How often do you crash?

tgotb

Blimey - only just seen this thread, I had no idea cycling was so perilous!
I've crashed 4 times on the road:
Trying to ride up a road that I knew was covered in sheet ice, on the way home from school.
Taking a dropped kerb at too oblique an angle with a flat tyre, on the way home from school.
Racing a mate round a blind bend, when I was at Uni, and taking out a pedestrian who was crossing the road.
Hilarious slow-motion head-on with a tourist riding on the wrong side of the road, also at Uni.
I left Uni 25 years ago, so I've hopefully become a bit luckier.

Still have plenty of crashes off-road though; a few months ago I went over the bars five times in as many weeks. Three of those were on the same descent (Ingleborough). After the third I got off and ran, which was probably quicker.

Apparently the biggest cause of broken collarbones is putting out your hands to try to stop a fall. I tend to hold onto the bars (probably because I'm too surprised to let go) which means I roll...

kingstongraham

TGOTB wrote:

Apparently the biggest cause of broken collarbones is putting out your hands to try to stop a fall. I tend to hold onto the bars (probably because I'm too surprised to let go) which means I roll...

I did that (still holding on when I hit the floor) last year, and broke my elbow. I think it mended easier than a collarbone, but still really hurt for weeks.

pastryboy

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.

I really need to get to grips with this mentality - always plan to keep it steady but end up hammering it when I spot a gap which means far more near misses than are necessary. Not like getting home two minutes quicker actually counts for anything either. :roll:

cookeeemonster

None for 21,000 miles and over 4 and a half years then twice in 3 weeks...fractured wrist for 2nd one. I consider myself lucky overall!!

MisterMuncher

One worth talking about. Wiped out by some doddering old fart in a Suzuki Baleno. He hasn't seen me yet. He pulled out to pass, but pulled back in too early. Hit the deck at 30-odd MPH, down a 10% hill about a half mile from my house. Five stitches in the cheek, new rear derailleur, still made it to work a whole hour late. The abiding memories are looking at my mitts, wondering why they were shiny, and asking a young cub if he got the reg number. The sight of all the blood had him boking all over his shoes.

jgsi

The thought of crashing less than a mile from home would seriously p me off.. hence I do take it very easy on the last stretch of any commute or ride.
I was walking at half 7 this morning , pushing the bike up the road back towards the house , checking for black ice... plenty of it.. a sound of ouch behind me made turn around to see someone decked on the way to their Sunday shift.. easy for me.. I sacked off the reliability run and went on the turbo.
They were ok.. and heeded my advice to walk to the main road .
Tomorrow, forecast again for ice early doors ...so it will be the car.. just need to remember to put the car cover on later.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

My crash count went to n+1 yesterday afternoon...

Front end Marathon Cross lost all grip, ~75% through taking a right-hand turn at a mini-roundabout I often use. Approached as normal, freewheeling in 6th gear (34-15), suddenly the front end went and the padding on my right thumb took most of the impact.

When I got home I found the GPS tracking was awful for the ride, including the second leading up to the fall, so missing a few segment stats and no way to tell if I was travelling quicker through the roundabout than normal.

Padding very sore, ice applied, not feeling quite so bad this morning.

Just like with my Xmas 2013 crash, I've been trying to come up with factors that caused the front end to lose grip. Maybe I had a touch more speed at the apex, maybe I caught a mini-rut in the tarmac, but I do know that I increased tyre pressures from ~70/78PSI to ~78/83PSI at the weekend. No idea why I chose those new figures, but they would give less cornering grip compared to before and yesterday was the first time I visited that roundabout since the random increase.

Think I might have to "get back on that horse" a bit later, even if just cycling around the block a few times, partly for my benefit and partly to judge if the rear derailleur (that took a scrape) and/or derailleur hanger are borked.

luv2ride

My front Schwalbe Hyper Voyager let go on a wet and muddy corner the other morning, though managed to somehow recover it. Had a very timid descent down Bowden Hill yesterday though as subconsciously I think my confidence in them was gone. Last off was some ago (though very similar circumstances to my last near miss). Came off on a wet corner, not tanking it, but afterwards was found wandering around by a passing motorist with a broken s-works helmet. Had quite a headache after that, and read something some months after that suggested I really should have gone to A&E to get checked out. Never did :roll:

Nellyspania

NitrousOxide wrote:

My crash count went to n+1 yesterday afternoon...

Front end Marathon Cross lost all grip, ~75% through taking a right-hand turn at a mini-roundabout I often use. Approached as normal, freewheeling in 6th gear (34-15), suddenly the front end went and the padding on my right thumb took most of the impact.

Diesel on road?

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Nellyspania wrote:

NitrousOxide wrote:

My crash count went to n+1 yesterday afternoon...

Front end Marathon Cross lost all grip, ~75% through taking a right-hand turn at a mini-roundabout I often use. Approached as normal, freewheeling in 6th gear (34-15), suddenly the front end went and the padding on my right thumb took most of the impact.

Diesel on road?

Yeah, fuel is another possibility, I really should have grabbed the Nexus out of my jacket pocket and taken a photo.

At the time both me and the bike pirouetted to face the traffic that was behind me (stopped thankfully!), while I muttered something like "How the {insert expletive here} did that just happen?" to myself for a while before gingerly getting back on the bike and slowly riding away!

I keep thinking, would it have happened if...
I had not swapped out the fat wheels for my FatNotFat set just before heading out?
I had swapped the 700x38c Marathon Cross tyres for the 29x2.35 PX re-badged Vee Speedsters, that I was seriously thinking about fitting before going out?
I had dropped the tyre pressures back to a more sensible ~70/77PSI on the Marathon Cross before heading out (which I should have done, bearing in mind I noticed the higher random pressures were giving a much harsher ride at the weekend)?

msmancunia

Only had three in the six years since I got back on a bike:

1) came off on in one of those water things (a ford?) in Morocco, and slid about ten feet. Sat up to see about ten Berber shepherds sat on a wall and almost crying laughing. The concrete underneath was slimy with moss and they used to sit their regularly for some entertainment.
2) Ice - going down the road where I live - broken derailleur and two very black knees
3) Ice - going up the road where I live and lost traction. Fell off, broke my wrist and spent the next six weeks in a very bad mood. When you're single and live on your own a broken wrist is a nightmare. Had to pay for a cleaner, get someone to do my ironing, wash and dry my hair one-handed, and get a taxi to work every day as I'm not on a public transport route.

Wouldn't even chance riding on ice these days.

Man Of Lard

Man Of Lard wrote:

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)

Is it a crash when a nonagenarian runs you off the road and into a blackthorn hedge?

Quins

2 in 6 years. This morning being the 2nd, similar to Nitrousoxide, something slick (prob diesel) on a right hand junction, no speed, front shell just went away and I stacked it quickly. First was on a sportive, going at a about 25-30 with my group, caught up with another group, road narrowed, crowd of girls on side of road (obscured by a big tree) gave a big cheer, the guy on my right decides to look back over his shoulder and lost his line, took me out . I fended one of my group off with a great kick as he was falling towards me. Peeled my elbow, sore and angry as heck, just 10 miles into 70.

rubertoe

There is always a thread like this every year - Roads are just a bit more treacherous in the winter months, ice, debris, crap on the roads.

I have crashed/come off 4 times in 8 years (i must be due one), Once on black ice on a club run, Once not paying attention and going into the back of a mini up hill when the lights changed to green and she didnt go. One right hook by a nurse less than a mile from home and one left hook by a fella who said he didnt see me even though I was lit up like a christmas tree.

Dust yourself off and back to it.

MozBiker

I've been cycling for a year now. And I've had 3 crashes. 1st one was on a wet road, taxi came past me, pulled in front of me and then slammed on the brakes. Since it was downhill and it was pouring rain I couldn't stop in time. Managed to spill some speed before making contact with his rear end. Only a minor scrape on my knee.

Second one wasn't my fault either. I was going downhill and there was this stupid cable lying across the road at 45 degrees to the lane. And it was also slightly wet. My front wheel slipped on it and my bike disappeared from underneath me. Before I could register what was going on, I was on the tarmac. That's African telecommunications cable lying for you!

Third one wasn't my fault either. I was sprinting when my chain snapped. Hit the deck at 50kmph. Lost a lot of skin and a few good bruises. Bike only got one scratch on the shifter. Wasn't even bent! Despite the road rash I couldn't stay off the bike for more than two days.

I've had a few close calls of cars driving erratically and other idiot road users. But i'm pretty used to it now. Let's see if this year I can stay road-rash-less.

warreng

I remember I had a coming together with a mobility scooter outside Tooting Broadway station. I scratched his paintwork during the high-speed smash and the old fella was livid

davesnothere

squired

The list below is from about 20 years of cycling.

1- Where a van turned left across me, taking me out.
2- A car turned left and took me over hit bonnet (hit and run).
3- Once on ice (took a lot of skin off my leg)
4- A bus clipped my handlebars. Can't remember the injuries, but nothing serious.
5- A crash when I did an emergency stop to avoid a car turning right (didn't see me because she was apparently looking over her shoulder!). Just bumps and bruises for this one
6- Going in a straight line over newly laid wet tar. (hurt arm, leg and hip)
7- Turning into my street at about 5mph (hospital visit for hip in serious pain, but no broken bones)
8- Front wheel lock and straight over my handlebars (concussion)
9- A few falls on the mountain bike while riding offroad.

Luckily I've never broken any bones. The worst I've had is a concussion. There have been some very close misses over the years as well, with a few where I honestly thought there was going to be impact. One of those was on a mini-roundabout where she drove straight onto it and I still don't know how she didn't take me out. It was early in the morning and she simply wasn't paying attention. Another one recently was where a car turned right and again I thought I was going over her bonnet. She didn't see me apparently despite two front lights and multiple reflectives. The video from it showed that she never slowed down to make the turn.

6wheels

Looks as though the ladies have it in for you, ex-girlfriends?

reformedfatty

Once in about 6 years, lost the front in wet slippery conditions. Bit of bruising and a bent mech hanger.

If I crashed every year or two I'd be asking myself why

itboffin

today!

jds_1981

reformedfatty wrote:

Once in about 6 years, lost the front in wet slippery conditions. Bit of bruising and a bent mech hanger.

If I crashed every year or two I'd be asking myself why

If you don't push the boundaries you will find them constricting on you.

jds_1981

Well, I was well overdue a good one. Lost the front coming off a bridge over the canal.
Bit of rash, rear mech in the wheels (snapped the hanger when I pulled it out) and a hole through one of my new leather gloves.
Managed to do the shorten chain thing to get home with my rear derailleur wrapped behind my seat post.
Annoyingly can't fix tonight as I seem to have got through all three spare mech hangers, so will be a spare bike tomorrow...

menthel

Can I play as an ex-commuter?

Over the 3 years I did the 4 day a week 14km each way trip I had:

1 minor bump into the back of a cyclist
1 SMIDSY from a car pulling into a petrol station that wrote off my Charge and left me with various injuries- probably should have gone to hospital but didn't.
1 SMIDSY from a van that pulled out of a side road. I hit the side of it at about 20 mph, broke vertebrae in my neck and back, squashed my face and ruined my sinuses and made my brain go all funny (traumatic brain injuries are not fun and I still have mild issues over 2 years later). It also killed my lovely Condor Italia.
1 of me going into the back of a car at low speed because I couldn't work SPD-Sls. Buckled a wheel but otherwise just embarrassed!
1 of me doing a forward flip for no obvious reason on the A217 on the way home from Box Hill once. Still to this day have no clue why- must have caught a seam on the road or something. Again- buckled wheel but no harm done to me!

Now I don't have a cycle commute any more and have got fat.

Also did once stack it on an MTB and had a freshly shorn green branch from a bush enter my shoulder and nearly my neck. Required 14 stitches, inserted by an old chum from medical school!

Blacktemplar

Apart from the odd 'clipless' moment in the early days, three that were serious enough to warrant a mention;

September 2011 - turned in too sharp & crossed a wet, leaf-strewn white line and list the front wheel at about 18mph. Result was a grade 4 ACL tear (complete detachment), bizarrely didn't break my collarbone but punched the end of it deep into my left deltoid muscle. Kevlar rebuild, wasn't the carbon frame I was after and I now have a shortened collarbone with an odd lump.

May 2013 - overcooked it on new tarmac on the String Road on Arran and came off. Road rash from knee to hip, a 20p-piece sized chunk of flesh gouged out of my inner elbow and a spiral fracture of the medial epicondyle. Stupid thing was, I kept going after patching up the leaky bits and cycled almost 80 miles without knowing I'd broken something. Hurt like buggery but just thought it was the wound. The bruise on my ars lasted for almost a year as apparently it was 'bone bruising'....

August 2016 - doored in traffic, knocked off and fell under a slow-moving truck, but luckily managed to get back out before anything rolled over me. Apart from a shredded knee and torn shoecover, the worst injury was a massive door-shaped bruise that's left me with a bit of a dent. Common sense was the only thing that kept me from having grazed knuckles as well - was persuaded by the lorry driver not to deck the obnoxious little cnut who doored me!

syrsylvain

I do not crash many times fortunately. Once, when I was 10 years old, but I finished with multiple skull fractures, one month of hospital, 10 years of epilepsy treatment. That taught me to always wear a helmet I guess. If you fall hard, being clipped or not does not matter much I think. I would not go back to flats.