire is to tense up, but that actively harms your control. Slow down, too :-)

    I mostly ride in rural areas covered in this sort of muck, and it's something you'll chalk up to experience. I'm wary of wet leaves now. PS clip-ins or not wouldn't make any difference, IME.

    Best of luck
    Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.
  • Bushfire
    Bushfire Posts: 27
    Thanks guys for the advice. Off to Egypt tomorrow so hope a bit of sun will help the healing process, then back to start training for my first 100 mile sportive in April

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