Shuffleman

How many wrecks have you had over the last 5 years? I am referring to wrecks not clip in fall overs.
I have had zero until the last 4 weeks, where I have had 2. Both were single bike accidents and both were my fault. Luckily I only have road rash, scrapes and bruises to show for them. I used to question how people wrecked so often until now. I guess the law of averages catches up at some point. Is my rate of wreckage typical? What is your experience and frequency rate?

happyscientist

On the road bike, just one. I have had a lot of close calls that I am not sure how I got out of, but I have only crashed once. The mountain bike is another story.

Kopsis

One solo crash on the road bike (fortunately low speed). Freshly sealed parking lot, misty morning, just wet enough to lift the motor oil -- I went down so fast I was on the ground for a few seconds before my brain could even process what happened.

Now, on the CX bike, there might have been one event last season where I didn't crash at least once

rpenmanparker 

Been riding 32 years and have gone down maybe 10-15 times. Some single bike BS, some interactions with cars, some my fault, some the other guy's. Point is none were serious. The single bike stuff has run the gamut from slick leaves on a wet street, slick rail road rails, unexpected gravel, unexpected speed bumps on a residential street when I wasn't paying attention, and of course getting caught trying to exit pedals. You name it, I have done it.

The interactions with cars have also been quite varied, most close quarters stuff like a car turning in front of me without signaling and my bouncing off his fender. No high speed collisions. And strangely enough, the stuff I a am most afraid of like high speed "death" wobbles have occurred but never taken me down. I even stayed upright after my saddle clamp broke the other day. Win some, lose some.

Shuffleman

I like your moto but I may ad "Win some, lose some, BUT always live for another day"

I was mostly curious because I have felt pretty blessed and perhaps lucky not to have gone down until the last month. For it to happen 2 times in 1 month was a little surprising but if I look at it over 5 years it is probably not bad.
And yes, the mtb is always a different story. I have actually taken more spills on my hybrid than on my mtb though. That is usually at the hands of my 8 yr old though. Better to knock daddy down than to go down himself.

palesaint

Road bike, I've never had a wreck (knock of wood). It helps that I ride defensively and not like a maniac.

Mountain bike is a different story. Couple good wrecks a year. It never feels good, but dirt does have a bit more cushion than asphalt...

roadwarrior

Last time was about 13 years ago when riding echelon the guy in front of me swerved because of a 30mph wind gust. Hit my front wheel, turned it enough that the bike basically stopped and flipped, I slid on my back for a while which removed the back of my jersey and cut my elbows and knees pretty bad. Then there was the bike damage....
Woke up the next morning with whiplash like I'd been in a car accident.
Remember the Jonathon Vaughters tour ad..."Want to feel what it's like to be in a bike wreck? Strip down to your underwear and I'll push you out of my car at 30mph."

AlmostTrick

Zero. I'm of the belief that cyclists riding fast in tight packs have more wrecks... so I avoid that.

intransit1217

2. Daydreaming, got too close to rider in front, grabbed brakes, front washed out.

The other was riding on a dirt path and came across some loose sand, deeper than I thought, I wobbled and went down in the soft stuff.
I had no core to speak of then either. If it happened again, I'd likely power through.

Shuffleman

I am inclined to feel the same way. However, both of my wrecks came in different situations.
The first one, I was by myself and I had a red light. I simply did not see that the other car had a green light for turning left. My fault. I went down but no collision with the car.
The 2nd one I was riding with a group but we were separated from the group and I was the last of 3 riders still together. The light was red and then turned green. I was still riding at a good pace but had trouble getting clipped in. I looked down for too long and ended up smashing into the curb. No other rider was injured or even saw it. Again, my fault and not really a group thing at that time.
It can happy anytime, as these bikes are fast and the level of control it not great. Still love the sport and it will not deter me, I was just curious.

obed7

One, it was off an MUT. I was going to turn around but it was narrow there so I went off into the grassy area next to the paved path... the grass was about mid-shin high... there was a hole in the ground that had grass growing up out of it and I did not see it... the front wheel went in and I high sided...nothing hurt but my pride.

andr0id

Zero self inflicted wrecks for at least 10 years.
One fall in a race a few years back, landed on other people, so didn't go to badly (for me!)

spdracr39

I've been riding a little over a year and I have had 1 crash on the road bike due to a mechanical failure. Crashes on the mountain bike don't count because they are just part of it.

Lazyass

Zero in 28 years. Don't ask me how. I think riding and racing sportbikes has helped keep me more alert than the average cyclist. I see people going down in corners or whatever and I'm thinking "why did you not see that gravel". MTB's are another matter. Got metal in my body over those.

Stucky

No comment- don't want to jinx myself!

JamieElenbaas

+1

happyscientist

A couple years ago, someone wrecked right in front of me. I rode over his shoulder. I have no idea how I didn't crash. I am glad that I didn't hurt him (kick him in the face or cut him with a drive train for example), but I did feel bad anyway. We joked that he was going to have a 25 mm wide bruise thanks to me.

mercator

On average, I hit the deck at least once every winter due to ice. Haven't crashed on dry roads since 1977, but I was young and fearless then.

MagicHour

A couple minor crashes back in the mid aughts racing and riding a lot - nothing serious but scuffed equipment and bruises.
Then no falls until this past Saturday, where I went down going up a small climb and fractured and dislocated elbow . A combo of inattention, road debris and possible equipment issue(waiting for arm to heal a bit so i can investigate that) Guess my luck ran out.

RollCNY

I have been hit by cars twice in the past five years. One time I was solo, once with one other rider, and both of us were taken out. I have not had a crash riding fast in a tight pack group of riders, so I can look forward to that.

Gladius

Haven't fallen out of my clips in decades or had a bad crash in decades. First real crash was in a crit in college on the first lap, several guys ahead of me crashed, I tumbled over the top, still have someone's chainring scars on my forearm to this day.

Fell once 4 years ago starting up as we went around a corner - the guy in front of me didn't accelerate as fast as I did, I wasn't used to riding in a close group. I probably jerked the handlebars more than I really needed to and fell over. Bruised my hip and scraped up my bar tape, nothing more.
Last year a guy 50+ pounds lighter than me bounced off me (I was going straight, he was pingponging) and he fell, I didn't even lose my line.
Previous year a guy crashed in front of me at the start of a sprint point. Somehow managed to avoid going over/through him and went around.
Had a couple of death wobbles - one on a fast descent that more or less was a code brown moment, another one when I flatted on a downhill at 35mph. Shifted my weight over the back tire and recovered out of both.

hairnet

Lots and lots, but I guess that comes with being in my 20s and getting over confident at times. I suppose I am lucky to have only trashed two bikes in this period.

RJM

I bought a mountain bike over the winter and have completely wiped out three times, twice on climbs where I didn't clear the roots efficiently enough and once where I was going for a strava segment time and just lost it in a curve. I toppled over last week and banged my shoulder up too....but that is mountain biking and I suck at it, clearly.

On the road I've been taken out by a dog once, that's all the crashing that I've done. I don't ride in pacelines all that much though. I was out two weeks ago and was in the middle of an interval, looked down while huffing and puffing, then looked up to realize I was headed for the grassy shoulder which went into a drainage ditch. I couldn't keep the bike off the grass, but I was able to keep the bike upright, then I bunny hopped out of it back onto the roadway. I nearly bit it.

caloso

I've broken two frames during that period. One during a race, the other on the way to a training ride.

indyfabz

One, and it was not my fault. A woman in font of me kicked up a stick and it shot back at me. Ended up lodging horizontally between the inside of my fork and the front wheel. Wheel stopped spinning. I went flying. Split the end of my collar bone. The bike was fine.