ablang

From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults falling down.

What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand, etc?

Myself, it was b/c I came off a smooth curve (not at an angle) parallel to water rolling down the gutter. My 700x32 tire lost grip and I fell.

Jarery

1) black ice in a corner doing 40 kmh (fractured hip)
2) hitting a curb at 70 kmh in the middle of a crash avoidance maneuver (long story but id slowed to probably 40 when I hit) (broken wheel)
3) first day in clipless pedals (broken pride)

Nermal

Sharp, low speed turn in soft sand. Also, trying to dismount on the unclipped side.

Allen

My last one was because of soft sand (on a bike).
I can't remember the last time I fell walking.

alanbikehouston

Most of the falls I've had came from day dreaming while riding.

The front tire of a road bike (at least the narrow ones) are sensitive to being struck from the side. A lot of Houston streets have cracks and separations. While day dreaming, I've twice caught a tire in those spearations, or struck the side of the front tire on a big crack. The front wheel instantly pivots, and I do a face plant.

Riding a mountain bike on urban trails, I feel free to day dream, because the fat tires just roll over cracks, and holes and debris. But, one night I was riding a trail that crosses a four lane road. It was very dark, but I had ridden the trail many times I knew where the turns and twists where. As I got across the fourth lane, I rode into where I thought the curb cut to the trail was...I missed the curb cut and hit the curb at about a 45 degree angle...instant face plant.

The one crash that was not (all) my fault was caused by a car. On a very narrow street where most cars would drive about 25 mph, a car came up behind me and began honking for me to get out of his way. He could easily have moved to his left and gone around me, but he was insistant that I should get off the street.

So, I decided to ignore him. At that point, he moved up and tapped my rear tire with his front bumper. That sent me flying off the bike into the street. To my regret, by the time I got back on my bike, he had gone up the street, turned, and was out of sight. I was in a mood to put my New York u-lock to its second best use.

And, of course, within fifteen minutes of picking up a new bike with my first clipless pedals, I stopped at a stop sign and could not get unclipped. A slow sideways fall to the pavement. These days, I have BMX style pedals on all of my bikes...Houston has a stop sign or red light every hundred yards, so there is no reason to want to clip and unclip every thirty seconds.

supton

I've fallen over a couple of times, in both clipless and toeclips, because I didn't get both feet free and wound up falling over on other side. I don't think I've ever fallen over due to going slow otherwise. Well, I do recall jumping over the handlebars a couple of times, but that was long ago.

Scooper

Trying to cross streetcar tracks at an acute angle doing 20mph. The front wheel caught the track groove, the bike went one way and I went flying over the bars the other way. Five stitches over left eye, separated left shoulder, fractured right wrist. The ER doc said it happens several times a week, and they call the manuever "the Muni dive" (Muni is the abbreviated name of the S.F. Municipal Railway).

This all happened when I was 64 years old and should have known better.

d2create

Front wheel of my recumbent got caught in an expansion gap.
Dislocated my right shoulder and broke my right ankle. Spend the next 8 weeks in a walker and a sling. Good times for a 33yo.

keithm0

When I started riding clipless, I knew I would eventually fall and become one of "those who have fallen". I just didn't realize it would be on my first day clipless.

Good to see I'm not alone

EatMyA**

Hammering like a madman and using old chains. PUT A NEW CHAIN ON! every 3000 miles. or 2 years if you don't use it much.

geo8rge

Front tire got caught between boards on boardwalk, bike flipped.
Front tire got caught between square manhole (or other) cover and roadsurface, due to missing asphalt, bike flipped.
Hit car door, ended up in hospital
Stalled on road bike and was unable to prevent fall as I was locked into clippless pedals, fall was toward traffic but fortunately there was none.
Front wheel got stuck in mud, not sure why but I fell over, almost into traffic.
Various unmemorable falls involving ice or sand.
I went off a steep step thinking it was part of the ramp I was on. Amazingly I did a judo roll on concrete and got up and rode another 40mi.
I rolled off an embankment, I got a boo boo (hemotomer) on my elbow that needed to be drained.

Big_e

This was most embarrassing but I was at a stop sign waiting for traffic to pass. I saw a clearing and attempted to take off. My derailleur was messing up (I tinkered with it the night before) and my bike wasn't sized properly (seat was too high). My chain jammed up and I just plopped over on my right side from a complete stop. I quickly got up to make sure that nobody saw me!
Ernest

kennymc80

I got caught by the trolley tracks here a couple of months ago. I was going slow enough that I caught myself before hitting the ground. Got to respect the tracks!

DieselDan

I've had two big cycling accidents that have caused me to miss work and or school:

1989: a demented miniature dachshund ran out in front of me from behind a bush on a downhill back in Darlington County. I endoed, broke a helmet, lost a shoe, destroyed a jersey, and had serious road rash on my back. The dog's owner though a car had crashed. (This was in front of his house). The dog's owner washed the road rash and took me and the remains of my bike (Schwinn Paramount) and took me home. He also paid to have my front wheel repaired.

2004: I blew out my rear tire in the middle of a curve. Bad road rash on my right shin, as I used that as a brake. I also had to have the rear wheel repaired as I over stressed the spokes and they wouldn't hold tension anymore.

Neither time did I break a bone. That 2004 accident was harder to recover as my diabetes kept the healing process slow.

trailfinder41

The majority of my falls have derived from my mountain bike riding days. The major falls have been either from not seeing clearly where I was going or just losing control of my riding in technical areas of the trails I ride through. As far as my Road bike, I hardly crash now-n-days, but the last major crash I had on a road style bike was due to a wrong last minute decision. Luckily I came out alive and all in one piece.

Rogue Leader

um... stupidity

TromboneAl

1. "Wow, this pedestrian bridge is covered in ice. I wonder what would happen if I touched my brakes right now."

2. "I bet I can ride between that post and guard rail without hitting either."

Wordbiker

Just last week I had a fall.

The reason was simple enough: I was looking down on my left, watching to clear a stump in a narrow gap between some oak brush...and failed to see that my right barend hooked a branch. It flipped me right onto my back, but the hydration pack took the entire blow. I love the crashes that make me laugh.

daintonj

Saturdays Ride Only
Front wheel washed out on muddy corner and dumped me into a patch of stinging nettles.
Rear wheel slid on wet root and dumped me into a patch of stinging nettles.
Rear wheel slid on wet piece of wood and dumped me into a patch of stinging nettles.
Rear wheel slid out on muddy corner and dumped me next to a patch of stinging nettles.
Fouled up a ascent and bailed to the left so as not to ruin someones dabless ascent. Bailed to wrong side and nearly jumped down a 30ft bank into a river.

Notable crashes
35mph washout on corner, missed lamp post but got the railings - no real injuries.
Faceplant while playing silly buggers - bent fork, damaged headset, three cracked ribs and bruising
Endo where crotch is used to ****** forward momentum.
Botched corner leading to a unplanned and bikeless descent down bank - misc. cuts and bruises.

dobber

Grandkid crossing in front of me while I was doing slow speed circles on the drive.

Cannondaler

Gravity. Every time.

Asymmetriad

Severe chainsuck while going uphill and wearing worn-out hiking shoes that get stuck in my straps.
Got one foot out in time but lost balance in the direction of the other side.

Leaned into a patch of leaves in the gutter at the edge of my driveway accidentally. Lost traction sideways and somehow tacoed front wheel in the fall.

JoelS

Today I fell. Thankfully I timed it to land seated on a bench. Nearly passed out. Took on a little too much for me for today's ride.

Wordbiker

Once when leaving the brewery, I found that someone had sabotaged my bike while it was in the rack.

The steering was all off and it wouldn't ride in a straight line at all. Upon waking up I also found out that a rare reverse-pickpocket had placed a girl's phone number in my pocket.

Siu Blue Wind

Cut too close to a tree on singletrack and the stupid tree hit the front brake lever. I flipped up and forward. Thank goodness that tree stopped my airborne acrobatics. I wouldn't have three busted ribs and trunk rash if it didn't. After sliding down the trunk, I fell and hit the dirt.