[SDizzle]

How often do you crash? I'm not talking fireballs and major wreckage, just sort of flopping over...mountain bike style, I guess. I've hit the ground twice in the last week, three times in the last two months. Once I got hit by a truck (there's a thread, not worth recounting); once I hit some sealed blacktop while turning into a p-lot, and spilled to one side; and today, I was sprinting with a friend - or thought I was, at least - touched his wheel, and fell over. Off-the-line track workouts, so I was only going about 8 mph this time, too.

I haven't gotten anything worse than a little road-rash and some bruises, but the worst part is my ego! I come from a mountain biking background, and went for five years on the road without even a minor crash. I had a lot of mtb crashes in that time, but that's par for the course. I'm a good bike-handler, but keeping having stupid spills. Never in a race, never on a wild-n-crazy descent. I feel like I've got some fine-motor-skill degeneration. I just keep falling over. (OK, twice - but that's still WAY too much for a road bike.) My bike (two-month-old Dean) looks like crap, but I've stopped caring about it. What's the deal? Anyone else have this problem?

 

[Visitor302]

I would not describe myself as an everyday type rider, but I've had my curent roadie a year now, and have yet to eat asphalt.
My MTB is is a '98 and I may have been bucke off that bronco maybe 3 times. I would also add that when I got this bike, I was a little "wizer" to what a bike can do to you.. (se below)
My BMX bike, on the other hand,,,, I cna't begin to coun the number of times we've zigge, when we should have zagged!

 

[magnolialover]

No...

How often do you crash? I'm not talking fireballs and major wreckage, just sort of flopping over...mountain bike style, I guess. I've hit the ground twice in the last week, three times in the last two months. Once I got hit by a truck (there's a thread, not worth recounting); once I hit some sealed blacktop while turning into a p-lot, and spilled to one side; and today, I was sprinting with a friend - or thought I was, at least - touched his wheel, and fell over. Off-the-line track workouts, so I was only going about 8 mph this time, too.

I haven't gotten anything worse than a little road-rash and some bruises, but the worst part is my ego! I come from a mountain biking background, and went for five years on the road without even a minor crash. I had a lot of mtb crashes in that time, but that's par for the course. I'm a good bike-handler, but keeping having stupid spills. Never in a race, never on a wild-n-crazy descent. I feel like I've got some fine-motor-skill degeneration. I just keep falling over. (OK, twice - but that's still WAY too much for a road bike.) My bike (two-month-old Dean) looks like crap, but I've stopped caring about it. What's the deal? Anyone else have this problem?

Maybe you should have that old inner ear checked?

I fall probably about 3-4 times per year, and those normally come during races, or in races when it's raining. That's about it. Although I did take a good spill back in the fall on a large group ride. Cruising at 30, stick in the road nobody in front of me bothered to call out. See result on my leg below (I'll spare you the arm stuff).

 

[pavedroad]

I usually only go down in races. My first road season, I went down almost every race, sheesh. It amazes me I stuck around. My handling and pack skills were pretty decent so usually I went down because there was a crash right in front of me. One time someone actually pushed me over. It wasn't a bump, he really came up to me and pushed me over while trying to get into the group. At least he aplogized afterwards. Another time I was avoiding a crash and endod over a cone. Apparently it looked quite hilarious.

 

[stihl]

My last crash was around a year ago (knock on wood). I remember not being able to push myself after that crash. I hesitated on downhills. It probably took a couple of weeks to get that confidence back.
I've had a LOT of close calls lately and I just consider myself very lucky. A lot of times, you just cannot avoid a crash in tight packs. My advice is to not think about crashing and if you're destined to go down, believe me..you will. That's just the nature of competitive cycling.
I'd rather crash on a bike a couple of times a year than not being on my bike at all.

 

[filtersweep]

I have a bad habit of taking my beater/winter commuter off-road... which usually asks for trouble (and mtn-bike style crashes).

 

[ericm979]

I crashed my road bike once, in 1986, when I first started riding seriously. I crossed wheels with the guy in front of me, went down hard and broke my tailbone. I trained and raced for six years after that with no crashes, and haven't crashed since I started riding again in 2000. Many close calls, no crashes.

Having posted this, I've probably jinxed myself and I'll fall down today.

 

[chuckice]

speak of the devil!!!
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=57624

 

[PaulCL]

"They" say

"they" say that a road cyclist will go down on average every 4500 miles or so. I read that in an article in Bicycling. ....Yes...I subscribe....mostly crap.....but for $12 per year why not.... I got sidetracked. I think the 4500 mile number includes Crit racers who go down more often than recreational cyclists. Personally, I have crashed or pavement surfed or slipped out, etc....two times in the last two seasons or about once every 4500 miles. I don't race.

I would say that your case is either: 1. A run of bad luck (most likely) 2. A balance problem 3. Poor bike handling skills (from your description, unlikely) or....you have offended the official god of cycling so that he is spating you with bad mojo Either way, please stay out of my paceline for a while, OK??

 

[mohair_chair]

As little as possible

I've only crashed once on my road bike in 10+ years of riding, and it was a good one. Laying it down at 35 mph on asphalt is not fun.

I can't count the number of crashes I've had on my mountain bike, but as you say, crashes aren't all that unusual on dirt. If you ain't crashing on your mountain bike, you ain't trying.

 

[Fredke]

Only one real crash in the last 2 years. Crit practice/cornering drills on a parking lot. I was leading an attack off the front of a fast paceline. I hit a corner hot, carved a nice line through it, entering at about 27 mph and no braking, but on the exit I started pedaling before I had the bike sufficiently upright. I touched a pedal and slid. Road rash and embarassment.

One other minor incident: I was JRA and took a slow turn onto a steep hill without downshifting enough. I couldn't turn the pedals and slowly toppled over before I could get my foot unclipped. No damage.

 

[SDizzle]

speak of the devil!!!

Holy crap. You win. That's a story you'll never get tired of telling, though. I mean, we have some birds of prey here in Colorado, but a falcon?

Heal quickly, and enjoy that morphine while you've got it.

 

[bigbill]

Barley.

On a group ride in Virginia Beach a few years ago, I was third in line turning onto another road when the two riders in front of me suddenly slid out. I went upright to miss them and rode across the intersection and landed safely in a ditch and only got a little dirty. They had slid out on some barley that had spilled out of a trailer earlier. It wasn't there on the way out. Otherwise, I average about two spills a year so the mileage thing works out for me. About a year ago was the big one that resulted in weekly trips to a dermatologist for six weeks until the skin grew back over my exposed ankle bone. Lots of antibiotics, no pictures.

 

[CC09]

I've taken a few getting into my pedals. this happened right after I adjusted the cleat position, I couldn't click in, and it would result in my going down at 3mph......most of the time i remained standing but the bike didn't. A week ago tmrw was my first real fall (knock on wood) see the "eating mud" form........touched a wheel and went into the embankment on the side of the road. I saved myself twice times from touched wheels in pacelines, once clicking out to extend a leg to save balance even. I saw plenty of crashes last weekend at the collegiate crit, 9 seperate fields, 1 relatively steep downhill + 90 degree turn = disaster, I saw multiple endo's, some nasty road rash.....one kid clean snapped the head off of his femur....that was bad.

 

[Len J]

My average is about once every 6,000 miles........

They range from minor spill outs in the winter due to ice to grave slideouts on curves, to major car/bike t-bones that ended up with a broken back, collorbone, and 2 ribs.

Hyper vigilence does help.

Len

 

[MaestroXC]

I've been road riding for about a year, and I've hit the ground 5 times; three dumbass mistakes, including one low speed curb scrape, and two attempts to get onto a sidewalk from the grass, once where there was a dropoff hidden in the grass, and one due to inattention.

One crash in a downhill, 130 degree crit turn, where my rear wheel slid out due to either hitting gravel or being nudged by another rider, or insufficient speed, or something. Big old road rash on the crease of my ass for this one. The EMT woman was nice, though.

One car impact, where I had the right of way and a woman in a minivan turned in front of me without looking. Low speed, and I wasn't really even injured, but my front wheel was trashed.

What can I say, they're all learning experiences.

 

[chuckice]

Holy crap. You win. That's a story you'll never get tired of telling, though. I mean, we have some birds of prey here in Colorado, but a falcon?

Heal quickly, and enjoy that morphine while you've got it.

no doubt...half the group was trying to help me and the rest were staring at the half-dead twitching bird! too bad no vids...had to be unreal to see this thing sqwaking & flapping in the wheels b4 getting crushed & sending me airborne at 25mph!

 

[Mr. Versatile]

What can I say, they're all learning experiences.

I try to learn from the mistakes of others. I figure I probably won't live long enough to make them all myself.

 

[lonefrontranger]

I average one big (meaning bike or body eating) crash every 18 months. but then I'm a crit racer. Little stupid crashes? oh my god. Depends on what I'm doing. Bumping drills with the group on grass, I may crash 3 or 4 times in one session...

last November / December I crashed 4 times in 2 weeks, all whilst commuting, and all but one were my own dumb fault. the one that wasn't my fault was pretty impressive; I endo'd, hit a parking meter and bruised the heck outa my shoulder / butt. Some wench, in a minivan, on a cellphone decided to use the bike lane as a right turn lane. I was occupying said bike lane on the fixte and tried an evasive manouevre that I've not the fixte skilz for. Wham, ow!

on the MTB or 'crossie... good lord I can't remember. I probably fall over once a week if I'm riding offroad a lot. Done some really humourous ones in 'cross races recently.

Most impressive non-fall recently was when what felt like half a tree came down on me in a windstorm. I had a bad moment where I was all swervy and kinda sideways, but didn't go down. Fortunately Chrome messenger bags are seriously tough and the bag saved me (and its contents) from any serious harm.

 

[Dave_Stohler]

The last time I crashed was the last time I raced-probably 1983.