nathbdp

This probably sounds suicidal, but, in the case of you about to hit a solid object, like the side, front, of a car or the back of a truck what is the best way to minimize damage to yourself, or more importantly the bike?

Was riding home today and hit the back of a truck that was double parked after a cab cut off my go around route. Needless to say, before I hit the truck, I turned the wheel left and my fork was slightly scraped, and 3 spokes were hit, 2 of which now have a noticeable dent in them and the wheel is out of true; it scrapes my brake pads. I hope I don't need a new wheel... I don't think the rim is bent, but will go to LBS tomorrow to have them look at it. Should I be wary if they try to sell me a new wheel?

As I practice my crashes, is it better to hit head on with the tire absorbing the strike (I assume this will more likely cause the rim to bend, a more costly problem than bent spokes) or turn the wheel and risk having the spokes and fork get hit? But then I don't know if forks are susceptible to easy breaking... what do you think?

thatcher

throw it into a no handed skid n put your hands out. catch yourself before the bike hits. ride away (actually had a friend do this)

freeskihp

it seems like you did the right thing, it definatly minimized the damage to your wheel. it would seem as if you would want to get the most surface area of your body on the object being hit and not be to clingy to your bike

timmhaan

never ever worry about the bike when an accident is about to happen. best advice i know is to look for a good place to fall (you have .25 seconds to decide) and then tuck yourself up and try to roll when you hit the ground. it's important not to spread your arms out, otherwise you break your collar bone.

mezza

I thought it was closer to .24 seconds.

BostonFixed

Better have the LBS check out your fork and frame, while they're at it...

endform

I'm with a few others here roll when you hit the ground and forget about the bike.

Hocam

Make sure your frames not bent; look for bulges on the top tube and down tube near the head tube junction. Better yet, have your LBS look at it.

Serendipper 

Worst advice ever re: falling. "Putting your hands out" will result in a broken limb, or worse.

Whenever you fall, you want to pull your limbs closer to your body, and tuck, to initiate a roll.

But the best way to crash is to anticipate dangerous situations, and avoid it altogether.

If it's totally unavoidable, you want to relax, and practice rolling/falling off the bike (on your carpet at home). Just as in the martial arts.

jjvw

Stop, drop, and roll. I've only had to do this twice.

thurstonboise

Sage advice. Don't be like me. Elbow surgery sucks ass. I won' be back on a bike untl mid-feb at the earliest.
I know better, I slipped stepping off of my bike at a stop and ****ered my arm real good. If I was moving I probably would have been fine.

Rusty Valiant

To me, this is science. In my experience, once you realize you're in a crash situation, accept the inevitability of the crash. Assume it WILL happen and try and react in a way that puts you in the best situation AFTER the crash, ie beside the bus as opposed to under it.

pyze-guy

You've been on fire twice?

vinnydelnegro

i thought this was a joke. i was imagining someone putting their arms out to catch their own body in the air.

seely

I just shove myself off the object. Works well.

onetwentyeight 

if you are going down on a hill, try to position yourself so your feet are pointed down the hill, not your head. if you are getting caught by a car turning right and not seeing they are pinching you, i find it best to lock into a hard skid and keep stay as parallel to the car as you can. unclip the foot you think will need to pull out of if you go down.

OrgFarmCY

Bam. Nailed it. I stopped Jujitsu (Like 3 years ago) and I still roll instinctively. It's saved me from concussions more than a few times.

Depending on which direction your going in, one of your arms raises up and bends at the elbow, rolling yourself onto your shoulder and protecting your head.

If you want to practice, take your hands and lay your fingers on top of eachother (Both hands facing down), making a wheel with your arms. Bend down to one side and put your hands on the ground and slowly try to roll over it.

As you get better at it, that circle becomes smaller and eventually it's just one arm that sort of wraps around your head.

--Aaron

jjvw

I was until the cars got in my way.

endform

I was kind of thinking of the scene from Titanic, but you know on a bike, and with the bumper of a truck closing in fast.

Nouia

If you just know you're going to t-bone a car and absolutely can't avoid it, its much better to go over the hood and land on the other side than it is to hit the cabin part of the car and get stopped cold. It's all about getting your kinetic energy dissipated over the longest time period as possibe. The faster your body comes to stop, the more you will hurt.

And if your laying the bike down sideways don't put your hand down!. This will be your first (and very strong) instinct, but don't do it! I learnt the hard way and had to have a cast on my arm for 8 weeks and the joint still hurts.

Rugen

Well, here's what happened to my trek when I plowed into the rear quarter of a honda civic. Not the best photo, but you can see what happens when it's head on; the head tube bent on the frame... the stem lost it's grip, and two of the frame's main tubes buckled. There was more damage to the frame than to the rim at that speed.


I was in my top gear hauling ass (near 25 mph?) when some lady turned left (unsignaled) in front of me in broad daylight. I had a second or two of brake time, but just before impact I decided to go limp. I firmly believe this is what saved my ass. I aimed (as best I could) for the rear of the vehicle, rolled over the trunk after an impact between 15-20 mph. In my unqualified opinion rolling it out, limbs in, also was a positive factor.

I left a nice bike rack in her rear fender.

I also agree about the damage to the bike being the last concern. I remember saying to myself "stay loose, no hospital" right before impact, not "swerve fast avoid truing".

kemmer

That bike looks so awesome. I mean, errr, that sucks man at least you weren't hurt too bad.

number18

how to crash?

spectacularly. the only way to go.

Igneous Faction

Even if you're riding a Cinelli Olympic or something; you come first. Always.

phoenix

For real, your body should be your main concern when you crash. Crashing on a fg always sucks more for in my opinion cuz there is no freewheel so you kind of just have to go with the bike. Protect you dome and junk at any cost.