Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Learning to fall--any tips?

Title says it all. Anyone who has or does practice, please share...

You mean like practice rolling over hoods and windshields? :D

take some martial arts classes. akido or jujitsu or the like.

tuck and roll.

useful for sure, but not nearly as much as knowing how not to fall.

hold on to ur bike, don't let go while ur flying thru the air. it will same u some broken limbs

How long will it be before somone posts that horrible link to that guy?
Seriously, try not to fall. rolling out of a fall presumes that you're clear of the bike, and that's a big assumption.
for example, I crash on a skateboard, and the board stops, shoots out, whatever. I am now an independent body, able to roll, I hope.
or, I crash on a bike, and I'm still straddling the bike, or I have a foot clipped in, and now I'm trying to cushion my fall attached to my bike.

Growing up riding a skateboard taught me pretty well. I'm sure that a martial discipline could teach you a lot better.

Is it just me, or does this smell like another brake debate waiting to happen?

Get used to knees and elbows that hurt for days.

Think floaty thoughts.

If your just laying the bike down on it's side, like in a slick turn or such, keep your hands on the bars and let the bike take the impact. You'll have a very very strong instinct, almost unconscious, to put your arm down as you go down, but you need to just fight it. This is how I broke my wrist. It's better to have a ton of road rash than to have a broken wrist AND road rash.

As a student of the Martial Arts I definitely second the opinion that you should/could check out some classes in any martial art that does alot of throws and rolls. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Aikido, Aiki-jutsu or Judo would all be choice options.

Edit... I realize that my addition of named arts gets you no-where....

As for falling? The best thing you can do is train your body to curl up rather than splay out. Our natural reaction when falling (which may or may not have something to do with our late great ancestors having grown up in trees) is to throw our limbs out to catch hold of something, anything, that will stop our fall (perhaps a precipitous one from the top of a ginko tree where we have, until recently, been eating/fornicating/napping/grooming). This is a BAD idea. Splaying out, especially while on a bicycle does things like put arms and legs in car-roll-over territory (etc). Unless you're on a mountain side and need to deploy your climbing axe the best thing you can do is to get as few of your limbs sticking out as possible and allow yourself to bounce.

As a student of the Martial Arts I definitely second the opinion that you should/could check out some classes in any martial art that does alot of throws and rolls. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Aikido, Aiki-jutsu or Judo would all be choice options.

Edit... I realize that my addition of named arts gets you no-where....




I disagree; "Martial arts" can mean a lot of things to people. I study Arnis, and it surely won't help me roll out of a fall.

I agree with Nouia. Yeah, keep your hands on your handlebars. The "best" way to learn how to fall is in the winter when there is ice out. If your bike is simply sliding out from under you my plan is: take off as much speed as possible with my legs, say a prayer...then put my shoulder and thigh out as far as possible (not hand/wrist or hips), close my mouth and turn my face away from the ground (I have nice teeth:) and just ease into it.

This method is of course best of skid/slide outs. It might sound stupid, but the more you crash, the better you get at it. Well, some people who skate talked about this up above. But yeah, try to remain calm and let muscled parts, not bony parts, absorb the impact. I'm sure race car drivers are better at crashing than a person who just got their license. And, this is kind of like driving in snow. Someone from Buffalo is better at it than someone from Richmond.

As for getting hit by cars or sudden accidental falls I guess the only method is to say a prayer and kiss that arse of yours goodbye. I've been hit twice and thankfully my kiss bounced back:)

Staying loose is important, and practice makes perfect

Title says it all. Anyone who has or does practice, please share...

I call troll on this guy. Give us some details on why you would want to know or f*ck off.

Dont fall on your chin

"The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." © Douglas Adams

I disagree; "Martial arts" can mean a lot of things to people. I study Arnis, and it surely won't help me roll out of a fall.
He specified "check out some classes in any martial art that does alot of throws and rolls."

"The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." © Douglas Adams
heheh.. that's the description of how to fly, not to fall, if I remember correctly.

He specified "check out some classes in any martial art that does alot of throws and rolls."
sorry, I was speaking to his statement that his naming of various arts did not help. I think that it helps a lot.

sorry, I was speaking to his statement that his naming of various arts did not help. I think that it helps a lot.


My problem with my initial post, and hence my edit, was that the OP was asking WHAT he can learn in order to survive a fall from a bicycle with some chance of retaining the use of his limbs. When I named the martial arts that he could investigate I wasn't telling him what he could learn but where he could learn it. So we're all nutz ;P

ninja training
http://www.23mag.com/games/toys/nt03.jpg

heheh.. that's the description of how to fly, not to fall, if I remember correctly.

I thought it was still applicable.

ninja training
http://www.23mag.com/games/toys/nt03.jpg

simply amazing!

I will have to third or fourth or fith or whatever we are up to the Martial Arts suggestion. In my youth I got up to green belt in Tang Su Do (sp) and I think it helped me in both cycling and in snowboarding and skiing.

Tuck and roll is the symplistic way of saying what you want to do...practice does make perfect. I have taken some pretty big falls and have never broken anything during them. It helps.

I call troll on this guy. Give us some details on why you would want to know or f*ck off.

I used to post on this particular forum a lot, then got worn out by the anger. Reviews of my posts will show you I've been on BF a while.

Not a troll. Just wondering about this. I'm not the best on a bike, but I like learning new things. I tried taking up skateboarding in my 20s, and had one major meeting between my face and the pavement that ended the experiment. I learned from the experience that I should maybe go out and practice/learn this stuff, but after taking a month to recover, just dropped the whole thing. Now I've been riding bikes for the past two years and realized maybe I should give myself a quick primer. Never having played a ton of sports growing up (single mom, no siblings--not all are like that, but some are), and being well into my 30s, I'm not a good natural crasher/body sacrificer.

Thanks for the suggestions, BTW. I think I might just look into some judo/jujitsu/aikido. Did kung fu when I was a kid, but mainly learned lots of offensive-minded activity there.

Falling is easy! Gravity does most of the work for you. I't's getting back up and walking away after the fall that's sometimes difficult. :P

A lot of people recommended martial arts. I'd say falling a LOT in any controlled environment that minimizes the risk of injury will help you know what to do when eventually you fall not on purpose. Although crashing your bike on purpose is a stupid idea, that's one of the many things I did as a child as I strove to train myself for a career as a movie stuntman. Somehow I managed it with nothing more than a few sprains and one chipped tooth, and I know how to take a fall instinctively, but that didn't stop me from spraining my wrist last time I went over the handlebars unexpectedly.

Anyone questioning the premise of this thread should watch street skaters for half an hour. In many situations where you or I would probably get really hurt they can just roll out of it with maybe a bruise or skinned knee, then get right back up and keep going. You can definitely get good at falling.

Falling is easy! Gravity does most of the work for you. I't's getting back up and walking away after the fall that's sometimes difficult. :P

A lot of people recommended martial arts. I'd say falling a LOT in any controlled environment that minimizes the risk of injury will help you know what to do when eventually you fall not on purpose. Although crashing your bike on purpose is a stupid idea, that's one of the many things I did as a child as I strove to train myself for a career as a movie stuntman. Somehow I managed it with nothing more than a few sprains and one chipped tooth, and I know how to take a fall instinctively, but that didn't stop me from spraining my wrist last time I went over the handlebars unexpectedly.

Thanks. I was actually kind of hoping someone might have thoughts on the most instructive way to set up such scenarios. I think the 63xc(?) site mentioned trying to do this on grass somewhere. But how would people here think would be the best types of falls to attempt? (over the handlebars seems dodgy, unless your landing on a big cushion, but maybe to the sides, or something?)

I got to thinking about this b/c I watched the little NYTimes video piece on LESers who play bike polo. There was one moment where a fairly tall rider took a spill, and it just looked so un-painful the way it happened, even though it was on asphalt. I thought, "I'd like to learn to fall like that."

I thought it was still applicable.
No doubt! ;-)

Actually, err... yeah maybe a bit of doubt and uncertainty... :-)

Wicked quote though.

Thanks. I was actually kind of hoping someone might have thoughts on the most instructive way to set up such scenarios. I think the 63xc(?) site mentioned trying to do this on grass somewhere. But how would people here think would be the best types of falls to attempt? (over the handlebars seems dodgy, unless your landing on a big cushion, but maybe to the sides, or something?)

I got to thinking about this b/c I watched the little NYTimes video piece on LESers who play bike polo. There was one moment where a fairly tall rider took a spill, and it just looked so un-painful the way it happened, even though it was on asphalt. I thought, "I'd like to learn to fall like that."

Well I spent a lot of time on playgrounds, woodchip surfaces back then weren't too bad, also crashed on grass, and jumped from every platform I could find. It was jumping 20' from a treehouse when I forgot to let my legs roll under, my knee came up and chipped my tooth. Thing is 10 year olds heal a lot faster than 35 years olds. I really wouldn't recommend this type of "Training" for anyone. Foam pads are the way to go. You still get a feel for how your body reacts to flying through the air, and hitting the ground, but without the inevitable broken bones. Martial Arts and Gymnastics both give you a safe padded space to practice flying through the air, though in gymnastics, the goal is NOT to fall, which I think is a much more sensible goal.

I used to post on this particular forum a lot, then got worn out by the anger. Reviews of my posts will show you I've been on BF a while.

Not a troll. Just wondering about this. I'm not the best on a bike, but I like learning new things. I tried taking up skateboarding in my 20s, and had one major meeting between my face and the pavement that ended the experiment. I learned from the experience that I should maybe go out and practice/learn this stuff, but after taking a month to recover, just dropped the whole thing. Now I've been riding bikes for the past two years and realized maybe I should give myself a quick primer. Never having played a ton of sports growing up (single mom, no siblings--not all are like that, but some are), and being well into my 30s, I'm not a good natural crasher/body sacrificer.

Thanks for the suggestions, BTW. I think I might just look into some judo/jujitsu/aikido. Did kung fu when I was a kid, but mainly learned lots of offensive-minded activity there.
Sorry, Per, but you were really brief in your initial post. Skateboarding is definitely a young persons game. I pretty much gave it up myself after I broke my first bone in my early 20's. Oh to have rubber bones like a teenager again ;-)

edit: I'd really advise riding a freewheel (geared or single speed) blke for a while before you try to take on a fixie. Fixed wheel is a beautiful experience once you learn to ride it, but it's pretty dangerous if you can't. Don't worry about crashing, but learn to be comfortable on a freewheel before you take on fixed.

edit agin: maybe it's just best to learn fixed to begin with. That's what our grandparents did I s'pose.

I learned to fall by being incredibly clumsy, and taking karate from an instructor who also taught aiki. That said, I don't think bike falls are really something you can prepare for. It best to try to avoid them, of course, but every situation is going to be different. I tend to go over my handlebars more than anything.

Maybe the thing is to learn to be comfortable with falling. You're more likely to get hurt if you flail about. Also, having the confidence to get right back up and continue on your way (if possible) after a crash. Getting spooked causes lots of people to stop riding.

Skateboarding is definitely a young persons game.

ha... I'm soon to be 36 and still skate roundwall a lot, (yeah, I wear pads); skate with a guy who is 39 and does frontside airs all day long. Lots of 30+ skaters in the DC area. Not a lot skate street, though.

aikido and judo will definitely make you more comfortable with falling and have a lot to offer beyond that. However, it's a different beast to have someone flip you than to slip out at speed clipped into ~20 lbs of awkward metal between your legs.

my suggestion for learning how to fall on a bike: play bike polo. Not so fast and easy to fall.

I'm trained in the Scottish martial art of fuk-YOOO!

Prepare for impact.......f uck..BAM

one thing to add to the above:

remember to put your keys in your bag, not your pocket.

you never realise how sharp and pointy they are until they're the only thing standing between your hip and some rapidly approaching tarmac.

fsnl
sparky

Just don't put your hands down! My co-worker severely broke his arm riding BMX a few weeks ago by putting his hand down to break the fall.

Also, as a former martial arts student myself... there is practically no situation on a road bike, or a mtn bike for that matter, in which I think a person could safely unclip and do a tuck and roll at speed. No way. Martial Arts is fun & useful so do it, but sorry, it ain't gonna help you break your fall any easier on a bike. That said, don't fall.

Title says it all. Anyone who has or does practice, please share...


Okay Pathetic, I ride at a moderate pace for little while and then head for nearest brick wall. Upon contact I try to "stop, drop and roll" before my head splatters. It might take a few practice runs. But give 'er a go anyway!

take some martial arts classes. akido or jujitsu or the like.
judo that way you fall and put the power into the car causing more damage to the vehicle

slightly off topic, but this is perhaps my favorite keirin video ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rUD7T4g9Q0

In the 80s/90s national team members were taught tumbling at the Olympic Training Center. Dunno if they still are. The "tuck and roll" does work, although I have always maintained that intentionally unclipping in a crash situation is stupid. The idea is to tuck the head toward the handlebars rather than "superman" into the ground and do your wrists/collarbones. The bike ends up flipping through the air.

Preparing for crashing always seemed a bit defeatist to me, at any rate. I'd consider focusing on bike handling drills instead...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frxfRdcPjVw

in this one, you can see the all the guys holding on to the bars they eats it. good form, I guess

Also, as a former martial arts student myself... there is practically no situation on a road bike, or a mtn bike for that matter, in which I think a person could safely unclip and do a tuck and roll at speed. No way. Martial Arts is fun & useful so do it, but sorry, it ain't gonna help you break your fall any easier on a bike. That said, don't fall.

Probably not, but it's still useful and increases awareness of your body and its limits, possibly making your inevitable fall a little less crappy. It's also good to be trained not to break any kind of falls with your hands. And the conditioning strengthens muscles and acclimates yourself to being hit a lot, which does come in handy when you eat it. But yeah, I agree, I don't know how a forward roll would work on a bike.

I have a better idea. Get a safer bike, one that coasts, and you won't have to worry about falling so much.

Fixed gear is responsible for an accident that damn near paralyzed me. My own stupidity (not wearing a helmet) is responsible for several skull fractures.

I'm being totally serious here.

So the fixed gear forced you to fall over. Evil thing. I hope it was arrested, sued, or at least given a good spanking.

Sorry for making fun of your troubles, but YOU are responsible for falling off of your bike. And for not falling off of it.

I don't know, I fail to go with the "just fall" aspect as I've dropped to a knee in wrestling on a big mat and have torn my cartilage.

As a martial artist, I'm also skeptical of the "tuck and roll" method. It seems that most times I've fallen on my bike are due to the rear wheel sliding out from under me, in which case you go down too fast and at the wrong angle to roll. If you're going over the bars it might work better.

In martial arts, the basic principles of how to fall are pretty straight forward:
Never put your hands out! As others have said, this is a good way to break your wrist.

Try to hit the ground with the maximum surface area all at once, to distribute the impact.

Tuck your head in as you hit the ground -- the force of impact will tend to whip your head toward the pavement, you want it to be moving in the other direction to
counteract that.

Oh, and stay loose.

When I've fallen on the bike I usually use something like a sideways breakfall -- the idea is to land on one side of your body, with your leg, hip, side, and arm (the side of your arm, not the hand) all hitting the ground at once to spread the impact out.

As for how to practice, I'd recommend grass or another soft surface. And it's probably best to start without the bike, just falling from a standing position. The bike has hard, pointy bits that complicate the whole process.