Juniper

A major wipe-out to me is anytime I'm thinking 'I'm toast' as I'm losing control and I'm wondering about broken bones or I'm at least in a major hurt condition when I finally gather all my pieces back together.

I suppose I have three or four of those types of crashes per season. Funny thing is they seem to be happening more frequently but I also know I'm pushing the edge more than I used to.

PWRDbyTRD

well in the 3 months I've been riding I've had 2 moderate crashes, 1 "OMG I think I'm gonna die" but I'm still new to riding agan.

stapfam

If you don't falloff, you are not pushing hard enough. The art is to know how hard to push so you don't fall off, Or if you are going to fall off, find a soft landing.

My worst fall, or rather injury was a simple rear wheel slide out and a pulled calf muscle was the result, No Knock on it, no bruise, but boy did it hurt. and no riding for a month. The most spectacular are over the bars, but they happen so quick that when I eventually stop I am still clipped in, and still got hold of the bars. I normally fall off about every 3 weeks or so, and the worst injury so far is to the wallet. 3 helmets in 4 years follows up on other threads in this forum. I'm waiting for the big one to happen.

No I am not a crap rider, I just try a bit harder than most, but then I have to as I am not as fit as the others I ride with, and the only place I excell over the others is when Gravity takes over.

sarsparilla

I'd say I probably have a pretty decent crash for every 6 weeks of real riding (not this winter stuff). They're not 'fear for your life' crashes but I am usually going at a pretty good clip and then get thrown off somehow. It's part of learning your limits though.

DjRider04

I cant guage it....I can have two really bad crashes one week, then be fine for months. Its all how hard you push yourself....

earlygrace

I crash almost everytime I get out, but I only concider it a "major" if I need stiches, a cast, physical therapy, or brake something on my bike, ie: brakes, derailer, frame.

I hopefully only have a "major" a few times a season, if I had anymore I would have to get a second job to pay for the bike parts.

I seem to wipe out alot when doing jumps, drops, hucks, if I was smart, which I am not I would just stay away from that type of riding.

snowy

First a major wipe out for me is when I'm laying there by myself wondering if I'm gonna ever be found. I have to say that I have had those falls where I'm hoping no one out there saw me and get up real fast and petal like nothing ever happened. But most of the falls I've taken were on new trails where I didn't know what to expect.

HDTVKSS

i probably eat it about 1 in 3 times i go out. it depends on how hard i push. 2 big ones spring to mind. one was on saturday flying down a hill on a new trail and lost the rear round a left hander then low sided onto my butt. no real damage but i have a nice black and purple bruise on my ass the size of my fist!

other time was on a again unexplored trail. misjudged my line over some technical rocks and went over the bars. worst part was there wsa a big pointy foot high rock in the path of where i was falling, in an effort not to smash my face i lifted my arm up. i hit so hard my friend ( and i!) had thought id broken my arm. all turned out to be OK jsut had some bark off. still quite scary!

trekdude05

Crashes can suck really badly if you hit the wrong way. I've gone over the handlebars in some really painful ones. The most memorable one for me though wasn't of me falling. It was of my pal, he went to ride a log (that i had ridden) about a foot and a half in the air. He popped he wheel to soon and slammed right into the log. Wound up 10 feet in front of the bike. Luckily he wasn't hurt, but the crash was fun to watch

TD

Cornish_Rdr_UK

A Bad crash for me is anything that involves landing REALLY hard (pretty obvious really) I never used to crashed very much, but now im dirt jumping, its pretty hard getting used to constantly falling off

drumbum

Only happened to me about once this month.

I've been in 2 situations within the last month where ive thought oh ****! better move my fingers for the last time cuz im gonna be paralyzed the rest of my life, but I always seem to get out of them just fine

mtbikerinpa

Non-race Im about 2 a year. Usually on the roadie. In the season I try not to crash and break anything outside races(or in but, well). During races if you ride to your best ability there will always be something, a wet rock, a log, etc. I used to endo about 3 times in a race, bad equipment more than anything(no damping fork), now with good equipment it is almost nonexistent but the area is harder. Never had an injury past skin damage, but I have cracked a helmet. Crashes come with the sport, its just a matter of controlling and minimizing them and not letting them control you.

stumpjumper476

Ugh. When I was freeriding I hit the wrong rock that had a little ditch in front of it. I swore in midair, all 4 feet down, and landed on my head. I chipped a tooth, suffered a concussioin, and couldn't walk for a day or two. Take my word for it, it f-ing KILLED.

When I am riding I usually take about 1 bail, and it's usually never anything too too bad.

Hopper

I usually do heaps of dabbing every DH ride, non while freeriding. I usually have a very minor slide out once or twice a day while DHing. While freeriding I usually don't slide out. I then have what should be serious, yet isn't as I know how to crash, accident about once every 1 or 2 months while DHing and Freeriding. When it comes to racing. In practice I pretty much got out to see how hard I can go before sliding out. So I usually have a minor crash every couple of runs. In a race I have yet to injur myself in a crash. The worst I have done is smashing my hand on a tree mid run.

Remember you have to know how to crash before you go faster or bigger.

Dirtbike

had a real bad crash at the dirt track a couple months back, but nothing major lately.

a2psyklnut

A major crash per my definition usually involves someone taking my insurance information and being surrounded by people in white overcoats making comments like, "So, how did this happen?"

Reggie

HAHA yes , thats similar to my definition

DMN

I've had my bike four months, it spend two of them being repaired after crashes.

trekkie820

I have had many "too close for comfort moments", and two or three crashes that drew blood. Most of the too close for comfort moments came during 25 mph descents on sandy dirt, drifting around corners and almost drifting into a tree, almost drifing into a lake/ravine/boulder, and many near endos into boulder fields. I have been very lucky, as I tend to push as hard as I can. On one particular section of a local trail that is mostly a rock garden, there is a steep, short stair-step descent that has not hurt me yet, but it is super sketchy, going over moss-covered boulders. It has claimed many.

arboc!

maybe around 1 time every month

aidan.ie

i ride xc and still manage to crash a lot, everytime i ride actually. my main problem is injuring the bike by crashing into inconveniently placed trees and rocks. the most painful injury so far was a dead knee from planting my knee into a rock on some singletrack descent. hurt like hell but was fine after about 20mins. the biggest crash i had i broke my helmet and felt like broke my neck, still kickin' though!

SuBHuMaN12356

When there is a substatial amount of blood dripping off of my body, then I consider it a hard crash... and that happens about once every 2 months. Like the time I got 11 stiches in my righ calf going off a 5 foot drop, you should have seen the blood and exposed muscle.

mtbikerinpa

<shudders at the thought>

an6freerider

i ahve broke my shoulder balde 3 times from 3 different raceswithin 3 years. i have given myself countless concousions.. i have broke about 8 ribs and i think thats it if you dont count all the scars and ****...but overall not too bad.. but man its fun...in about the 12 years i have been riding this is the worst.. so far

knock on wood


AN6

iamlucky13

I've never had a major crash. I intend not to have one. I try to know my limits and push them by what seems like a prudent amount. I probably have about 1 minor wipeout on an average ride though, and I don't really pay attention to how often I lose my balance riding between really narrow obstacles or trying to hop smaller logs. The rides I enjoy the most are the ones where I return with pedal bite on my shin, dried dots of blood on my calf where the chainring got me, or bruised knuckles or palms from a sloppy "dismount."