So a cyclist is riding a straight-bar hybrid across the street from the GetGo gas station on Baum Boulevard in North Oakland. He's riding pretty fast on the sidewalk (first mistake) while not only talking on a cell phone (second mistake), but holding the phone to his right ear with his right hand (third mistake). Approaching the intersection of S. Milvale and Baum he has a green light to cross, but an ambulance -- lights off, siren silent -- decides to make a Pittsburgh left directly in front of him, cutting him off, nearly running him over. He grabs hard for the brake, but since he grabs with his left hand (front wheel), he flips over the handlebars and, in the process of falling, breaks his left arm.
Do you have a similarly embarrassing -- or perhaps more interesting and less embarrassing or just ridiculous -- bike falling story to tell? If so, please let me know. I'm curious. I'll be here and checking e-mail -- anidiazabala@yahoo.com.
Wow, that's really embarassing. Fourth mistake: it sounds like you were riding against traffic -- not all sidewalks are created equal, and riding upstream is twice as dangerous as riding downstream.
I hope you don't do these again!
My only embarassing bike-falling story involves turning fast into the parking lot of my workplace and hitting gravel right in front of the big corner conference room.
What newspaper are you writing for?
My most embarrassing fall (not counting yesterday's digger on the ride home from work--ahem) was along Mount Royal Boulevard. I had sat up, hands off the bars, to adjust my pack, and when I went to grab the bars again, I pretty much missed and ended up on the ground. Ooops.
Learning to use my clipless pedals I had several 0 mph crashes. Here's a highlight: I lived in Morgantown at the time, and I teach there too (still do). I was practicing with my pedals in a busy park when I fell over, only to hear the happy exclaims of "hey, there's my statistics teacher!" Joy of joys.
i think about twice i've done the ole, couldn't get the shoe out of the toe-clip thing, and sorta tipped over and hit the ground like a sack of wet feathers
how about the old tighten the top cap but not the actual stem on a threadless system and turn with the handlebars and the wheel doesn't follow... i have only done this once that resulted in bleeding...
Oh, I forgot my really most embarassing one. I was about ten years old, and I'd got my pants leg caught in the chain of my Schwinn. While looking down and trying to free it, I ran into the back of a parked car. Yeah, that's the most embarassing.
Maybe it's not a newspaper you write for? C'mon, don't keep us guessing.
I've had two really, terribly bad crashed from putting my head down for a second. I've put in thousands of miles and done incredibly stupid things on a bicycle, but my worst crashes are complete rider error...
Went out for "one last lap" on my first night ever on the Washington Oval. Clipped the turn three fence with my bars after putting my head down for a second to put one more big push into the pedals and hit the bank high, went over the fence at full speed, tore my right bicep, dislocated my left shoulder and hyperextended both elbows. Ouch.
Was riding my mountain bike on Friendship Ave right after the circle where it narrows a bit and cars are parked on the right. A car was coming up behind me and a car was coming towards me so I squeezed over. At the time I was riding my mountain bike less and less and had just put some 27" wide bars on it. Clipped a parked car's mirror, folded my brand new ( >25 miles) front wheel in half, dislocated my left shoulder again, opened up my face and chin and potentially fractured my cheekbone. Ouch again.
I've had lots of other spectacular falls, but those are definitely the most memorable. The scars from each help keep the stories fresh.
My first day in clipless pedals I am riding to an intersection with Braddock Ave where I expected to make a right turn after yielding. I had to stop and I tipped over while cars honked at me.
My first day on my new mountain bike and my first bike with disc brakes, it was December and the trail was pretty snowy. I over-estimated the power of the new brakes, couldn't slow down fast enough and hit a railing which sent me, and my brand new bike over the railing head over heels.
Hahah Lyle I did almost the same but I was a lot older than 10. I was riding in Frick and wrecked, then on the way home in the Beechwood "bike" lane I had my head down trying to see if my rear wheel was bent. Smacked straight into a Volvo - luckily it was wagon so my wheel hit the bumper, my helmet hit the window, and I just kinda stopped. Glad I had a helmet on though.
@imakwik1: Swapped the stem on my mountain bike & test rode it to work & realize the stem's crooked. Decide to straighten it when I go to leave... yup, only preloaded the top cap. But I still made it the whole ride to work. Conclusions: 1) I turn by leaning and 2) I preload my headset too much.
Here's the strategy I developed to not make the loose stem mistake; never straighten the stem if you don't immediately tighten the bolts. I did it at a bike shop once and was mortified, hence the new rule.
I fell over doing a trackstand and some homeless guy walked up to me and just shook his head and walked off while I was on the ground.
I also like this one a lot:
http://www.pbase.com/mayhew/image/56652950
I fell over doing a trackstand and some homeless guy walked up to me and just shook his head and walked off while I was on the ground.
I did the same in the tunnel of the Kaufman's building on Cherry Way once. No interaction with a homeless guy--just me blocking traffic while I sorted out what happened.
It's early in the morning, I'm sleep deprived, and riding to work. I've just crested a big hill. I'm a former fixed rider who still stubbornly avoids shifting whenever possible, so I've been in a relatively high gear, and as soon as I top the hill I absentmindedly keep exerting about the same effort and start going quite fast down the hill. My brain doesn't get the cue to switch from low-vigilance-slogging-uphill-at-8-mph to high-vigilance-speeding-downhill at 20 mph.
As I recall I idly reach up to scratch my face or pick my nose or something just as my other hand decides I should make a quick adjustment to avoid some insignificant obstacle like little a branch or pothole. Now that I'm traveling faster it ends up being a bigger adjustment than I thought, so I quickly try to get my scratchin' hand back on the handlebars. At this point my sleep-deprived brain decides I'm reaching for my old drop bars rather than my relatively-recently-added bullhorns. I miss the handlebar and my upper body half sprawls over my bike. I use my free hand to jerk the bike back the other way and somehow I manage to remain balanced.
By the time my body is upright again and I have both hands back on the handlebars I'm vacillating between overcorrecting one direction and the other. I realize despite my best efforts I am now heading inevitably towards a curb and a very large tree, both about 20 feet away.
Suddenly everything is proceeding in slow motion. I recall audibly sighing, removing both feet from my toe clips, standing up, and jumping off the bike just before I'm about to hit the curb. The bike glances off the side of the tree and ends up on the sidewalk, basically unharmed. Meanwhile I'm airborne on the other side of the tree, narrowly avoiding the trunk. Somehow I twist and writhe so I avoid a jagged sidewalk slab the tree roots have created and land first on my shoulderblade and roll over 3 or 4 times. Miraculously, other than a few bruises and mild roadrash (sidewalkrash?) I'm unhurt.
As I'm standing up I'm quite satisfied with myself, feeling like I've harnessed previously untapped acrobatic powers to defy the laws of physics, dive past a variety of obstacles, execute a neat tuck and roll, slowly decelerate my body from 20mph, and get up unscathed. Then I start to notice the external world again: just feet away on the sidewalk there's a guy walking his dog. There's a 30-something mom in a minivan stopped in the middle of the intersection. They're both staring at me slackjawed.
"Are you ok?" the dogwalker asks, his voice a mix of bewilderment and concern. I realize from their faces that to the small crowd of onlookers this wasn't an olympic-level acrobatic feat, but a cyclist on a lazy residential road who inexplicably decided to wobble directly into a tree and then dive onto the sidewalk in a spastic fit. They probably thought I was some combinations of suicidal, narcoleptic, or epileptic.
I mumble out a "yeah, I'm fine thanks." Keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact, I get back on my bike and ride away as fast as I possibly can.
That is an epic fall Kramhorse. Congrats.
you had the perfect opportunity to mimic pee wee herman and say "I meant to do that"
guess you blew it
This is definitely a thread I can feel at home in! I've definitely had a few doosies...
Anyone who's ever ridden clipless has had the standard 0 mph tipovers so I won't count those, but I do have two that come to mind.
I had been out of the saddle for longer than I could remember. I had just bought a new hybrid and was headed out for my very first ride on it. Everything went well until I got 1/4 mile from Highland Park and decided I was out of shape and needed to pull off and take a drink. Well the side street I pulled onto wasn't quite level. I wasn't really paying attention and let go of the breaks as I was dismounting... Whoops. I went right over the handle bars. Threw my chain, scratched everything on the bars (grips, shifters, brake levers...), snapped off the trail bell, scratched up the seat, roughed up a pedal (which was already razor sharp...), and opened up a nice gash in my leg. I was quite embarrassed and went straight home after I collected myself and put the chain back on. (To this day I have still NEVER been to Highland Park...)
The other was earlier this summer. I was up in Erie with the girlfriend visiting her parents. We decided we were going to go out to Presque Isle and do some riding. We borrowed her parents' bikes and head out. We no sooner started out on the trail and the front brake felt like it was dragging a bit. Of course, the over-confident genius I am, I decided I could reach down and check it without stopping... (You can see where this is headed.) Sure enough, as soon as my hand touched the caliper I go right over the bars. I tore up my hand (I ALWAYS ride with gloves but didn't have any of my own gear with me), elbow, and knee pretty bad. Luckily I fell to left of the path where I ended up in grass and dirt after skidding across the concrete. Had I gone right I would have probably knocked myself out going head first into the large jagged rocks before falling unconsciously into the bay and drowning (of course no one's helmet fit me either...). To make things even more fun, none of the restrooms on Presque have paper towels to wipe up some of the blood. (The one I tried didn't even have running water, just Purell.) Needless to say, our ride ended as soon as it began. Of course, every single gaping wound was on a major joint so any form of movement hurt like a mo'fo for about a week.
The wounds have just about healed but the loss of pride will probably never go away after that one. (I know she'll never let me live it down...)
OMG! Purell in road rash!! AAAAAAGGGH! I'm going to have nightmares tonight 
From age 10, I recall purposely driving the bike into a patch of sand, the remnants of a concrete-mixing operation for a foundation my father was pouring. Note to self: Do not stiffly apply the front hand brake in a sandpile while doing upwards of 20 mph. I landed on my back about 20 feet beyond the bike, and it was a very long minute before I could breathe.
On July 5, I was exploring a path near Duck Hollow, trying to find Carrie Furnace. What I was on might best be described as a deer path. A large vine caught my pedal as I went past, probably less than walking speed, but it stopped me dead. I fell kinda diagonally, landing mainly on my left wrist. Nothing broken, no obvious bleeding, but I started bleeding under the skin of my wrist rather significantly. I was able to keep going, but my entire lower arm was purple and green for over a week.
i bit it in the rain the other night. i somehow needed to go to the shadyside giant eagle right as they closed, so i got my stuff and headed out, went out the driveway nearest negley, clipped in. i'm carrying a relatively light bag of groceries in my right hand.
oh, and it's raining pumas and coyotes, and i had ridden my longest ride of the year through penn hills earlier in the day. somehow, and i have no idea how this happened, i found myself headed toward the curb after i went out the driveway, in desperate need of braking. i braked, but too hard, then found myself losing my balance. i tried to compensate, and next thing i know, the front tire is moving laterally. this all happened in about 0.17 seconds, so any passers-by, had there been any, would've seen a d00d on a bicycle going forward and suddenly spilling over inexplicably onto the pavement.
i unclipped once i hit the ground, of course, and got up to find my tape job still intact, but my hoods bent inwards at about 45 degrees. both of them. i only fell one way. how does that happen?
oh, and a couple weeks ago, i was going down a gravel-covered 20+ percent slope at, oh, about 3 mph, and the front tire was suddenly not underneath me. it doesn't seem to matter how slow you're going, when you've got that far to fall.
1. Age 4, first bike, promised my parents that I would not ride my bike down the hill. I rode my bike down the hill and drifted into the drainage ditch. 18 stitches later, and you can still see the scar today.
2. Age 10, just repaired my first flat. Rode down the same aforesaid hill, looking backwards at my beautiful repair job, and I hit the front of a parked car that was facing up the hill. I cracked their windshield and left a large Huffy-shaped impression on their hood.
3. Age 29, Blvd of the Allies, 5am riding to the Southside hospital (to Bates for a fast connect to the jail trail), 20+ mph, literally singing Cat Stevens' "If you want to be free be free..." hit what had been a pot hole but was repaired by the city to be a dome-shaped launching pad, veered into the jersey barriers on the bridge, flipped up and over landing on my helmet. I walked away with road rash but no serious injuries. 1 year later, and I have a scar shaped like Africa on my wrist.
Worst fall for me:
Unnoticed leaki in front tire while riding Smallman headed outbound. Slow down for the stop sign at 28th, begin right turn to head up to Polish Hill. Sundden front tire wash out, sudden impact of face into sidewalk ramp. Friend riding in front of me had time to look back and see my head rebounding off the cment and tooth fragments shooting from my mouth.
Two lessons learned. First, even high quality rim tape can slide on the rim exposing spoke holes and causing flats. Second, larger sized Panaracer Pasela are the most unpredictable tire when flat I've ever ridden. I think it is the super thick tread combined with relatively thin sidewalls.
Whoa: Thanks for your responses everyone.
Regarding my intro post: The cyclist in question (eh-hem) actually wasn't riding against traffic -- he was riding on the... north(?) side of Baum Boulevard, next to the Mini dealership, heading toward Craig. Still, three inexcusable and embarrassing mistakes ain't bad.
Which newspaper am I writing for? Definitely not a newspaper. But maybe somewhere. Some of these stories are incredible.
Seems like clipless pedals are a main culprit. I've certainly had my share of 0mph tiimmmmberrrs.
Heard a really odd one today involving a friend who had a bike literally thrown at him while riding along Penn Avenue in the Strip District... Someone apparently became very frustrated with a flat tire and decided to chuck his bike into the freaking street. Friend was unable to avoid the flung bicycle, took a major spill, messed his back up. More on that as details emerge. My first reaction was "File a damn police report." (WTF?)
Anyone have any "victim of thoughtless idiocy" stories?
wow -that made me think of one of my favorite quotes:
"there are a lot of stupid people in the world - some of them ride bikes" -Brad Q
i did smoothly avert a crash once, due to someone else's stupid fall. i was riding in NYC, on a bike path from coney island, and there were a couple young dudes, maybe late teens in front on bikes, who were riding slow and obviously kinda new. they were wobbling all over the place, i wanted to get past them, so began the approach. one of them, of course, slammed on his brakes super fast, wobbled into his friend's path, and fell perpendicular across the bike path, with me heading straight for him and no time to stop without catastrophe (it was a coaster brake bike). i was able to use my quick wits and aim for his back wheel, and actually pedal harder so i could use the wheel as a ramp to launch myself into safety. i felt like the dukes of hazzard after.
THAT is awesome.
erok: Pics or it didn't happen
That does sound awesome tho and I do have mental images of the various camera shots repeating your jump with the obligatory zooming woosh sounds as you clear the other riders.
in my head i actually launched off the wheel, onto the hood of a Hummer, and over the street
I have two "victim of thoughtless idiocy" stories. Few years back, I was late for an appointment, biking through a college campus probably faster than I should have been. This particular campus was closed off to auto traffic, so only bikes were cruising around the full width roads. The roads lack normal intersections, instead opting for European style round-a-bouts, to keep the bike traffic flowing. As I cruised straight through one of these round-a-bouts at 25+ MPH, I glanced left, nobody in the circle, glanced right, nobody coming, so I kept going full speed.
What I didn't account for the foreign student, obviously new to biking, going around the dang circle the wrong way (making a left would usually require going almost all the way around the circle, but he was taking a short cut). I don't really know what happened, but somehow my front wheel got turned, and I went flying. When I got up and realized what had just happened, I noticed the sidewalk full of people, some of which were screaming, some were yelling to call 911, but all had looks of horror. The guy going the wrong way was apparently just fine, he said "I sorry" and kept cruising. I had some pretty nasty road rash on my face, and a big enough cut on my chin to provide ample blood for the onlookers to scream about. I think it was only 3 or 4 stitches, but holy crap can your face bleed. Since the perpetrator left, in my embarrassment, I yelled "I'm fine!" and proceeded to skip my appointment and bike to the ER.
My second story was from an attempt to break the world record for largest bike parade. There were around 1800 bikes lined up, single file, biking around campus on a 2 mile route. The pace was pretty slow, probably 6-13 MPH, stop and go. So we weaved around campus on this route, and I had a group of dorky looking high school guys right behind me. The whole time they were chatting and not really paying a lot of attention to where they were going. Towards the end of this parade route, they had the University's cheerleaders standing there next to the bike path cheering us on. It just so happened the pace of the parade had slowed down from about 12-14 MPH to 0 right at that moment. All 4 of these teenagers went crashing into the back of my bike one after the other, falling over on top of the shocked looking cheerleader. I guess they were too busy staring at the "scenery" to notice that the parade had slowed down 
Victim-of-Idiocy Department: I'm on a major city street in Buffalo NY, on a cheap 27" road bike. I was maybe 16, 17, obeying the rules, and generally enjoying my summer evening ride around the city. (Most of South Buffalo is very flat.) Out of nowhere come two kids on a 20", one pedaling, one on the handlebars. Steering was badly compromised. Of course they're on the wrong side of the street and weaving all over the place, going nowhere in particular, half in the parking lane, half in the traffic lane. I was going pretty quick. In short, there was no avoiding them; they plowed right into me, head-on. Fortunately for me, my bike took most of the hit: front wheel tacoed, with me and my frame pivoting around their mass to collide with their rear wheel. Fortunately for everyone, no broken bones or serious road rash. To add further insult to bike injury, they picked themselves up and rode away, unapologetic, in the same seating configuration, without a scratch on their bike. Mine was trashed.
Most embarassing crash to date: Saturday morning I loaded up the new-to-me tandem on the roof of my (aluminum-bodied ) automobile for a weekend up at Presque Isle. I was worried about the security of my lodgings, so I made a detour downtown to pick up my U-lock and cable which I leave fastened to the bike rack. In the Forbes Garage. Yeah. I'm still sick about that, and it's going to be very expensive to fix the roof, fender, trunk and passenger's window of my car. The bike itself isn't too bad. I didn't like those handlebars anyway, and the only other thing that is really broken is the front brake.
Would-have-been next most embarassing crash: since I was unable to repair the rack, I had to ride the (broken) bike home. I wasn't about to leave it downtown, locked up or otherwise. I knew the tires were kind of soft, but it was starting to rain so I just straightened the bars, checked the shifting and took off toward home. The ride home was mostly uneventful, until the final right turn, which I took a little too hot. The front tire rolled sideways and started to wash out. I had just enough time to think "I am so effing stupid (again)," but managed to catch it and keep it upright, and coasted home, chastened.
Victim of thoughtless idiocy: a few years back, on group ride down Williams St from the top of Mt Washington, I was second from last and doing about 40 mph. We were approaching a sharp left curve and a rider blew his line and low sided. I start to panic about my own speed through the corner, and fear that I will also low side or will hit him leaving the corner, because he's not completely off the road. You know, your tires only have so much friction on the road. You can spend it on braking, or you can spend it on turning, but not both. I was pretty sure I was at the limit already, but I started to tighten up my line, when the rider directly behind him, and directly in front of me, decided to slam on her brakes and stop directly in my line. So now I'm fully panicking. Somehow, and I'll never figure out how, I managed to straighten it up, take off some speed, go around her and then back inside the downed rider and I start to get back on the brakes when the next rider up starts to pull a U-turn to go back. In the middle of the lane. Directly in front of me. Despite slowing down I'm still moving at a good clip -- maybe 20mph. All I had time was to think "this is going to hurt a lot", brace myself and lighten up on the bars, and then he hit me. His front tire hit my front wheel, and instantly spun and slammed his handlebars into my thigh. I went sideways about a foot, I guess, fishtailed madly, but miraculously didn't go down. He, of course, was flung to the deck with a tacoed wheel and had to get a ride home. I rode home with my brake-lever rash, and yes, I did take a picture, though I'm not completely sure where it is now.
How about a non-wreck story? I was having a discussion with a friend of mine about rear vs front brake usage, he insisted I used my rear brake too much.
So, I decided to do a "demonstration". I rode down the street and turned around, and as I came flying back by him with my right hand in the air, I squeezed the front for all I was worth. I'm not sure exactly what I *expected* to happen, but the good thing was I braked so hard that I cleared the bar entirely and pretty much landed on my feet.
How about a non-wreck story?
Last week I was riding home after a rainstorm went through town. The bike I was riding I had purchased on Cinco de Mayo and came with slicks that I haven't switched out yet.
So the roads are damp and I find myself traveling towards the point on Liberty Ave. I coast to a trackstand and wait to make a left onto Fifth. Traffic clears briefly and I gun it to make the left when all of sudden my rear tire slips. I do a complete 180 in the middle of the intersection. Cars stop in both directions, but no one honks.
Miraculously, I didn't fall. I continued on to Fifth, and it took the entire block up to Wood Street for me to process what had happened.
Was Nice.
thoughtless idiocy: my last wreck in traffic. and possibly my only wreck in traffic, as the only other wreck i've had, i don't remember, due to the pretty serious concussion i sustained.
anyway: i'm heading south on liberty, which i just got onto from mathilda in bloomfield. over that block, i hit the pedals hard (i had just started home from work), and shift up until i'm going probably around 20 mph. dead in the middle of the lane. i have a green light, and no one is in front of me. a white van waiting to turn left onto millvale from the opposite direction on liberty decides that there's no automobile traffic moving through the intersection, so it must be safe to turn. i see the broad side of a van in front of me, and (this next part happens in less than a second) brake in a panic, start to skid out, let up the brakes, and hold the front brake as hard as i can without losing control, knowing what's coming up isn't going to tickle. at the last instant, i turned the wheel hard right and led with my shoulder, bounced off the side of the van, and landed in the middle of the intersection. i got up and took stock of first, of course, my bike, then of myself. my shoulder hurt (it was a mild acromioclavicular sprain, for those who care--took about a month to heal), and my wheel was slightly out of true, but that was it. the d00d was nice, stopped right away, got out and apologized, saying he didn't see me. lucky for him, i'm not the litigious type, and didn't do anything medically other than consult the surgeons i worked with. now i have a sixth sense that helps me know when people will turn in front of me, and i've had no problems five years later.
and this past weekend. i was doing the dirt road ramble and going down old mill road with 8 other guys. the road had a high crown and a low ditch near the edge, and was a steep downhill. i was (perhaps foolishly) riding on 23mm tires, and traction concerns allowed the crown to force me to the edge of the road around a turn, where i dropped off into the semi-ditch at the edge of the road. this was filled with thick gravel, and i was going a good 22 mph, and was fighting hard to get out of it. then, the ditch sort of just disappeared, and it was no longer possible to ride in it. in that instant, i saw in my head the vision of my body hurtling over the poison-ivy-covered berm, still attached to the bike, and perhaps hitting a tree or two along the way. miraculously, though, i managed to run off the road, lay the bike down, unclip, and get my leg over the top tube, landing at a run and staying on my feet. i'm convinced that it was the most graceful anyone looked that day. and i didn't even get poisoned by any of the ivy.
As perhaps the only direct witness, I'll vouch for the impressiveness of your bike to running transition.
More on the simple art of falling: At least three times, I've fallen backward off the unicycle and landed on my knees. Don't ask me how. (I said three; it might be more like five or six. Three I can remember details of the event.)
Guess I'll use this thread for my first post on this site. I've had two crashes within the past year, one here in Pittsburgh and one back home in New Orleans.
I was mountain biking in Frick Park for the first time last fall, so I had no idea where I was going or what was ahead. I came up to this short section of downhill switchbacks, and for some reason at the bottom there a tree trunk across the path. I had no time to brake and it was too big to jump so I simply ran into it and fell over. Luckily, I only had a couple of minor scrapes, but I'm sure I looked like an idiot.
Second crash, I was home for spring break, riding along the lakefront of Lake Pontchartrain on the weekend, when two of the four lanes of traffic are completely closed to cars for a few miles. I got to the point where the closure ended and all 4 lanes were open, so I decided (while going downhill) to jump the curb and get on the walking/biking path. Unfortunately, the springs on my bike at home aren't as good as the ones I have up here, so I didn't get enough air and smashed my tire into the curb, and proceeded to fall onto my back. A guy riding past on his bike asked if I "meant to do that," I meekly said no, checked my limbs, and kept going. Somehow I avoided hitting my head, which was lucky since I was stupidly not wearing a helmet.
I know that Frick trail, pretty sure the tree you are speaking of has been chain-sawed so you can continue, duck under a tree then roll over a nice big one.
soooooo, I used to ride a mtb heavily and got back on the horse last year after an 8 year haitus. After two weeks of riding I was brimming with confidence and bravado and I decided to ride to the south side for "one drink". I live down the run by Big Jims and it pisses me off to circle around the loop to rejoin the trailhead so I rode up the railroad access ramp and though the parking lot. Now, on the way home in the dark I thought it was a fun idea to blast down said ramp at full speed. The only problem was that the giant metal gate was closed by someone in the meantime which was discovered too late by me. I decided to hop off the edge to the street instead so I sped up even more until it became apparant I would land on top of a car. I then tried to hit the 20 inch gap between the gate and the edge, made it though and my tires kicked out. End result: no walking for 2 weeks, 1 chipped tooth, 1 hematoma, 1 ruined pair of pants, 1 broken shifter Lessons learned: less whiskey, more helmets, front light, I am an idiot
i had just finished telling my boy how good i was at
trackstanding on a freewheel and at the next intersection (millvale and liberty) i went straight on my side while showing of my 'impressive" skills. it was pretty funny, so i had a laugh.
http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/bikesafety090909.aspx
It's a pretty fun little article. I do take exception to the "dorky" bike shoes comment, but I'll let it slide. 
There are a couple of inaccuracies that I would like to point out though. The 2008 American Community Survey actually looked at 2007 data so the jump in bike commuters was actually between 2006 and 2007, not 2007 and 2008 (although when the new data comes out I'm sure we'll see another increase). Also that jump represented a very respectable 37.5 percent increase, not a whopping 70 percent increase. That can be our little secret though...
"our little secret"
just you... me... and the whole internet...
when your messenger bag is too heavy(with groceries, or textbooks, whatever) so you can't get up immediately.
Who edits these things? -- is not the same as —
Sorry, pet peeve of mine.
Funny article though.
Coupla times I've wiped out very publicly. Concerned motorists stop and I leap to my feet with intense embarassment, insisting I'm not hurt. Only after the car dirves off, leaving me miles from the nearest hospital, do I do an inventory. ("I don't think this is broken.")
This leads me to suspect that my very last words someday might be "No, really. I'm FINE."
Mick
This leads me to suspect that my very last words someday might be "No, really. I'm FINE."
I was at the four way stop at corner of Aylesboro and Wightman and couldn't unclip my foot. Fell over pretty hard. I'm lying there trying to get my left foot out of the other pedal when a lady rolls down the passenger side window of her car and says "Are you hurt?"
"No maam, I'm just stupid"
Watching someone on a bike fail to unclip and fall over has got to be pretty strange for someone unfamiliar with clipless pedals. To the observer, it really just looks like you've had a leg spasm and fell straight over.
Yeah.. happened to me today 20 seconds after I got on my bike to go home.. Didnt think I had clipped in.. then stopped suddenly.. then fell.
+1 "No maam, I'm just stupid"
Well, my most embarrassing fall was probably due to the fact that I was was a space cadet in my younger years... I was probably 8...I was fascinated with my shadow and was not looking where I was going...crashed right into the sidewalk curb and flipped over the handle bars. Scraped my elbows and knees quite thoroughly.
Recent embarrassing accident was at this year's Keg Ride. We had so many people that the going was very slow. I was taking pictures with one hand and holding on to my handle bars with the other. When I went to put my camera away, the combination of the one-handedness, the lop-sided weight from my single pannier, and the lack of momentum caused me to just topple over on one side.
I got a nice road rash on my leg that took over a month to heal, though luckily the cyclists around me were alert and didn't run me over as well! (thanks guys)
The final game of the Stanley cup just started and I was headed out of the Southside down Sarah street hoping to avoid bedlam. I had made it nearly a block when I noticed a friend of mine from work, super hot Carrie, and her equally hot entourage of female friends. So I stopped and said hello. Well on my way back out onto the road i failed to notice the storm drain grate which incidentally was the same width as my front tire, wouldn't you know. Put two and two together and you get me spanking the pavement from over the bars with my face. Thank god I wasn't going fast. What made matters worse is that Carrie and her friends saw it all and shrieked drawing even more attention. "oh my god! Are you OK?"
"Yeah I'm fine," I replied, "I just bruised my ego that's all."
That's my only story so far of bicycle failure and I didn't even get hurt all that bad. (knock on wood)
I probably posted this elsewhere, but anyway -
I was about 50 yards behind another cyclist traveling up Josephine as it meets 18th. The cyclist was hanging on to a long, dual axle trailer being hauled by a full size pickup. He was steadying himself at the intersection so as not to take his feet off the pedals.
The truck was moving up in the queue to make the left up 18th when the trailer bucked. The cyclist failed to let go and landed on the pavement. He quickly got up, picked up his bike and carried it over to the sidewalk.
He seemed unhurt, but he took his time checking his bike and did his best to not make eye contact with myself or any of the other witnesses.
I smiled but I didn't snicker.
No accident here, but,
DID YOU KNOW?
If you go down Sycamore on a rented tandem, having the brakes full on might not slow you to a speed below 10 mph.
The good news was, first, nothing bad happened, and the stoker remained totally oblivious to the possibilty of danger. 10 mph or so, seemed like a nice speed to her.
Mick
So i just got done putting a few hours in on the logging roads near franklin pa on the mtb and i was leaving on a paved access road. it was hunting season and i had this non-cycling cap on so i wouldnt get shot. as i gained speed on a downhill the hat flew off, and like a fool i went for it with my right hand. i whipped around so hard it threw off my balanace and i swerved really hard as i braked with my left hand. this launched me off the bike and i rolled through a puddle and off into the grass. my shirt was ripped, and my arms were bleeding, but my pride was hurt most.
i think for next hunting season im just going to spray paint my bmx heltmet bright orange.
NO COMMENT!
Add me to the list of 0 mph clipless pedal tipovers. I was using them for the first time ever on Saturday and was waiting to turn onto the Clemente Bridge. I unclipped the right foot fine, too bad my weight was shifting to the left.
To my surprise, I hear the guy in the car behind me say "those things are a bitch, aren't they?" (which one of you was it?)
When I as a kid, before I could ride my bike, my Dad insisted that I learn to fall off my bike first. So, there we were, in the park, but not on the bike trail, no, we were on the grass, repeatedly tipping over. Of course, my other 5-year-old friends zoomed past on their bikes, and I and still emotionally scarred.
Where to begin:
8 years old and a culdesac- one sharp turn, a flip over the handlebars and a mouthful of grass from a clippings-covered cement drainpipe.
College, biking in a skirt which got caught in my chain and took a spill directly in the center of campus. Took forever to free myself and was late for class.
In Bosnia floating on a borrowed bike that was far too big for me. Lots of paints in my backpack to take to a hospital and paint murals. Somehow managed to ride through traffic without hving to stop the whole way there, but had a most ungraceful dismount through the hospital gate upon arrival-- totally wiped out, heavy backpack to punctuate the pain.
In Pittsburgh, knocked off my bike by a gaping pothole at Negley and Black St., head under bumper of school bus at green light. Thankfully it had only just turned green and I was spotted by the driver.
As for careless other drivers, a rough Pittsburgh left resulting in 6 screws and a plate to unbreak my tibia.
I fell yesterday. I was traveling on the trail behind the strip district on my way to the south side. I was faster than normal and feeling great cause I didn't have my heavy panniers to weigh me down. Loving life.
On a low lying section of the trail where it was flooded there is some dried mud. I hit the dirt moving pretty fast and at the end of the patch the dirt was not dirt but instead it was mud. My front wheel went sideways and I hit the dry pavement.
Owee.
No one was around to see this fall that bent the rail on my brooks flyer sprung saddle. Other than the saddle the bike is fine as am I except for some scrapes and bruises in places I would rather not have them.
So stupid.
When I was a kid, I had a 10 kilometer commute to go to high school. I has to leave quite early in the morning, and instead of having a breakfast, would eat a banana while riding my bicycle. Of course I was not holding my handlebar when doing that. And of course, one day, my seat broke. I immediately fell, behind the bike, not badly actually. The skin on my hands was gone, but that was it, I did not need to see a doctor. Only, it was dark and even though I felt that I was bleeding, I only realized that I was bleeding real bad when I arrived in the classroom. I showed the palm of my hands to the professor, who got scared and told me to go to the infirmary.
I think the guy who got the most annoyed is the one who was driving the car in which my bike crashed, after riding without me for a hundred feet. He didn't see me falling, he told me that all he saw was a riderless bike arriving directly at him.
I've fallen twice, neither in this country, both due to idiocy of others (if you don't county my idiocy of biking alone in a developing country).
1st: 20km dirt road between my post office and the village where I was staying. Flock of sheep divided between the two sides of the road. No cars (maybe 10 a day traveled this road, 5 up, 5 back). I _know_ the sheep from one side will go to the other side, but not sure which. I slow down, in the middle of the road, waiting for the sheep on either side of the road to freak out and dash in front of me... it doesn't happen, I sigh a sigh of relief as I start to pass the sheep, when one freaks out and runs INTO my front tire. Minor scrapes, and mutton tastes better now.
fall 2: I'm testing out a newly "fixed up" bike on the back roads of a major city in West Africa about the same time a taxi driver passes me and sees someone hailing him, but he keeps driving down the road. I look down, notice that the brakes I just tried are dangling on either side of the tire (back set don't exist), and the gears I just shifted are dangling at the side of the bike. I then look up and see the taxi driver reversing at about 35mph (he didn't stop because he's got no brakes either, nobody did in that country), about 10 feet in front of me. The guy who hailed the taxi is wide-eyed. It took surgeons in three countries about a year to put my face back together, but the fake teeth look great under black-light.
Moral of the story? Sheep suck, stick with US dentistry.
Most idiotic fall was riding a fixed gear, with no brakes and no helmet down a hill that will get you up to speeds of 25-30mph. Went to skid stop and one of my feet came out of the pedals, leading to a crazy gyroscopic effect that threw me off the bicycle with a pretty violent force. Fortunately, I landed on my side rather than my head. After a trip to the ER to get everything checked out, the only injuries were bruises and road rash. My legs hurt so bad (either from hitting the pavement or from the bicycle hitting them) that it was painful to walk down steps for about 2 weeks. After that wreck, recognizing that I should've been way more messed up, I wear a helmet all the time (and don't ride a brakeless fixie).
Unfortunately, yesterday I got in another wreck. I was riding on Brownsville Rd in Carrick and there's a boatload of potholes. Unfortunately, I missed one of them while I was looking up to watch traffic and it caught my front wheel, sending me over the handlebars. Just resulted in road rash on my hand, arm, and stomach. The people there were sooo helpful. People waiting at the bus stop came to ask if I was alright, as did a Public Works Truck that pulled off to the side to make sure everything was ok. It was reassuring to see so many people wanting to help in the situation.
there's a boatload of potholes ... a Public Works Truck that pulled off to the side to make sure everything was ok
With you? or all those potholes?
Glad you are mostly okay.
Brownsville road is in my hood! Glad you didn't get hurt or shot. BTW, a five block stretch in Brentwood is to be resurfaced next week, they are currently doing some water lines, etc. It's not much, butit will help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFJe3JI1bgY
That was me....
I have been over that jump 6 or so times without a problem. The moment my friend picks up his camera I get too much speed and you see the result.
Rode for another 30 minutes or so until the pain got too bad. Woke up the next morning to find that I broke my right wrist and separated my left shoulder.
That was my last ride last year.
I have recently started to ride, albiet 8 weeks ago. My wonderful boyfriend, a seasoned cyclist on Pittsburgh's wonderful streets got me into riding with clipless pedals. Although I am fine riding with them, stopping without falling is entirely a different situation. The first week riding, going 0 mph I fell no less than 5 times, crashing with the bike on top of me one to many times in public. He was sweet and worried about me, but I have since learned to un-clip with enough time to get balance and no go sideways in public! I can only imagine how idiotic I must have looked to other riders, but it is a learning experience after all!
that is a classic cyclism experience. we call it the horizontal track stand. or at least i do.
@sawubonalex
I'm a guy who repeatedly points out to experienced that the quarter second it takes to get your cleats out of clipless could be very important in traffic, so I do have a bias.
BUT
Why would someone encourage you to go clipless on the streets when you've only been riding a couple months?
I agree, thats a quick move to clipless, also, if you are having that much trouble getting out, it sounds like your bindings are too tight. Tight bindings are great for racing or pulling really ahrd hills and stuff, but when im commuting, I keep my bindings pretty loose so I can get out really quick if needed.
If they are new, they might just need breaking in. My brand new pedals, even at the loosest setting were still way harder to get out of than my well-worn ones on my old bike.
@jakeliefer
I am very surprised everyone was so helpful, its good to hear.
@marko82
Brentwood is my hood!!! Maybe we could get them to level out some of the hills while they are at it...hahahaha!!!
One of my artistic falls was the second time I did the MS150. I did not train enough for the ride once again so going up a climb on the first day my legs start to cramp....try to unclip to walk the hill....everybody knows most of what happens next....of course I fall but to make matters worse when I fell I somehow fall with my chest right into my bar end....ouch!! Nice big black sore bruise for the second day of the ride.
+1 Mick - I ditched my clipless pedals 6 months ago and feel much better in traffic without them, not to mention no more stupid/embarassing falls. I'll use them occasionally on long rides but I don't see any benefit for tooling around town.
I am forever clumsy.
I first started commuting back on november of 2009, and at the time, I wasn't aware of traffic laws, so I made this a part of my usual commute home.
Turning from E Ohio onto Nash, there's a short ride downhill, and onto Avery is a sharp turn if you're moving too quickly. I was moving too quickly, and realized that I was going to crash into and possibly cause a ton of damage to, a minivan, so I ended up on the sidewalk and crashed right into this fence:
I had been fairly certain that if I hit the brakes too hard, I would fly over the handlebars*
My bike afterward:
my face afterward:
*This happened to me a few months ago. was carrying a long bag on my handlebars (which I will never, ever, EVER do again), and it got caught between my fork and the wheel. went flying. luckily I was wearing a helmet this time Escaped with no damage to my bike and a bad shoulder, which hasn't had any pain in a long time (it went away completely after about a month)
I'm very clumsy and lack common sense. I'd like to think I'm getting a bit better though!
Last fall I was riding on the Montour Trail. Exiting at Lindenbrooke requires turning right and navigating between a metal gatepost and a ditch with a tree, then heading slightly uphill over 10 feet of gravel that slopes a bit to the side, and over a rounded curb onto a sloping driveway, first checking for cars in both directions so as to turn left.
Apparently, while carefully attending to the various obstacles and slopes, I neglected to keep pedaling. My bike slowed down. Rather than start pedaling again, the obvious move, I instead decided a better strategy would be to say "Uh oh" out loud. My bike stopped. Then it slowly fell over.
Luckily, I landed on the grass, with only ego damage, wondering how I did that.
Wow that sounds like a pretty bad design.
sometime in mid-to-late winter, i was on my way to oakland from cmu. i cut through the carnegie parking lot and came out the back on schenley drive, where i like to hop off the curb and join traffic on the street.
this time, there was a couple passing me, and as i slowed and they passed, i was looking left up the street to check for oncoming traffic. as i did that, my front tire slipped into a crack between the sidewalk slabs, and it went thattaway, and i went thisaway. it was all at very slow speed, so i toppled very slowly indeed, trying to grab onto a parking meter on my way down. it took so long for me to actually fall, the couple had stopped to turn around and watched the whole thing happen. must've been HIGH-larious, as i slid down the parking meter and came to a rest on the sidewalk. at least the guy had the decency to say "i do that all the time, man."
good times!
After having gotten used to an ancient and crumbling freeride MTB with brakes that sang in an impressive alto/soprano duet every time I slowly slowed to a stop, I test rode a shiny new fancy bike on my lunch hour (in business casual). I am coasting slowly to a stop sign in an empty parking lot, and (what I thought was) ever so gently apply the brakes. This results instead in the front wheel stopping instantly and I get pitched equally instantly arse over tea kettle over the handle bars, to the utter amazement of a minivan down the road (who did NOT stop or slow or anything, just gaped, kinda rude).
Turns out I'd picked up a few bad habits from my old klunker, and fresh brakes are vastly different from stale brakes. I got a tiny scrape on my ankle, but miraculously my slacks and dress shoes and all survived unscathed. I've told this story elsewhere on this site, but I think it belongs here. I'm now much more careful about getting used to different bikes, especially the brakes, and much less afraid of pitching over the handlebars (perhaps at speed it would be worse, but it wasn't particularly scary, just startling).
I have a Hooligan with disc brakes and a Lefty fork. So if you are riding down a hill and let go of the right grip before hitting a bump, you might just jerk the left (front) disc brake and cause the front end to turn 90 degrees. At around 20 mph this will result in being propelled forward and down at the same time. I remember thinking about how well my Bern helmet worked on impact. I instantly jumped up (shock and pride) and noticed the bus that was about 15 yards behind me. It was raining too, so I am glad he had time to see me roger and stop. A couple of people heading the opposite way stopped and asked if I was OK. I was, but really could not have known having been body slammed a few seconds ago. I hold on to the that bad boy (it really is a Hooligan) with both hands now. Effin lefty fork.
Crash story:
Not the most recent crash that broke my blankety-blank shoulder last week, but indeed worth telling.
4 or 5 years ago I decided to take a ride one afternoon for a brew in the southside. Just before leaving home I decided to tinker with the front v brake on my bike, it was not making a proper connection with the rim and therefore it took a long time to slow down. Later on the way to the southside I noticed that, because of my mechanical ineptitude, I had overtightened my front brake. Now when I applied what had previously been the appropriate amount of pressure to my brake lever required to slow down instead of simply slowing the bike I was nearly locking up the front wheel. So rather than attempting a roadside repair (it wasn't just a problem with cable tension, something in the brake mechanism was out of whack), I resolved to use the front brake with care and deal with it when I got home.
Anyhow, long story longer, I find myself a few minutes later cruising down Carson St. in moderate Saturday afternoon traffic. As I approached the intersection with 17th St. my green light turned yellow and I did the old "can I make it?..yeah I can make it!" trick and accelerated towards the intersection. But just as I was about to cross 17th the light turned red and I saw the car on my right flinch as though he was going to proceed. So I grabbed the brakes (remember the too tight front brake? I didn't) and suddenly found myself propelled from my saddle. The most amazing thing was somehow I was able to unclip, spread my legs wide apart, shove the handlebars under my legs and stick a landing Marylou Rhetton would've been proud of, complete with the arched back and arms in the air! All traffic came to a complete halt as everyone cheered and honked at the unbeleivable spectacle they had just witnessed. One driver even shouted, "Bet you couldn't do THAT again!" as the cars began to move again. Don't Know how I did it, definitely could't do it again but it was funny as hell!
If you are young and (un?)lucky enough to go
to the olympic training center for cycling,
they spend a few days TAPING your hands to
the bars and pushing you over in the grass
over and over.
Road rash is better than broken hands and
collar bones.
steevo, what's the rationale behind that?
olympic training sounds a lot like the neighborhood bully where I grew up...
Hmm. That's really interesting. Is their theory that more harm comes from extending hands and arms to break a fall?
Now he tells me!
Went to see Obama speak at Peterson in Oakland the day before the PA primary. Only clear bags were allowed into the event, and I knew I would be standing in line for hours, so I brought a thick LSAT prep book with me in a plastic bag.
On my way home, I turned onto Forbes in front of the O, stupidly holding the bag/book on the end of my handlebars. The force of turning made the bag start oscillating, and the book started banging hard against my spokes. I literally started saying "Oh sh--" when the book suddenly got lodged in my spokes, sending me right over the handlebars.
Here is my personal Bike Superman moment: There was a bus DIRECTLY behind me at this point. I somehow unclipped unconsciously as I was flying through the air, grabbed my bike, and rolled onto the sidewalk with it just before the bus hit me. It was kind of like being in an action movie.
There were probably 20 people waiting for the bus on the wall...pretty mortifying.
