falling for no reason

[twiggjlm]

We have a new one for the dictionary:

DBBF= Dumb Bikeless Boyfriend

Luv it!!

[AmyO]

Hi everyone, first post. I'm a new rider but have been spinning for a few years. I tell everyone my muscles know what to do but my brain does not know what to do on a moving bike.

I have a beautiful new bike and was on a nice ride with friends last Sunday. Here in Mass. it was a picture perfect summer Sunday morning. We were about 15 miles into our ride and my friend's DH was ahead of us, circling because we were slower. Well, I'm not sure exactly what happened but he turned left and I crashed into him. It was my first flying dismount! And yes, my clipless pedals released just fine.

Luckily, there was no traffic and no sand, rocks or gravel on the roadway, so I only have bruises and scrapes...no deep cuts and no broken bones. But I felt SOOOO stupid. Fortunately the bikes are also ok. We picked up and continued to complete our 20 miles.

I confess I also fell on a test ride when bike shopping (did not buy that one!) and have a nice knee wound that is finally healing. I'm kind of a mess, I guess.

So this may not have been falling for no reason, but it wasn't for a good reason, that's for sure.

My big question is....how do I get over the fear of hitting a pothole when going downhill and there are cars nearby? I am terrified of crashing while going really fast.

As I said, my legs, heart, and lungs know what to do. My brain, not so much!

[Kuota Rider]

my question is - how do we know whether a prticular DH is darling or dumb?

Well, just for an FYI, mine will always be the "darling husband" if I should ever choose to refer to him as a "DH".
Just to make things easier for everyone, my husband's name is Bill. So if you hear me talk about Bill, he is my darling, devoted and delicious husband.

[Zen]

My big question is....how do I get over the fear of hitting a pothole when going downhill and there are cars nearby? I am terrified of crashing while going really fast.

As you can tell by my avatar slogan thingie, I share your fear. I jsut go REALLY slow downhill. It's simply a matter of TimeInTheSaddle (TITS) and improving your handling skills.

[wannaduacentury]

I confess I also fell on a test ride when bike shopping (did not buy that one!) and have a nice knee wound that is finally healing. I'm kind of a mess, I guess.

When I got my clipless pedals, I was in the LBS and fell over on their counter Fortunately, the LBS guy(he's now my friend) caught me b/f I crashed and did serious damage to me or the store. Afterwards, we put the bike on the trainer to practice. I'd get my left foot unclipped, then crash to the right. bad habit Jenn

[MaineMaid]

I once fell standing. Yup. I had stopped to wait for a biking buddy who had been hailed by a passing car. So, I waited about 50 feet up the road and chose that moment to fish a butterscotch candy out of my rear pack. I had unclipped my left foot which was FIRMLY PLANTED ON THE GROUND. Somehow, when I reached back, my right knee twanged a little and I shifted it and then the next thing I knew...I was falling on my right side. Oh...Yeah.. no breeze, no wind, no wind sheer, no nothing. Three cars witnessed this hideousness and I had people rushing to help. Those same 3 cars had bikes mounted on them and I'm sure that every single one of those people thought I had had a heart attack: the only reason a cyclist would suddenly pitch over STANDING STILL . I was almost willing to fake a heart attack just to avoid the humiliation.
The good thing, of course, was that everyone had their own story of bike humiliation to tell; all we needed was a campfire and some hot dogs to make it complete.

Jan

[TexanCzexican]

Heehee, my first big fall was a goofy one, I was circling back around the seawall in Corpus Christi, right where all the fishermen were. I was standing with my left foot unclipped, right foot still clipped in, just waiting for cars to pass before I did my turn around.

Bam, just fell right over. I popped up really quick and was laughing at myself. Mind you, the wadefisherman were running through the bay trying to get to me to see if I was ok. I had to wave and yell out to get them to stop

[Torrilin]

My big question is....how do I get over the fear of hitting a pothole when going downhill and there are cars nearby? I am terrified of crashing while going really fast.

Go down more hills.

Your bike can take relatively large potholes with no trouble if you keep after tire pressure and use suitable tires for the road conditions. 28-35mm on a road bike should handle most small potholes, even if you don't steer to avoid 'em. Plus, as you practice riding a moving bike, you'll learn that it's very easy to get it to twitch to avoid obstacles.

Unless you have very steep hills or very long ones, you won't get going very fast downhill if you coast. I would top out at 35 mph or so coasting off an 18% grade, which was the posted speed limit for the hill (thus, no pedaling down it trying to go faster). If your speed feels excessive for the conditions, use short gentle bursts of braking to slow down, and make use of both the front and rear brake. Slamming on the brakes or trying to hold your speed to a comfortable flat speed are good ways to have accidents. Comfy flat speed means there's a chance of your brakes overheating and not working as well. And slamming on the brakes is a good way to go over the handlebars.

It is *very* sane to be scared of going down hills if you haven't practiced it. But the more you practice, the better you'll get. Keep reminding yourself that you go the posted speed limit in a car, and it's ok for a bike to go that fast. Roads are designed to take traffic going a good 10 mph over the posted limit.

About the only thing I wouldn't do is try to walk down the hill if it's too scary. Bikes can get really squirrelly on downhills, and it'd be easy to lose control of the bike.

[AmyO]

Thanks, Torrilin. that all sounds like good advice. I think you're right...I just need to do more of it. Never having had a bike this light or this responsive before, I think more time and more frequency is what I need. I've only gone about 80 miles or so. One of these days I'll find a group to ride with.

Zencentury, thanks for letting me know I'm not the only squirrelly one. Love the monkey!