How often do you fall ...... and why?

Ron Wallenfang said:

[list of falls]

The last two I remember both involved entering a driveway (up a small curb)
at an acute angle. This is ordinarily quite doable, but not when there are
wet leaves around.

--
Mike Kruger
Say not always what you know, but always know what you say.
Claudius; 10 BC-AD 54, Roman Emperor

Ron Wallenfang said:

I try to remember to record my falls, but haven't really added them up
to get exact information, but I'm guessing that over the last 15
years, I've gone down about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles or so.

Going back to 1989, I can think of just 4 falls:

1. Fell on some wet leaves at the bottom of the hill I lived on, early in the
fall (!), right after getting a bike for commuting to high school (we lived
too close for busing). 1989.

2. Failed to extract from a toe clip while mountain biking in college (single
track/ski trail). 1994.

3. Was trying to cheat traffic in a construction zone and rode around a
barricade on the outside -- into loose cinders that resembled asphalt from a
distance. 2005.

4. Failed to extract from my new clipless pedals the second day I had them --
at a stoplight. 2007.

But I've also ridden a heck of a lot fewer miles than you have.

--

Kristian Zoerhoff
[email hidden]

Ron Wallenfang said:

I try to remember to record my falls, but haven't really added them up
to get exact information, but I'm guessing that over the last 15
years, I've gone down about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles or so. I
know experience is an issue. I only occasionally get my wife out and
she's by no means clumsy, but she has fallen twice doing fewer than
1000 miles. Anyway, at the risk of appearing a real oaf, here's some
of my spills -

Here's what I can remember -

Front tire caught in an almost-parallel train track - Spring 1986

Numerous spills on ice, when I wanted but couldn't afford studded
tires - Winter '86/87

-off the bike for many years-

Couldn't unclip from my SPDs while stopped - spring 2004

Slid out on what looked like a thin layer of mud on a paved trail next
to a recently-flooded creek, Mud was actually 3" thick - summer 2004

Hit an unmarked speed bump at 20mph in a parking lot that had been
repaved the day before - July 2006

Wipperman Quick-link broke while starting out from a 4-way stop -
August 2007

No broken bones from any of these, but I had bursitis in my left elbow
for about 6 months after that speed bump.

This does not count any falls while BMXing or mountain biking. Those
are too numerous to remember.

On Jan 27, 10:09 pm, Kristian M Zoerhoff <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Ron Wallenfang said:

I try to remember to record my falls, but haven't really added them up
to get exact information, but I'm guessing that over the last 15
years, I've gone down about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles or so.

Going back to 1989, I can think of just 4 falls:

1. Fell on some wet leaves at the bottom of the hill I lived on, early in the
fall (!), right after getting a bike for commuting to high school (we lived
too close for busing). 1989.

2. Failed to extract from a toe clip while mountain biking in college (single
track/ski trail). 1994.

3. Was trying to cheat traffic in a construction zone and rode around a
barricade on the outside -- into loose cinders that resembled asphalt from a
distance. 2005.

4. Failed to extract from my new clipless pedals the second day I had them --
at a stoplight. 2007.

But I've also ridden a heck of a lot fewer miles than you have.

--

Kristian Zoerhoff
[email hidden]

Kristian,

What, no squirrel incidents?
No mention of a canine-indunced crash?
I nearly ate it last year when a goose took off right next to me on
River/Opie Rd along the South Branch of the Raritan river.

My only crash last year was on a (wet) open grate metal bridge near
French Creek on the BicyclePA South route (fell short of my goal of 5K
miles for the year as a result).

As far as prior years go and adjusting to clipless pedals, does
failure to unclip the left foot (right unclipped) and falling over to
the left side while stopping while no one is watching count? I believe
that it only counts if it leaves a mark on the bike.

The first ride out on a new bike in 2005, less than 3 miles from the
store, I got pinned to a curb by an NJT bus pulling in to drop off a
passenger. I fell over into the grass, still clipped in, laying on my
back (turtled). The girl that got off the bus said to me "nice bike".

Too bad that I lacked to poise to say something along the lines of
"I'm just breaking it in."

-bdbafh

Hank Wirtz said:

...
This does not count any falls while BMXing or mountain biking. Those
are too numerous to remember.

If you do not fall while riding off road, you are not trying hard enough!

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"And never forget, life ultimately makes failures of all people."
- A. Derleth

On Jan 27, 10:12 pm, Tom Sherman <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hank Wirtz said:

...
This does not count any falls while BMXing or mountain biking. Those
are too numerous to remember.

Quoted message said:

If you do not fall while riding off road, you are not trying hard enough!

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"And never forget, life ultimately makes failures of all people."
- A. Derleth

True.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Couldn't unclip from my SPDs while stopped...

So I'm not the only stupid...

Another example:
I did fall ---ty (more then 20) times while I had my nose on my GPS...
Fer

On Jan 28, 5:12 am, Tom Sherman <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hank Wirtz said:

...
This does not count any falls while BMXing or mountain biking. Those
are too numerous to remember.

Quoted message said:

If you do not fall while riding off road, you are not trying hard enough!

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"And never forget, life ultimately makes failures of all people."
- A. Derleth

Reminds me of "advice" a friend gave about racing crits: "If it is
raining, put vaseline on your knees because you will crash. If you
don't crash, it means you weren't racing."

Joseph

Ron Wallenfang said:

I try to remember to record my falls, but haven't really added them up
to get exact information, but I'm guessing that over the last 15
years, I've gone down about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles or so.  I
know experience is an issue.  I only occasionally get my wife out and
she's by no means clumsy, but she has fallen twice doing fewer than
1000 miles.  Anyway, at the risk of appearing a real oaf, here's some
of my spills -

- riding with my head down, I saw a parked van too late and glanced
off the back corner

- same with a construction warning sign

- hit a big pothole that was under an innocent looking puddle

- wandered into deep sand while riding a gravel road

- hit a patch of ice pulling into a driveway

- tried to run over a hose at an insufficient angle

- same (twice) with trying to get on a bike path that was at a higher
grade

- same  not noticing a low ledge between the road and a sidewalk

- sideswiped by a car

- hit by a left turning car

- had my foot get stick in a pedal clip

- tried to turn too sharp on a slippery road

- hit a ledge of snow on a snow packed road

- hit a bike that pulled in front of me and flew over my handle bars
and his bike

- blinded by bright headlights and just stopped and fell out of
indecision

- tried to ride through a muddy detour and didn't make it

- had a stick get stuck in my front tire and went over the handlebars

-  couldn't control bike on an uneven rocky surface

There are others but those are what come to mind

There is a distinction between crashing and falling. Falling over from
fumbling with pedals, etc does not count as a crash.

I have crashed twice on the road, both times over 20 years ago. One
was T-boning a taxi in NYC, the other was just a wipe out around a
street corner in Berkeley. I have done numerous off-road excursions to
avoid crashes in races, and I have been struck by riders, but so far I
have been able to keep myself off the asphalt.

On a mountain bike, I have also only had two crashes. One on ice, the
other an endo face-plant.

Joseph

email hidden said:

Ron Wallenfang said:

I try to remember to record my falls, but haven't really added them up
to get exact information, but I'm guessing that over the last 15
years, I've gone down about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles or so.  I
know experience is an issue.  I only occasionally get my wife out and
she's by no means clumsy, but she has fallen twice doing fewer than
1000 miles.  Anyway, at the risk of appearing a real oaf, here's some
of my spills -

Quoted message said:

- riding with my head down, I saw a parked van too late and glanced
off the back corner

Quoted message said:

- same with a construction warning sign

Quoted message said:

- hit a big pothole that was under an innocent looking puddle

Quoted message said:

- wandered into deep sand while riding a gravel road

Quoted message said:

- hit a patch of ice pulling into a driveway

Quoted message said:

- tried to run over a hose at an insufficient angle

Quoted message said:

- same (twice) with trying to get on a bike path that was at a higher
grade

Quoted message said:

- same  not noticing a low ledge between the road and a sidewalk

Quoted message said:

- sideswiped by a car

Quoted message said:

- hit by a left turning car

Quoted message said:

- had my foot get stick in a pedal clip

Quoted message said:

- tried to turn too sharp on a slippery road

Quoted message said:

- hit a ledge of snow on a snow packed road

Quoted message said:

- hit a bike that pulled in front of me and flew over my handle bars
and his bike

Quoted message said:

- blinded by bright headlights and just stopped and fell out of
indecision

Quoted message said:

- tried to ride through a muddy detour and didn't make it

Quoted message said:

- had a stick get stuck in my front tire and went over the handlebars

Quoted message said:

-  couldn't control bike on an uneven rocky surface

Quoted message said:

There are others but those are what come to mind

There is a distinction between crashing and falling. Falling over from
fumbling with pedals, etc does not count as a crash.

I have crashed twice on the road, both times over 20 years ago. One
was T-boning a taxi in NYC, the other was just a wipe out around a
street corner in Berkeley. I have done numerous off-road excursions to
avoid crashes in races, and I have been struck by riders, but so far I
have been able to keep myself off the asphalt.

On a mountain bike, I have also only had two crashes. One on ice, the
other an endo face-plant.

Joseph

I forgot the best one!

Riding a 3-speed down a steep grass hill in the rain I decided to do a
skid. It was much slipperier than anticipated and I went down hard and
fractured my shoulder. That was 22 years ago.

Joseph

Last two times were both related to getting used to cleated shoes.
First time was my first bike ride with the new shoes. After the finish
line, a rider abruptly cut in front of me and I went down. Second time
was a couple months later when I just got caught in the pedal at a
traffic light and went down in what seemed like super slow motion. It
was one of those dumb things where you hope nobody noticed. =]

Ron Wallenfang said:

1000 miles. Anyway, at the risk of appearing a real oaf, here's some
of my spills -

I probably fall at the same rate as you: 10-15K miles. Just
it takes me 3-4 years to put on those sorts of miles.

In the past 15 years, my crashes were due to:

-- Mountain biking "over my head". I'm not very technically
adept at riding a MTB *really* off road, so I hit the
rocks, ruts, roots, gravel, at generally insufficient
speed. Never anything serious though. A sort of half
hearted toss of me over the bars or off the side of the
bike.

-- A stealth flat front tire. The tire went "critically"
soft as I made a sharp (slow) right turn and the front
wheel went out from under me and down I went.

-- Wind. On a loaded tour, going up a steep hill, a blast
of wind pushed me off the road onto gravel/sand and then
obliquely over the handlebars.

That's about it.

In general, I now regard myself as being too old to be crashing,
so I don't do speedy downhills or ride too technically off road.

Riding slower and paying attention largely eliminates crashing
for me. I can handle going slow, but paying attention to "the
details" of what's around me isn't always so easy.

SMH

Stephen Harding said:

In general, I now regard myself as being too old to be crashing,
so I don't do speedy downhills or ride too technically off road.

I think I've always regarded myself as too old to be crashing. At
least, since beginning avid adult riding in 1972.

Quoted message said:

Riding slower and paying attention largely eliminates crashing
for me.

I've relied entirely on the "paying attention" part. Although my age
is now starting to impose the "slower" part, as well.

My complete adult falling record:

1972, cutting through a parking lot at dusk. Front wheel came to a
dead stop in the slot between a platform scale and the parking lot
surface. Over the bars, scraped my palms.

About 1978. Solo training ride, toe clip straps uncharacteristically
cinched. Got distracted by a pretty dirt road, slowed to explore it,
stopped in a grassy field at a beautiful view, and "laugh-in" tumbled
into the grass.

Around 1990, mountain biking. One slide-out on glare ice. And a
couple over-the-bars, when repeatedly practicing trying to "clean" an
impossible-for-me steep short downhill with an obstruction to hop at
the very bottom. I finally gave up trying that one.

About 1990, commuting home. Standing at a traffic light, took a
moment to inspect my rear brake, since I thought it might be
scraping. Twisted around to one side, with one foot still in that toe
clip. Lost my balance to that side. Got up pretending "I meant to do
that."

About 1996(?) My only on-road, moving fall: Winter riding down a
deserted city street so steep it's now been closed to traffic, going
about 3 mph. Saw a patch of glass ahead, swerved to avoid it, but
slid out on fresh road salt. Scraped my knee, about 3/4" diameter
spot.

So that's seven falls in 35 years. I didn't count any mountain bike
dismounts that left me standing. Only one moving, on-road. Except
for tiny road rash, never an injury.

- Frank Krygowski

On Jan 27, 11:12 pm, Tom Sherman <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hank Wirtz said:

...
This does not count any falls while BMXing or mountain biking. Those
are too numerous to remember.

Quoted message said:

If you do not fall while riding off road, you are not trying hard enough!

I've never bought into that. I enjoy getting into the woods just
because I like the woods.

See http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Recreation/GrownUps.htm

- Frank Krygowski

Ron Wallenfang said:

I try to remember to record my falls, but haven't really added them up
to get exact information, but I'm guessing that over the last 15
years, I've gone down about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles or so.  I
know experience is an issue.  I only occasionally get my wife out and
she's by no means clumsy, but she has fallen twice doing fewer than
1000 miles.  Anyway, at the risk of appearing a real oaf, here's some
of my spills -

Three years ago, I started taking Tai Chi classes. Before that, I
would crash or fall about 2/3 times a year. I have not had a single
bicycling accident (knock on wood) since discovering Tai Chi. It could
be coincidence. It could also be related to the fact that I have also
decided that I was tired of broken bones and have not done any serious
off-road biking since then. I have ridden thousands of miles on the
roadbike, however.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I try to remember to record my falls, but haven't really added them up
to get exact information, but I'm guessing that over the last 15
years, I've gone down about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles or so.

You have ridden 270,000 miles? (> 18 falls at 15,000 miles between
falls) Wow!

I fell on the ice two times without complications. Then the third
time my rear wheel slid to the right, I put my left foot down but that
also hit the ice and my knee bent sideways. I suffered a plateau
tibial fracture and avulsed both cruciate ligaments. (I rode back
home with one leg.) I am now petrified of riding on ice. I have been
fine on asphalt, but no where near the mileage of you guys.

Ted

Quoted message said:

On Jan 27, 11:12 pm, Tom Sherman <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hank Wirtz said:

...
This does not count any falls while BMXing or mountain biking. Those
are too numerous to remember.

Quoted message said:

If you do not fall while riding off road, you are not trying hard enough!

I've never bought into that.  I enjoy getting into the woods just
because I like the woods.

Seehttp://www.bicyclinglife.com/Recreation/GrownUps.htm

- Frank Krygowski

Ditto, but even during my most sedate ride theres always one section
I'd like to clean without dabbing, some sort of challenge that's going
to test my riding skills and possibly lead to a crash.

Maybe I don't mountain bike like a 'grown up' should (as per your
link), but if that's how 'grown ups' are supposed to ride maybe I'll
never grow up (is 39 considered grown up these days?). Careful you
don't age yourself before your time.

Ron Wallenfang said:

I try to remember to record my falls, but haven't really added them up
to get exact information, but I'm guessing that over the last 15
years, I've gone down about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles or so. I
know experience is an issue.

I've fallen a hand full times, but I've only been cycling regularly
about 13 years:

1. 1995: was going slightly too fast for curve on road while
commuting on my MTB. There may have been sand or gravel too, and the
bike slid out. skinned knees, elbows, palm. (started wearing gloves
all the time after it hurt to type for a week)

2. ~1999: tried to hop over a grating in a parking lot, but misjudged
it. I came down too soon and landed on the grating. Skinned elbows,
knees.

3/4. ~2002: Fell twice when stopping at intersections during the
first month I switched from toe-clips to clipless. No injuries except
for pride.

5. ~2004: in line at intersection to turn right. Light turned green.
I clipped in and car in front of me moved 3 feet and abruptly stoppped
to let pedestrians. I couldn't unclip in time, and I hit the bumper
of the car in front of me. I fell in slow motion and was laughed at
(appropriately). No injury.

6. 2006: Traffic was stopped and backed up a full block for a light
and I was trying to get ahead of the backup by scooting up the gutter
(I stay in line when traffic is moving). An SUV was fairly close to
the right, but I thought I had room enough. I was wrong. I hit the
right-side mirror with my left arm and shoulder. Luckily it was a
break-away mirror and it didn't damage the vehicle. I, however, got a
bad bruise from the impact, but was otherwise fine.

-a

--
Alan Hoyle - [email hidden] - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
"I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.

Marz said:

Maybe I don't mountain bike like a 'grown up' should (as per your
link), but if that's how 'grown ups' are supposed to ride maybe I'll
never grow up (is 39 considered grown up these days?). Careful you
don't age yourself before your time.

Actually, one of the perks of being a grown up is, you don't have to
worry about "should." You can bike pretty much how you like!

My point in writing that article, though, was that people can use
mountain biking as a wheeled version of hiking, rather than (say) as a
wheeled version of freerunning. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_running)
or mall walking.

ISTM that most adults use their mountain bikes only on perfectly
smooth surfaces. Most of the enthusiasts that take them off-road
often seem willing to risk injury by adventure, by "pushing the
envelope." I know relatively few who use them for the equivalent of a
pleasant hike. But that's my favorite way to mountain bike.

But no worries about aging myself before my time. That time has
already come! ;-)

- Frank Krygowski