How to fall off a bike?

take an Aikido class....

pick a spot, bail, tuck and roll. ..

DONT stick your hand out; you'll break wrists and/or collarbones.

"Bob Wheeler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Are there places one can go to learn how to fall gracefully? Are there
books?

Should one tuck one's arms in? How about one's head? A quick google
didn't help, perhaps because I'm using the wrong words. Any suggestions?

--
Bob Wheeler --- http://www.bobwheeler.com/
ECHIP, Inc. ---
Randomness comes in bunches.

Here is a sure-fire way to learn how to fall:

1. Enlist in the Army.
2. Sign up for Airborne training.
3. Where a group of kindly, gentle sergeants in black baseball caps will
teach you the correct way to fall.
4. And you'll be paid to do it.

--

-----
Joe S.
US Army (Retired)

botfood said:

take an Aikido class....

pick a spot, bail, tuck and roll. ..

DONT stick your hand out; you'll break wrists and/or collarbones.

It is always important to time your fall so's you can have an
appropriate amount of time to do all that. How you arrange to have an
adequate amount of time to do all this is the question.

catzz66
"it only took a split second"

thats where an aikido class comes in handy... with practice you have a
better chance of 'body memory' taking over in that split second.

Bob Wheeler said:

Are there places one can go to learn how to fall gracefully? Are there
books?

Should one tuck one's arms in? How about one's head? A quick google
didn't help, perhaps because I'm using the wrong words. Any suggestions?

Always ride in groups. Then fall on the fattest rider in the pack.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

Bob Wheeler said:

Are there places one can go to learn how to fall gracefully? Are there
books?

Should one tuck one's arms in? How about one's head? A quick google
didn't help, perhaps because I'm using the wrong words. Any suggestions?

There is no such thing as a graceful fall. Whenever someone claims to
"know how to fall" it pays to remember that falling well- like most
physical activities- takes *practice* so those with the most 'skill' at
falling tend to be those with the poorest bikehandling skills. Better
to spend the time learning how to decrease the incidence of falls than
to become an expert "bouncer". Besides, no two falls are exactly alike.
The tuck and roll that might save you from a sprained or broken wrist
today is the same maneuver that will land you under the wheels of a bus
tomorrow.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Practice on grass rather than asphalt?

You want to avoid your head contacting the ground. (after a few falls
this becomes more instinctual)

Wear padded bike gloves so your hands don't get skinned by asphalt.
(also useful for preventing numb hands, and for avoiding greasy hands
when having to adjust the chain or change a flat etc)

If you know you're going down in traffic, try to fall to the curb side
rather than the middle of the road side for obvious reasons 🙂

Tanya, falls now and again.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Bob Wheeler said:

Are there places one can go to learn how to fall gracefully?

Not for those situations where the bike steers out from underneath
you, and you get slammed straight down into the ground in less time
than it takes to wink an eye.

But I knew a guy who dismounted by deliberately endo'ing in his
front yard, going over the handlebar, and landing on his feet
every time. I never bothered to learn that skill, 'cuz I just
don't like the idea of carelessly letting a bike fall over.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 23:37:55 -0700, [email hidden] (Tom Keats)

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Bob Wheeler said:

Are there places one can go to learn how to fall gracefully?

Not for those situations where the bike steers out from underneath
you, and you get slammed straight down into the ground in less time
than it takes to wink an eye.

But I knew a guy who dismounted by deliberately endo'ing in his
front yard, going over the handlebar, and landing on his feet
every time. I never bothered to learn that skill, 'cuz I just
don't like the idea of carelessly letting a bike fall over.

cheers,
Tom

The videos on this site will show a guy how to crash his bike.
http://www.bikerfox.com/

Fritz said:

The videos on this site will show a guy how to crash his bike.
http://www.bikerfox.com/

It is a very good thing they put the following warning on that website.
I was just about to go out and try some of those handlebar tricks.
Whew...that was a close one. Good thing I saw that. ;-)

WARNING! The actions depicted on this web site are unbelievably
dangerous. BikerFox is a professional and experienced rider. Do not
attempt to duplicate any stunts that are beyond your own capabilities.
Always use discretion and wear the appropriate safety gear!

Maggie

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In article <[email hidden]>,

Bob Wheeler said:

Are there places one can go to learn how to fall gracefully? Are there
books?

Should one tuck one's arms in? How about one's head? A quick google
didn't help, perhaps because I'm using the wrong words. Any suggestions?

_ In general it happens way too fast to do anything. You're much
better off spending time learning not to fall in the first
place. Learning to bunny hop is a valuable skill.

_ Booker C. Bense

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Booker C. Bense said:

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article <[email hidden]>,

Bob Wheeler said:

Are there places one can go to learn how to fall gracefully? Are there
books?

Should one tuck one's arms in? How about one's head? A quick google
didn't help, perhaps because I'm using the wrong words. Any suggestions?

_ In general it happens way too fast to do anything. You're much
better off spending time learning not to fall in the first
place. Learning to bunny hop is a valuable skill.

_ Booker C. Bense

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Everyone who rides will fall at some time -- no exceptions. I've fallen
several times, and so far I have been lucky with nothing more than a
scar on my chin and some temporary road rash. What brought this to mind
were two recent falls by riders who have been riding since the 1970's --
they must have each ridden more than 60,000 or 70,000 miles in their
time. It just happened that the two falls occurred in the last month --
randomness comes in bunches. Both were serious falls and both riders are
off their bikes for several months.

There is plenty of time to do things when you fall, the question is
what? Should I tuck my arms in, lower my head, and assume a fetal
position, or does this expose me to some injury? I've been riding a long
time, and I really don't know. So, cut the cute comments, and give with
the information, if you have any.

--
Bob Wheeler --- http://www.bobwheeler.com/
ECHIP, Inc. ---
Randomness comes in bunches.

Bob Wheeler wrote:
:: There is plenty of time to do things when you fall, the question is
:: what? Should I tuck my arms in, lower my head, and assume a fetal
:: position, or does this expose me to some injury?

Yes, falling exposes you to some injury.

I've been riding a
:: long time, and I really don't know. So, cut the cute comments, and
:: give with the information, if you have any.

"Bob Wheeler" wrote: (clip) There is plenty of time to do things when you
fall, the question is what? (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think the word "plenty" may have a different meaning for you than it does
for me. There is some truth in what you say, but there can also be falls in
which the rider becomes a helpless projectile, with not the time, nor the
strength nor the awareness to control the outcome.

Chances are the falls that you describe your friends having were in that
category. Those are the wrecks that produce serious injury, and there may
be little the rider can do about it. However, in the less severe cases,
chances are your instinctual defensive moves, combined with your cycling
experience, will help you minimize or avoid injury.

IMHO, the best way is to ride so you feel safe, while still doing things
that make the ride enjoyable.

With grace and dignity - at least until you hit the ground.

--
'I may crack
But I'll never shatter' -meredith brooks

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In article <[email hidden]>,

Bob Wheeler said:

Everyone who rides will fall at some time -- no exceptions.

_ You'll get no arguement from me about that.

Quoted message said:

There is plenty of time to do things when you fall, the question is
what? Should I tuck my arms in, lower my head, and assume a fetal
position, or does this expose me to some injury? I've been riding a long
time, and I really don't know. So, cut the cute comments, and give with
the information, if you have any.

_ I've got the full set of scars ( knees, elbows and hips ) and I
can't recall a single incident where I had time to do anything.
I have a fairly instinctual shoulder roll that I've used a lot
skiing but in 30 years of bike crashs, it's never been of any
use. The only advice I have is wear a helmet and gloves.

_ When I was ski racing we did a lot of running shoulder rolls
to "learn to crash". I'm pretty convinced that's a useful thing
for skiing. I did not mean to be as smart mouthed as I apparently
came across, but I think your time would be far better spent
working on your bike handling skills rather than learning
shoulder rolls.

_ Booker C. Bense

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Booker C. Bense said:

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In article <[email hidden]>,

Bob Wheeler said:

Everyone who rides will fall at some time -- no exceptions.

_ You'll get no arguement from me about that.

Quoted message said:

There is plenty of time to do things when you fall, the question is
what? Should I tuck my arms in, lower my head, and assume a fetal
position, or does this expose me to some injury? I've been riding a long
time, and I really don't know. So, cut the cute comments, and give with
the information, if you have any.

_ I've got the full set of scars ( knees, elbows and hips ) and I
can't recall a single incident where I had time to do anything.
I have a fairly instinctual shoulder roll that I've used a lot
skiing but in 30 years of bike crashs, it's never been of any
use. The only advice I have is wear a helmet and gloves.

_ When I was ski racing we did a lot of running shoulder rolls
to "learn to crash". I'm pretty convinced that's a useful thing
for skiing. I did not mean to be as smart mouthed as I apparently
came across, but I think your time would be far better spent
working on your bike handling skills rather than learning
shoulder rolls.

_ Booker C. Bense

OK, but neither of my friend's falls nor any of mine can reasonably be
attributed to poor bike handling skills: just awkward situations that
could not be avoided. In one case the rider was crowded by a school bus
into a crack in the road -- he fell on his knee which jammed upward and
broke his pelvis. Could he have saved himself by assuming a fetal
position instead of trying to arrest his fall by extending a leg?

--
Bob Wheeler --- http://www.bobwheeler.com/
ECHIP, Inc. ---
Randomness comes in bunches.

Bob Wheeler said:

OK, but neither of my friend's falls nor any of mine can reasonably be
attributed to poor bike handling skills: just awkward situations that
could not be avoided. In one case the rider was crowded by a school bus
into a crack in the road -- he fell on his knee which jammed upward and
broke his pelvis. Could he have saved himself by assuming a fetal
position instead of trying to arrest his fall by extending a leg?

Bob,

I don't know about your friend's crash--longitudinal
cracks can cause nasty, quick crashes--but in general
there is nothing to be gained from sticking a knee out
or assuming the fetal position (?). The way to crash,
if you can set up in any way, is to get the arms out,
don't tuck them in. If you're going down, use the leading
arm as a spring, to ease your body's impact and to keep
the head off the ground. Don't hold the arm out stiff,
youll break wrist or clavicle. Ideally you touch down
with the outside of a fist, forearm, the arm collapsing,
absorbing as much energy as possible, then onto
the back of the shoulder, and rolling all the way over
to distribute the force of impact. That's a pretty
rosey scenario. Hitting shoulder-first is ill-advised
for bike wrecks. Basically your bottom line is dont
let that head o yours smack hard into the pavement.

Robert

If you have enough time to think about sticking your arm out to cushion
the fall, don't do it. Keep your hands on the handlebars, tuck your
chin in and try to take the blow with your shoulder's deltoid area. If
you have kung-fu then this will be all automatic.