ax0n

It's kind of "bike general" or "mountain bike" material, but Commuting is my home away from home, so you guys get to read it. Besides, I was "commuting" to a ride when it happened. You know, instead of loading it up on a car or truck to go on a ride?

Anyhow, I endoed my Sorrento last night. I was on my way to a ride, so it was on pavement but it was just a little side road. I was going way too fast and trying to maneuver it way too aggressively for the speed I was going. Mostly, I slid on my hands (with gloves! woot!) and chest, but at the last moment, the bike came back up behind me and rolled my face into the pavement. Let's say I have a really close shave on my chin!

It'll be okay. Except for the last moment of skidding a foot or so on my face, it was pretty fun. Well, waking up this morning sucked too. My "everything" hurts. I've taken a few falls on the mountain bike and after a while you learn how to spill as gracefully and gently as possible. A few more scrapes on the handlebars, too. Ahh, battle scars.

At least I kept my teeth this time, and I can blame myself instead of a car running me off the road.

I-Like-To-Bike

Glad for kept your remaining teeth. I t would be a real drag for you to have to create a new avatar.

Why not post this in A & S? Then you can read responses blaming the accident on bike lanes, whether they are there or not. Plus some good "helmet saved your life" stuff.

ax0n

Well my helmet did acquire some new scrapes. I'd better go fork over $200+ for a new top of the line one. You know, the expensive ones work better. And stuff.

I don't wanna touch A&S. Plus, this one was truly my fault, like all good falls on the MTB. I suppose I could lie and say I got clotheslined by a jogger going against traffic in the road with a 3-baby-wide triplet stroller and a poodle on a mile-long leash listening to her iPod in one ear and talking on the phone with the other while reading the 'times over the bars of her triplet stroller with her shoes untied and somehow drinking dangerously hot coffee at the same time. Without a helmet and knee pads, none the less.

I actually got my teeth fixed but I like my goofy redneck avatar.

Tude 

Well that sent shivers up my spine! <KNOCKS ON EVERY PIECE OF WOOD IN THE AREA!>

I've taken a lot of spills, hit trees, etc - but never endoed!

Glad you're ok!

pinkrobe

Ah, the endo. If you ride long enough, you'll do one. It sounds like yours was a Scorpion, where the bike comes over your back to catch you in the back of the head. My least favourite is the Superman, where you just go flying over the bars, arms outstretched, scraping everything on the front of your body. My preference is to tuck and roll, curling up into a ball until I know that everything has come to a stop.

jbmadtown

This post makes me miss mountain biking- too much time on the road bike this summer! Maybe I'll take the ol' hardtail for a spin this weekend and see if I can do an endo of my own. I endo-ed into a creek once. That was fun.

I'm glad you're ok- at least you obviously didn't lose your sense of humor- love the A&S rant!

CliftonGK1

I threw my chain when starting up from a stoplight last summer. Got across the intersection, onto the sidewalk (heading to the MUP), and WHANG! the chain jumped and I ended up going over the bars as I torqued them sideways since I was standing on the pedals and pulling on my bar ends pretty hard.
Sucks when it happens, but at least you walked away from it in one piece. BTW, how's the bike?

ax0n

It was a superman AND a scorpion. I have some chest rash but my shirt survived. I flew through the air and landed chest-and-hands. It was quite fun, until the bike rolled up and on top of me.

One car was driving past when it happened. They stopped and ogled at me until I got up and waved them on.

As far as the bike, there are a few more battle scars on the handle bars. I recently got a new rear wheel (this is my second ride after getting it back together) and it came with one of those cheapo open-cam skewers with an aluminum and plastic acorn. The rear QR skewer wasn't holding on and may have been part of what threw me off the bike. After the crash, as tight as I could muster to get it on, the acorn kept sliding around and letting my wheel rub the stays and brakes for the rest of the ride home. When I got home, I put an all-steel enclosed-cam skewer on it and chucked the cheapo one into the garbage. Also, the upshift trigger for the FD is sticking. Probably needs some love from my old friend, Boeshield T9. Or maybe some prybar action.

donnamb 

So are you able to say that all in one breath? Glad you're ok, ax0n.

ax0n

I could probably say it in one breath but the editor in me sees at least three red marks in that quoted text, not the least of which is the horrid use of "and" at the beginning of a sentence.

On the Internet, my grammar goes out the window.


I'm glad I'm okay, too

unkchunk

Hey, wait a second. Didn't you just do that a year ago? A lot a people have posted their accidents and I can't keep them straight anymore. But I swear you had a big one not too long ago. For God's sake man... stop doing that!

ax0n

I got run off the road in March, yes. I broke my Maxilla in two places and shattered my two upper front teeth. This one was my own doing, and was not only way less brutal, but almost fun. Emphasis on almost.

wb 86

I feel you on the my "everything" hurts the next morning. I dumped my beach cruiser last Sat. night at a slow pace, landed sitting upright and sliding on the concrete. No damage to myself initially, but I was all kinds of sore the next morning. Made my 5 am commute hard to handle the next day. I laid in bed for longer than usual debating how to get to work. Ended up riding and was all stretched and some what limber by the time I got there.

Craig

squeakywheel

How did it happen? Did you hit an object at speed?

Tude 

No no no nooooooooooo - been at this for many years with no endo!!! (lots of slo-mo crash, handlebar to ribs, side of head stuff - oh yeah and, ahem, trees). BUT NO ENDO.

<runs around office looking for any REAL wood to knock on>

substructure

Hope you are feeling better. My crash pain took a few days to really set in.

ax0n

No, I hit the brakes too hard while cornering. This was the first time I'd been on my mountain bike in about 2 months, and I was riding it like I'd ride my road bike. It's a used bike and the bars have always been a little bit on the low side, which places me "above" the bike rather than somewhat "in the cockpit". Kind of hard to explain, but you probably understand what I mean. Anyhow, I was coming around an unfamiliar curve and was met with a stop sign, and hit the brakes with the same amount of force I'd use on my road bike. With my higher center of gravity and the suspension fork compressing, I was thrown. I can usually do a sweet stoppie on the mountain bike. An endo isn't much different, except for the whole getting 0wned part.

I brake pretty aggressively on my road bike, but try as I might, I can't get a stoppie out of it, even without any gear on it. It stops on a dime, but the rear wheel won't lift off the ground. If it does, it's not enough for me to feel it. It kills my brake pads though, so I don't try it often.

I'm thinking of getting one of those threadless stem extenders, but I don't know if that would help all that much. Or, I could just stop being a dumbass.

jmeier

I did an endo last Thursday on my new cannondale road bike..oof. I was merging onto the MUP and saw another rider going way faster than I initially thought, so I mashed the pedals...and my left foot came unclipped !! wobble wobble into the dirt and LO, there's a big hole there!
The front tire stopped and my large mass didnt, so over I went. I landed in a crouched position with my right knee and hands the only things hitting the ground (like a runners start). I hopped up and assured the nearby joggers (female) that I was fine despite the blood on my leg and humbly rode off.

I seem to have a good endo every few years, about 3 years ago I was rolling on some hardpack and plowed into deep moist sand and the front wheel stuck deep. As I had been really mashing it, I kinda lept off the bike and came to a very surprised running stop with the bike tumbling after me My wife laughed so hard she nearly puked, and still gives me a hard time about the "running dismount" from time to time...

I think that I get hurt less on the endo than the slide...but I might just be lucky.

Heal fast

Jim

ax0n

I've only had two good slides. One was on milkshake mud with my hybrid and its slick tires. The other was on snow when I was trying to show off and throw snow on some co-workers. That worked really well.

I've had a few really awkward unplanned dismounts that could maybe be construed as endos, but I've only had two really good face plants.