DnvrFox

I find it is best to fall up.

Ed in GA

I don't know if there's a good way or not. As much as I've fallen since I started riding, and started using Clipless Pedals, I'll certainly have enough experience to figure it out sooner or later.

maddmaxx 

We're going to have to find you some sort of staff position in Club Tombay....

PrairieDog

I like the tuck and roll, and try to land on the trunk of my body if possible (rather than the shoulder taking the full force of impact). Fair warning, though: I've broken a rib this way, because my elbow was tucked into my body.

dcvelo

I find that in most cases (except the clipless "whoops" fall) it happens too quickly to do much about it.

The only thing I'm sure to do consistently is keep my hands on the bars. Putting an arm out is asking for a broken bone. Not that keeping the hands on the bars will always prevent one (I have the zig zag collarbone to prove that) but in general it seems to work.

windswept_one

I usually have two different kinds of falls: 1. the kind when I can't unclip and just fall in slow motion, with everyone in the club watching. They make you stand and take a bow when you do that. And 2. when you don't even know you've fallen but find yourself sitting on the ground, obviously gone over the bars, bike sitting beside you, and you're examining hands and helmet for damage.

Barrettscv 

ditto

Also try to fall to the side and try to avoid going over the front of the bike. I normally fall from slick surfaces while turning. I always end up sliding like a baseball player stealing 2cd base and get away with just a few bruises.

Michael

supersam032

love the fall stories...helps in my recovery downtime.... first fall... broken wrist... hopefully 3 weeks to ride again... i hope i remember the tuck and roll next time. seems most efficient. funny how you don't consider things like learning how to fall until it's too late....lol

crtreedude 

Might be even nicer to aim for an enemy to land on... if you can.

ollo_ollo

I've had good & bad falls: Least injuries were from falls where I was wearing a helmet & gloves plus managed to remain on the bike with my hands away from the bar ends and slid, bike first in the direction of travel. On a road bike, my worst injury came in a collision where I went off the bike headfirst, then failed a tuck & roll by ramming the corner of my shoulder directly into the ground at a steep angle. At lower speeds, the tuck & roll maneuver can minimize injuries but at high speeds, its hard to pull off & if you land at right angles to your direction of travel, you can roll a lot, so try to pull your limbs into your body core.

daven1986

How do you tuck and roll if you are clipped in?

My theory for falling is you hold your handlebars and push yourself away from the road while keeping your knee pushed towards your top tube, this way the handlebars and the pedal take most of the hit.

Feel free to criticise this! I don't want to fall badly! Although I failed at my own advice today and fell - clipless fall - fell and scraped my elbow

Thanks

Road Fan

If you fall dead on your side, you run a serious risk of a collarbone fracture if your shoulder takes your weight.

DnvrFox

club tombay!!

card

falling is not the hard part. landing can be hell

CrankyFranky

I'm in the "genetics" camp - I've fallen three times in 35 years, and been knocked off by motorists twice. Both shoulders have 3° acromion process separations (eventually ended up looking normal) and a very agonizing elbow dislocation...I think I'll never learn not to put my hand out to break my fall!

tsl

Never had a problem. I've crashed in clipless three times now, and I magically come unclipped in every crash.

I used tuck-and-roll again a couple of weeks back when I was t-boned by a Pontiac. The initial landing was on my right shoulder. I'm absolutely positive that tuck-and-roll saved my collarbone. I was listening for it to snap as I went over. I was pleased when all I heard was the helmet cracking as I rolled on to my back (the first time). Even before I stopped, I knew I was going to be okay.

I was still out of work and off the bike for a week, but it could have been 4-6 weeks and possibly surgery instead.

Details here.

daven1986

thanks if you were to fall directly on your side how would you prevent breaking your collar bone? Would my method work if you didnt get unclipped? - you would be holding your body away from the road using leverage on your handlebars.

@tsl: what pedals and cleats are you using? I have egg beaters and am not confident of them releasing!

BluesDawg

I'm no psychologist and can't tell you what to do to build confidence, but imho, eggbeaters are the easiest pedals from which to exit. Their easy release is why I switched to them for all my offroad riding. They have saved my butt more than a few times.

tsl

I use plain old ordinary SPDs. A520 pedals because I like the road-style frame.

We may be talking about completely different types of falls here. You seem to be concerned with something happening so slowly you can ride it down--something like a clipless fall. I have no experience with clipless falls or other slow-speed falls, so I'm unqualified to comment.

I was moving at over 20 MPH when I was hit by the car, and over 15 MPH in my other crashes.

At speed, inertia alone will make you roll IF you're in the right shape at impact. Sir Isaac's laws dictate the path of the fall of a moving object is a parabolic arc. You're already spinning, so roll with it. If you're spread out at impact, you'll stop the spin, thud and slide. If you're in a ball, you'll roll.

Imagine two objects of similar weight, but different shape, say the Sunday Times and a soccer ball (football to you lot). Pitch the Sunday Times and it lands with a thud and will slide a bit depending on the surface and remaining forward speed. Pitch a soccer ball at the same force and direction, it will roll on impact.

Impacting asphalt at speed and being spread out so you thud and slide is not a happy experience. I've done it. Ruined my entire season. The two times I've let go of the bars and tucked into a ball before impact, I've come out pretty much unscathed.

Yes, we could argue over whether or not being out of work and off the bike for a week this second time qualifies as unscathed. Considering the other possibilities when hit by a car while riding a bike at over 20 MPH, I call it pretty much unscathed. You can call it what you want.

daven1986

ah fair enough, yes I think we were talking about different situations! Hopefully I won't have to find out whether or not I can tuck and roll!

Thanks for the info though

stapfam

Think you have the right idea. WHEN I fall- I keep the hands on the bars and keep the feet clipped in. Saves putting out a limb and breaking it. And I don't get worried about seeing blood- but I would get worried about seeing bone.

The only falls I have worried about were the ones where I have injured muscle afterwards. How do you get home with a pulled calf muscle? Luckily the two occasions I did have that sort of injury were on the Tandem. 3 leg riding home instead of 4 and the co-rider lost a bit of weight that day.

Boudicca

I seriously recommend falling on grass. Did that once after veering miraculously between two parked cars and ending up in someone's front yard. My feet came unclipped as I flew over the handlebars and the only injury was a gentle grassburn on one shoulder.

Bike gearing was jarred up a little, but nothing that a gentle tweak wouldn't fix.

Pavement, on the other hand, is hard.

Timtruro

I just try really, really hard not to fall, I can't imagine falling at any kind of speed and not breaking something, including, but not limited to, my bike.

vtc12ip

My first two falls were low speed, can't get the cleats out of the pedals fast enough. Of course, in full view of the local bike club.

The last fall happened so fast, I was on the road before I had any time to react. I was traveling at 18 mph crossing a RR track. As I came up to it, a cautionary thought surfaced about excess speed, which I failed to heed.

The road rash has healed but the separated shoulder still hurts. Pictures included.

Club Tombay???

BikeArkansas

Low speed falls are more embarassing than anything else and are normally associated with being clipped in. I try not to fall but it does not worry me a lot. The real worry is at speed. Any speed, but especially in double digits or even worse, above 20 MPH.

I had an off road endo several years ago and promised my body I would not get on another mountain bike. I have kept that promise and my body has been grateful.

Recently I took a fall on wet concrete at about 14 MPH in a curve. Careless on my part. I still have the strawberry on my right hip. I still remember the jar to my body when I hit, however nothing broke. I think I owe the fact that nothing broke to the fact that I kept my hands on the hoods, which is where they were when I started the curve. My feet stayed clipped, which I also think was a good thing.

Of course there may be a better way to fall, but in the type fall I had I think I could not have come out better.