3speed

I just thought of this after reading another "You're gonna crash a lot so this isn't the sport for you if..." post. Obviously talking about actual moving at a decent pace type crashes, not fell over after losing momentum on a steep climb. I've crashed 3 times now. Twice just wiping out on turns and once over the bars that was a pretty good one that even left my neck hurting the next day. I'm fairly new to trails, though, and wondered how much others have crashed.

ed 

Less than "dozens". More than a handful.

samburger

Only had one helmet-breaker so far, & one endo that I'm amazed didn't crack my helmet. Had several lowsides at moderate speeds though.

NRZ

If you're not crashing you're not going fast enough!! I've crashed so many times I have a better chance of remembering rides I didn't crash on.

dminor 

How many times? As in 'ever' or 'this season?'

3speed

Haha, NRZ and dimnor, you guys are awesome. I don't know if I would push myself hard enough to crash that much. I'm not really worried about crashes, as I've had enough in my biking history to get over that and know it's not that bad, but I don't want to be crashing and hurting myself every ride or two either. Pushing myself hard enough that it results in a few crashes per season seems to be good enough for me(for now).

Daspydyr 

Unless you are racing or just like scar tissue, don't feel obligated to tear yourself up. OTOH, to improve, you have to push yourself and that means some pain. I have hurt myself the worst when I "choked" and tried to bail in challenge. Stay loose and try to keep comfortable.

Hey the last crash helped me loose some weight, there is always an upside.

I went "CLIPLESS" last fall and fell more in 2 months than the previous 2 years. Platforms for me now days.

Zephyr11

Um...there were single RIDES where I've lost track, and not just because I hit my head (only ever cracked one helmet actually).

JChick

Sorry, but I stopped counting after 3.

20grit

I have minor crashes all the time. My serious crashes are incredibly few and far between.

I have a thing for hitting trees.

jacos5

Two times that have left my bike banged up as well as myself. (Started riding around mid september). And several other slight stuff. I've fallen down pretty much everytime I've gone to the trails.

One of the times I fell I was just on a road practicing my wheelie (road=bad, I know). Felt like I was getting it down pretty well so I got a little too confident I guess. Anyways, landed with my tire a little too much to the side and went straight down, hurt my wrist and my ego lol. My handlebars were completely bent and my rim was no longer true. Took it to the shop but they said it was too badly bent. Luckily it had bent and popped off in a spot that the manufacture had warrented (I guess the area they weld it together) so I got another one for free. Kinda sucks cause now one rim is black and the other chrome, oh well.

The second time I was at the trails and tried to wheelie over this huge log, I missed the end I usually go through and hit a really steep spot and went straight down. Hurt the same wrist (it was still injured in the first place) and my handlebars bent out of place again. Had my tools, fixed it up and kept going. My wrist still pretty much hurts from that first crash.

I realize these aren't "bad crashes". But as far as my experience goes, those are the worst.

colorider

Loose gravel on a too fast downhill has been the cause of my worst crashes.

scyclops

When you're younger and heal quickly crashing isn't such a big deal. I just have to quit doing it, last crash messed up a knee pretty bad (not from any impact, I must have twisted it somehow), and these days it doesn't take much for me to blow out a knee.
So as much as I hate to say it I'm done with pushing it right to the edge, so to speak. Which is too bad because I don't mind getting a little banged up now and then but I can't afford the down time any more.

samburger

Riding style should also be taken into consideration when comparing the number of times you've crashed. A DHer like Doug is likely going to crash a lot more than a XC weenie like myself, even if we're both pushing ourselves equally hard in our respective riding styles. I seem to get a lot more banged up when riding on the streets (be it by the little bike or the MTB) than I do on the trails, because street/urban riding requires more risk than XC.

pablosnazzy

in the past 15+ years of mountain biking, i've crashed more times than i can remember. i know i've broken at least three helmets.

YamiRider1316

ive lost count at this point. I have a pretty brash riding style though and i like to push my abilities which amounts to me going down more than i should. but hey its all part of the sport and if you arnt crashing then you arnt progressing imo.

ca7erham

I think I would have answered this poll with 1-2 times if it were asking how many times have I NOT crashed. I cant remember the last ride where I didnt fall. Usually it stupid stuff (climbing at that, I try to go up a good bit that I cant) but if its not stupid stuff its big bad hard crashes that I walk away from fairly fine ok (as in scars rather than broken bones). Its either things like falling over at 5 miles an hour or biting it bad off of a big jump or high speed section.

lubes17319

Some of my more memorable wreck-em-ups:

1973?: Rockin' the Schwinn down the neighbor's driveway & lost control in marbly stones. It sent me into our wooden fence. I only lost a fingernail, plus some bruises here & there.
1974?: [Motorized] we had an oval flat track where I'd take the Honda 50. High-sided a turn & busted my 2 front teeth.
1975?: Front wheel of the Schwinn came off as I was in the air on a jump we built in the back yard. Fork stuck when I landed, catapulting me jaw-first into the ground. My friend laughed at me as I cried.
1977?: On pavement OTB when I jammed my foot into the front spokes. I thought something in the spokes was making noise, so I put my foot against the wheel to silence it. Kids - don't try this one.
1993: Lost it on a wet wooden bridge, slid across my back & lost some skin (pre-Camelbak) My 1st encounter with slick wood.
2000: Wet log ride took me out, cracked-or-bruised some ribs. I knew it was a bad idea, but I had to go for it.
7/2001: Washed out in a sweeper, sliced open front of ankle on front derailleur required some stitching up
8/2010: Lost concentration for a sec, crossed the bars & slammed at about 5mph - cracked ribs
12/19/2010: Smooth-as-glass trail where I lost concentration for a second again - broke 4 ribs & collarbone
Last Saturday: Slo-mo OTB, 180° switchback immediately followed by a techie rock-drop into a rock garden took me out. My knee smacked a rock as I rolled & is just feeling pseudo-normal now.

Mr Pink57

This season only one time have I actually crashed, I am so used to our trails I could probably right them at night without a light by now. Previous to this season I fell a lot and had a lot of bumps and bruises but my response was "I fell down the stairs," or "I hit a door knob."

My worst crash left me with 15 stitches and a Ti plate in my left arm.

You're going to fall and it's going to hurt you just have to make the best of it. I have a rule that if I crash 3 times on a single trail in a single run I am done for the day I simply walk out.

ed 

Bad crash this morning. I took the Komodo off the infamous "photoshopped- by-Dminor picture" small ledge/long tranny in topeka. Went fine. Was going to go big the second time...big wind gust blew my bike sideways out from under me. I landed on my side, hip, knee, ankle. Daggum it's hurting. Knee swollen...can't bend it all the way.



Anybody ever have their bike blown out from under them?

sscyco

Yea - I never crash.

sscyco

I've had this - I don't know if it actually blew the bike out, but changed my yaw enough that I got the "dead sailor" stiffness and took it to the dirt.

sscyco

C'mon man, your like me - you don't crash.

dsprehe89

Since I got my MTB back when I was like 15 I have probably only crashed 5-10 times (2 just this summer). I will try pretty much anything if people are with me and suggest trying it (which usually happens ). However, back when I use to only ride my BMX bike and did jumps at this little DJ trail we had created, I wrecked probably 2-5 times a day, but that is the life of a DJer! You throw your body 3-6' into the air at 15mph, expect to eat it when you are first learning (hell, I would probably eat it right now if I tried getting out on my BMX and doing some jumps).

dsprehe89

My dad told me that the same thing happened to him when he was a kid (pretty close to the same time he was born in '66).... Except he didn't cry, he passed out and was rushed by ambulance to the hospital missing quite a bit of the skin on his face cause his wreck was off of a dirt hill in a subdivision where they were building houses and digging out the basements (so the hills were 5-10' high) and he wrecked on the road sliding down the street face first.