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Falling off your bike
gwaj
Posts: 2
in General Chat
Having fallen off my bike just over a week ago and still with dressings on hip, elbow,knee and shin, combined with a swollen right ankle. I would like to know if there is a 'right way to fall off!!'
I'm feel lucky that I did not suffer any broken bones, nor did I get run over by a car, suffered no head injuries, and the bike survived with only a slight buckle to the front wheel. (I will take to bike shop to have a professional look at any possible structural damage.). But I am somewhat dissapointed that my body seems to have taken the worst of it!!
An unseen pothole bounced my hands of the handlebars, the front wheel swivled right, with the bike falling and me smashing onto my right hip, elbow, knee and shin. These body parts slowed me and the bike down whilst scraping against the road. Is there any technique, whilst crashing that you can use to minimise physical injury, such as your handle bars, cycle shoes, or your hands - asumming you have some good padded gloves?
Any suggestions welcolmed.
I'm feel lucky that I did not suffer any broken bones, nor did I get run over by a car, suffered no head injuries, and the bike survived with only a slight buckle to the front wheel. (I will take to bike shop to have a professional look at any possible structural damage.). But I am somewhat dissapointed that my body seems to have taken the worst of it!!
An unseen pothole bounced my hands of the handlebars, the front wheel swivled right, with the bike falling and me smashing onto my right hip, elbow, knee and shin. These body parts slowed me and the bike down whilst scraping against the road. Is there any technique, whilst crashing that you can use to minimise physical injury, such as your handle bars, cycle shoes, or your hands - asumming you have some good padded gloves?
Any suggestions welcolmed.
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Comments
Always wear gloves
And next time try and jump the pothole [;)]
heal soon.
Guess the lesson I learned was that without a helmet I wouldn't be posting this today!
It was an excuse to buy a new helmet though!
hadn't thought about all the hairs stuck in my wounded shin at the moment, all that to look forward after I have got through the itchness of scabs!!
still feel lucky that it could have been much worse, frustated that I can't do the Windsor Tri this sunday, but looking forward to Swanage Tri in August when hopefully will be all mended and might have some fitness back.
cheers
I had the bizarre experience of being slowly run over today. I was commuting in London and was stationary at a roundabout, covered in flourescent clothing. I was waiting for the traffic to pass, when the car behind me just ran slowly into me and kept going. My back wheel buckled and got sucked under the car and I ended up almost sitting on his bonnet. No injuries but v.startled. He apologised and said he was looking right to see the incoming traffic on the roundabout and just didn't see me. I'm pretty glad that I got away with it without injury. And also that it was my beat up mountain bike and not my road bike.... Not sure whether the whole bike is a right-off or not, but the back wheel is almost folded in two. Reminds me how mortal we all are, as did the other posts on this site - has anyone got away without having an accident yet?
my last spill was about 6 years ago when i first tried a set of clip on tri bars. feeling a bit shy i took off for a spin round some back lanes thinking there'd be no traffic, didn't bank on little old lady walking her dog. tried to swerve got it horribly wrong and ended up getting up close and personal with about twenty feet of tarmac.
i do concur with the general thread that you just don't have time to think about it and instinct takes over as you hurtle towards the ground. arms out or tuck and roll, it's a lottery.
Also this to to gwaj and any others, when you fell off did you stay clipped in as you fell? I have only fallen once, and it was at low speed, was just wondering if like skiing when you fall fast your likely to come out of the bindings or pedals should i say!
In the accident itself, when he finally stopped, my back wheel was completely under his car and the rest of the bike, with me on it, was pointing up in the air a bit like a ship that's sinking and is just about to go under the waves. I got off the bike and it stayed there, back end under the car and front end poking up in the air - he had to reverse so that I could get it out. If I manage to work out the technology then I'll try to post a photo of it on this forum. Oddly, it didn't shake me up that much, probably because he was moving so slowly that there was no impact. It was almost a bit like the scene in Austin Powers where a steamroller takes 20 seconds to catch and run over a stationary baddie. At first I just thought that some wanker was nudging me deliberately as some sort of piss take -until it got a bit alarming when the bike started crumpling under the car.
I think its where I picked up my love of super tight lycra!!!
Glad to hear you clip out, that makes it sound a hell of alot safer!
Tiring you have got to get a pic of that up! I can understand how he was shook up aswell, I nearly hit a young child once when I was driving after he ran out between some parked cars. Luckily I was driving nice and slow and was alert enough to stop. I nearly had a heart attack, I have never felt so shook up in all my life I had to get my passenger to drive me home!
I love skiing as well, ain't nothin quite like it!! and after my experience at Wimbleball i can definitely confirm 2 things.... you definitely clip out, which i was real happy about, cos like you i've always wondered and secondly if you are in the air long enough to make a concious decision on how to land then its really gonna hurt when you hit... mine was all over so fast i can just remember thinking "BUGGER"!!!
and putting yer hands out is the most natural thing to do, my stigmata appearance is evidence of that!!
Re: my earlier posts, the photo of the mashed up rear wheel on my MTB is (hopefully) attached.
[image]local://149/CB77D2C2B48D4AF88C96B8D64AA9CA2C.jpg[/image]
incidentally what was the guy driving? was it a 4x4? how did the wheel actually manage to get underneath the front?
I'm not upset about it, in fact I'm finding myself smiling about it. I think it's because 6 months ago I never could have imagined this happening to me. The thought that an unfit 43 year old could be tearing along the road at 20 mph + on the flat and feeling as great as I do would never crossed my mind and yet today I was doing and feeling that, I just got carried away and I think my injury is a small price and I can't wait to get back on the road so I can get going again, just slower round the bends [:)]
As I stated I have never been fit or experienced the thrill of exercise or being good at something I appologise for getting carried away.
just remember to slow down round corners [;)]
[image]local://149/3E45DC4149D04445B43A3BE407673C78.jpg[/image]
For your safety: BUY RED CARBON!!![:D][:D]