General Cycling Discussion - Impending crash; what gets sacrificed - body or bike?

I was biking home with my son a couple of days ago. We were going down a steep hill and had to turn sharp at the bottom.

A couple of pieces of gravel through me off course a bit and my bike was heading straight for the curb.

After the crash, my son asked, "Dad, what happened? I just saw you jump off your bike and fall onto the curb" (I DID fall judo style, I am proud to report).

What he saw was exactly what happened. The only way to save the bike from the curb was for me to jump off the bike at great velocity, throw the bike to the side, and for my body to take the full impact of my mass and speed as bike and man crashed into the curb. It was an instinctive move - I didn't have to ask myself "Body or Bike?".

Ah, the happy ending is that I got back on my undamaged bike and rode home. Nothing was bent or damaged.

How about you? Which takes the fall for the benefit of the other; your body or yout bike?

I'm very much into self preservation. I love my bike, but I love my body more. :)

it really depends don't you think? when you're going down hill at 40 mph, i think common sense says body first. when you think that you can walk away with just minor injuries, it makes more sense to hurt yourself to protect the bike.

I can heal, my scrathes will scab and the bleeding will stop. Last time I checked, though Bikes do not repair themselves!

Maybe it's because of the number of friends who have crashed hard this last year, but I'll sacrifice the bike over my bod--if only to ensure that I'll still be able to bike (or talk or walk, for that matter) again.

Originally posted by mike
After the crash, my son asked, "Dad, what happened? I just saw you jump off your bike and fall onto the curb" (I DID fall judo style, I am proud to report).

What he saw was exactly what happened. The only way to save the bike from the curb was for me to jump off the bike at great velocity, throw the bike to the side, and for my body to take the full impact of my mass and speed as bike and man crashed into the curb. It was an instinctive move - I didn't have to ask myself "Body or Bike?".

Ah, the happy ending is that I got back on my undamaged bike and rode home. Nothing was bent or damaged.

How about you? Which takes the fall for the benefit of the other; your body or yout bike?

Yes, but "lucky" happy ending I believe. :) I too, can fall judo style. I've got plenty of MA training and I am athletic. But, my family is first and formost. Bikes are a dime a dozen.

My concern would be "what if" something happened that wasn't anticipated in my fall to save the bike. Hitting my head on the curb, compound fracture and or I am unconcisous. My 10yr old son wouldn't know what to do, or how to react. More importantly, what would he learn from my actions and how he would carry those feelings. If something happened to me and he felt helpless. :confused: Teaching my son how to make good timely decisions is very important to me...I wouldn't what him to immulate my actions if he didn't have my training. His emotional state is of far greater value then any of my toys or me being a a lucky "momentary" hero in his eyes. :beer:

my 49 year old body heals much slower than my
12 year old bike.
I can always replace a frame or repair components
I can't do that with my body.

Marty

Originally posted by lotek

I can always replace a frame or repair components
I can't do that with my body.



Ditto.

Besides, it's a great excuse for a new one!

Originally posted by deliriou5
it really depends don't you think? when you're going down hill at 40 mph, i think common sense says body first. when you think that you can walk away with just minor injuries, it makes more sense to hurt yourself to protect the bike.

ROTFLMAO.... True knowledge what????????????????? Is this a spade thingy... :beer:

I answer save the body, fix the bike. But then none of my frames, though very good quality, cost me that much. The components are worth more but would probably survive for re-cycling (sorry, couldn't resist). A variation of this question that has occurred to me often since my crash in September goes something like which body part to favor?

For instance, my crash on diesel fuel happened so fast I had no time to even react. But I started thinking what if I had an extra split second. Would a judo fall always be best? What if you were going fast enough to really slide? Where would it be "best" to have bad road rash? If bones appear to be in jeopardy which to sacrifice? Ribs? Arm?

In your case, Mike, you had some time. Even though the realization of impending doom may have been sudden, you were on alert because of your speed and the inherent risk going around the corner at that speed. Did you actually slap as you hit the ground? When I think of that I wonder what if you went to slap, but because of the speed and perhaps some twisting you wound up slamming your elbow into the ground and shattering it?

I don't know where I'm coming from or where I am headed with this, but then that is the way my thoughts start rambling when I think about this subject. Generally I always figure it is better to take charge of a situation and take some kind of action even if it winds up being wrong. But when it comes to bike falls I start thinking what if you took action and made matters worse than they would have been, like a shattered bone rather than bad road rash and bruises. Maybe I'm just a little gun shy right now.

"It's not about the bike..." I love my bike but I'll opt for saving the body. Besides, my bike comes with a lifetime no-fault crash replacement guarantee. So does my body... in a sense... but it's harder to cash the latter in given the terms and conditions of the contract. A fully preserved bike does me no good if I'm too injured to ride it.

I vote for me. On my road bike I've never had an "impending" crash. They've just happened too fast. I've both wiped out in the rain and crashed while still clipped in or hit (or been hit) by something/someone with no time to even think doing equal damage to the bike and me. On my mountain bike that I admit I hardly ever ride anymore I've had some out of control moments. Many years ago, after a long ride when it was just about dark I totally lost it in a rut on a steep trail. I was on my Gary Fisher Supercaliber, which at the time was an expensive bike (when it was still made by Fisher). And as I was just about to totally lose it the only thing that I thought to do was get the Damn bike as far away from me as possible. The last thing I did before beginning my series of rolls was throw that thing as far away from me as possible. About the only thing still in contact with the bike seconds before I went down was my butt. I was knocked out of the pedals and must have looked like a bull rider with arms and legs flailing. We both survived just fine with just a few scratches.

Bike can take dammage pretty well, road rashes hurt, can't cycle with broken bones, then again can't cycle with broken bike, scars don't look cool unless they are bullet or knife wounds, and then again only if you are Arnold. All thoughts that go through your head, unfortunately for me these are usually the thoughts that go through my head while I am laying on the ground wondering how I got there, be it as I was comfortably in the saddle only miliseconds ago..... seriously how many times have you had had this choice of bike or body? If you did it was probably going to slow to hurt either yourself or your bike.

I don't ever remember having a choice when crashing. And when I have crashed, it's always been self preservation at all costs.

I thought eBay's sole purpose was to provide me with bicycle replacement parts. However, they don't allow auctions for human body parts. They pulled the auction for the kidney after it had reached $1,000,0000.

Depends what bike i am on....road bike.. put my body infront of the bike.. Mtb, who cares, its a schwinn anyways. I saved up and have been paying off my road bike and parts forever it seems. It is meant to be taken care of. My mtb is the opposite, it is a nice bike, but I figure its a mtb it can take it ya know.

if you know how to fall, like in my earlier years I played Judo, and I know how to fall, I would sacrifice my body just to save my frame, that's becuase I know how to fall.

I have always tried to save my bikes. Both mtb and motorcycles before my self. I have been know to go over the bars and sumersalt and land with feet still cliped in hands on grips with the bike above me while I lay there with sticks stuck in my back and an elbow swelling up. I have insurance to cover me and pain is just a frame of mind:thumbup:

Slainte:beer:

I'm not sure that I have the time to think but, I do know that the first thing I do after the fall is to check the bike. I have been riding again for ten minutes or so before realizing that I am bleeding all over.

i only have one bike... for the moment.. and i have to say that when i found those hidden wet leaves on a 70kmp/h descent.. my body hit the ground first.. and as i opened my eyes ... i was aware of my bicycle suspended above me...
by my still clipped in feet
i guess it was instinct?
scars are not cool.. they hurt.. and my knees/elbows will never look the same since i started cycling.

I'm into self preservation. Although this summer when I endowed, I found myself checking my bike for damage before myself. Dainbramage I guess. :D If the bike is damaged, it's the perfect time to upgrade.

Bike. I know what my body can take a judge accordingly. Bike stuff is damn expensive and a few cuts and bruises are good for the soul.

This seems like a silly question to me, because whenever I've crashed, things have happened so fast that making such a decision would not have been possible, or made any difference.

Generally my body comes first. My bike doesn't break as easily.