My First Fall

albus16

Newbie still learning the basics out on a trail at Sherwood Pines today...

Hit a bump.

Foot came off the pedal.

Lost my balance.

Head first into a bush 8)

Not quite a full-scale wipeout and only cuts and bruises but I feel like I'm part of the sport now!

In seriousness though, having experienced a proper fall now, in a strange way it has made me more confident to ride quicker. Anyone else had this feeling?

waby1234

You start to understand your limits and where you can push harder.

cooldad

As mine was probably eleventy million years ago I can't remember.

paul.skibum

How did your foot come off the pedal on a bump?

If you are standing up, heels down, decent pedals and shoes it shouldnt really happen.

But on the other hand, congrats on your first off. Go have some more.

chris321

You need to build up a bank of good crashes in your head, they're a great comfort the next time you're flying through the air and you can cling onto the the thought that maybe the landing isn't going to be quite as painful as you first thought

As mentioned above though, mastering going over bumpy bits without your feet bouncing off the pedals sounds like an important skill to concentrate on.

paul.skibum wrote:

If you are standing up, heels down, decent pedals and shoes it shouldnt really happen.

I was always taught to point my toes down, and have my heels up? Wouldn't it be really tricky to have your heels low?

rockmonkeysc

chris321 wrote:

I was always taught to point my toes down, and have my heels up? Wouldn't it be really tricky to have your heels low?

No, always heels down. Gives better control, keeps your feet more secure on the pedals, helps relax your legs, puts you in a better position. Toes down is just very bad technique.
Look at any DH racer, they always have their heels down.

cooldad

Fine for bumpy downhill, but not really for pedalling (which is actually a part of some bicycling). So 'always' is not always correct.

rockmonkeysc

cooldad wrote:

Fine for bumpy downhill, but not really for pedalling (which is actually a part of some bicycling). So 'always' is not always correct.

Yeah, forgot the minor bit about pedalling :?

chris321

RockmonkeySC wrote:

No, always heels down. Gives better control, keeps your feet more secure on the pedals, helps relax your legs, puts you in a better position. Toes down is just very bad technique.
Look at any DH racer, they always have their heels down[/img]

Interesting, I'll try heels down tomorrow, it will probably feel like trying to write with my left hand though! What about when the bike (or at least rear wheel) isn't on the ground? Still heels down?

cooldad

What pedals do you have?
And remember you are not a DH racer, so somethings may not be relevant.

milko9000

chris321 wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

No, always heels down. Gives better control, keeps your feet more secure on the pedals, helps relax your legs, puts you in a better position. Toes down is just very bad technique.
Look at any DH racer, they always have their heels down[/img]

Interesting, I'll try heels down tomorrow, it will probably feel like trying to write with my left hand though! What about when the bike (or at least rear wheel) isn't on the ground? Still heels down?

When you get airborne your toes will naturally point down and there' s not much you can do about it, so don't worry about that. But yeah, while standing and not pedalling you should be heels down, makes things nice and stable.

Bred2shred

And just to confuse things further, Heels should also be down while climbing up steep technical sections in the saddle.

njee20

There are few occasions when toes down is preferable/desirable I'd say. I naturally do it. It's annoying.

not.special

my first big off left me needing stiches, but chicks dig scars!

Fatal_Exception

First ride, first fall. Nothing too serious though.