Bent crashes, your experience?

[ncaudio]

Here is the lesson. I have ridden clipless for years. It is a great idea to get pedals that will clip out in BOTH directions.

I was ridding Speedplays at the time and they do not clip out when you twist in. SO When I was laying on my side, my foot was trapped.

I have switched to egg beaters. They will come out from either side;I feel safer knowing I can get out if I am sliding so I don't leave chunks of leg on the road. The fairing helps protect the rest of you if you can scoot into it.

Kamishki,

Speedplays (at least the cleats used with the X1, 2,3,5 series), do have a provision for clipping out while twisitng inward (heel going toward center of body), if you look at the cleat, you can see they have a plastic "ramp" that unclips the cleat when it is rotated inward (not even that far) so one would not get stuck on their side with a bike on top of them unable to unclip if they couldn't lift the bike. It's kind of an awkward movement and of course the pedal has to be in a position where the foot can rotate without interfereing with bike parts. Speedplays are great, I've used them for years and the only 2 complaints I have is that I have to carry a pair of street shoes for walking around and the replacement cleats are kind of expensive and do wear out.

Roger

 

[kamishki]

Kamishki,

Speedplays (at least the cleats used with the X1, 2,3,5 series), do have a provision for clipping out while twisitng inward (heel going toward center of body), if you look at the cleat, you can see they have a plastic "ramp" that unclips the cleat when it is rotated inward (not even that far) so one would not get stuck on their side with a bike on top of them unable to unclip if they couldn't lift the bike. It's kind of an awkward movement and of course the pedal has to be in a position where the foot can rotate without interfereing with bike parts. Speedplays are great, I've used them for years and the only 2 complaints I have is that I have to carry a pair of street shoes for walking around and the replacement cleats are kind of expensive and do wear out.

Roger

Sorry....Speedplay Frogs not X. And you can always file off the stop on the pedal if you want. But the point remains the same. Being able go clip out when you are lying on your side is a plus.

 

[bkaapcke]

I saw a wipe out coming on my Sun EZ Sport LWB bent. I planted my left foot, let the bike go, swung around and planted my right foot. I had my hands ready to hit the pavement, but there was no need. Not a scratch on me. A few on the bike. Needless to say, I was amazed. bk

 

[CCM_Evox]

Today, I was riding in the rain that was supposed to be the aftermath of Ernesto up here in Ottawa, Canada. The streets and bikepaths were wet and I started down a long turning descent, down the side of a hill, but still on the bikepath. I remember thinking that there was no one else on the trail so I would just let my old ReBike 707 coast down the asphalt bike path. When I got up to 15 kph, the back wheel slid out from under me and the bike spilled me onto the pavement. My left elbow and knee made contact with the asphalt and at the same time, the left pedal also dug into the ground. The sudden ground pressure on the pedal swung the crank around forcefully and the right pedal stung the back of my right ankle with a painful blow. Apparently, this was not enough torture because my body and the bike continued to scrape along the pavement as I continued downhill for another agonizing 3 seconds or so. That may not seem long to someone reading this post but close your eyes and count three steamboats while thinking of my predicament. When I finally came to a halt, I lay like a heap on the ground under most of my bike. When I gained enough strength to dislodge myself and stand, I inspected my injuries. Fortunately, I suffered roadrash only on my left knee, and I had a nasty gash behind my right ankle. My elbow will be purple tomorrow but I was otherwise unharmed. The worst injury, by far, was to my pride by having to phone home and have my wife rescue me with the car and bike rack. She patched up my scrapes but I think I will be stiff tomorrow when I discover the full extent of my wounds. The bike is fine; those ReBikes are definitely made of tough (heavy) steel. I'm lucky the old clunker doesn't go much faster or I would have been worse for sure. After a crash like that, I always try to remember if I turned too sharp, or touched the brakes, or hit a patch of gravel, but I didn't. I will put the blame for this crash on my over-inflated tires because I just recently mounted a 100 PSI tire on the rear so there would have been very little traction on that tire. I will drop the pressure to 70-80 PSI next time it rains and see if I have better luck.

 

[Ray Haynes]

Generally speaking, when you crash a bent, you will land on a hip. The results are usually rasperries on your hips, elbows, and hands (if you're not wearing gloves.) You start lower, so your vertical speed upon impact with the ground is less. Broken bones are rare, and going headfirst over the bars is almost unheard-of.

My new EVOX is a ball on corners. Normally just keep pedalling...it feels like carvinga turn on skiis (mayby the low C of G) BUT because of the rake of the fork and a smaller contact surface on the front tire IF you brake and turn on a wet driveway (as I did last week) you go horizontal very quickly AND there is no time to ge a foot out there. BAM. Contact points: end of bar, edge of pedal.
No damage to mirror or seat. ME: thigh and knee only. A week later...almost OK.
I got up and finished my ride (one way) with one leg. This was probably NOT at a great idea. Rather cool it ...with ice.
Great bike ...we are back togeather again..all is forgiven.

 

[Slugster438]

Random thoughts....

---I have not ever owned a trike--but it seems like a lot of people have said that typical tadpole trikes do NOT do well at high speeds. The length of the control arms tends to be rather short, and it's difficult to make precise adjustments. Yes,,, there's lots of IHPVA trike streamliners that go 60+ mph, but they generally do not use an unmodified production frame.

---It's common for bents to wipe out while trying high-speed turns in gravel, and it's my suspicion that a lot of bent riders run front tires that are too narrow and overinflated besides.

With two-wheeled recumbents, you can usually improve the steering a lot by using a wider front tire, and also by running the front tire at a lower pressure. You always want your front tire to have more "cushiness" than the rear; if the rear slides sideways a bit you can often recover from that--but if the front starts sliding, you usually can't. At the very least, when you are sitting on the bike, both tires should visibly sag the same amount, if the front does not sag more--so [assuming that most of the weight is on the rear tire] the front tire pressures should be adjusted down proportional to the weight distribution, and then adjusted down again according to the relative tire widths.

For example: if you had a LWB with 66% weight distribution on the rear end, and you were using 1.5" wide front and 1" wide rear tires, and both had max inflation pressures of 100 PSI.

To find the front tire pressure-
First you multiply the rear tire pressure by the weight distribution ratio: 100 x (2/3) = 66 PSI,
then you multiply by the relative widths, if they are different: rear tire width/front tire width = 1/1.5 = 2/3, and 2/3 x 66 PSI = 44 PSI. Assuming the rear 1" tire was at 100 PSI, you should not inflate the front 1.5" to anything over 44 PSI.
~

 

[poweredbysweat]

This summer I wiped out in a mist, when my Bike E hit a wet railroad track at about a 45 degree angle. Boom! It happened so quickly - Sore hip and bloody strawberry on knee. As far as the bike, there was some scraping on the tubing of my aluminum seat frame. Not too bad...

 

[NORECUMYET]

Timmer, My first recumbent, a Rans Stratus, was bought from a gentleman who wiped out on it and severly broke his ankle. (compound fractures). It is my understanding that if going down is obvious, you should keep your feet on the peddles and don't try to stop by using you feet. A brush burn is easier to heal than broken bones. You foot will get snapped back if you're going quick enough. Ken

I should have read this first. I finally got my Velokraft VKII. It's been interesting. I started out in a park on the grass. The first four or five take off attempts had me on my hip and hand. The grass really softened the blows of course. I eventually was able to take off every time and got tired of trying to negotiate the thick wet grass. This lead me to the sidewalks in the park. This was day two. I probably never went faster than five MPH and was unpleasantly surprised to find that virtually without warning I could go down at these slow speeds. I have stopped myself from falling several times by braking and putting my foot down. As Kenny Z states if you're going very fast you can jam your ankle. I'm still limping a bit. It only affects walking but not riding thankfully. I'm on day four now and have graduated to the streets. Now I guess it's a matter of time before I lose the apprehension that builds when I go into a turn. So far as long as I'm going Five MPH plus turns feel pretty stable. I hate to admit though that my fear of going down in one of those unexpected situations is currently making my rides much less enjoyable. No one said it would be easy though and like you're heard your whole life anything worth having is worth working for. Water skiing, hang gliding, flying an airplane, kite sailing, etc. etc.. All things that are extremely satisfying but none of which can be done on the first attempt.

Going 25 miles an hour on a flat takes virtually no effort on this thing and going up a steep grade is easier than on my mountain bike. Going around a corner at 25 is like a roller coaster. It's all good. It just takes perseverance and a strong desire to overcome fear. Gloves and something to pad your hips are also a good idea.

 

[poweredbysweat]

Wpw Recumyet! That's quite a story. Did you start out with this lowrider before riding any other recumbent? I now have an Optima Dragon. It's not near the lowrider that the Velocraft is, and I'm pretty good on it now, after about about a month. If I don't ride for a few days, it feels a little foreign again.

 

[NORECUMYET]

Wpw Recumyet! That's quite a story. Did you start out with this lowrider before riding any other recumbent? I now have an Optima Dragon. It's not near the lowrider that the Velocraft is, and I'm pretty good on it now, after about about a month. If I don't ride for a few days, it feels a little foreign again.

Yes I did start out with the VKII and had NEVER ridden a recumbent before this. It's getting better by leaps and bounds however so that my last couple of rides have been fairly comfortable. I've gotten to the point now that I know it will be second nature soon. If I try to remember learning how to ride a normal bike so long ago I can recall the same kinds of feelings and apprehensions.

One thing I should mention that I think is extremely important. The first time I sat on a VKII was the day I put down a deposit. I was thirty pounds heavier that day. I'm embarrassed to admit it but I actually hurt myself getting on and off the bike due to my big belly. I bring this up because I think there's not nearly enough credence given to the correlation between one's percentage of body fat and their proficiency at riding a recumbent in the first place, and the ever-important discussions about climbing hills on these bikes.

I still have 25 pounds to go so I expect things to get even better. Just imagine taking a 25, 40, or even 50-pound bag of cement and draping it over your lap before you take off at the bottom of that hill you hate to climb. Imagine trying to negotiate tight or high speed turns with all that dead weight. It seems as if bicycling on recumbents and "normal" bikes as well is one of the few athletic things that folks seem to think they can do well while being overweight at the same time. I don't think you see a lot of fat people making it to the finish line of a marathon. Why? It's almost impossible to carry all that dead weight for 26 miles. (Of course there are exceptions to EVERY rule.)

I guarantee that losing weight is the most important factor when it comes to one's performance on one of these crazy bikes, especially the low racer types. For me losing weight now is easy. I can no longer afford to buy food after buying the VKII.

 

[NORECUMYET]

Today, I was riding in the rain that was supposed to be the aftermath of Ernesto up here in Ottawa, Canada. The streets and bikepaths were wet and I started down a long turning descent, down the side of a hill, but still on the bikepath. I remember thinking that there was no one else on the trail so I would just let my old ReBike 707 coast down the asphalt bike path. When I got up to 15 kph, the back wheel slid out from under me and the bike spilled me onto the pavement. My left elbow and knee made contact with the asphalt and at the same time, the left pedal also dug into the ground. The sudden ground pressure on the pedal swung the crank around forcefully and the right pedal stung the back of my right ankle with a painful blow. Apparently, this was not enough torture because my body and the bike continued to scrape along the pavement as I continued downhill for another agonizing 3 seconds or so. That may not seem long to someone reading this post but close your eyes and count three steamboats while thinking of my predicament. When I finally came to a halt, I lay like a heap on the ground under most of my bike. When I gained enough strength to dislodge myself and stand, I inspected my injuries. Fortunately, I suffered roadrash only on my left knee, and I had a nasty gash behind my right ankle. My elbow will be purple tomorrow but I was otherwise unharmed. The worst injury, by far, was to my pride by having to phone home and have my wife rescue me with the car and bike rack. She patched up my scrapes but I think I will be stiff tomorrow when I discover the full extent of my wounds. The bike is fine; those ReBikes are definitely made of tough (heavy) steel. I'm lucky the old clunker doesn't go much faster or I would have been worse for sure. After a crash like that, I always try to remember if I turned too sharp, or touched the brakes, or hit a patch of gravel, but I didn't. I will put the blame for this crash on my over-inflated tires because I just recently mounted a 100 PSI tire on the rear so there would have been very little traction on that tire. I will drop the pressure to 70-80 PSI next time it rains and see if I have better luck.

WOW! I guess if you live in an area where it rains often you've got to learn how to ride when it's wet. For me though, I think I'll just go to the gym when it rains. I just can't imagine being on a wet road with high pressure skinny road tires. I've just started though and if my past history means anything I'll probably be out there in the rain as well. I know virtually nothing about bike tires but wouldn't it be possible to use a different type of tire when you know you'll be riding on wet pavement? I think I'd much rather gain rolling resistence to avoid gaining road rash. It's all relative I suppose. If you think of the percentage of smiles versus crashes it's well worth it. Hell I've hurt myself so badly in the gym doing something SAFE that I couldn't work for three weeks.

 

[NORECUMYET]

Well, I'll try to make it short. I switched from DF's to an Easy Racer TE in September '03. One year later almost to the day, I had my first serious fall (couple of other tip-overs at 0-3mph . On my regular commute bike path at 7 am not paying attention to anything but my speedometer, I came around a blind 90 degree corner to encounter a couple jogging. Had only enough time to lay the bike down. Right foot came off the pedal instinctively, sticky sole sneakers caught first and I and the bike did a piroette around the toe.

Total dislocation of the ankle, broke the Tibia and the Fibula (small compound). Looked bad whilst I cell phoned 911. But after 4 months in a no-weight-bearing cast, I was back on the trail. At age 62 I think I have recovered as fast as can be expected. Will be doing the "Trail of the Couer d'Alenes" and two other bike only paved trails out of Spokane to the Montana border as my first "post-retirement" activity.

"Foot-suck" is the term for this typical recumbent injury. So the lesson I learned includes getting clipless (they really are "clips") shoes to hold my foot on the pedal in case of a highspeed fall--I hope . I also try to concentrate much more on the path or street ahead of me rather on how fast I happen to be going...

I still will trade my injury for a head over tea-kettle type fall from a DF. Good luck.

Gramps

I've been thinking that I wouldn't even attempt to use my clip on shoes and pedals until I'm "really good" on my VKII. Maybe I should give more thought to getting used to them A.S.A.P. I've already had a very minor injury due to "foot suck". I was only going 3 MPH on my second day on the bike. One or two more MPH and who knows? I've finally gotten to the point where I'm routinely riding 25 MPH after five or six days with the bike. Yesterday I hit one of those plastic road reflectors going 25 and both me feet slipped off the pedals. Yikes! I came sooooo close to going down. And me being the genius that I am was NOT wearing my $150.00 helmet. A lot of good it's doing me sitting in the really nice drawstring bag that was included in the purchase. (What a deal!) Maybe that's why they give you the bag. To keep the dust off the damn thing knowing you're not going to use it until something scares the hell out of you. Or, until you HAVE to use it just for sitting on your couch because you've scrambled your brains. AARRRGGGHHH!!!! This is giving me the willies. If you talk about it will you make it happen? One last comment. The helmet is so damn goofy looking. Can't someone come up with a helmet that actually looks cool? I know it doesn't matter but......

 

[NORECUMYET]

Very new to cycling but got the bug and after my first tune-up on a bent, knew that this was the only way to fly.

Crash happened on my first organized ride. Using a borrowed bike, to close to the guy in front who looked over his left shoulder at 15 +/-. He drifted left and tagged my front wheel and into the ditch I go. So quick I barely recall what happened.

However all the advice on clipless seems true. Big scrape on my right shoe but my feet stayed in the clips till the worst was over. Also a bit of fabric lost on the edge of the seat and that was all the evidence for the bike.

A true oweee on my right knee and assorted scrapes & road rash on my right arm and hand. (Great reason to get gloves) An impressive bruise in my right hip and, now being more than ever convinced that helmets are worth everything one could imagine 'cause mine shattered to uselessness. A sure trip to the ER if I was not wearing one.

But, picked up, dusted off and finished the ride.

Seems less distance to fall and the thing to do is let the equipment take the worst of the crash. Sure there will be damage but not as much as falling off/over an upright. And do you ever get used to the tiny seats?

Lessons: 1. Don't try to suck wind with other inexperienced riders. 2. Helmets are a necessity and work if you wear one. 3. Let the equipment do what it is supposed to do.

Thanks to all who've shared your crash stories. I read a few today before going out for a ride. Because of the posts that talked of crashing and actually breaking their helmets I decided to try riding with mine. To my surprise the helmet was just enough to put my head in a position I find to be very comfortable when against my head rest. Without the helmet it seemed that my head was just a tad too far back. Now I've got to figure out how to get used to my clip on shoes and pedals. For the second time this week I hit a good sized bump in the road that made my feet slip off the pedals. When you're going 25 MPH having your feet and legs flail around is quite disconcerting.

 

[blazingpedals]

... For the second time this week I hit a good sized bump in the road that made my feet slip off the pedals. When you're going 25 MPH having your feet and legs flail around is quite disconcerting.

Slow learner, huh?

 

[NORECUMYET]

Slow learner, huh?

I sure am. It had to happen two more times before I put the "egg-beaters" on. I was such a chicken about using them it took me until the following morning to get up the courage to actually ride with them. I'm not even close to comfortable on the VKII yet and now I've got to get used to clip on pedals.

My hesitation as usual was for not however. As soon as I started riding with the "egg-beaters" I immediately had a sense of, "This is how it's supposed to feel". Not only do I not have to put any effort into getting clipped in (with minimal attention and normal pedaling the cleats seam to seat themselves) but I also have a much easier time climbing hills now. I think a lot of it is that I'm no longer putting any thought or energy into keeping my feet seated properly. I have fallen once (I tried to start out in high gear on gravel and sand covered dirt) with the clip-ones and I'd say with this extremely limited experience that you're safer with them as well. I was bright red by the time I unhooked myself which is definitely harder while lying on your side with a few people watching.

Every ride brings me just a little closer to riding the way I hoped I would when I first decided to buy this thing. It would have been a real drag if it turned out that this kind of bike was just not for me. I suppose I would have had to sell it for a huge loss. Luckily all is well and I now doubt seriously that I’ll ever go back to a normal bike.

For off road purposes I can’t see a recumbent though. I know there are some folks that are giving it the old college try but no one’s ever going to hop from one rock to another on a bent. Of course if you would have told me that there would be people doing double back flips while hanging on to the back of the seat of their BMX I would have said you’re nuts.

 

[sebowyer]

I had a huge "foot suck" accident the day before a major race - I was riding along on my newly-retuned LWB, no helmet but a baseball cap. The cap started to come off, and as I grabbed for it, I yanked one of the handlebars. The bike went out of control. Stupidly, I put my foot down to stop. The bike pirouetted around my right foot, then I fell over onto my left side and skidded along the road for a while. The results:
Bike - totally unharmed apart from a small scuff on one of the bar ends.
Me - road rash down my left side, holes in my (brand new) gloves, snapped all the ligaments in my right foot and was on crutches and physiotherapy for six months. A year later I was still getting pain. I was wearing SPD shoes, but I too was waiting to get "really good" before clipping them in. Now I only ride with clipped-in SPDs.

 

[singlespeedemon]

I had my first spill this morning at 5:30 am on a two-lane raod prepped for new asphalt. As it happened, I was blinding by oncoming car headlamps, hit a manhole cover (due to regrading it sticks up at least 1 inch), faltted my front and then hit a patch of gravel and wiped out on my left side.


Damage Report:

Bike:

1. Scuffed Stem
2. Scuffed Left Crank and Pedal
3. Scuffed Brake Levers

Me:

1. Left Knee
2. Back of left ankle
3. Right Elbow

I think my bike took the worst of it.

 

[sebowyer]

Sorry to hear about your spill - sounds like you got off lightly, although the bike might look a little the worse for it. Out of interest, were you wearing SPDs and, if so, were they clipped in?

 

[singlespeedemon]

Sorry to hear about your spill - sounds like you got off lightly, although the bike might look a little the worse for it. Out of interest, were you wearing SPDs and, if so, were they clipped in?

I use Crank Brothers Candy pedals...and yes I was clipped in. They release instantly, I found out, when you need them to.

 

[NORECUMYET]

I had my first spill this morning at 5:30 am on a two-lane raod prepped for new asphalt. As it happened, I was blinding by oncoming car headlamps, hit a manhole cover (due to regrading it sticks up at least 1 inch), faltted my front and then hit a patch of gravel and wiped out on my left side.


Damage Report:

Bike:

1. Scuffed Stem
2. Scuffed Left Crank and Pedal
3. Scuffed Brake Levers

Me:

1. Left Knee
2. Back of left ankle
3. Right Elbow

I think my bike took the worst of it.

Ouch! Sorry to hear about this but at least it sounds as if it wasn't too terrible. I hate to ride on the street. I really do hate it. Unless you've traveled a few times on the same route those unexpected things like you came across are a real drag.

My biggest fear is the one in every several thousand-auto drivers that think you as a cyclist have NO right to be on THEIR road. Yes I actually have had two different drivers tell me that I was on THEIR road. Can you say road rage? A few days ago I was out on a public street and some person thought it was perfectly O.K. to breeze by me at sixty plus MPH and less than one foot away from my left shoe. He or she was in zero traffic. No one on their left so it’s your guess as good as mine why this person thought this was a good idea.

Virtually all other drivers go to extremes to stay as far away from me as possible. Sometimes it’s almost ridiculous just how far away folks will stay. Especially now that I ride solely on a recumbent. It seems that riding a recum makes you much more visible than with a diamond frame. Anyhow most drivers are great about keeping their distance and it’s very much appreciated. Unfortunately it’s the rare idiot that keeps me going to the bike path along the river. It’s not very convenient but I know it’s much much safer.

As far as the rare idiot is concerned, well, I carry a cell phone just in case I have to call for help and if my BEAR REPELLENT accidentally ends up in my trip bag that’s O.K. too. Sometimes my middle finger has a mind of it’s own and acts out when these yahoos get too close or just plain yell stupid stuff out the window or even lay on the horn. That horn thing almost scares me into a spill every time.

Hey at least I leave the .45 at home now.