How often do you crash?

veronese68

hopkinb wrote:

rower63 wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

... nothing I could have done differently to avoid that as it wasn't in what would normally be considered a possible dooring area...

did it fall from an aeroplane?

I was also a bit puzzled by the idea of being doored in a non-dooring zone!

It's a marked non-dooring zone, I can't be clearer than that. :roll:
I mean not in a place you would reasonably expect a door to be opened. Riding between two lanes of traffic in Kingston when the passenger in the car to my right flung her door open to get out. I hit the back edge of the door as it was opening, nowhere to go and no time to react anyway. I then hit the back of a car in the left hand lane with the top corner of the door stuck in my arm. From 14mph to a very sudden stop according to Strava. Unless I take to sitting in queues of traffic there is no way to avoid that sort of thing.

hopkinb

Veronese68 wrote:

hopkinb wrote:

rower63 wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

... nothing I could have done differently to avoid that as it wasn't in what would normally be considered a possible dooring area...

did it fall from an aeroplane?

I was also a bit puzzled by the idea of being doored in a non-dooring zone!

It's a marked non-dooring zone, I can't be clearer than that. :roll:
I mean not in a place you would reasonably expect a door to be opened. Riding between two lanes of traffic in Kingston when the passenger in the car to my right flung her door open to get out. I hit the back edge of the door as it was opening, nowhere to go and no time to react anyway. I then hit the back of a car in the left hand lane with the top corner of the door stuck in my arm. From 14mph to a very sudden stop according to Strava. Unless I take to sitting in queues of traffic there is no way to avoid that sort of thing.

Ahh, all is clear! Ouch.

The Rookie

I've only crashed twice in 7 years commuting (and about 7000miles), both those were on the same morning where it rained overnight and then froze.

I leave falling off for on the MTB where I've had much more practice.

porlyworly

Roughly once a year, hurts more the older you get!

gabriel959

Commuting since 2008. I have crashed 7 times, roughly around 1 per year. Mostly all my fault or the environment. I have also crashed once whilst riding with the club (not my fault, but the rider in front of me which tried to avoid a squirrel at 23mph)

richk

Been hit by two cars & one motorbike in 48 years of cycling. Also come off on ice about 3 times & had 2 clipless falls.

bigmat

I probably average about once a year, maybe a bit more. 10 years and a half years commuting, twice peds have walked in front of me. Twice cars have driven into me. A couple of times I have slid on diesel. Three times my chain slipped due to dodgy drivetrain (turned out to be worn chainring, replaced chain after first crash, cassette after second and chainring after third!). Once my freewheel failed when I was doing an out of the saddle sprint in a big gear (ouch). A couple of crashes on the track when racing / training. One crash in a road race (chopper cut me up about 500m from the finish - I could've won that one...)

nich

Glad it's not just me crashing fairly often then

bigmat

Forgot one! Crashed on ice on a club run. Didn't hurt and the only damage to the bike was a bent rear mech that I was able to bend back, so barely worth a mention!

rower63

1990s - 2 clipped-in moments, both in the same “acclimatisation ride” for my first-ever such pedals. One involved me realizing I was going over, reaching for and hugging a traffic-light pole and sliding down it. Lots of laughing from queueing cars. No clipped-in moments since.
1990s - Twice: too close behind a car which stopped suddenly: me slowly over the bars
2000 - Through green light at Trafalgar Sq, black cab stopped mid-junction had not noticed his green had long-gone red when he moved off, drove into my fibula and cracked it
2006 - Rain on fresh newly-laid tarmac by Buck Pal, down before I knew it
2006 ish - 3 peds (all tourists suddenly running across the road looking the wrong way, luckily all cushioned impacts. All were full-on no time to slow)
2012 - Very low-speed, standing over the bars off the saddle waiting to move off, looking round to check I wasn’t being cut off and assuming the moped in front had moved off, it hadn’t … lock brakes, slow-mo over the bars
2013 - Black ice in Rich Park, over and sliding before I knew it
2013 - Smacked into the rear quarterlight of a van that changed direction while I was filtering (I stayed up but cut my hand)
2016 - Over the handlebars on a vintage steel frame while climbing a 13% gradient (!!), chain skated over sprockets from badly-adjusted shifters, entirely self-involved

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Besides a clipless slow motion tumble on my old Principia RSL around '97, only Xmas 2013 comes to mind, that day of the bad weather warnings (23rd). Jumped on the Tricross SInglescross, didn't seem that bad at ~0635, headed down the hill towards Northam Bridge, doing ~20mph as I went around the sweeping bend. In a split second, I realised the dustbin collection lorry ~10 metres ahead of me was stationary, no dropped kerb to try an escape and no time to check behind to safely move to the outside lane. Grabbed a handful of brakes, felt like they were doing nothing, swore...

And then woke up ~25mins later when a paramedic over me, spent Xmas week at Southampton General, with a fractured maxilla; two broken metacarpals; lower nose broken; two teeth knocked out; most other teeth chipped/cracked; split lip etc.!

I don't like rim brakes these days, funnily enough.

bobbygloss

I'm in the jds_1981 team for crashes, generally crash once or twice a month in winter and a bit less in summer. Only one has involved a car, when I ran into the back of it as it braked for a speed bump. So far in 10 years of commuting I've not broken anything, just scrapes.
Many falls on ice even with spiked tyres, including some where I've lost traction going uphill, put a foot down and then me and bike slide back down the hill together. Spiked tyres grip better than overshoes. Except on polished concrete, where I've also fallen twice with spikes.
Some falls due to chain slipping or breaking.
The rest are due to tree roots, rocks, holes, gravel etc. I have some fun options on my route.

Jal_

Only once so far. Last week on Kings Rd paying attention to a car too close to my back wheel for comfort, went into the back of a cyclist who'd slowed for a red light. Both of us stayed upright, just a bruised ego for me (sorry again, if you're reading :oops: )

vpnikolov

I actually had one last year in RP.... Roundabout after descending Broomfield Hill north-bound, cycling behind an Audi Q7 (and stupidly enough quite close to it). Cyclist coming opposite direction turns right, through the roundabout without indicating. Audi slams on the brakes and I end up hitting the rear left of it. Managed somehow to cut my leg (absolutely no idea how that happened), index finger got caught between the right shifter and the car - result was torn skin on the joint between the middle and proximal phalanges. No damage to the car, no damage to the bike and I somehow managed to stay upright by unclipping just before almost tipping on my left side.

Driver was genuinely concerned how I was, no swearing or playing the blame game. Lesson learned.

wolfsbane2k

NitrousOxide wrote:

Besides a clipless slow motion tumble on my old Principia RSL around '97, only Xmas 2013 comes to mind, that day of the bad weather warnings (23rd). Jumped on the Tricross SInglescross, didn't seem that bad at ~0635, headed down the hill towards Northam Bridge, doing ~20mph as I went around the sweeping bend. In a split second, I realised the dustbin collection lorry ~10 metres ahead of me was stationary, no dropped kerb to try an escape and no time to check behind to safely move to the outside lane. Grabbed a handful of brakes, felt like they were doing nothing, swore...

And then woke up ~25mins later when a paramedic over me, spent Xmas week at Southampton General, with a fractured maxilla; two broken metacarpals; lower nose broken; two teeth knocked out; most other teeth chipped/cracked; split lip etc.!

I don't like rim brakes these days, funnily enough.

I think I recall that incident - probably not as much as you do, but I used to head over the bridge in a car at around 7 am, and I remember thinking "bugger, hope they're home for xmas"... turns out you weren't
Glad you made a recovery!

wolfsbane2k

3 crashes in 18 months /4200 miles of commuting, not including wing mirror clips ( of which I've had I think 6 now)
August 2015 - Right hooked by a van at 24 mph, managed to get to 15mph before impact according to garmin. Would have preferred a car, as that would have pushed me up and over rather than stopping dead into the side.
Jan 2016 - greasy/uneven road , giant wipe out at 30mph. Trashed loads of stuff, got a large hematoma, deskinned a large chunk of one arm.
Oct/Nov 2016 - ice wipeout - no damage other than to ego.

UndercoverElephant

A few here:

1) Diesel spill on a roundabout. Bound to go down, right? Torn tights and legs. Bike fine.
2) Sheet ice on Porty Prom. Road bike disappeared from underneath me and I slid on my bum for a good 10 meters spinning slowly like a curling stone. No damage.
3) Was running late one night and bombing it. Thought I could save time by skipping through some roadworks cones (no holes). Didn't notice that the cones at the far end had tape between them. Full 360. Impressive. Broken rib. Rear unexpected deflation on landing. Even later than I would have been.
4) Very wet night, thought I'd go off my usual commute to get away from cars for a bit. Turned onto a side road, manhole cover at the apex of the bend. No bike beneath me. Broken rib. Flew to California two days later. Economy class. Man that was painful.

Still, over 7 years and 30,000 miles, that's not too bad.

itboffin

rower63 wrote:

1990s - 2 clipped-in moments, both in the same “acclimatisation ride” for my first-ever such pedals. One involved me realizing I was going over, reaching for and hugging a traffic-light pole and sliding down it. Lots of laughing from queueing cars. No clipped-in moments since.
1990s - Twice: too close behind a car which stopped suddenly: me slowly over the bars
2000 - Through green light at Trafalgar Sq, black cab stopped mid-junction had not noticed his green had long-gone red when he moved off, drove into my fibula and cracked it
2006 - Rain on fresh newly-laid tarmac by Buck Pal, down before I knew it
2006 ish - 3 peds (all tourists suddenly running across the road looking the wrong way, luckily all cushioned impacts. All were full-on no time to slow)
2012 - Very low-speed, standing over the bars off the saddle waiting to move off, looking round to check I wasn’t being cut off and assuming the moped in front had moved off, it hadn’t … lock brakes, slow-mo over the bars
2013 - Black ice in Rich Park, over and sliding before I knew it
2013 - Smacked into the rear quarterlight of a van that changed direction while I was filtering (I stayed up but cut my hand)
2016 - Over the handlebars on a vintage steel frame while climbing a 13% gradient (!!), chain skated over sprockets from badly-adjusted shifters, entirely self-involved

issues .... :roll:

anonymousblackfg

I forgot two others, took out another chap near hyde park corner, he came from the serpentine which is meant to be shut for cyclists so my brain just didn't engage that I was turning into him and once in RP on diesel on a roundabout... seems to be a bit of a theme.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

NitrousOxide wrote:

Besides a clipless slow motion tumble on my old Principia RSL around '97, only Xmas 2013 comes to mind, that day of the bad weather warnings (23rd). Jumped on the Tricross SInglescross, didn't seem that bad at ~0635, headed down the hill towards Northam Bridge, doing ~20mph as I went around the sweeping bend. In a split second, I realised the dustbin collection lorry ~10 metres ahead of me was stationary, no dropped kerb to try an escape and no time to check behind to safely move to the outside lane. Grabbed a handful of brakes, felt like they were doing nothing, swore...

And then woke up ~25mins later when a paramedic over me, spent Xmas week at Southampton General, with a fractured maxilla; two broken metacarpals; lower nose broken; two teeth knocked out; most other teeth chipped/cracked; split lip etc.!

I don't like rim brakes these days, funnily enough.

I think I recall that incident - probably not as much as you do, but I used to head over the bridge in a car at around 7 am, and I remember thinking "bugger, hope they're home for xmas"... turns out you weren't
Glad you made a recovery!

Hope I didn't delay your journey too much, I've absolutely no idea what chaos I caused!

I was drugged up to the eyeballs from just after I regained consciousness until after my Xmas Day op under general anaesthetic, while they sliced open my upper gum-line to put my maxilla pieces back together with titanium plates! :twisted:

It probably wasn't the best way to spend your third day as a 40-something, but despite the ~3 months of recovery (mainly due to hand complications); the amount of fitness I lost; the pretty much daily reminders of the accident (love/hate relationship with denture, some loss of facial feeling due to main nerve commonly getting damaged in maxilla op, nasal airways that feel semi-blocked etc.); I have to tell myself most days that I'm lucky to still be around after that freak accident... Headbutting somewhere around the crusher teeth of the lorry at decent speed, could have flipped into the double carriageway and been run over etc.

I still don't like writing about it, because I'm not looking for sympathy, I rode too fast around a bend in grim weather where I was unable to see that far ahead of me and I had no idea how unresponsive my brakes that ride were to slow me to a stop from ~20mph. There's a lesson there somewhere.

fat daddy

NitrousOxide wrote:

There's a lesson there somewhere.

make bin lorries out of pillows ?

pastryboy

Gust of wind into railing
Tyres lost grip on corner
Hole in road
White van man at roundabout
Bonnet of right turning 4x4

one trip to a&e for facial injury
One smashed helmet (not same incident as above)

Not too bad for 8 years of commuting, some crashes along the canal too.

roger_merriman

Since where listing commute crashes, which I started 2007

2x over confidence in ice on the road bike 2009-2010
1x being knocked off the bike by a car that had assumed I'd pulled away from a juction. 2009-2010

December 2013 4th 7:45 came off bike for reasons unknown in Bushy Park, found by another cyclists and shortly after I gather Steve. was taken to hospital with fractured skull and brain damage, bleeds on brain. don't remember that month to be honest. and it was a life changing event.

But none since!

nich

pastryboy wrote:

Gust of wind into railing
Tyres lost grip on corner
Hole in road
White van man at roundabout
Bonnet of right turning 4x4

one trip to a&e for facial injury
One smashed helmet (not same incident as above)

Not too bad for 8 years of commuting, some crashes along the canal too.

This sounded like a poem at first

Man Of Lard

2014 x1 - the usual 0 mph jobbie when using clipless pedals (absurdly it wasn't until I'd been using them for about 3 months)

kingpinsam

Twice in 4 years of commuting, both collisions with pedestrians who didn't look.

First one in Wandsworth a guy stepped into a cycle lane from between 2 cars, hit him at about 15mph, we ended up shaking hands and chalking it up to lessons learnt, no damage.

Second one was on the new embankment cycle lanes last summer, small American lady steps out and I hit her at 20mph+; before I've had chance to gather my senses she says "sorry, have a nice day!" in a cheery voice and disappears. Broken helmet and some serious bruises from where I collided with her. I can only assume she felt a lot worse than I did once her adrenaline wore off.

Total crash count is up to 6 in 35,000 miles. Last year was not a good year with 3 in total. Other non commute crashes include:
1 wipe out on a corner due to hitting a crushed plastic bottle, minor road rash due to full winter kit.
Another on the Richmond gate RAB in Richmond Park at about 10mph (broken rib).
1 into the back of a car that stopped unexpectedly (no damage) Driver was very slow and hesitant and I was getting a bit frustrated behind. Lesson learnt.
And thankfully only one 1 while racing - came off at 40+mph down hill as I couldn't avoid a rider who had come down just in front of me, I went head first through a bush on the other side of the road. I came away with only grazes which was a miracle considering the speed.

jds_1981

Rick Chasey wrote:

jds_1981 wrote:

Wow,

Let's just say if I've not come off my bike in the last three months i feel I'm doing well...

What on earth are you doing?!?!

Pushing the limits and putting down the power awesome.

Nellyspania

WarrenG wrote:

Twice in 20,000 km. Once braking on a wet manhole cover & once into the side of a van

I think I've consciously slowed down and never give it full effort unless I'm absolutely sure it's safe. I've come to the conclusion that commuting is about getting to work in one piece rather than training

^This^ I only ever pootle about town now; had too many hooks and pull-outs by drivers plus lots of smartphone zombie/lemming peds - luckily never had one result in me coming off.

Crashed on black ice a couple of years back (my own fault for being 'off-piste') and broke side of bike helmet.
Year before that chain snapped while pulling away (own fault again for running a chain to death) and had an agoninsing plums-on-crossbar experience.
Then 2 days before last christmas put a wheel into a drainage gutter on a shared footpath and went down at walking speed in front of about 20 christmas shoppers. :oops:

ManiaMuse

Nellyspania wrote:

WarrenG wrote:

Twice in 20,000 km. Once braking on a wet manhole cover & once into the side of a van

I think I've consciously slowed down and never give it full effort unless I'm absolutely sure it's safe. I've come to the conclusion that commuting is about getting to work in one piece rather than training

^This^ I only ever pootle about town now; had too many hooks and pull-outs by drivers plus lots of smartphone zombie/lemming peds - luckily never had one result in me coming off.

+1

I'm paranoid about when my next crash is going to be and what the outcome is going to be. I know it is going to be something stupid but I just try to do all I can to make sure that it is someone else's fault when I come off again.

I know my route pretty well and I know all the dangerous places for left hook/right hooks/drivers flashing cars out at junctions/places where pedestrians do stupid things etc. Now when I have a feeling that someone is going to do something silly I actually scrub off a little bit of speed pre-emptively rather than just covering the brake levers.

I almost say a mantra when I get on the bike 'Just chill, make sure you get to work/home in one piece'. I'd say I am one of the fastest cyclists on my route (or at least there are few that can drop me when the road is clear) but I'm definitely not the fastest filtering through busy traffic and I do see other cyclists taking more risks than me. It's boring commuting but less boring than being stuck in a hospital bed.

wolfsbane2k

NitrousOxide wrote:

Hope I didn't delay your journey too much, I've absolutely no idea what chaos I caused!

I was drugged up to the eyeballs from just after I regained consciousness until after my Xmas Day op under general anaesthetic, while they sliced open my upper gum-line to put my maxilla pieces back together with titanium plates! :twisted:

It probably wasn't the best way to spend your third day as a 40-something, but despite the ~3 months of recovery (mainly due to hand complications); the amount of fitness I lost; the pretty much daily reminders of the accident (love/hate relationship with denture, some loss of facial feeling due to main nerve commonly getting damaged in maxilla op, nasal airways that feel semi-blocked etc.); I have to tell myself most days that I'm lucky to still be around after that freak accident... Headbutting somewhere around the crusher teeth of the lorry at decent speed, could have flipped into the double carriageway and been run over etc.

I still don't like writing about it, because I'm not looking for sympathy, I rode too fast around a bend in grim weather where I was unable to see that far ahead of me and I had no idea how unresponsive my brakes that ride were to slow me to a stop from ~20mph. There's a lesson there somewhere.

I don't remember the queue, just the feeling in the pit of my stomach. Now I know it was your fault, your not getting any sympathy ..

We've all done the "going too fast" thing in the wet - did it myself on a sustrans cycle path, didn't realise it was shared, or that someone doing roadworks had placed large signs in the path, effectively closing it, while I was running late for work when I was significantly younger than I am now - ended up mixing an endo & ducking to try and go under the sign, not realising it had lower down cross beam , clothes lining myself, and ending up in the middle of the road on my back. Thankfully traffic was light...