Road riding falls

[Nanci]

I'm not a slacker!!! I am still awaiting my first serious crash. I had a tip-over in June that still really frikin' hurts when I kneel on that knee...

[weathergal]

My crash (as an adult) was sliding out on a patch of gravel when taking a turn. That was 3 years ago, and to this day I still get kind of freaked out about gravel on the road.

Despite having my clipless pedels for over a year, I still haven't done the slow motion tip over thing, although I've come close. Of course, having said that I'll probably forget to clip out the next time I ride.

[Denise223]

I voted. Sideways low speed tip over.

[mimitabby]

not counting the slow speed blunders, two falls, one because i turned too hard
on uneven pavement, the other, because i couldnt decide which way to go i fell down on a curb cut.
The slow ones are just stupid.. so half and half.

[KSH]

Fell over on my side... on a very slick muddy road. Once the brakes were applied the bike just slipped out from under me.

The damage to myself and my bike were minimal... and I was very lucky.

[DebW]

No clipless tip-overs. One over-the-bars accident in May 2005 that broke my collarbone. I'm assuming it was over-the-bars because I came to 6 feet from the road with a bumped head, a broken collarbone, and dirt ground into my jersey on the back of my shoulder. It was my own d##m fault too - wasn't watching the road and (I presume) hit the curb.

The only other accidents which I'm not counting because they were decades ago were (1) a toe clip and cleat tipover back in the old days when the cleat was nailed to your shoe and you had to loosen the strap by hand to get out, and (2) getting hit by a slow-moving car on a 3-speed (minor damage to me, bent the bike).

[PinkBike]

i voted! no slo-mo falls from the clipless pedals, but went down hard approaching a street light, my front wheel went into the groove between asphalt and sidewalk - as it will do!! - lotsa road rash but nothing major. i've watched my DH fall from the same thing and once from riding thru a dark parking lot hitting a median he never saw. my old bike commuter buddy also did the front-wheel-in-a-road-groove thing, he went over the bars. never anything serious.

[rheidis73]

Just wondering about falls on the road only and not in a race - just recreational or training rides.

Would you describe them as newbie-type falls or $hit happens kind of falls?

Yep, mine was riding clipless the first time. I totally forgot that I was clipped in and feel over like a ton of rock. The second time it happened, I was in the road (no cars luckily) and I hurried to get off my butt and pretend nothing happened! I had the biggest bruise on my hip for days...but of course, that was at a slow speed...

[withm]

3 falls that I can remember. One was a "right hook" - hit by a car many years ago. One fall test riding a new bike - it had clipless, but don't remember if I had bike shoes or was riding in tennis shoes.

Then the official obligatory FALL when I put clipless on my my own bike. And when I realized I was going to fall, I announced "I'm going to fall," did just that, after saying a few choice words I just broke out laughing. There I was laying on my back with the bike between my legs, STILL CLIPPED IN WITH BOTH FEET. And I didn't have a prayer of getting out of the pedals. Well I suppose I could have gotten the shoes off and crawled out. Fortunately I was with others, and one rider was able to lift the bike up so I could get the right angle to unclip A car stopped, and the people ran out to see if I needed help and I was laughing so hard they didn't know what to think. I was pathetic!. I almost wish someone had a camera that day. LOL. Anyway I dusted myself off and did the rest of the ride. When I got home I did discover a small bit of road rash. Didn't rip the tights but ripped up my leg when the end of the handlebar hit it. I was still laughing about it so at least I provided great entertainment for the group that day.

So I guess "most" of my falls go into the "slow speed timber" category. I hope that's the last one cause falling hurts more when you get older.

[terpin]

I've had two of the "early days of clipless" falls. The first one I was stopping on purpose and totally forgot I was clipless. I just went side ways onto the curb. The other time I lost momentum on a hill.

[mimitabby]

not counting the falls people have because of clipping in or out, it looks like most falls happen AFTER people have slowed down or... before they speed up.
Sounds good. that's why we're still all riding!

[bcipam]

I have had falls for various reasons. The worse occurred 7/4/2003. I had ridden 36 miles to Huntington Beach to watch the 4th of July parade. After was riding home (the ride total was around 50 miles) when I slowed for a red light. I didn't notice that in the bike lane there was a mound of asphalt. I was going so slow that the bike just went sideways and I was launched over the bars, landed on my head and knocked myself out, continued onto my shoulder breaking my collarbone. The whole adventure was not good. I ended up in the hospital disoriented, sweaty, in icky bike clothes. Had I been speeding and ran the light I wouldn't have fallen. Oh well.

PS: I had surgery November 2005 to repair the collarbone fx which did not heal and also now have a permanent brain injury - fun huh?

And yes I am an experienced rider. Never fell as a newbie.

[bike4ever]

I had two minor clipless falls ions ago. My worst was in April when I slipped on mud and slid forever. That was a broken wrist, bruised cheek, bruised hip and broken helmet. I voted for the slide out since it had the most impact on me. I don't count the clipless tips as falls - just my stupidity.

[oxysback]

I voted!

My first fall was about a year after I got clipless pedals. It was the old "have one foot out but end up leaning the other way" type of fall. My second fall (just last year) was because of me being stupid and trying out my front brake. Duh!! No injuries on either one...not counting pride, of course!

[yellow]

I voted sideways slide, but it was really something inbetween tip over and slide.

One fall on my road bike (countless on the mtn bike). I was at the bottom of a hill and in too low of a gear. Started to mash, hit some gravel, and slid out sideways. I wasn't going very fast, but it wasn't a tip over.