Checklist for after fall/crash

Am new to London, cycling to get around, the left side of the road, this forum. I searched and didn't come up with anything, so hope I'm not repeating any covered stuff.

I just took my first fall. It was completely my fault, had a bit of a wobble and flipped off. Actually the cars around were super nice about making sure I was okay. Luckily, only a scratched up elbow and knee. Remarkably, laptop is completely fine. I checked everything on the bike that I could think of and basically all I noticed is that the saddle has a scrape and the stem seems to have rotated a few degrees. Is there any good list of other things that I could check out -- I mean, some kind of checklist maybe that I could run down, perhaps to make a preliminary determination as to whether to take it in to the shop?

Thanks

study the welds and tubes for cracks and dents.

and http://www.londonfgss.com/thread15014.html

You know the bike after a while of riding it, so you can tell immediately if anything is bent or broken.
Visually check everything, spin the crank and the wheels and try the brake(s).

if it's all ok ride it, and try riding it no-handed if it goes in a straight line you're good to go. If it goes to one side check your forks are straight.

The most frightening moment I ever had on a bike was when negotiating a busy roundabout with barriers (thus no escape route), in the dark, in the rain, in the rush hour and my handlebar stem came loose.

The bars suddenly turned about 30 degrees to the left and I had the terrifying experience of cycling while turning with the handlebars pointing away from the direction of turn. Should I try to turn them back? Obviously not. Should I try to brake? Risky, given that this would put forces and weight through the front wheel which could throw me off line with no way for me to control the direction of travel (due to the loose handlebar stem). I also had cars, trucks, etc. all around me, making it doubly unwise to brake.

Somehow I managed to straighten the bike towards an exit road and, with my hands and bars still pointing towards the kerb with me going straight along the road, I gently applied the brakes and stopped - still upright! Thinking back to it, I can't remember how on earth I got my feet out of the pedals and straps as it would have involved taking a hand off the bars, but I must have done somehow.

That was a seriously scary experience and if I could have afforded it at the time several beers might have helped to calm me down.

Anyway, the point of this tale, apart from it being cathartic to recount it, is to suggest you do a full spanner check* on the bike to ensure that nothing has come loose.

• sorry, Allen key check
  

2 legs
2 arms
1 head
pride

http://davesbikeblog.squarespace.com/blog/2007/6/28/a-string-alignment-test.html

I bent my drop bars into a slightly unconventional shape after a prang. Again, completely my fault - jumped a red down Oxford Street and flipped over the bars after slamming the brakes to avoid a street cleaner truck, so looked on it as a valuable lesson learned...

Am new to London, cycling to get around, the left side of the road, this forum. I searched and didn't come up with anything, so hope I'm not repeating any covered stuff.

I just took my first fall. It was completely my fault, had a bit of a wobble and flipped off. Actually the cars around were super nice about making sure I was okay. Luckily, only a scratched up elbow and knee. Remarkably, laptop is completely fine. I checked everything on the bike that I could think of and basically all I noticed is that the saddle has a scrape and the stem seems to have rotated a few degrees. Is there any good list of other things that I could check out -- I mean, some kind of checklist maybe that I could run down, perhaps to make a preliminary determination as to whether to take it in to the shop?

Thanks

The usual checklist I make is ...

• Does the bike look fucked?
  
• Jump back on bike and ride slowly until you are sure everything feels alright.
  
• After 10 minutes you realise you have actually hurt yourself and you ache like fuck.
  
  

Seriously though, normally after taking a fall, the stem/handlebars will be on the piss and possibly the saddle, chain probably would have come off and you may have stuck a nice buckle in one of your wheels. After that most of the damage is cosmetic, scratched up brake levers etc.

Most bike kit is pretty tough and I have crashed enough times while under the influence that the bike is probably less likely to break than me.

If you have any carbon parts that took any impact be careful, carbon can be damaged but look absolutely fine, then can suddenly fail one day.

1. nearest pub
   

1. look around to check no-one saw you fall off
   
2. nearest pub
   
   

I agree.

My process when crashing without someone else to blame is slightly different..

1. Swear
   
2. Throw bike
   
3. Swear
   
4. Retrieve bike
   
5. Check to make sure nothing is broken
   
6. Swear at something different
   
7. If nothing is broken, break something
   
8. Ride it to where you were going (whilst swearing)
   
9. Arrive, wipe away blood, kick bike for good measure
   

^ Dead on Hippy..

My process when crashing without someone else to blame is slightly different..

1. Swear
   
2. Throw bike
   
3. Swear
   
4. Retrieve bike
   
5. Check to make sure nothing is broken
   
6. Swear at something different
   
7. If nothing is broken, break something
   
8. Ride it to where you were going (whilst swearing)
   
9. Arrive, wipe away blood, kick bike for good measure
   
   

+1 swearing helps a lot I find.

+1 swearing helps a lot I find.

True:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8147170.stm

Thanks everyone... rode around a bit and think it's okay. And my bruises are finally, after more than a week, beginning to shrink! I might swap to a taller stem because I think I was leaning into the bars... that's another thread I guess.

I have to say I agree with Hippy on this one... it made me laugh as I fell off and did almost exactly the same after the incident... nothing to piss you off quite as much as coming off and not having anyone else to blame.

Spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch.

Hang on, that's something different...

Thanks everyone... rode around a bit and think it's okay. And my bruises are finally, after more than a week, beginning to shrink! I might swap to a taller stem because I think I was leaning into the bars... that's another thread I guess.

I ride one bike that is too big for me, one that is too small and one that is the right size ... I never account me fucking up as a component problem the only component not working is my brain.

Well I just moved to Europe, bought a nice Dave Lloyd which is to small for me and rediculously underpriced. However, a car stopped in front of me while i wasn't paying attention, and as I now have remembered, they have the brakes the wrong way round here. So I landed on my hands and knees in the gutter. I'm wondering, should one be stretching/bending/cooling or just aching? Is there a protocol for which I missed the meeting?

My process when crashing without someone else to blame is slightly different..

1. Swear
   
2. Throw bike
   
3. Swear
   
4. Retrieve bike
   
5. Check to make sure nothing is broken
   
6. Swear at something different
   
7. If nothing is broken, break something
   
8. Ride it to where you were going (whilst swearing)
   
9. Arrive, wipe away blood, kick bike for good measure
   
   

Haha this is totally what I did earlier this year. Except I left my glasses where I crashed so had to go back for them but other than that, spot on.

I personally check the seatpost bolts having had a bolt fail after the saddle took a knock that I didn't think had damaged it and then a couple of miles later the bolt failed(looked nasty but I was ok, broke a mudguard and the saddle got torn some more). Since then I always go for the double bolt seatposts.

If the bike has any carbon parts then check them for cracks religiously, great stuff when it's working but very brittle so when it fails it really fails but if it does post pics on broken carbon sites.

http://www.bustedcarbon.com/

Haha this is totally what I did earlier this year. Except I left my glasses where I crashed so had to go back for them but other than that, spot on.
Breaking news: lfgss forumenger practises what he preaches!

If your still concious.. don't check anything.
By evolutionary design your body is now pumping with adrenaline.
Use this to get yourself home as fast as possible.
If you think your bike is damaged, try not to think about it.. its probably not that bad.