Falling off

Hi, I'm one of the lurkers that lives in the shadows of this forum and voyeuristically soaks up its accumulated knowledge. Sorry for leeching for so long.

Anyway I wanted to ask (if it's not too great a taboo) how often is too often when it comes to falling off?

Since moving back to SE London in September, selling my car and purchasing a shiny bike I have taken two falls (not counting when I've been fucking about). Nothing more than bruises and road rash each time, but each time it happens I think about the risk I take every day. I am not going to stop riding, and I realise in a strange way (and as a skateboarder) that the risk is part of the fun. I guess what I want to hear are you opinions and stories on the subject. Or if this is just one of those things you're not meant to talk about tell me to shut up and I'll let it go

I don't like falling off. It hurts. I try to avoid it.

Oh my god he mentioned The Scottish Play and we open in an hour...

Often is too often - consider the shiny bike damage

consider the shiny bike damage

haha good point! The bike doesn't heal itself for free!

knowing how to fall is a great help, i used to land on my face but now i use my left shoulder.. dive and roll, dive and roll
seriously though.. had a very nasty fall couple years back, ever since i've just got pretty good at looking 5 seconds ahead, and watch out for the road surfaces, they're the big issue for me

Catch the ground with your hands, it's not so forgiving to the face

Trust

What jaimes said, I don't wanna tempt fate but I haven't had a fall in absolutely ages... Only when I've been pissed as a cunt and I've deserved it... You do need to do that project into the future type concentration thing in London anyway, otherwise you're totally effed...

Something important to nitice is that drain covers are strategically positioned at the parts of junctions where cyclists would make a turn. Meaning if you take the obvious path with wet surface you will take a slam.

Also try to avoid skidding, but especially never ever do it when you are leaning/turning, you will lose control & potentially slide out.

Also try to swing round the back wheel in the opposite direction of the one it goes toward when skidding.

I skid right foot fowards so my wheel pulls to the left, so I push it the opposite way with my trailing (left) foot, this keeps me firmly upright during skids.

i think ive learnt alot from falling off my bike and im a much better rider for it, never been badly hurt either. id obviously rather not fall off though, had millions of near misses but i guess thats just part of everyday riding and not being stupid

[quote=deadly fanny pack;469648]Something important to nitice is that drain covers are strategically positioned at the parts of junctions where cyclists would make a turn. Meaning if you take the obvious path with wet surface you will take a slam.

quote]

Ha - some of those drain covers/metal shit bits have probably been there before the invention of the bicycle - but yeah they do apppear to be some deliberate nasty planning joke

One toe clip, many continental lagers, foot clips spok...spak. Many pains.

Come play polo. Fall off. Drink beer. Fall Harder.

Come play polo. Fall off. Drink beer. Fall Harder.

+1

I've got really good at falling off since meeting these fellas!

Almost lost it on the road today, but didn't. A youth spent MTBing over slippy roots means I'm pretty stable on a bit.

Polo though, you'll learn to love the floor. Seriously, it gets more attention off of me than my missus does.

Don't try and break you fall with your hands / wrists / elbows.
Keep holding onto the handlebars and let the bike / shoulders take the fall.
Difficult, but I've been practising every couple of weeks (more often in the wet).

once since i've been in London... and a few other minor squirmishes

Come play polo. Fall off. Drink beer. Fall Harder.

you've experienced the floor quite afew times toddy!!

Don't try and break you fall with your hands / wrists / elbows.
Keep holding onto the handlebars and let the bike / shoulders take the fall.
Difficult, but I've been practising every couple of weeks (more often in the wet).

Good advice, i went over my bars the other day when i was riding my bmx and tried to break my fall with my hands and iv ended up with a tweaked wrist about twice as fat as it should be. Always seems to be the small stupid falls that get me the worse. Probably because i have time to react and thus i stick a hand out/tense up etc. Better to not know the fall is coming and be nice n soft and loose when you hit the road.

Oh my god he mentioned The Scottish Play and we open in an hour...

The thugs on here are never going to get your co-opting of theatrical parlance, you need to lower the cultural threshold, I would have posted a YouTube of Benny Hill crashing his bike into a bush.

:P

I genuinely think that unless you are Slaytanic you should not really ever expect to crash, it is not unreasonable (if you are not) to expect a straight decade of cycling without any accident of interest.

Unless you are a racist.

The thugs on here are never going to get your co-opting of theatrical parlance, you need to lower the cultural threshold, I would have posted a YouTube of Benny Hill crashing his bike into a bush.

:P

The only videos I come across online are of people parking their bikes in a bush...

The only videos I come across online are of people parking their bikes in a bush...

How are you using the word 'bike' here ?

As a euphemism.