How to fall off bike!

gjt70 said:

Dear All,

I have been riding to work now for the past few years and following a
recent house move my weekly mileage is now regularly above the 200 miles
mark. Although I can recall a few near misses I have so far been
fortunate enough not to be in a situation were I have fallen off the
bike. It would seem reasonable that there is a skill to falling off a
bike (to minimise personal damage) as much as it is a skill to ride a
bike. I was therefore wondering if anyone is aware of any advice
available on strategies to falling off bikes (when not falling off is
not an option).

Thanks,

Gordon

(1) Fall off well away from the neighbours' view.

(2) Fall off at least a mile away from anyone with a camera.

(3) Fall off on to grass.

--
Brian G

Brian G said:

Quoted message said:

. I was therefore wondering if anyone is aware of any
advice available on strategies to falling off bikes (when not falling
off is not an option).

Thanks,

Gordon

(1) Fall off well away from the neighbours' view.

(1a) or the view of any small children, whatever their provenance.

Quoted message said:

(2) Fall off at least a mile away from anyone with a camera.

(3) Fall off on to grass.

(4) If you should happen to decide to fall on spilled diesel at speed on
a roundabout, be sure to do so in front of an off-duty nurse, within 30
seconds call time of a bicycle paramedic, and on a day when a trip to
York Hospital in the back of an ambulance whilst wearing a neck brace is
preferable, although not so comfortable, than sitting through a tedious
meeting at work.

(5) Remember that cuts and bruises will heal, but tears in Goretex are
forever.

More seriously,

(6) Try to relax before you hit the ground; taut muscles lead to more
damage. Bro (a trauma doctor wallah) recalls the time he was called to
an RTA, pedestrian vs car; the car was doing over 30 mph (in a 30 zone,
mind), the pedestrian was blind drunk; she was flipped over the car and
landed in the road behind. Everyone watching thought she was dead; she
survived with only minor bumps and bruises because she was so drunk and
relaxed. [1]

(7) Hence, in the time before starting to fall and hitting the ground,
try to get as drunk as possible. :-)

(8) Push the bike away from you if possible. Bar-ends, handlebars,
pedals, etc, are painful to remove when inserted forcibly into the body.
So I'm told.

R.

[1] Note the statistical sample size beloved of some doctors. ;-)

"gjt70" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dear All,

I have been riding to work now for the past few years and following a
recent house move my weekly mileage is now regularly above the 200 miles
mark. Although I can recall a few near misses I have so far been
fortunate enough not to be in a situation were I have fallen off the bike.
It would seem reasonable that there is a skill to falling off a bike (to
minimise personal damage) as much as it is a skill to ride a bike. I was
therefore wondering if anyone is aware of any advice available on
strategies to falling off bikes (when not falling off is not an option).

Go to gymnastics classes to:

* Make the aerial movements aethestically pleasing and more memorable to
witnesses
* Skill you up with tumbling moves to reduce the likelihood of broken
wrists when breaking a fall.

gjt70 said:

I was therefore wondering if anyone is aware of any advice
available on strategies to falling off bikes (when not falling off is
not an option).

Use the Dave technique. Come to a stop on a steep uphill in Devon.
Attempt to get going again. Miss clipping into the pedal so that your
foot slides off and the pedal smacks into your shin. Topple gracefully
to the left so that your [censored] lands in a patch of nettles. Say
"bugger".

--
Dave...

in message <[email hidden]>, gjt70 ([email hidden]'😉

Quoted message said:

Dear All,

I have been riding to work now for the past few years and following a
recent house move my weekly mileage is now regularly above the 200
miles
mark. Although I can recall a few near misses I have so far been
fortunate enough not to be in a situation were I have fallen off the
bike. It would seem reasonable that there is a skill to falling off a
bike (to minimise personal damage) as much as it is a skill to ride a
bike. I was therefore wondering if anyone is aware of any advice
available on strategies to falling off bikes (when not falling off is
not an option).

H'mmmm...

Firstly, falling, when cycling on the road, is a very rare thing. I've
fallen off five times in thirty mumble years and well over a hundred
thousand miles. Secondly, if you want to practice falling (and I believe
that practising falling is a good idea), get a mountain bike and use it
as intended - I very rarely take my mountain bike out without falling
off at least once.

Thirdly, avoid going over the handlebars. I've done this only once in my
life; I broke my back, but most people who go over the bars do damage to
their heads and faces. To avoid going over the handlebars:

(i) practice getting your weight as low and as far back as possible when
going down steep hills
(ii) practice bracing yourself when you brake
(iii) practice braking in tricky conditions off-road
(iv) do not just grab the brake, modulate it.

When you must fall off, stepping off the back is the most desirable
outcome but not often achievable. Falling off on the side opposite the
nasty drop/jagged rock/bramble patch/car is generally preferable to
falling towards it. If you're at speed and find you have nowhere to go,
lock the back wheel and skid it round so the bike is going at least a
bit sideways, and lay it down so that the bike is between you and
whatever it is you're going to hit. This isn't always achievable either.

Falling off usually hurts, but real injury usually needs high speed. I've
bruised and grazed myself innumerable times, cut my thumb badly once,
broken a rib once, broken my back once. I've never been concussed.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us
;; many useful objects such as wickerwork picnic baskets.
;; Imagination without skill gives us modern art.
;; Tom Stoppard, Artist Descending A Staircase

gjt70 wrote:

It would seem reasonable that there is a skill to falling off a

Quoted message said:

bike (to minimise personal damage) as much as it is a skill to ride a
bike. I was therefore wondering if anyone is aware of any advice
available on strategies to falling off bikes (when not falling off is
not an option).

What you need is practice. Start with simple things, like
riding into a ditch with your feet firmly strapped in
(stinging nettles will cushion your fall but could hide
something more interesting).

Once you think you have the staged falls up and running,
you're ready for the next stage. Go down to your local
tip, and grab something that shows every sign of being
about to break catastrophically. Do whatever it takes
to get the thing running smoothly, but ignore things
like nonfunctioning brakes and loose screws. Ride it
as you would your best commuting bike, and you get a
reasonable simulation of the unplanned fall, at a
moment of fate's choosing. Don't forget to take it
onto the biggest downhills you have available.
Repeat until dead, crippled, or an accomplished stunt-man.

Or go for a total wimps option, like a bunch of
thespians who do stage falls.

--
not me guv

Richard came up with the following;:

Quoted message said:

Brian G said:

Quoted message said:

. I was therefore wondering if anyone is aware of any
advice available on strategies to falling off bikes (when not falling
off is not an option).

Quoted message said:

(4) If you should happen to decide to fall on spilled diesel at speed on
a roundabout, be sure to do so in front of an off-duty nurse, within 30
seconds call time of a bicycle paramedic, and on a day when a trip to
York Hospital in the back of an ambulance whilst wearing a neck brace is
preferable, although not so comfortable, than sitting through a tedious
meeting at work.

One seems to be relying on empirical evidence for the above and, as such,
I'd suggest that the 'spilled diesel' might easily be a shiny metal manhole
cover, the 'off-duty nurse' might be substitued by a passing, vehicular
endowed, para-medic. This would also negate the need for the ambulance ..
😉

Unfortunately the skill of said para-medic and the speed of his actions
might also mean the tmaw is actually made. 😉

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!!

Richard <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

(6) Try to relax before you hit the ground; taut muscles lead to more
damage. Bro (a trauma doctor wallah) recalls the time he was called to
an RTA, pedestrian vs car; the car was doing over 30 mph (in a 30 zone,
mind), the pedestrian was blind drunk; she was flipped over the car and
landed in the road behind. Everyone watching thought she was dead; she
survived with only minor bumps and bruises because she was so drunk and
relaxed. [1]

I am firmly of the opinion (and no value is claimed for this) that
'relaxed' drunk people are rather poor at protecting their heads. Sober
people tend to fall with their heads up, which night strain the neck.
Drunks have a lot of head injuries IME.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

"vernon levy" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

* Make the aerial movements aethestically pleasing and more memorable to
witnesses
* Skill you up with tumbling moves to reduce the likelihood of broken
wrists when breaking a fall.

I would prefer a broken wrist to a broken brain, though I admit a
bruised bum is preferable to either.

(I seem to know quite a few cyclists who have broken their hips,
unfortunately.)

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Do it like this guy : http://www.fazed.org/video/embed/?id=66

not recommened you actually try this, but does show that not wearing polystrene does not mena you will die.

Bryan

In article <[email hidden]>, Richard

() said:

Brian G said:

Quoted message said:

. I was therefore wondering if anyone is aware of any
advice available on strategies to falling off bikes (when not falling
off is not an option).

Thanks,

Gordon

(1) Fall off well away from the neighbours' view.

(1a) or the view of any small children, whatever their provenance.

Quoted message said:

(2) Fall off at least a mile away from anyone with a camera.

(3) Fall off on to grass.

(4) If you should happen to decide to fall on spilled diesel at speed on
a roundabout, be sure to do so in front of an off-duty nurse, within 30
seconds call time of a bicycle paramedic, and on a day when a trip to
York Hospital in the back of an ambulance whilst wearing a neck brace is
preferable, although not so comfortable, than sitting through a tedious
meeting at work.

(5) Remember that cuts and bruises will heal, but tears in Goretex are
forever.

More seriously,

(6) Try to relax before you hit the ground; taut muscles lead to more
damage. Bro (a trauma doctor wallah) recalls the time he was called to
an RTA, pedestrian vs car; the car was doing over 30 mph (in a 30 zone,
mind), the pedestrian was blind drunk; she was flipped over the car and
landed in the road behind. Everyone watching thought she was dead; she
survived with only minor bumps and bruises because she was so drunk and
relaxed. [1]

(7) Hence, in the time before starting to fall and hitting the ground,
try to get as drunk as possible. :-)

(8) Push the bike away from you if possible. Bar-ends, handlebars,
pedals, etc, are painful to remove when inserted forcibly into the body.
So I'm told.

(9) Since flying is merely a question of learning how to throw oneself
at the ground and missing, acquiring this skill may prove useful ;-)

The Wise Mr Ballantine recommends practising falling off by charging
around in the woods.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
It is impossible to eat a banana without looking like a tw*t.

gjt70 said:

Dear All,

I have been riding to work now for the past few years and following a
recent house move my weekly mileage is now regularly above the 200
miles mark. Although I can recall a few near misses I have so far
been fortunate enough not to be in a situation were I have fallen off
the bike. It would seem reasonable that there is a skill to falling
off a bike (to minimise personal damage) as much as it is a skill to
ride a bike. I was therefore wondering if anyone is aware of any
advice available on strategies to falling off bikes (when not falling
off is not an option).

In a sudden unexpected incident caused by front tyre sliding as you
corner, for instance, your subconscious mind will take over and make your
body do whatever it can do to minimise the damage to the most important
parts of you. In my experience, if there is the time or inclination to do
something unnatural then it isn't a serious fall anyway.

~PB

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"vernon levy" <[email hidden]>typed

Quoted message said:

* Make the aerial movements aethestically pleasing and more memorable to
witnesses
* Skill you up with tumbling moves to reduce the likelihood of broken
wrists when breaking a fall.

I would prefer a broken wrist to a broken brain, though I admit a
bruised bum is preferable to either.

(I seem to know quite a few cyclists who have broken their hips,
unfortunately.)

Funnily enough, most of my injuries from falling off motorcycles were heavy
bruising on the hips and outer thighs. Having ample 'padding' may well have
saved me from hip fractures :-) On two occasions my crash helmet saved my
head from severe abrasions. On the subjects of crashing/falling off ....I
have no recollections of any of the impacts that I made with the road in any
of my unplanned dismounts - is this normal?

vernon levy said:

On the subjects of crashing/falling off ....I
have no recollections of any of the impacts that I made with the road in any
of my unplanned dismounts - is this normal?

There seems to be two types: the slow motion one where you know exactly
what is happening and what will happen next, and the one where there is an
instantaneous transition from normal to flat on the floor.

And all the excess adrenaline and things like that also means that my
first reaction is to stand up and think I'm fine and then gradually the
various scrapes and bruises register.

Roos

in message <[email hidden]>, vernon levy

(') said:

On the subjects of crashing/falling off
....I have no recollections of any of the impacts that I made with the
road in any of my unplanned dismounts - is this normal?

Not in my experience, no. It suggests you've had some degree of
concussion each time.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; I'll have a proper rant later, when I get the time.

gjt70 said:

bike. I was therefore wondering if anyone is aware of any advice
available on strategies to falling off bikes (when not falling off is
not an option).

You shouldn't fall off your bike on a commuting route - you should
know where the manhole covers, potholes and the like are located.
Recent oil spills might do it, but they are quite rare.

You might get knocked off your bike, in which case teh scenario is so
variable that there probably isn't useful advice about what to do
whilst the even is unravelling.

The main thing is that when you get to stationary, stay there unless
there is an immediate and urgent risk to life. An approaching HGV
with all wheels locked is an immediate risk. Merely being in teh road
with traffic stopped is not - let the traffic wait. When you're sure
you're sufficiently uninjured to move safely, count to at least 30 and
check again before trying to move.

Get witnesses. Get insurance details. Report to police ASAP. Get
medical attention even if it's only minor.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

In message <[email hidden]>, Richard
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

(8) Push the bike away from you if possible. Bar-ends, handlebars,
pedals, etc, are painful to remove when inserted forcibly into the
body. So I'm told.

That reminds me of an occasion when I was visited by my mother-in-law:

I had just bought a new road bike (dropped h'bars) and she asked if she
could have a go! Not wishing to be a spoil-sport, I lowered the seat
and handlebars and off she wobbled... around the corner, out of sight
and then c.r.a.s.h! Aaaagh! "My New Bike!" and I ran around the corner
to find...

Whew! At first glance she seemed to be ok, sitting in the road with a
big grin on her face and then I realised she had the handlebars in her
mouth!!!

But the bike was fine.

--
Chris

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, vernon levy

(') said:

On the subjects of crashing/falling off
....I have no recollections of any of the impacts that I made with the
road in any of my unplanned dismounts - is this normal?

Not in my experience, no. It suggests you've had some degree of
concussion each time.

My brains must be in my butt then :-)

I can still describe in considerable detail all of my dismounts including
the time warp effect where things slow down enough for rhetorical damage
limitation planning to take place then a split second blank followed by full
recollection of the rest of the journey down the road. My helmets/head have
never suffered any major impacts to cause concussion. Like I said in my
previous post my hips butt and legs copped for the bruising.

In article <[email hidden]>, Paul - [censored]
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Richard came up with the following;:

Quoted message said:

Brian G said:

> . I was therefore wondering if anyone is aware of any
> advice available on strategies to falling off bikes (when not falling
> off is not an option).

Quoted message said:

(4) If you should happen to decide to fall on spilled diesel at speed on
a roundabout, be sure to do so in front of an off-duty nurse, within 30
seconds call time of a bicycle paramedic, and on a day when a trip to
York Hospital in the back of an ambulance whilst wearing a neck brace is
preferable, although not so comfortable, than sitting through a tedious
meeting at work.

One seems to be relying on empirical evidence for the above and, as
such, I'd suggest that the 'spilled diesel' might easily be a shiny
metal manhole cover, the 'off-duty nurse' might be substitued by a
passing, vehicular endowed, para-medic. This would also negate the
need for the ambulance .. 😉

Works for me - if you substitute instead two damp manhole covers and a
policeman in a dog support unit vehicle. He did feel bound however to
call for an ambulance from the nearby accident & emergency department.

--
congokid
Eating out in London? Read my tips...
http://congokid.com