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what did you learn from your first crash?

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

what did you learn from your first crash?

Old 09-04-10, 04:44 PM
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what did you learn from your first crash?

my short list:

1. do not trust Google Bike Directions for long trips. always printed Rubel maps
2. if you don't carry a pump, always carry t + 1 CO2 cartridges where t is the number of spare tubes
3. stick a Schrader adapter on one of your Presta valves so you can benefit from the kindness of strangers with pumps
4. don't take off your gloves because it's getting warm - this is tempting the gods. Giro Zero are your friend
5. shaving calves is not just to "fit in" but saves you tremendous pain while replacing road-rash bandages
6. turn off the internet connection on your phone while pedaling to save battery just in case you need to make a call

what have you learned from crashing?
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Old 09-04-10, 04:46 PM
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20+ mph cross winds suck while riding in the aero bars.
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Old 09-04-10, 04:49 PM
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Crashing hurts, don't do it.
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Old 09-04-10, 04:50 PM
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Pain doesn't kick in til after the race.
Bikes falling on you don't hurt too much.
Breaking wheels sucks.
Shaving is your friend.
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Old 09-04-10, 04:57 PM
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That there's no predicting where you'll meet a random oil slick, and if you corner on it, you're going down. (In my case, on my face.)
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Old 09-04-10, 04:57 PM
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The importance of shaved legs!!
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Old 09-04-10, 05:05 PM
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There is a good reason to wear helmet.
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Old 09-04-10, 05:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Gege-Bubu
There is a good reason to wear helmet.
+1
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Old 09-04-10, 05:15 PM
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Originally Posted by jamesdak
The importance of shaved legs!!
+1. and get really good insurance
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Old 09-04-10, 05:16 PM
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Originally Posted by mtalinm
5. shaving is not just to "fit in" but saves you tremendous pain while replacing road-rash bandages
Duh
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Old 09-04-10, 05:17 PM
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To wear a base layer
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Old 09-04-10, 05:19 PM
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I've crashed so many times I can't remember. But I do recall one in particular about 18 years ago. My front tire got sucked into one of those in-between pavement slab grooves on a busy roadway. I went down, hard. That's why the pros in Europe call grooves like those 'death valley'.

Watch for those weenies.

Regular cracks in worn pavement can cause the same result by the way. Watch for those too.
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Old 09-04-10, 05:21 PM
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1. Importance of shaved legs
2. TEGADERM! and CURAD tubular stretch stuff
3. Use the left brake lever more when descending mountains and approaching hairpins
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Old 09-04-10, 05:24 PM
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Don't slap on the front brakes while completing a turn.
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Old 09-04-10, 05:25 PM
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Hold your line
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Old 09-04-10, 05:26 PM
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Originally Posted by cenonfrancis
Don't slap on the front brakes while completing a turn.
Particularly on a motorcycle.
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Old 09-04-10, 05:31 PM
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Ride behind the tandem!
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Old 09-04-10, 05:32 PM
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Maybe this is duh but I bet I'm not the first to refuse to shave until the first crash.
Originally Posted by umd
Duh
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Old 09-04-10, 05:32 PM
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My first serious crash came from getting sideswiped by a car. I broke my leg and got some nice road rash, but didn't get a scratch on my face or helmetless head. I figured that was a mulligan and have worn a helmet ever since.
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Old 09-04-10, 05:34 PM
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Originally Posted by mtalinm
Maybe this is duh but I bet I'm not the first to refuse to shave until the first crash.
Probably not, but every time "shaving threads" come up, people say it's a stupid reason to shave for the reason of dealing with road rash. Not saying you said that, but it doesn't seem so stupid now, does it?
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Old 09-04-10, 05:39 PM
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Originally Posted by umd
Probably not, but every time "shaving threads" come up, people say it's a stupid reason to shave for the reason of dealing with road rash. Not saying you said that, but it doesn't seem so stupid now, does it?
I just hadn't thought about it carefully. but in retrospect, it was worth the hilarity of my wife saying "COME ON YOU COWARD! JUST RIP OFF THAT BANDAGE! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT PAIN *IS*!!!!"
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Old 09-04-10, 06:04 PM
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1. Thank God for helmets!
2. Deer are ****ing stupid.

And either I don't have much hair on my legs, or you're all a bunch of wussies. HTFU.
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Old 09-04-10, 06:04 PM
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Don't get too cocky taking sharp curves after a fresh rainfall. You would think that would be obvious.....you would think......
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Old 09-04-10, 06:05 PM
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Originally Posted by jamesdak
The importance of shaved legs!!
+1
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Old 09-04-10, 06:15 PM
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Originally Posted by doctor j
+1
Ditto!
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