My first FLOP onto blacktop! [Archive]

DMSPECIALIZED

06-19-07, 09:11 PM

Hello Everyone,

Tonight I was riding my Kona Jake around my condo development and was kicking it up a notch at a rather fast pace because I am getting more comfortable with the bars/geometry of this bike.

Well.....maybe I should not have done that so soon.....I was cruising at 17mph and leaned into a turn to the right and then another turn directly after it to the left......OH MAN....SPLAT!

My front rim actually dropped the two inches down off the walkway and I scrapped to a hault.

Before I hit the pavement it dawned on me that I had my feet strapped to the peddles....damn Batman.

I managed to flail like an octopus and released my feet while jumping away from the bike.

I know if my 300 pound butt fell on my Jake, it would cease to exist...so after the rapid ninja like ejection, I covered my face with my forearms to brace for impact and let the helmet do the rest.

A gentleman passing by on the road stopped to see if I was ok. That was nice right.

I got up and was more embarrassed than hurt....scrapped knees, hands, arms and ego...lol. ;)
My shirt ripped and my helmet had a nice surface abrasion across the front panel above my brow.

I was actually more upset about the damage on my bike, but I did not see any major damage.
Upon the flip and inspection of Jake, there were scratches along the shifter, pedal and handle bar.

I really only need a new handle bar "end cap?" that fits in there because the cheese grating pavement ate mine. I would say I made out on this deal....I get to keep my $800.oo bike to ride again.

I know this story seems epic in proportion......nevertheless it all took about 1.7 seconds to happen.

If you care to share your first spill story........make me laugh....of course if you didnt get hurt bad I mean.

Thanks for listening......I rant when I am excited or hurt....too bad it is the latter.

-Danny ;)

ronjon10

06-19-07, 09:18 PM

Glad you're both ok. If you've got any abrasions, I recommend Tegaderm. Go get it, best stuff ever.

Air

06-19-07, 10:21 PM

Get a new helmet too - they're good for one impact. Glad you're OK - what's it made out of? If al or cf you may want a bike shop to take a look at it.

rickyaustin

06-19-07, 11:36 PM

I haven't wrecked my new bike (knock on wood) yet — but I rode a full suspension MTN bike for most of my high-school days. I was moving along slowly and ride directly (purposely) into a ditch. As I went over the steep forwardI leaned back pretty far so I didn't go over the handlebars... but as the bike went back up the small hill I forgot to lean forward and basically accidentally attemped a backflip. I flew off the bike, landed on my neck/shoulders/head and the bike flew about 15 feet doing a few flips. I got up and was fine, more surprised than anything. I was laughing about it instantly. It was fun (because I didn't get hurt)

be careful out there!!

(51)

06-20-07, 01:46 AM

It hit the pavement last year. Fractured a bone or two in my wrist. It sucks.

The Historian

06-20-07, 03:52 AM

If you care to share your first spill story........make me laugh....of course if you didnt get hurt bad I mean.

OK. My first accident took place on my first bike ride in my life, six months ago. I swerved to avoid a mailbox that had jumped into my path, and took a spill. That was back when I was a heedless lad of 40. I'm a much better rider now that I'm 41.

fuerein

06-20-07, 04:11 AM

I think the last time I toppled was in high school. I was riding with a friend, I was in the street, he was on the sidewalk and I had movie I had just bought in my right hand. My friend swerved off the sidewalk into the road directly in front of me and without thinking, to keep from hitting him, I just locked up the brakes with my free hand... my left hand... the front brakes. Yeah, suddenly I and my bike were rotating over the now locked front wheel. I landed on my back, my bike fell off to the side of me. I was fine, but the fact that the street was brick made the landing slightly more uncomfortable.

fprintf

06-20-07, 04:37 AM

On my third ride on my new Trek 1500 I toppled over at the beginning of a planned 20 miler from my house just this past Sunday. I was trying to clip in my left foot and had clipped in my right foot first. The bike slowed and it started to tip. No problem I said I'll just put my foot down... but the bike was tipping toward my right side, which as it turns out is my preferred "foot down" side. But I was clipped in that side. Total slow motion I start going over and frantically try to unclip my foot. Just as I hit the pavement my foot popped out of the pedal.

A little bruised and road rashed on my elbow but I was otherwise OK. I stood back up and went to start riding again, my shoes seems a little wobbly and noticed a hunk of plastic on the ground. Sh**, Uh Oh. I sat down right where I was in the middle of my cul-de-sac and looked at the bottom of my shoe and pretty big chunk of my new Time cleats was gone. No more riding for me that day, and even after I checked the forums to find that it is common for these cleats to break and still be ridable, I couldn't get them to work. I was POed in a major way - first because I had fallen, second because I had broken something and would probably have to pay a boatload to fix it, but third I would not get to ride that day.

A quick email to the manufacturer on Monday morning and their quick reply that they would replace the cleats restored my satisfaction with the pedals. Now I just need to wait for the replacement cleats to arrive, which seems like it is going to be forever, and for these scabs to heal over.

JumboRider

06-20-07, 04:42 AM

Wow, you moved with the agility of a cat. My first spill I moved with the agility of Jumbo the elephant on morphine.

I had just finished putting Big Liberty blue together. The camera had a new battery put into it to record the birth of the noble beast and my first ride. New helmet lashed to my head I threw my leg over Liberty’s back and pushed the pedal forward.

The cranks rotated one and a half times as I turned slow moving to the right. Liberty obeyed but my saddle didn’t. As the lower half of my body moved with the direction and momentum of Liberty the half from the saddle up wanted to continue in the previous direction. I was bent in a 354 pound S. While Liberty turned, her saddle twisted to remain in the previous direction.

There is not much speed built up with only a turn and a half of the cranks. I realized what happened only after I tried to compensate my balance to keep Liberty up. By that time I was the Titanic. I was crashing in a slow fall to the right. Even though I knew it was happening there was nothing I could do in the time to prevent the inevitable meeting of asphalt and body. My foot seemed glued to my platform pedals even though there were no clips or straps. My foot would not move from pedal to ground. TIMMMMMMMMMBER. Then Liberty got her first ride on Jumbo Rider.

My wife was taking pictures to document the ride. She had just snapped the one I am showing below before the ‘incident’. It is a credit to her that she loved me enough not to take a picture of me on my booty. If the roles were reversed I am sure I would have captured her in all the glory. Nothing was hurt except my ego.

Wogsterca

06-20-07, 06:26 AM

adrien

06-20-07, 08:11 AM

The Jake's aluminum...but it sounds like it's just fine, with the road getting to the bars and brifters.

My first bad crash was last year, going down a hill on my mtb. Cheapo-craptastic tube from the bike shop that's close but not very good...the thing sheared at the based of the valve and gave me a sudden blowout of front wheel. Swerved, went down on my shoulder, shin and heel of my hand. Left some blood behind, have a lovely battle scar to help tell the story, and my gloves were ripped. Bike has cratches on the pedal and the bar ends, but that's it. Jersey took a lot of the abrasion on my shoulder.

The toughest part was it was on a very popular bike path, and i could have changed the tube 4x faster if half the world hadn't stopped to ask if i was ok...seriously, it was great. this is a really nice community, and most seem genuinely interested in the well-being of others.

Look on the bright side -- at least you found the limits of adhesion on your tires.

Were they inflated to full spec? it sounds almost like the tire may have rolled under the rim, which suggests they may have been low.

bdinger

06-20-07, 08:18 AM

Not my first, but definitely my most amusing.

Right after I started last year, I knew I needed a new bike. I was riding a borrowed steel Raleigh MTB from the early '90s, and it was too small for me. A riding buddy and I stopped at the LBS during a ride, and i decided to try out a shiny Cannondale F500 (or maybe F600?). Anyway, it had toe clips - which I had never ridden but decided they would be cool to try. I took it out on the test ride and was having a blast - great bike - then decided it was time to take it back to the LBS before my brain to AmEx filter COMPLETELY dissolved.

So I'm turning around in the end of a driveway, and there's an old lady there watering her flowers. And 'm turning around SLOW because I don't yet have the "feel" of the c-dale. Well turns out to be a little TOO slow, and I realize I'm going to fall over. I go to put my right foot down and realized it's in the toe clips.

Much like Jumbo, I had a slow TIIIIMMMBEEERR, and I'm sure the old lady got a chuckle of watching my 430 pound butt collapse onto the concrete.

Not nearly as much of a chuckle as my riding partner got, seeing me ride back up with a bloody leg and arm but a thankfully very unscathed Cannondale. Both he and the LBS salesman got a very good laugh out of the tale, and the LBS salesman didn't even question me when I told him I'd rather not buy that specific bike.

Oh well, but it sure makes for a funny story :)

adrien

06-20-07, 08:18 AM

one more thought -- have the lbs check for internal damage -- especially play in the BB and steerer. there's a change that they might need tightening / new bearings etc.

bdinger

06-20-07, 08:24 AM

Oh, and I will relate the quick story of why my 300+ pound butt doesn't whip around corners at 18+ mph anymore.

My Trek 7.3 FX has these slick Bontrager tires that simply love the corners. Well, they don't love gravel or sand. My parents live outside of town on an acerage, and I was watching their cats while they were out east lst week. Well, recently their street has been paved, so I was riding downhill to the turn going "oh, rock on! the street is paved now, I don't have to slow down!"

Well, the street had been paved the week before, and I'm sure either some gravel or some sand used during construction was on the corner. So there I am, barrelling down and leaning into a 19+ mph corner when I see it - the sand - and I cringe knowing there is nothing I can do. My back wheel inevitably slips - hard - and I'm about to go down when it slips just far enough to get back to non-sand-enabled pavement. With quite the jolt, I may add, I finish the corner and yell out a "WOOO!"

Of course I sat down for a good half hour to rest the shaking knees. And then vowed to no longer worry about being a speed demon on corners, but rather to attempt to live past 30 :)

Scummer

06-20-07, 09:46 AM

I was 7 yrs old when I discovered flying for the first time.
I had a nice, new single speed kids bike and started to swerve from left to right just because it was fun and as a kid it's all about having fun.
Well, one swerve didn't go as planned and I flew of the bike hitting my knee in the process. Went home crying with a big scrape on my knee and some blood trickling from the war wound.

Next day I was back on my bike :)

UtRacerDad

06-20-07, 10:44 AM

so I was riding on the local paved trail here, as I was coming up the trail there were four kids walking home from the 7-11, I had slowed way down and notified them I was passing on the left, they all move over so that I can pass, as I rolled passed them doing maybe 3 mph (barely faster than a walk) I stepped hard on my crank to get back up to speed, as I step down the chain picks that time to come off the crank, I"m still clipped in and there fore my foot goes down with a fair amount of speed and all of my weight is shifted to the right, next thing I know I'm rolling on the pavement infront of four kids that are all scared at seeing a rather large man do a near summersault while still attached to the bike. My elbow took the brunt of the fall, by the time I got home it was quite a bit larger than a softball. I'm sure that those four kids had a great story for everyone that evening :).

JumboRider

06-20-07, 11:58 AM

Ouch.

Denny Koll

06-20-07, 12:45 PM

Riding on my local MUP when I see the group of 4 joggers who always hog the entire path. They stay 4 abreast when I call out passing on the left and move over about 6 inches (as usual). I'm pissed so I don't slow down I speed up and buzz them.

I'm still cranking pretty hard when I realize I'm coming up on this wooden bridge that has wide slats that tend to catch a tire...and it's wet....and I'm not slowing down like I usually do...and I'm going down!

Right in front of the trail hogging joggers. I lost some skin but the bike was OK and I scrambled back on and rode away. I didn't cry.

(I'm about 230 pounds but I didn't leave a dent in the bridge)

Tom Stormcrowe

06-20-07, 12:49 PM

Most embarrassing crash:

I was single tracking down in the Hoosier National Forest, missed a trail marker and wound up on an "Outlaw" trail. As I broke out of some underbrush, I found myself going off of a massive vertical drop to a 70º slope. I would have cleaned the landing too, except for that pesky tree branch at diaphragm height. It clotheslined me off my bike, which commenced to tumble down the slope, leaving me hanging over the branch in true Wile E Coyote fashion, just trying to breathe! I slipped off of the branch to the ground and rolled down the hill to the bottom, where I met a couple of little young Rubber people at the bottom, who said, and I quote, "Whoa DUDE, Gnarly crash for an old dude"!

Stujoe

06-20-07, 03:57 PM

I was about 8 when I popped a wheelie on my bike, went too far and ended up on the ground with th ebike continuing on down the road and hitting a curb and flipping over a few times. All in front of the watching neighbors, I might add.

That was the last time I remember crashing on a bike.

Halthane

06-20-07, 10:22 PM

My most embarassing/painful crash was about two months ago... I was leaving work and the local by-products (cooking grease recovery company) had knocked a hole in one of the grease pits, and what appeared to be very ordinary/normal water in the alleyway was actually oil... I cornered real hard into it comming out of our parking lot and slide about 20 feet down the alley. Tore up my pants and several very large holes in the knee, elbow, hand... and a dislocated right pinky.... some how the only rash on the bike was a little spot on the right brake lever and the bars spun arround about 180 degrees.

Funny thing was watching my friend almost faint when I put my pinky back into joint...

Paul

jskwarek

06-22-07, 01:14 PM

Well my first hard core crash was as a kid, broken arm and the most painful thing I've ever done I got road rash across the tops of my finger nails. That sucked, I can still remember that pain. This was all achieved because I was attempting to ride down the road with no hands and my eyes closed. I wanted to see if I could make it from one end of the block to the other. Seemed I had little sense back then...

Seems I still don't... The most painful recent wreck was about 3 hours ago. I've been working on skills on the new bike and I was goofing off while out with the family on a very casual ride. Coming to a stop I unclipped with my right leg right as my wife came to a stop on my right side. So it was either lean into her or go over on the left side. As I did my elbow jammed into my ribs and my ribs took the entire load of my 270 pound falling arse all at once. I think they're broke but there's not much anyone can do about it so I'm just going to suffer through it.

Jason

andymac

06-22-07, 02:03 PM

On a less cheery note. A local rider in Vancouver BC was riding in a popular cycling training area through one of the watersheds, he came around a fairly blind corner on a downhill at about 40 mph and hit a roller blader that was on the wrong side of the road. She ended up with a broken jaw, the cyclist died in hospital yesterday about 12 hours after the crash. Yes he was wearing a helmet but he ended up hitting the back of his head below the helmet.

evblazer

06-22-07, 02:09 PM

Just last week after getting back into bicycle commuting this may I hit the concrete in front of my work. I am just getting used to the 22 mile round trip commute and made record time for me that morning. 11 miles in 36 minutes. So while taking my little cooldown lap around the parking lot my mind was elsewhere taking a corner on the outskirts of the lot.
I ended up in the parking spots just going along until I snapped from my daydream about 5 feet from one of those concrete islands with no hope in stopping or avoiding it because I was too deep in the parking lots.
Didn't stop me from trying to swerve and half a second later I was on the ground clipped outta my bike with some huge scapes on my right knee, very soar right shoulder, lottsa little bits of missing skin on both hands, cracked helmet and both my brifters no longer say tiagra because it is mostly scaped off. The bike was mostly save by the two arkel panniers full of stuff.
And all this while everyone was arriving to work in the morning. I'm glad I did it on the outside rather then where I ride up on the sidewalk to park on the pattio, or well into the pattio :o

Vespa

06-22-07, 02:59 PM

My first ride clipless. Got through 50 Kms and lots of stops and starts. Was very worried about unclipping at intersections etc. In my driveway 3 inches from garage door - came to stop to dismount. Having failed to declip began a slow, profanity laced, descent to the gravel. I was alone, unobserved and completely paralysed with laughter.

JumboRider

06-22-07, 04:10 PM

My best crash, or worst, happened when I was 14. Leading to my house is a long, steep hill. I can only guess what the grade was. Half way down this hill is an almost 90 degree turn. I had a yellow Schwinn 10 speed and loved to fly down this hill taking the turn at speed. I would take the turn at speed, my knee almost to the ground and my rear tire always slipping. It was a great thrill.

How Dave learns about the plane of hydro.

One day there was a light drizzle. It was a hot day and the sprinkle was welcome. Stinging my face I flew down the hill. The turn bounded towards me. I lean and....went down hard. The Schwinn riding on me as i spun around at least two times. I was glad the bike was on top of me. We didn't have much money and the Schwinn cost a lot. My dad had a big fat belt.

I went home with cinder embedded road rash, a broken forearm, and a dislocated shoulder.

rschleicher

06-22-07, 06:43 PM

You parents out there will relate to the fact that your kids' crashes are far harder to deal with than your own:

1. At the age of 10 or so my daughter got distracted and ran into the back of a parked car. Her bike went "over" the front wheel, so that her hands (still on the bars) punched through the glass hatchback on the car. She was bleeding pretty bad, from cuts across allmost all of her knuckles, including one knuckle with a fully-severed tendon. At the ER they were low on nurses, due to a large number of cases all happening at once, so the doctor had me "assist" by handing him instruments as well as holding my daughter's hands down tight while he stitched the tendon and the gashes.

2. Also at about 9 or 10 years, my son had a bad wipe-out when he hit a rock in the road while going down a steep hill. He hit his head hard enough so that his helmet cracked, and he was unconscious. Plus he had road rash on his face, one arm, and one leg. The worst part for me was that they didn't want to spend any time on cleaning out the embedded gravel and sand until he had had a CAT scan, so he was basically sitting there oozing in a fair amount of pain for almost two hours while waiting for the machine to free up.

3. Later on, my daughter also wiped out on a ride with her college riding group, also sufficient to crack her helmet and lose consciousness. Not much road rash, luckily, although her nickname was "Scarface" for a while.

All's well that ends well, but at the time it was tough on Mom and Dad. In comparison my own escapades have been more in the vein of slow-motion fall-downs, as befits someone who is (in my kids' view) "old and slow". (But I make up for it with guile and deception.)

FarHorizon

06-23-07, 06:37 AM

...If you care to share your first spill story...

Hi Danny!

Back in the late 1960's and early 1970's, I spilled regularly because I rode with a group of "wanna-be-racers." Of course, weighing only 170# then AND being young, stupid, and fast-healing, none of it was of much concern.

My only recent spill happened when the rear wheel disintegrated at about 20 MPH. I suddenly found myself thrown up in the air. When I came down, I hit the seat with such force that the single-bolt seat post sheared it's bolt, and the seat broke off the post. Fortunately, I fell off the back of the bike instead of being impaled on the post. I slid down the road on my butt until I came to a stop. Despite permanent injury to my seat muscles, I walked (well, crawled :p ) away from the accident without any abrasions at all thanks to my bike shorts!

Lessons learned:
1. Always wear bike shorts - you never know when you might need them
2. Always wear a helmet - ditto
3. Always wear cycling gloves - ditto
4. Be really wary of using tires wider than recommended by the rim manufacturer
5. Just because a rim maker has a good reputation doesn't mean that defects can't slip through
6. Accidents hurt more and take longer to heal when you're older

In any case, I'm still riding; so all's well that ends well! ;)

JumboRider

06-23-07, 08:01 AM

FarHorizon, that was a scary and funny story. Certain parts of my body squirmed when reading that.

RS, Are you really Evil Kinevil? Your kids sound a lot tougher than me. That would be hard to go through as a parent.

Sandwarrior

06-23-07, 04:10 PM

Do you want to know the first wreck I ever had, or the first one this year:D

fifthcircle

06-25-07, 12:09 PM

I hit the dirt just last week. I went with a friend for a fun ride on some singletrack trails. We had just gotten started. Went down into a "gully" and I was geared low to make the short but steep climb out the other side. I started to pedal and there was a lout POP! I instantly stopped and started to roll backwards. I was clipped in and for some (brain fart) reason I couldn't get out. I fell to the left and right onto a fallen tree!!! I got up dazed and thought WTF?!?!? I grabbed my bike and waked it up the steep. Tried to pedal and it free wheeled. UH OH..... Broken free wheel hub. It's fixed under warranty, and I can't wait to go back.

CliftonGK1

06-25-07, 12:55 PM

First bicycle spill that I can remember was bailing out over the high-side of a banked turn on a BMX course. I got up near the top, and got bumped up and over the lip. *ZING!* Me and the bike went flying and skid landed near the base of the backside. Scrapes, etc... and a long time spent in the shower scrubbing dirt and picking rocks out of my wounds.
First ever spill that I can remember was popping a wheelie going up a curb on my Big Wheel. Tipped over backwards and smacked my head on the pavement; ended up with 3 stitches in the back of my head.

Gallowglass5

06-25-07, 08:26 PM

First ever crash? I was 10 and decided to chase the bus after school. Down a country road, paved. I was on a no name bike with a banana seat, going flat out for at least 1/10th of a mile. I got too close to the side of the road, must have hit a good sized rock. Endo! I did it with style. No pansy fly and flip for me, no sirree! Staight over the bars face plant into the rocks. The bike flew over me completely clearing me. I remember spitting gravel(doesn't taste too good after it's been oiled :p)

PATH

06-25-07, 11:56 PM

Well it was several weeks ago. I was on a bike path that goes around a local lake. We had heavy rain the night before and the lake had extended out and flooded the path. I came around a turn and saw the flooding and made a stupid decision. I would go across the wet grass beyond the flooding.

I had my new Specialized Tricross and I was determined to brave anything! Well the grass was a green cover for the mud and there was plenty of mud. I was pedaling up a slight incline and making good progress. I was only twenty feet from dry ground when the rear wheel started spinning in place. I think I can! I think I can!
Come on!!!! No dice I was stuck in the mud. I went to put my foot down and then realized I had forgotten I was clipped in! I did a slow mo into the mud while laughing at my stupidity. It is funny how a fall gets you unclipped instantly at times. I rolled over and stared at the sky. A woman jogger went on by after just giving me a cursory glance. No! It's alright I'm okay! Really! Oh well what should I expect!

A week later I fell in the parking lot while unclipping and coming to a fashionable stop! I was on my Miyata ATB and had just unclipped my right foot. I hit a large stone in the lot and the bike skidded to the left under me.
It was a good thing there were so many loose stones to break my fall. I shudder to think what might have happened if I hit plain old black top!

I twisted the seat, threw the brakes out of kilter, and ripped the back of my right leg on the chain ring. Nice case of road rash and bruises on my left side!

I am hoping not to fall again for a while if I can at all help it!:D

Dr_Robert

06-26-07, 04:46 AM

My most embarrassing crash was back around '95, when I was 15 or so, on my old Trek 820 (my first MTB). I was flying along on a loooooong gradual downhill grade in top gear, more or less keeping pace with traffic - which would put me somewhere in the 25-30 MPH range at the time of the crash. Yeah, it hurt a bit. :)

So anyway, I'm really flying along, having a grand time, when I decide to start jumping off of driveway lips (you know, the little ramp where the driveway meets the road). The first few go off without a hitch, and I get a bit cocky...

Murphy rears his ugly head, and my front wheel just barely misses the driveway, grinding my rim against the curb instead, and throwing me over the handlebars onto the sidewalk. I come to a sliding, bleeding stop right in front of about 6 people, who had been having a nice BBQ on their front porch.

I wasn't really injured except for some scrapes and bruises, but man did my pride hurt! :p

-DR