Crashing....

[fatbikephil]

Anyone who has properly smashed themselves up in a bike crash ignore, this is for wusses like me who do stupid things....

So a month or so back I was out on the Krampus on a dark, but unseasonably dry and calm night. Semi fallen tree at trail side decides to grab hold of bars and wrench them from my hands. OTB I go but fortunately my dodgy knee broke my fall on the biggest rock on the (generally smooth) trail. I lay for a while wondering if I'd broken something and trying not to cry (too much) before staggering to my feet, picking the bike up, realising I was 10 miles from home and this was the only dry night forecast for the month and carried on. Gashed knee, another scar to add to the mosaic.

2 weeks ago, lifting bike over fence, somehow got tangled up in it and smashed pedal into sore knee (other side, another scar)

Today, pedaling to work, took bend in local town park at usual speed but both wheels on Strag disappear from under me and down I go. Bike has bent brake lever and scuffed bar tape, I've got a sore arse and hand and my nearly new Vaude overtrousers are shredded, sealskin glove ripped plus my fancy gore roadie jacket has a hole in it. I'm late for the train so jump straight back on and pedal off trying not to blubb too much...

As I hopped off the kerb at the office (to avoid Unison demo who had occupied the dropped kerb) exposure light leaps out of bracket and hits deck - scratched, dented and rear panel partially popped out.

Wanted - fluro yellow goretex patch.... and possibly some jigsaw puzzles to distract me from dangerous bike riding....

*sigh*

[redefined_cycles]

Oh dear. Sorry to hear that Phil. My first ever accident on the bike was also on my first ever mtb ride. I'd assumed I was mountain biking the years previous, but canal towpath and a few rocky trails here and there, I learnt, wasn't.

Anyway, first ever mtb charity ride. Colne Valley MTB Challenge. Going down the rocky track and I smashed myself up. Almost went in the bush and over the cliff. Only years years later I learnt there was no cliff, just bush and wall.

Anyway, that big whack in the knee took almost 15 years to fully recover from the phantom limb type of pain. Every time I went past there for at least 5 years, the excruciating pain would come straight on, like I'd just hit it then! Nerves...

[redefined_cycles]

Hope you get well soon.

[yourguitarhero]

I was out for a very easy ride (with a pal who doesn't really MTB) at a mini trail centre in some woods near the back of Falkirk.
Pretty family friendly stuff, green/blue grade stuff. Not even any drop offs.

Apart from one track which has an unsigned gap jump on it! I almost made it, but now have pedal pin scars down my shins that are still there after a year!

[thenorthwind]

Sucks, doesn't it. It's always the stupid, innocuous-seeming situations too. Damaging kit is annoying too, but at least it can be replaced. Shame it doesn't grow back like skin though!

[PaulB2]

My best crash was being taken out by a deer in California on the way to work 20 years ago or so. I was pootling along the road enjoying the sunshine, just entering the outskirts of one of the little towns on my route when I heard the skitter skitter of hooves on pavement and a large antlered deer shoots out between two parked cars and straight through my front wheel. I had enough time to wonder at how smooth and cool the deer's skin was as I impacted its shoulder and went flying over it before bouncing on the road and seeing my bike somersaulting in to the other lane. Luckily the cars in both directions stopped (the gap in the traffic must have been why the deer thought it was safe to cross the road) so I just ended up with a couple of cuts on my face and lots of road rash. Much to my amusement the police turned up and took photos of the visible marks in the road where my handlebars had impacted the ground and gave me an incident report so that I could claim off the deer for insurance. Alas, it had scarpered so I was unable to claim for the new front wheel, broken brifter, broken sunglasses and torn clothing - that was an expensive day. A very nice policewoman even gave me a lift to work so that I could get cleaned up so I can also say I got to ride in the back of a cop car.

[Lazarus]

Weirdest crash was rounding a corner, in rural single lane Devon, at the bottom of a hill so shifting when i encountered a buzzard with a kill.. It took off straight towards me and flew straight at my face (they are massive in this perspective with talons out) so i ditched to avoid it. Lying on the floor my head felt wet, felt it and thought my brain had leaked out but it was only a large amount of rabbit inards..

Crashing does indeed suck

[Alpinum]

[...]Lying on the floor my head felt wet, felt it and thought my brain had leaked out but it was only a large amount of rabbit inards..
[...]

Had to read it thrice. Really wasn't sure if you were trying to describe to us the inside of your head or the parts of the buzzard's prey. Now I realise it's just me being a bit slow. Might have some rabbit innards inside the otherwise mayonnaise (?) filled area of my head.

I never have crazy crashes or make mistakes. It's always the tyres or something.

4 out of 5 times I feel very, very lucky to get away with just bruises and scratches. It's rare I make mistakes in very exposed places, but come undone once or a couple of times each year when not paying attention and misjudge situations when riding in speeds with little room for error.

Last crash and first proper one (getting smacked to the ground... better; smacking myself to the ground) in 2024 was some 1.5 weeks ago. Very slippery conditions in an area (in)famous for just how slippery it gets when wet. Felt confident, letting the bike slip and slide and making sure I get the catch areas right. Thus I started to build up more and more momentum. Then the track dives down to the right and the surface completely changed and became deep and soft (still slimy). Thought I could find grip in a little rut and firmly placed the bike into what was just a heap of potato mash. Not my fault. Purely the earths fault. Front tyre exploded through the mash and instead of holding on in the new direction the bike was trying to lead mem I tried to pull it back on track and went all over the place doing so until I hit the ground. Another bruised and detached periost, another car on my shin (hit a rock), another periostal ossification, one big fat hematoma on the inside of my thigh from successfully twisting the saddle, then a few minor scratches and some minor bruises elsewhere. Thankfully no knock to the head.

Had a strange "controlled crash" or "uncontrolled dismount" (I like to think it's the same) couple of weeks ago when I rode a section where it's fairly steep down the woods on a barely existing track followed by a sharp left hand turn onto a single tack. I was used to ride this part on my bigger bikes with chunky tyres and more travel. Riding it on a faster and less supportive tread aboard my short travel trail bike I completely messed it up, forgot what I was riding and had the rear tossed around nearly 180° throwing me backwards off the bike. I somehow managed to run it out without tripping. That was a bit weird. Not the first time I tried to do a pirouette.

Crashing does indeed suck

Thankfully that doesn't always apply in my case. But yes, in general they do. Thankfully times have changed and it became very rare for me to be injured for months at a time. Fingers crossed...

Oh... yesterday a driver pulled over without indicating and thanks to my magic powers to endo around a fekn car we didn't even touch. Ha! Didn't get me that bastard