How often do you crash?

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Never if I can help it. In 42 years of cycling I have had 4 crashes/tumbles/falls. The first when I was 14, I think it was heat exhaustion.

Resulted in an arm injury. 2 other slow motion tumbles from riding a road bike
over unsuitable terrain. The 4th-last fall. Foggy night, fogged up glasses, unfamiliar path, low branch. I have been wearing helmets since I first heard
abouth them in 1997-"don't leave home without it."

I was just reading this yesterday and hadnt crashed in 3 months. Then that afternoon i was hopping a sidewalk and the bikes rear wheel came over me and i went over the handle bars:D ironic isnt it

I'll get back to you in about 6 months.....that should suffice in making my answer less laughable (I would hope)...

I have had a few crashes/falls in my time. None serious just the odd case of road rash. I just bought spd pedals for my MTB so I suspect I will have some more tomorrow as I get used to uncliping my feet. It's pretty much inevitable since I just painted over the scrapes on the frame from a minor spill this summer, and some chips caused by my lock. :p

I have had a few crashes/falls in my time. None serious just the odd case of road rash. I just bought spd pedals for my MTB so I suspect I will have some more tomorrow as I get used to uncliping my feet. It's pretty much inevitable since I just painted over the scrapes on the frame from a minor spill this summer, and some chips caused by my lock. :p

Pretty good ride this morning, just a bit cold (-3 C) and I didn't cover the shoes, toes got rather numb.
Still I love the pedals and the shoes, just need to get used to spinning properly. I managed to stay upright and get my feet uncliped in time, except for one of the last lights on the way home.
I rolled up to the red light unclipped my left foot and promptly fell to the right. :o Right foot came uncliped just a moment before I lay on the curb.

Note to self: Next item to learn, track stands. :p

Once was enough for me. Lost control downhill going through some S curves at around 25 MPH. Broke a hip and separated an AC joint.

This year was less eventful. Fell sideways while fully stopped with both feet unclipped -- talk about embarassing, and I scarred the poor lady who stopped behind me half to death. Then another morning around dawn fell sideways while making a left turn too slowly to avoid the newpaper delivery car. he backed up to apoligze and for weeks after, would wave hello.

If you crashed, be sure to check your helmut and not just your bike. The helmuts are designed for only 1 impact, so if you hit your head, get a new helmut just to be safe.


Three months ago I decided to get a new MTB and start bike commuting. It's the first bike I've had with clipless pedals, so in the first week I crashed twice by not getting a foot to the ground quick enough. Ouch. Then last week I took a header in the middle of a busy street at night. Front tire was fine when I put it in the bus rack for the last leg of the trip home. Got off the bus, hopped on the bike and headed downhill on a curve. About 2 seconds later I noticed the bike didn't feel right. I hit the brakes going about 15 mph and next thing I know I'm sprawled out in the middle of the street, broken shards of stuff everywhere, bike up on the curb and I'm dazed and confused and wondering who or what just sucker punched me. My best guess is that I hopped on the bike not realizing the front tire was completely flat. Hitting the front brake hard probably locked up the front wheel as the flat had a ton 'o traction.

So anyway now I'm like super paranoid of crashing again and I'm just wondering how common are these types of user-induced crashes and how often do cyclists get seriously injured this way.

Thanks,
Gordon
Portland, Oregon

Once was enough for me. Lost control downhill going through some S curves at around 25 MPH. Broke a hip and separated an AC joint.

This year was less eventful. Fell sideways while fully stopped with both feet unclipped -- talk about embarassing, and I scarred the poor lady who stopped behind me half to death. Then another morning around dawn fell sideways while making a left turn too slowly to avoid the newpaper delivery car. he backed up to apoligze and for weeks after, would wave hello.

If you crashed, be sure to check your helmut and not just your bike. The helmuts are designed for only 1 impact, so if you hit your head, get a new helmut just to be safe.


Three months ago I decided to get a new MTB and start bike commuting. It's the first bike I've had with clipless pedals, so in the first week I crashed twice by not getting a foot to the ground quick enough. Ouch. Then last week I took a header in the middle of a busy street at night. Front tire was fine when I put it in the bus rack for the last leg of the trip home. Got off the bus, hopped on the bike and headed downhill on a curve. About 2 seconds later I noticed the bike didn't feel right. I hit the brakes going about 15 mph and next thing I know I'm sprawled out in the middle of the street, broken shards of stuff everywhere, bike up on the curb and I'm dazed and confused and wondering who or what just sucker punched me. My best guess is that I hopped on the bike not realizing the front tire was completely flat. Hitting the front brake hard probably locked up the front wheel as the flat had a ton 'o traction.

So anyway now I'm like super paranoid of crashing again and I'm just wondering how common are these types of user-induced crashes and how often do cyclists get seriously injured this way.

Thanks,
Gordon
Portland, Oregon

I've yet to crash on my new bike the Trek 7300 FX...bless it all....but we shall see how long this good luck prevails......I am doing much better each time I ride, so I won't be splaying open my knees, I hope, anymore, or so much....

I was a 45km door prise a month ago. (Dual fault)
Occasionally I slip on a wet streetcar track once/twice a winter....footdown not crashing. I have been on my bike virtually everyday for the past 15 years though.

When I MTN bike I expect to crash just like I do when I skied and skated and snowboarded, as I'm pushing myself not pokin along. You don't crash, you don't learn.

Whe I was a messenger I had a few good ones but factoring in the miles and hours in the saddle nothing earth shattering. Yes you gotta laugh it off. Get back in the saddle and do it again. Don't let fear wreck it for you. Besides once you got the front wheel slide dialed in you are golden...I can surf across wet manholes while turning now without panicing. Not that I LOOK for it mind you. lol

It definitely feels like I'm tempting fate to even talk about this. But I would say in the past 4 months (about 2400 miles/3863k) I have had one fall/crash when cycling (commuting) on a bike path and crossing at an intersection with a road when a car took a right on red without stopping. I, fortunately, was not going fast, anticipated the driver's move and just hit the brakes a little harder than necessary and went not quite "over the handlebars" but close to it. I was fine but pissed off- mostly at my overreaction to his turn, failure to even more properly anticipate the idiotic driver and the driver's speeding away when he saw me fall.

I'm in the Northeast of the US and winter means wet leaves and ice both of which have brought me down on a pretty yearly basis. I have not included mountain bike crashes because they more less go with the territory and unless I hit the ground really hard I don't think about them all that much.

On the road I keep my head up and stay alert for road hazards ie. crazy drivers, pedestrians, opening car doors, other cyclists, little kids, drunks, squirrels, dogs, cats, Canadian geese, wild turkeys, deer, fallen branches, sticks, glass, potholes, sewer gratings, metal plates, metal grates, cans, bottles, roadkill, hubcaps, trashcans, pieces of wood, puddles, sand, gravel, nails, tacks, curbs, traffic islands, unexpected chains across roads...

In other words, "I keep my eyes wide open all the time. I ride the line."- by the late great Johnny Crash. :eek:

ONly in the winter on ice or snow.

Only ever had one serious accident that was enough to prevent me from getting back on or atleast limping home...

When I was about 16, I was coming down a fairly short but steep stretch of suburban road (no cars behind me) with a sharp right turn at the bottom, I was going too fast for the road conditions (slightly wet from rain the previous night) and my tires slid out from me as I attempted to lean around the turn. Both I and the bike slid for a good 5 metres, with me mounting the 4 inch high curb whilst spinning and twisting across my whole body as I slid.

When I came to a stop, I just froze still for fear of a spinal injury. People stopped and in what felt like no time at all, an ambulance came. I was checked out OK and went to hospital for a checkup. Turns out I had nothing broken, just severe bruising across my left arm, left hip/thigh and bum plus grazes around the outside of my arms, legs and across my chest and back. Ouch!

Needless to say; I was very, very lucky! I probably should of broken my hip, arm and had severe head injuries (if not death?) if it were not for all the milk Ive drank in my youth and my trusty helmet!

I didn't ride again for years but having resumed it; I regret letting that knock me back! These experiances are ultimately good as it teachs you about your limitations and adds the adrenaline of it all. I always wear a helmet now except when riding slow on dry flat roads in daylight.

Strangely, the bike didn't recieve so much as a scratch.

Just before christmas on my way back from work (in rush hour), i approach the round about, signal left to enter the cycle lane, next thing im flyiing through the air. Front tyre went on some wet mud. Landed hard on the cycle lane, broke my thumb, sprained my wrist badly, damaged my nerve in my left hand, wrecked a brand new 30 pound helmet and last but not least, did 140 pounds worth of damage to my beloved racing/commute bike.

Of all the things to take me down, it has to be mud!!

And the funny thing is laugh at even today is that of all the cars backed up behind me, only one stopped, and that was to say that my bike locked had flew across the road.

I would love to say if i come across an accident, "You've dropped you're keys", or "you've damaged you're bumper", and leave them.

But sadly i can't, i can get done by the law if i leave them there.

Helps for cycling though, as not only do i carry a big bag with puncture repair kits and pumps, but i also carry a 50 person first aid kit, so always handy if you've just come off the bike.

The Irony of being with St John Ambulance :rolleyes: :(