Had my first crash last night...Ugh
 

Had my 1st road bike a grand total of 9 days. I was riding on an unfamiliar road (mistake #1 ) at night (mistake #2 ) and was over-confident (mistake #3 ) in my ability to control my speed down a ~-30% grade. I was doing 34.9 MPH when I came to an unexpected T intersection. I tried to do what I had read, placing my weight on the back wheel and applying braking force as equally as possible between my wheels. I fishtailed and laid it down on my left side. Results to myself and the bike are below. I have a huge hematoma on my left quad, shoulder damage, and road rash on my left side. Thankfully, I had my helmet on and this probably saved me more than I know.

The bike is in my LBS now getting new (upgraded) shifters, new bar tape, wheel truing and a general tune up. Thankfully, there was not a scratch on the frame and I didn't lay it down on the derailluers. Everything else seems ok. Learned a good, hard lesson in that crash. I'm sure many of you can relate.

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UPDATE: Got my bike back from the shop today. New bar tape, shifters, wheel truing and some cleanup later and it's in great shape. I couldn't help but go for a little 2 mile ride @ 10MPH. It feels amazing to be back on it even though it's only been 4 days. I still need to take it easy in order to recover, but I think some spinning will help get my blood flowing and heal me up in good time. Ride safely :)

oh dude! yeah, nite rides are always full of surprises (especially at 34.9 mph) get well soon

I recently went through something similar. I feel your pain (I literally did - road rash ain't fun). But there's nothing like a crash that you and the bike recover from without lasting damage to help you learn your limits. If indeed this is the first road bike, maybe 35 mph is a bit much? :)

ouch dude!! glad nothing is broken, Skin will heal up, it will just suck trying to sleep for the first few nights.

Well good thing outta this, is you get to upgrade Sora shifters sooner then you thought!!

Ouch! Glad your okay and that damage to your bike was minimal.

Ouch.

There is an author who writes on motorcycling. In the first edition of his book, which many consider the must-read for all motorcyclists, he has a chapter on riding at night. The chapter is but a single page. There is the usual chapter title page, and then when you turn the page is simply says DON'T in two inch high letters. The next page starts the next chapter :)

BTW - check your helmet. If it shows the slightest indication of contact with the ground (or anything else) during the crash, it's done. Stomp on it and toss it in the garbage. They're good for one and only one hit. (Incidentally, the same thing is true for car seats - they are one hit wonders, and should be destroyed if they are even in a collision, even a slight one, while occupied.)

Matt

Sorry to hear that man, heal well. 35 MPH at night on unfamiliar road, sounds wild.

I was doing 33 MPH down a hill last Saturday with my brakes applied as the group I was riding with told me there was a hairpin turn at the bottom. Another riding on a rode bike when down in a similar fashion on the same ride.

I'm planning on going to buy a road bike tonight, you are making me think I need to ride it slowly for a while :)

Ouch . . . Hope you heal fast!

Hope you add a good headlight* (or two) to your bike refurb package!

* Yeah, I know it wouldn't help too much while riding 30+ mph at night on an unknown road - But a GOOD light is good thing! (I often ride at night in sunny FLA, but usually on roads I am familiar with.)

yikes ... heel quickly ... and ride safe

The price we pay for speed... It's gonn'a hurt (road rash sucks), but at least nothing was broken, and you get to learn from your experience--could you have turned? Could you have applied more front brake? Etc... Take lots of ibuprofen, and watch for infection around the rash areas. It will hurt more in a couple days (especially if you have to return to the Dr.'s for a cleaning), but then it gets better day by day.

I did have some decent lighting on the front (triple LEDs) and a strobing 4 LED rear red light, but good tip. The light wouldn't have saved me though. Just let me know that I was going down sooner than I would have. My girlfriend was upset with me because she got there and was looking to see if I was badly hurt (she's an RN) and I'm trying to crawl to my bike to see how bad the damage was lol.

Everything's bigger in Texas! Especially your road rash.

Heal quick. Glad it wasn't worse!

What are you upgrading the shifters to?

Gonna slowly start adding STI 105 components to it. This will start with the shifters and 9 speed cog with chain. I was gonna go ahead and have them add the 10 speed cassette and rear derailluer but I also need (or maybe just want) some clipless pedals and cleats, so that will come first. Just gonna replace those 2300s that are all messed up so I can get back on the road ASAP. Just can't throw down that much $$ right now, plus I have some medical bills to look forward to.

Fast descents on an unfamiliar road at nighttime are a recipe for trouble. You learned a valuable lesson for a relatively low price--it could've turned out far worse.

Thank your guardian angels and ride safely--ride smartly.

Glad to hear (or see in this case) you're still typing!

Sucks to be in a wreck but better to walk away then have someone come back with a baggie for parts. And that only builds the character to your bike...and skin. Heal quickly!

If you want to be completely safe, the whole book could've been reduced to that one chapter.:p

YIIKES, but you are lucky! Road Rash at that speed is usually much more extensive. Get better fast!

HEY, your tag line got my attention. I ride with several cops who carry when they ride. They refer to their weapon as their skid plate! Do you ride in the Annual Police Unity Tour?

Awe, Come on.
Tell us the whole story!
Same introduction, but you left out the part where the Sasquatch jumped out of the bushes, right in front of you.
By the way, 30% slope on the road is good. A little embelishment never hurt a good story.

I carry everywhere I go. The only exception is when I ride more than 3 or 4 miles. I just haven't found a practical way to carry in lycra lol. I haven't but I am trying to get into some group rides (when I heal). I haven't heard of that ride but I'll do some research. I think it would do some pretty good bruising to fall and skid on my gun, but I have a few holsters that I know will hold up.

Haha thanks for the pointers. I will drive back to the crash site this week and take some daytime pics of the hill I went down on and you guys can judge for yourself. I just told the nurse at the hospital, "I mean it was a steep 20% grade. Have you ever biked a 25% grade like that? I mean most people can't handle a 30% at those speeds. It was a rough 35%, I'm tellin' ya."

also nee a brighter light if you want to decent at 30+ mph, something w/ more throw vs more flood.

I would think the same thing about sliding on a gun. The Vegas Metro guys I ride with have a hard case holster and carry it in the middle back pocket of their jerseys. The Police Unity Tour is a Memorial Ride for fallen officers.

http://www.policeunitytourviii.org/D...e=EventDetails

We often pack a parachute when riding over 35% grades in the mountains. Often, if we really want a beer its easier to just ride off a cliff and para-bike down to a PUB!

Sounds like you lucked out big-time! After dark+35mph+bottom of a steep hill is a formula that could easily yield damage far worse than what you described. Best wishes for a quick, uneventful recuperation and long-lasting, vivid memories that'll discourage repetitions of that scenario.

Time to invest in some gloves too :p

Glad you're mostly ok.