I know its similar to the MS Paint your mishaps thread, but lets hear about your first fall and how vividly you still remember them, or perhaps chose to forget.

I had a exciting weekend and learned to skid, never really tried prior, big deal though.

And I also had my first fall. I will now be purchasing clips/straps first thing on monday, pay attention especially when riding at night. No fuddling with ipod and 2 hands on bars at all time. I also just got my new bullhorns, so I actually want to be holding them.

Ended up with 14+ bruises, cuts, or swelling. Scrapped and swollen elbow, swollen, cut, bruised inner thigh and 2 puncture marks and bruising on side of knee from pedals with no clips and straps are the worst ones. It could be worse but after july 4th partying as well, I feel like I was in a motorcycle crash rather than going down on my bike.

Lets hear your first time.

No foot retention? Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!

wow, did you not do any research into riding fixed? people argue about a lot of things on here, but the one thing everyone agrees on is foot retention. At least you learned, I guess...

I was riding my FG bike around for the first time after building it up and ran into a parked car haha. I had built the bike up myself, so I was just kinda going really slow around the neighborhood. I kept hearing this weird noise coming from my rear cog/chain/hub, so I was looking back there as I was pedaling, trying to see what it was. All of the sudden, I nailed the front bumper of a honda elemnt and went over the bars haha.

The second time I fell on my FG was at the top of a steep hill. I didn't have a brake on and I was trying to slow down before I hit this hill b/c there was a busy intersection at the bottom of it. I got really nervous and tried to turn around and my bike came out from under me. Kind of an awkward fall.

First time I fell on my fixed was the first time I stopped at a light and had to put a foot down. I have clipless pedals on all my bikes, and am used to putting my left down then spinning my right foot around to the top. Yeah, doesn't work that way on a fixed gear without lifting the wheel, I fell right over, at the front of the line, in afternoon traffic. It was great.

Mine is so stupid and embarassing. I got a bike about a month ago, I'm so new it's not funny. So I carry it downstairs, and get on the bike to ride down the narrow path out my apartment building. There are bushes on both sides of me. Well....I bought a bike one size too big and got wobbly, and fell as if in slow motion to the right, directly into the bush. Then half a block up, changed gears poorly and chain came loose.

I rode my little mile on city streets and determined there was no way I could keep that bike. Luckily, the bike store exchanged it for one smaller

I was riding with eggbeaters on, came to a stop at a red light just before the cross walk and my foot was just in that perfect position where twisting out took a little more energy than I gave it. Toppled over with 4 directions of traffic at a standstill and I was still clipped in. Rode directly to the LBS and purchased Shimano's that you can adjust the tension. The 2nd time I fell was the same day. I was practicing getting off the bike by allowing the cranks to just push me off the back. Was looking great and working fine with the Shimano's. One time my foot clipped back in and things didn't end well. So, I don't do that anymore when riding clipless.

My first crash was a LONG time ago.

not long after i got my fixed gear me and a few friends went out riding on the bike path in town. We stopped and bought some beers. I wasn't very good at skidding yet and my friend kept trying to teach me. we stopped and drank a decent amount(i was pretty drunk when we got back on the bikes).

I followed andy's advice and tried skidding in the grass next to the path. I'd got it down pretty well, so i figured i'd try it while i was drunk. The ground i tried on wasn't very sturdy, everything hit the grass except my face, which i skinned pretty bad. The whole left side of my face was either bruised/bleeding.

Being the genius I am, i kept drinking all night. I was awoken the next day by my boss calling for the 3rd time asking where i was. Thankfully when i walked in obviously hungover and with scabs all over my face he just said "rough night" and didn't do anything.

First fall about a year ago. Riding up to my place of employment and had to stop for a car coming across the parkinglot at a pretty slow pace. So i decided to try and look cool and track stand it. As johnny knoxville (sp?) said, "good thing my face broke the fall".

Which first crash?


Awwwwwwwww ((hugs))

I remember as if it were yesterday. Got up to speed and started to lean more and more till I crashed among some fence bushes.

I believe I was 4 years old and it was a red single speed.

The one where I went for a road gap in a crosswind?

Me too. I've been riding so long and crashed so many times on bicycles and motorcycles, who knows when I popped my crash cherry?

When the training wheels came off, probably.

But I guess you're talking as if nobody ever rode a bike until they got their first fixed gear in the last five years, so in that case:

On my way home from the co-op after swapping my Dicta freewheel with a no-name fixed sprocket. It was late in the winter and the roads were thinly covered in icy snow. Don't remember what mistake I made (no traffic), just that my hip hurt and I felt stupid for whatever it was. I don't remember it all that vividly because I'd already ate **** dozens upon dozens of times that winter, including earlier that night on the way TO the co-op to swap my Dicta freewheel with a no-name fixed sprocket. Didn't see a red light until too late, hit the brakes hard and wiped out.

I remember that.

first fall on my fixed was when i started using foot retention for the first time.. i was riding behind a cab in my neighborhood in nyc and the cab came to a stop to try to get by a double parked car... i had no where to go, couldn't track stand yet, i just sorta tipped over.

quite an embarrassing way to fall, im sure the car behind me exploded in laughter

First fall was trying to avoid a cat on Beacon Ave. Needless to say, I was trying be cool and go as fast as I could, and ate **** when a cat jumped out in front of me. However, any other time I've fallen was out of stupidity and not being able to take my feet out of the clips. Trackstanding is pretty usefull.

Edit: There was also the time when I fell after getting freaked out by a guy on crack who was trying to sell his wallet with a silver weed emblem on it for my bike. That was a great time!

first fall on my fg was when i was trying to hop a curb in a hastely manner and hit it at too sharp an angle my tire lost grip and i fell over. it was in front of a lot of people so i did the ole' get up and walk it off like nothing happen deal

Some moron rode into my front wheel. I lost control and he kept on pedaling as if nothing had happened. It happened quickly, and I wasn't creeping up on his left, so I didn't have time to react and yell "on your left" My front brake was destroyed, my front rim was bent badly, fork was bent, and my rear wheel needed truing. I didn't hit my head and had no road rash but I was very ,very, sore the next day. All my upper body muscles were sore around the tendons too.

Fall? I don't fall, I crash. How do you "fall?"

I meant first fall on your fixed gear. Im sure we are mostly adults and have had numerous falls/crashes over our years of biking.

Common usage would suggest that if your center of gravity goes from being a few feet above the ground to being very close to the ground, you have fallen. It is assumed that, in this thread, we are interested in hearing about your fixed-gear related falls.
I've yet to hit the ground on my fixed gear. I've been pretty lucky in that, so far, when my chains drop or my chainrings pop off, I've been going slowly.

Did I miss something that said, "on fixed gear". Oops, that makes my fall even worse right?

the first one i remember is when i was 10 years old or so and riding my bmx down the street and saw this cute girl from my class sitting on her porch. anyways, i was checkin that out, and next thing i know im plowing into parked cars.

pretty much sounds like most of my close calls these days as well.