Show me your best bruises! (not for the squeamish)

[Kalidurga]

Day 1 after a crash on the C&O Canal towpath--





By day 3, it was like an alien that took over my leg--

[snyderd25]

I have a chronic bruise on my stomach (my tummy is not fit for the internet)... I guess every time I stop, I fall into my handle bars. I am also chronically bruised on my bum... also not fit for internet posting.

[tzvia]

Oh gosh, I never thought to take pictures of my worst looking bruise.

I went mountain biking on day 3 of a rainstorm, (it was only misting that day) and on a downhill, my tires slid out near the top and I fell. The bike fell over on the left side, with the wheel in a hard left and the handlebar trapping my thigh against the toptube. Down the hill I slid with my leg trapped and the front tire digging into the dirt, pushing the handlebar in a death grip hold smashing my thigh.

At the bottom my left leg was numb and I though it was broken, so I took out my utility knife and managed to get some of the dirt removed from where the front tire had plowed itself into the trail so I could turn the wheel straight and free my leg. The feeling came back and it was not good. So I ripped a piece of my shirt off and used a small branch and splinted my thigh (I really thought it was broken the pain was intense). No phone, and no other people anywhere. I used my bike as a crutch and coasted what I could.

Well it wasn't broken. But the bruise was wrapped around the whole thigh, with the front so swollen with blood that it jiggled when I hobbled so I had to use elastic bandages to prop it up like a bra for big red boob. Never thought to take a picture.

[zoom-zoom]

Wow, that sounds horrifying...and it's tales like yours that make keep me from mountain biking alone. I don't even like riding on the road by myself. I'm just so clumsy and am paranoid of being hurt and alone.

[VeganBikeChick]

These are grossing me out, you guys! And I'm a nurse! Heal quick, everyone.

[jobob]

Well, my bruises were from back in 2008. All healed up now -- it took long enough though, yeesh.

[Antaresia]

I've fallen off my bike 4 times, first time got a pretty bloody knee, second time no injury (biking on ice). Third time I got doored so I took pictures in case I needed them for the insurance, but I was pretty much fine so I didn't ask for any medical compensation. My bike had over $480 of damage though, but hey my break pads needed replacing anyway



My thumb took the most impact, there was no apparent injury at first (aside from swelling) but the nail eventually broke away from the nail bed...happened in January and it's growing out, weirdly under the "dead" part. I'm gonna have a freak thumb by the time this is done I know it.



Oh, and since the bar tape got wrecked in the door-thumb-dropbar sandwich, I got pink bar tape put on : D
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/omfgpink.png

Fourth time I fell off my bike and there was no injury, turns out my skinny tires don't do so well when slowly going over train tracks. It was in the middle of traffic too! All in all, I'm pretty lucky when it comes to falling off my bike, all the falls could have been much worse, and I'm not sure how I managed two falls without any bruises/scrapes/bike damage at all.

[Melalvai]

When I started biking I had chronic little bruises on my right shin where the pedal hit after I kicked inlto position for starting. Eventually I got a toe cage on that side only. I had chronic chainring tattoo also until I got better at mounting/ dismounting.

[jdubble]

The only ones I've ever taken pictures of were from a slow speed tandem crash on railroad tracks, coming up on 13 years ago this August. I don't remember a thing about it, had a pretty nasty concussion, but thank goodness for helmets, or it would've been a lot worse.