Mountain Biking - my first night ride adventures (carnage attached)

so i went on my first night ride last night and actually survived. i got some specialized fireball sport's last week and decided to test them out with a friend. the 3 mile climb sucked, but the trail was fun until..... well, i don't remember much. i just know my feet actually clipped out for once and i went probably 5 feet over the handlebars onto my right side. i couldn't feel my arm and then i was like, "dude, i hope the lights are ok." i washed off the cut on my leg and fashioned some mangled band aid around my pinky which the skin was torn off. (note to self: buy full fingered gloves next time i visit the lbs) my ring finger hurt, but no bones were popping out and nothing was cut. all was well. i got it x-rayed today since i wanted to make sure it was only sprained. welp. i fractured it. but all and all, good thing i am updating my '96 schwinn ht soon enough. the bike has taken a beating and still rides. it's been thoroughly abused this year and people are still amazed how old it is. just thought i would share my tale and pictures. hopefully my new bike will take more of the abuse than i do.


it's not that bad, mostly dried blood / dirt before i took a shower
http://www.brandonchalk.com/images/112002/leg.jpg

my fractured finger. can't tell much but the tip is quite swollen.
http://www.brandonchalk.com/images/112002/finger.jpg

Sounds to me like you had a smashing goodtime.
So is the fracture going to keep you from riding or not?
Did your friend see what hapend to ya? Probably some stupid little pebbles that just rolled right infront of you. Damn those moving twigs and pebbles:p


"dude, i hope the lights are ok."

Well? Were they ?

Slainte:beer:

It will probably keep me from riding for about two weeks right now. I am getting a road bike soon enough so I can start riding it for the collegiate season. I think it should be fine on road, but I'm not sure about mountain yet. He didn't see what happened since it was pitch black and he was ahead of me leading the way. The lights _ARE_ ok. But it's already two days later and my finger seems to be getting better quickly. I don't want to run for weeks on end for exercise.

buddy, SHAVE YOUR LEGS. gotta do it. it will help in the future so the wound doesn't get infected. if your legs are hairy, it is hard to clean it out. sounds like you had a great time. keep us posted on the road bike.

Originally posted by spinner1
buddy, SHAVE YOUR LEGS. gotta do it. it will help in the future so the wound doesn't get infected. if your legs are hairy, it is hard to clean it out. sounds like you had a great time. keep us posted on the road bike.

Hahaha...I have played sports for years and have had more road rash than I care to mention. You don't gotta do it. You just have to be a man and take a bit of pain when cleaning a wound and you will never get an infection. I think guys that shave like it and come up with reasons to justify doing it. ;)

BTW nice wound. Definately something that can turn into a great fish tale. I have a wound on my shin where my foot slipped and my shin became embedded on the 3rd ring of my chain ring...man did that hurt...(no infection either ;))

Yeah good point about being able to suck it up and take the pain.

At least for me, I can deal with high amounts of pain. Im a tough guy when it comes to pain, but when it comes to gore, thats where I turn into a wimp.

I cant handle big chunks of skin taken off my or anyone elses body. Same goes for deep gashes or cuts. I was even on mtbr forums once and saw a pic of a severed thumb. I literally nearly passed out. I had to get up from the computer and get some ice water with extra ice.

I dont know what it is but whenever I see blood I get woozy. But If i just banadage it up, so i cant see it, I can easily take the pain.

Man I almost fainted thinking about what it would be like to have my large chainring inbeded in my shin. DAAAAMMMMMNNNN

I don't think I've ever had an infected cut before. I am very good about washing them with water on the trail and then dousing them in peroxide or iodine when I get home. Chain ring carnage always sucks. Nothing really hurts that bad put people seriously thought I was tweaked when they saw the damage. They aren't that hairy, well in comparison to some apes that I know. I am looking at the Scattante R-550 (http://www.supergo.com/itemdisplay.asp?compflag=0&parentid=20565&company=Scattante&secid=7559&subid=7) from Supergo right now. It should be cheaper in store with their next sale in December. I am also looking at the Specialized Allez Elite 27 (http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?san=03AllezElite27&bl=road&my=2003). It is just going to come down to price in the end I think as I need to save $$ for a freeride bike so my trusty Schwinn can be retired for the time being.

I had an infected (minor case) gash once, really not too bad of an experience, and I've got a nice scar to prove it.

I slipped a pedal and got the front of my shin grooved out from the pedal. We were camping and I didn't get to shower after the ride. I was acting all stupid and joking around saying, "Awwwh, I'll just let the blood run and rinse itself out!". Anyway, I didn't get to clean it real well until the morning!

I think that was fine, but it was the next couple weeks that I didn't properly care for it while it was healing. It would scab over, but since it was the very front of my shin, the skin is thin and it was constantly breaking open. I just left it alone!

After about 2 weeks, it wasn't healing, and the skin around was starting to turn pink! Yikes! I immediately saturated the wound with Triple Antibiotic, bandaged it up, and did this about 10 times a day! Within another week, all was well!

L8R

Originally posted by Pharcyde
Man I almost fainted thinking about what it would be like to have my large chainring inbeded in my shin. DAAAAMMMMMNNNN

I understand completely. I can take any injury to myself. Compound fractures etc...but when I look at others injured I sometimes can't take it. The chainring I though was cool cause it cut down to the bone. Sweet little injury :)

to the bone......ouch!!! i remember when my sister was riding on the handblebars of a friends bike and got her foot caught in the front wheel. She had sandal on too. Left her toe dangling and my parents hysterical at 12 am.

Ahem.....

If you're riding road,its ok to shave..

If you're a fat tire type... even if you do put the slicks on, avoid the rasor... Just MHO.

Oh a2... been there too... 24H of Adrenalin... First lap splashed real good, got my chain ring with my left leg... (endo'd it...) It got infected quite nicely... Now Ill rinse it a little sooner, and have some Blue's Clue's bandaids in the camel-back...