Originally Posted by Ironfish653

the key to minimizing injury is to keep your hands on the bars. 'Keep Riding The Bike' as we used to say in motos. Hands on the bars, elbows in, and if it's a low-to-medium speed fall; hands on the bars, and lean away from the ground. You'll hit with the end of the handlebar, and the cheek of your hip. It'll hurt, to be sure, but you're landing on a big slab of muscle and fat, so more than likely, you'll be able to ride yourself back to the end of the trail.Putting your arms out to catch yourself is a sure-fire-way to get injured. The same physics apply to motos and velos, and if you've got a 500-lb moto going down, you're not going to be able to 'catch it.'