"How many times must a rider fall off...?

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
oneten
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"How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by oneten »

....before you can call him/her a cyclist?" :wink: Sorry to have to adapt the old Bob Dylan song title here but are falls something that are inevitable for all cyclists? It's just that my wife is worried at the frequency with which I have come off my bike in the past 9 months or so. I rationalize and assure her that I am careful and that all cyclists come off now and again and I suppose I am also justifying it in my own mind.

I recognize incidents where the cause has been my misjudgment (too fast and braking too late in the wet approaching a junction), low speed overbalancing (coat caught over back of seat and didn't get out of toe-clips in time; as well as trying to turn in too tight a circle at hardly any speed and simply overbalancing resulting in badly bruised ribs).

While still recovering from the last one though, I came off on a longish journey in the rain when the bike just inexplicably went from under me at speed on a wet road and I slid on my left side into the verge. :o I just couldn't understand how quickly it happened - no warning at all, bang, just like that. It was only when looking back I could see the slight ridge in the tar running parallel to the roadside which must have been concealed by rainwater. No doubt the road surface was pretty slick too after a prolonged dry spell of hot weather. A couple of motorists kindly pulled over and helped me up and after straightening the bars, I carried on, only really feeling the pain later on with a massive bit of 'road burn' on my knee and elbow and a bruised shoulder.

So is it just me? Has my wife got a point? I still say the health benefits outweigh the risks but it's making me become over cautious. Is it all some kind of secret initiation ceremony I am unaware of before entering the ranks of 'proper cyclists' ? :?
rualexander
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by rualexander »

30 years of cycling, only come off once on a greasy wet corner three years ago with Schwalbe Kojak tyres.
Its not normal to come off regularly.
reohn2
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by reohn2 »

Some questions:-
How old are you?
How long have you been cycling?
When did you last have your eyes tested?
Is your coordination OK when not cycling?
Do you drive,if so how often do you crash your car?

Wet weather conditions seem to feature in you tumbles.
What kind of bike do you ride?
What size tyres?
What psi do have in them?
What make and model of tyre?
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maxcherry
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by maxcherry »

Not your fault. Some folk have more of a gravitational pull than others and you seem to be one of those that have it :wink:
Honestly chaps, I'm a female!
Richard D
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by Richard D »

I seem to manage one heavy fall per year.

Got away with the first two, but this year's heavy fall (front wheel went over a manhole cover while going downhill, on a bend, in the wet) smashed my femur.

As a result, I'll not be on the bike for the rest of 2015, and don't know how much riding I'll do in 2016. Which will hopefully skew the odds a bit more in my favour.
pwa
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by pwa »

I average one fall every few years, mostly down to ice. On tight, low speed turns I am generally cautious and put a foot on the floor if in doubt. As for toe clips, I gave them up partly because they sometimes catch on shoe laces. Instead I adopted Shimano SPD pedals with cleated shoes, which I find much easier to free my feet from. But people new to "system" pedals (with cleats) can have trouble remembering the release technique in moments of stress, resulting in tumbles. For you, with your gravity issues, that could be another cause of bruising.
Phil Fouracre
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by Phil Fouracre »

Oh, go on, can we make this another helmet thread :-) interesting, you do seem to have a few problems! When you explain the individual incidents you do seem to understand the cause. It might seem to be stating the bleedin' obvious, but, could you not assess the situations before, rather than after? Too fast in wet weather, looking ahead, at road surface etc (earlier poster suggested optician) not trying to be unkind, but, you do seem to be a bit prone to the effects of gravity.
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity
oneten
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by oneten »

Thank you- there are some very helpful comments which are food for thought - especially Phil's about assessing a situation before rather than after the event - prevention definitely being better than cure!

As for reohn2's checklist:

How old are you? 58
How long have you been cycling? about 8 years
When did you last have your eyes tested? 3 weeks ago - close vision need reading glasses but long vision good
Is your coordination OK when not cycling? Not always - had minor stroke 3 yrs ago which has affected ear. Am awaiting a neuro test.
Do you drive,if so how often do you crash your car? Don't normally drive but before I sold car, never had a crash.

I must admit, my wife's main worry is in connection with after effects of stroke despite my protestations to the contrary. To be honest, I think I just need to take more care as it does seem that the number of falls is above average and a more serious one could come if not. As for the most recent, it was on a flat road but awful rain and lots of surface water. I was doing about 15 mph and just couldn't believe it when I fell off again - I felt indignant that it 'wasn't my fault' but there is always a cause and it was only looking bacjk that I saw the ridged ' tramline' effect of the tarmac. If I'd've slid towards the middle of the road rather than the side it could've been a different outcome and I probably wouldn't be writing this post now.
Vorpal
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by Vorpal »

I can count on one hand the numbers of times I've come off my bike in the last 30 years. The last time it happened (this spring), I stopped my bike on gravel, and when I set my foot down, I set it on a rock I didn't realise was there, and turned my ankle. The bike was already leaning, so we both went over. I had nice gravel scrapes on my leg and elbow. The previous time was 4 or 5 years ago, when I fell on ice.

If I had a spate of accidents like that, I'd think about how I was riding, but I'm really quite cautious. My work is on top of a hill (1000 feet kind of hill) and descending, I tend to assume that I might find some gravel or other hazard in the road, going round a bend, and I don't let my speed get too high, especially if it's raining. It's normal that other cyclists overtake me on my descent, and I almost never overtake others.

I wouldn't wear a coat that can get caught on the saddle. I don't wear any loose clothes on the bicycle (except for a cycling cape sometimes), and if I remove something, it goes into a rack bag or pannier.

Diesel could explain what sent you off the road in your recent incident. Diesel can be all but invisible, especially in the rain, and it's extremely slippery.

However... given your medical history, I might discuss the problem with a consultant or GP. You will either be able to tell you wife definitively that it hasn't affected you, or you may find that it has, and they can help you sort it out. It maybe that your stroke has affected your balance; the inner ear has functions related to both hearing and balance. If your stroke has affected your balance, it could explain the spate of accidents, and perhaps the solution is to try a trike or recumbent, instead of a standard bicycle.
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reohn2
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by reohn2 »

oneten wrote:Thank you- there are some very helpful comments which are food for thought - especially Phil's about assessing a situation before rather than after the event - prevention definitely being better than cure!

As for reohn2's checklist:

How old are you? 58
How long have you been cycling? about 8 years
When did you last have your eyes tested? 3 weeks ago - close vision need reading glasses but long vision good
Is your coordination OK when not cycling? Not always - had minor stroke 3 yrs ago which has affected ear. Am awaiting a neuro test.
Do you drive,if so how often do you crash your car? Don't normally drive but before I sold car, never had a crash.

I must admit, my wife's main worry is in connection with after effects of stroke despite my protestations to the contrary. To be honest, I think I just need to take more care as it does seem that the number of falls is above average and a more serious one could come if not. As for the most recent, it was on a flat road but awful rain and lots of surface water. I was doing about 15 mph and just couldn't believe it when I fell off again - I felt indignant that it 'wasn't my fault' but there is always a cause and it was only looking bacjk that I saw the ridged ' tramline' effect of the tarmac. If I'd've slid towards the middle of the road rather than the side it could've been a different outcome and I probably wouldn't be writing this post now.

The bike and tyres/tyre pressures could also have something to do with it too.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Cycling is excellent activity to reduce the risk of future strokes. That needs to be balanced against other factors.

If your balance has been compromised then there are alternatives...
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
axel_knutt
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by axel_knutt »

My last three falls were:

2011: Slipped on the muddy towpath at Skipton using road tyres. Only my dignity hurt, I finished upside down in the rhododendrons at the bottom of the embankment.
2006: Knocked off by a car pulling out in front of me. Minor cuts and bruises, but there was quite a bit of damage to bike and clothes.
~1990: Crank broke. No bones broken, but I was bruised too badly to sleep on my right side for about 3 weeks. New chainset and bartape for the bike.

I never wear clothes that can catch on the bike, Re: shoelaces, I tuck the ends of the bow under where the laces loop from one hole to another, otherwise the chainset snaps them like cotton if they catch in it.
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LollyKat
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by LollyKat »

Did you cycle much as a child?
How many times have you fallen off in the last 8 years (not counting the recent ones you've described)?
Have you fallen off more frequently in the last 3 years, i.e. since your stroke?

Many of us have ridden since we were children and learned the hazards of wet corners, gritty corners, brake failure in the wet (think chrome rims!), and how to manage rear wheel skids and do slow speed tight turns at an age when we didn't have far to fall and just bounced without much damage.

Experience helps a lot - you have now learned to take care on wet roads, make sure your clothes and shoes don't catch, and be extra careful with tight turns (maybe take your feet out of the clips first). I fell off a few years ago on a converted railway path running through woodland: I steered off the edge of the tarmac to avoid a large branch which had come down in a recent gale, thinking that the verge was solid earth. It was soft leaf mould and my narrow-ish front wheel sunk right in -- it was like being caught in a tramline. I had been riding slowly and carefully but that was a hazard that I hadn't thought of before.

Remember too that some tyres are worse than others in the wet, and that bikes handle differently. Just because one person can do a very tight turn on their bike doesn't mean that you can do it on your one.
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mjr
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by mjr »

I think my last three cycling falls were:
2013 - Ice. I shouldn't have been riding. I now either ride on spiked tyres or wait until after the thaw.
2012 - ran myself over, then fell onto the bike. Bikes don't reverse well.
~1994 - rode onto left verge below level of tarmac, failed to cross back at sharp enough angle, so fell onto the tarmac.

I've been in a few other collisions in that time, but so far I seem to land on my feet or jump off more often than falling over. I don't like falling over.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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TonyR
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Re: "How many times must a rider fall off...?

Post by TonyR »

It all depends on what cycling you are doing

Learning to ride - fall a lot
Learning to use clipless pedals - fall a few times always in front of a crowd
Mountain biking - if you're not falling off you're not trying hard enough
Road biking - shouldn't be falling off
Unicycling - if you haven't fallen off I don't believe you.
Racing - comes with the territory.
Cycling back from the pub - we won't mention that.
:wink:
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