pat0115

This week I had my first fall off my bike. I am 55 years old and I have been riding for about a year. I got a blowout on a brand new tire this week and took a nasty fall. I was climbing a small hill at a good pace and just when I was starting to come down, I got the blowout on the front tire, the bike stopped and I flew over the bar. Could have been much worse but I did put a hole and a gash in my left elbow, scraped up my left knee, shin and hand, and bruised my left hip and shoulder. I have been riding a hybrid/fitness bike and I have lost 65 pounds over the last year. Part of the reason I have lost the weight and built up my chest is the physical, tough rides I put myself through.

Now because of the fall, I am rethinking my rides. I know that I really could have gotten hurt they way I fell. Thank God I didn't. Being 55 years old, I'm already starting to think that I have to calm my rides down, lower the MPH, and slow the pace, just in case I get another blow out like I did this week. I know that it is normal to be nervous after a fall like this but has anyone else experienced this and can share words of advice? Thanks.

Bmach

Just ride it could happen again or not. You never know so don't worry about it and ride.

Wileyrat

Get back on the bike asap.

My last road crash happened when I was 55, and a I planned to ride about a week later until I saw how much blood was in my jersey. It took another week to get on the road bike, but I was riding my mtn bike during that 2 week break.

hankaye

pat0115, Howdy;

Like the Horse folks say, if your horse throws ya get right back on ...

hank

OldsCOOL

Just heal up and ride. We all take spills, it's going to happen so ride safely but dont let anxiety rob you of the fun.

trailangel

So what happened with the front wheel? Tire come off and jam in the fork? What tire width and what Frame/fork?
I've been thinking about going back to sewups because they will stay on the rim if going flat...sort of.

Ya, when I get "older" I start slowing down and stop riding as fast as I can... I just let others go by me. I've had to kiss the asphalt more than a couple of times and it's not fun, neither is scrubbing asphalt out of road rash!! Takes a bottle of wine or so.

Last year or so I have been riding with a helmet.....they are really light now and I know my old fat head will split like a ripe melon if it hits the asphalt.

Heal up and get back on it!

NABodie

After my first over the bar experience I picked by bike up, dusted myself off and went back at it like nothing happened. Now I realize at 51 I'm not old like the rest of you guys, but I decided just to get on with it and try not to do it again.

texaspandj

I think it's how/why you fell that determines how you react to getting back in the saddle. I fell a couple of weeks ago and absolutely no reservations about getting back on the bike. But it was a family fun ride and it was not my fault. I'm not sure how I would react to a mechanical failure being the cause of my crash. However at 53 I think about it from time to time as Im on a fast training ride. It can be unnerving especially if you focus on it. So I refocus on getting better and healthier and the benefits of cycling impacting me being here longer for my family.

h2oxtc

The white angel on my right shoulder will frequently remind me when I'm hurtling down a hill at 40+ mph of the dangers of a flat tire while descending. The other angel on the left shoulder says, "weeeeee".

drlogik 

I agree. Get back on the bike, fast. Ask your doctor if they will prescribe Silvadene cream for the road rash. Best stuff there is for that. If you really want to nuke it fast get a scrip for Duoderm. Get some netting for the scrapes to but mostly, get back out on the road. Crashes, though hopefully very infrequent do occur and they are just part of the sport.

I'm the same as the previous post. The little guy that looks like an insurance adjuster is on my right shoulder saying slow down. The little red guy with the pitchfork on my left shoulder is saying GO FOR IT MAN! I'm still a speed demon at 58. I just can't shake the adrenaline addiction of going fast on my own accord (bike, skis, inline skates, etc).

Northwestrider

I've gone over the bars once before, but was wearing a back pack while doing < than 15 mph , I got back on, but admittedly that was many years ago. The back back helped to absorb a lot of the impact I believe .

Biker395 

Have you determined what caused the blowout?

1Shifter

Just get back on the horse as soon as you're able. An accident could happen again or not, it's the chance we all take.

OldsCOOL

We may have been separated at birth.

OldTryGuy

"We are each an experiment of one".......Dr. George Sheehan......You have to deal with your situation in your own way. Just giving it some time for recovery, talking with others, a set of training wheels, .......what ever it takes.

I never was nervous after any of my falls or crashes. One crash at 59 had me slide to the center of 2 lanes of vehicles approaching at 55mph. Stopped sliding, sat up facing traffic seeing said traffic coming at me, got up, picked up bike, ran to edge of road, checked bike and self, back on bike for the 7 mile ride back home.

At 61 went down and heard 2 cracking noises. DID NOT MOVE, waited for ambulance, trip to ER, cracking noises were C6 and right clavicle with compression of C5-C6-C7 resulting in additional long thoracic nerve damage. Neck brace worn 24/7 for 16 weeks with nothing more than walking allowed. Neurosurgeon gave clearance and next day back on bike.

At 62 went down in a round about riding at 25.2mph during a 70.3 triathlon at mile 15. Stopped, got up and back on bike, completed the 56 mile ride then the 13.1 mile half marathon. Blood was caked all over bike, it took hours to get it off.

texaspandj

Geez, instead of old try guy you should use experiencedsuceededdude.
Also my new hero.

Blanchje

A skinned knee and some bruises beats being 65# overweight (Great job btw!). Learn from it but keep going.

JohnnyCyclist

+1. There are things we can't control (like those poor folks in MI - jeezuz!), but if we're not maintaining our bikes, that's on us.

Like some others, I 'got back into' cycling at an older age. Not knowing any better, I pumped my tires up to the max stated on the tire, thinking I'd get lower rolling resistance. Maybe I did, but I also got a lot of flats when running over road debris. Now I know better and have them at appropriate PSI's. I've gotten only one flat in my last 4k miles.

BlazingPedals

If you're really worried about the prospect of falling, you can always join the growing legion of recumbent trike riders. That seems like an extreme response, though. I'm 60 and not at all ready to give up the speed. BTW I had a front blowout 5-6 weeks back, and while butt-surfing isn't fun, it's all better now.

Blowouts are usually caused by improper mounting of the tire. Maybe you need to double-check how the beads are seated?

BobbyG

+100 I also salute you on your fitness accomplishments!

Biker395 

+1

1. Pack your own parachute (change your own tires/tubes and know how to do it properly).
2. Roll with tires that are as flat resistant as possible and have strong sidewalls.
3. Inspect your tires frequently, particularly before a long descent.

My one truly serious crash was due to a front tire blowout, and I know what you mean. I had no qualms about getting back on the bike, but high speed descents troubled me for some time afterwards. They still do.

So I just keep the speed reasonable. After all, this is for fun ... we're not paid to take a lot of risk.

Other equipment failures are not uncommon. Among my friends in recent memory: Broken handlebars, broken fork (!), self destructing wheel. You can minimize those risks by inspecting your bike carefully every once in the while, and certainly if you hear or feel anything out of the ordinary.

Fldaves

lots of good advice already. Sucks to crash over the bars but you should determine why it happened then just get back on the saddle again!

1989Pre 

Definitely analyze the situation (as someone has already suggested). Look at all factors that could have contributed to not only the blow-out, but the locking-up of the wheel that sent you bowling.
Let time do its thing. It is amazing how time will allay our fears if we are patient.
Use a heightened sense of analysis, combined with faith to allow you to return to cycling, if you feel that is what you want to do. Make adjustments in your kit, start slow and be more cautious. If anything, you will be even better-prepared to ride than you were before the accident.

bransom

I'd say you took Rule #5 to heart.

pat0115

Wow, that makes me feel a lot better!