Gerryattrick

My biking is about 80% off-road (nothing too technical) and I probably average about 2-3000 miles a year. I've just realised that I average about 4 falls a year.

is this a lot for someone on this 50+ forum?

How often do others fall off, and is there anyone out there who never falls off their bike (at least not since being a teenager).

Rootman

Well I ride the streets and MUPS i my area and have only gotten in about 1400 miles this year and fell down three times pretty hard and damn near fell twice more so you're doing a fair bit better than I am comparing falls VS miles.

Pamestique 

I mountain bike about 75% of my time out... I would love to say I only have 4 falls a year... I can honestly say that on almost every ride I or one of my buddies have some mishap (just this Saturday, I slid into a rut and went down hard on my r hip - it still hurts). Not always that serious but something... now speaking of serious falls - where something is broken, split open, helmet broken etc... probably not more than 1 every year or two...thank goodness! I have been known to buy helmets in bulk!

mapeiboy

Only once this year because I forgot to unclip the pedal at the intersection . My wife told me my age is finally catching up to me .

wphamilton

I don't MTB or off-road so it doesn't really compare, but I've had a mishap of some sort about one time per year for the almost 5 years I've biked. It's about once every 6500 miles, very approximately. It's one time per year too many for me

jmccain

I've been pretty lucky on not falling while on my road bike for a number of years.

I expect to fall when I ride off-road.

Shamrock

A good day of mtbing is falling off and not going to the emergency room.Most of my falls were due to me trying a risky manuver.I'd say most were avoidable.Like riding down an I beam in the middle of a hill and having the rear tire go off the beam,lost control and crashed.i'd say 6-8 crashes in the past year.Rode bike 2 crashes in the past year one a clip in problem the other too fast -wet leaves.Before this year I have no memory of rode bike crashes.

apollored

I have:


Skidded in snow and ended up on my side and tangled up in the bike.

Slowed dowon to avoid a fisherman on a muddy slippery canal towpath and lost my balance.

Luckily the fisherman caught my bike as I went over else I would have ended up in the water.

Instead I landed on his fishing rod and impaled one of his hooks in my leg.


Collided with another cyclist after he swerved to avoid a pedestrian and been thrown off onto some sharp tarmac, lovely.

Skidded on some mud and been chucked off again.

Convinced my bike thinks its a furry four legged horse not a metal one

John_V 

Three this year on my road bike.

PatW

I had a fall a couple of week ago, but it was the first one in about 6 years with about 3000 miles/year. I am a road rider and I have had longer stretches (meaning more mile) with no falls.

But off road riding is a whole 'nother situation. I have heard it said by mountain bikers that if "you are not bleeding, you are not mountain biking". I think I will stick to the road with the semis where I feel safe.

gforeman 

Once in 7 years.

Fishmonger

I'm new to biking, so I contribute my 2 falls to the learning curve. They were stupid mistakes that I'm not likely to make again.

BluesDawg

I rarely fall on the road bikes or dirt road bike, but I hit the ground at least once about half of the times I ride my mountain bike. It is usually very minor and has never been serious enough to require medical attention. After a MTB ride, my wife asks what did I bruise or scrape this time. If I answer nothing, she says I didn't go mountain biking and wants to know where I really went.

GeorgeBMac

Once this year (my only year since I was teenager). I moved over (a little too far) to avoid some oncoming bikes on the Rail-to-trail and clipped my handlebar in a chain link fence. It mostly hurt my pride. But, I'm glad it happened -- I was feeling like an indestructible teenager and that brought me back to reality. I've slowed down a little and got a little more cautious since.

I felt a little better a couple weeks ago after I watched a video of Lance crashing for about the same reason (but he clipped a spectator rather than a fence).

t4mv

OK, I have to ask...why is there an I beam in the middle of a hill? Are you riding a trials course, or are people masochists out there and just throw whatever on the trail and ride over it?...

When I was young(er), and rode mtb, it was said that you didn't ride hard enough unless you crashed at least once during the ride. I found that to be generally true. However, as a roadie, any crash that involves speeds well into the double digits is generally frowned upon, so I try to keep them to a minimum.

missjean

Mtb: One that I can remember and a couple of lucky saves.
Road: I can't say, because if I do, my next ride will be jinxed.

david58

Is this just a troll trying to wake up the fall fairy? I never answer any flat questions, either, avoiding the flat fairy....

Just sayin'

JanMM

I fell on the road last July but didn't fall off. The bike fell over and I fell over with it. Highly unusual for me to hit the ground on a bike. Last time had been at least a decade ago. (Sound of hand rapping on head.)

stapfam

Depends what you are trying to do. Offroad and falls are inevitable so I never used to count most of them. Only ones that counted were when blood was drawn--at least once a year--when riding back from the hills was done in some pain- one legged or nursing some part of the body because it had bruises or was swollen- or when the helmet had to be replaced--about every 18 months. Most falls were on a soft pile of leaves or in mud. And they only cause a problem when the mud goes down the neck.

Artmo 

Twice in twelve years on my solo when blood was drawn, but we have capsized the tandem at very low speed a couple of times, once when I broke a rib.

DnvrFox

Hardly ever - maybe 13 years ago. But, I ride MUPS and easy single track.

VNA

It is a question of when one will fall!

But it is better not to, particularly on the road, which unfortunately I have done a few times with not so good results.

Not fallen in a couple of years and hope not to do it any time soon!

On the mountain bike I don't remember ever fallen, (close calls a few times) I have to add that I am very cautious since I ride mostly by myself. The trails are very steep and treacherous, but again I don't ride the mountain bike that much compared to the road where I ride 4,000 miles a year and 500 on trails. One more thing: I don't ride single tracks!

Stay upright!

catonec 

+1

Shamrock

The I beam is on a trail which is maintained by a mtb club.You can go around it or try your luck.Actually there are 2 one up the hill and one down the hill.

apollored

My partner was riding on a canal towpath when a dog rushed out right in front of him, forcing him to brake hard and he was thrown over the handlebars ending up with bruised ribs.

Still cycled nearly 10 miles with it and completed what he set out to do before cycling home.