It can happen anywhere.

[billwarwick]

So yesterday, I came off my bike. I collected 14 cuts and grazes ( 2 quite deep), a cricked neck, sprained wrist, bruised ribs, and a damaged helmet visor.So where did this happen, I hear you ask. The Alps?, Moab?, One of the UK’s most deadly black runs? No, it was the towpath of the Grand Union Canal! I hit a rut at 15mph and got catapulted into the hedge which had recently been cut with one of those flailing cutting machines, turning it into a mega pin cushion. Just shows that shit can happen anywhere. On the plus side, before the crash l sat quietly and watched a heron catch a fish, something I have never seen before, so not all bad.
Mind how you go?

 

[Zimmerframe]

On the plus side, before the crash l sat quietly and watched a heron catch a fish, something I have never seen before

There's some chap out there who fell over walking up the steps on the opposite side of the canal yesterday.

He got home and told his Mrs : On the plus side, before the fall I sat quietly and watched a hedge catch a cyclist, something I have never seen before.

 

[Hobo Mikey]

A few years ago I came of a huge drop off and just hit it wrong, crash landed, snapped my forks mag 21s at the time. I got up and just laughed, not even a scratch just covered in dirt. A week later up the same woods my mate had a puncture so while he was fixing that I was messing about bunny hopping, doing wheelies etc. There was a small rock and I mean small about six inches high and I was just messing about getting air off it, fell off and damaged shoulder. Trip to hospital and arm in a sling for two weeks so no riding. Still laugh about it now. ?

 

[billwarwick]

Be quiet, you. It hurts when I laugh?

 

[RCDallas]

Yep...can happen anywhere! I went for an easy gravel ride with my daughter and had the front wheel wash out on a 1/2 inch ledge the was parallel to my direction of travel but well camouflaged on the edge of a puddle. The fastest I have ever gone down and ended up with 3 broken ribs and a punctured lung. I was only going about 5mph but the way it threw me down with zero warning was quite unexpected and violent . Prefer the wider bars, fatter tires and more upright position of EMTBs to narrow drop bars and low forward position of gravel bikes now! Still ride grave and road but more attentive....

 

[steve_sordy]

I was going too fast for my skill and went OTB on Jacob's Ladder (steep rocky descent in the Peak District, UK). I did a complete 360 forward roll and landed on my feet without even a twinge. A mate of mine got off his bike, felt a bit faint and dropped to the ground. He broke his thigh, landed in a bed of nettles and got badly stung, but couldn't feel the nettle stings because of the pain from his leg. He was there in the nettles for two hours in overcoat weather before the paramedics could get to him and dose him up for removal. In hospital, he was delirious for a couple of days, developed a kidney infection and had to be catheterised. He was in for almost two weeks. He has been told that it will be six months before he will be fully recovered! He looks like he has aged ten years. He was only 100 yards from home when it happened.

 

[SquireRides]

My slowest ever fall, in to a pile of cut down brambles, @20 seconds. This was about 2 weeks in to being an eeb owner:

 

[Mikerb]

The lesson here I learnt some time ago is always wear the armour because it is often something completely innocuous that results in a fall rather than the super gnarly fast descent where you are concentrating hard and expecting the worse!

 

[RCDallas]

The lesson here I learnt some time ago is always wear the armour because it is often something completely innocuous that results in a fall rather than the super gnarly fast descent where you are concentrating hard and expecting the worse!

I sure would have liked to have had a chest protector on during my incident but who wears one when gravel riding?

 

[deksawyer]

Yes. About month ago I was doing my usual route, a steady uphill climb about 12mph when I reached a certain point and within 1.5 seconds I was on my arse. WTF?

My left knee took the brunt and although it wasn't life threatening, it hurt like fuck. So, some POC kneepads ordered.

Was also the day I broke 500 miles.

 

[steve_sordy]

I was blasting down a local trail that I done a hundred times or more. But I was going a bit faster on my new tyres. I was cornering hard and the front wheel ripped out a fist sized pebble from the ground and rolled on it - sideways! My left knee hit the ground followed very soon after by the rest of me. That was about 7 years ago and I discovered that I had chipped the kneecap just above the shin such that I still can't kneel on a hard surface because the bone chip pushes my knee cap upwards (and that is as weird a feeling as it sounds). And I can no longer squat on my heels because my knee won't articulate that far. I wear knee&shin guards, also elbow guards whenever I go out now.

Every bit of personal protection I wear is there because I was injured for the lack of it. I wear a helmet because it just makes sense, but I have broken every single one I have owned except the two I have now.

 

[Sapientiea]

In France I was riding a GR trail when I was going down on a bit of path that curved 90 degrees to the left and a bit uphill with a seemingly nice natural berm. I just saw a bit of a wet spot at the lowest point so I was preparing to trow the bike into the berm and......bam my front wheel sank into the mud until the hub and I face planted into the ground so fast. Injured my neck quite a bit and had issues with it for 6 months....Was wearing full protection, but yeah did not expect a sinkhole in the middle of a dry path..

 

[Marksou]

Just ordered this, to be on the safe side.

 

[Sherman]

I've never needed medical attention because of mtb rides. But twice on bike lanes and paths. It happens when you least expect it.

 

[Tubby G]

The weekend before Christmas I was in Scarborough and we popped out on the bikes for a quick turbo hour, we call it urban freeriding

Anyway, rolling through a very popular park, Peasholm Park, the paths next to the lake started getting very busy with dog walkers, families, kids on tricycles etc so thought to myself ‘I’ll just nip over the grass bank to avoid the crowds’

Front wheel brushed a damp wet timber edging kerb and BAM I was straight on the ground with a WHACK to my head

Some people stopped to check I was ok, others laughed and sniggered as they walked past. Nothing broken, just a thump to my head, but my pride was shattered into a million pieces

 

[windrider]

Had full speed crash back in October. Down a local lane I've ridden hundreds of times before. Going too fast and got sucked in to gully on a corner (which I knew was there). Bike went out from underneath me before I even had time to react and my arm was used as the brake. Jarred my shoulder which is only just starting to get back to normal. Had to cycle back the 5 miles home with bent handle bars.

 

[Tim1023]

My slowest ever fall, in to a pile of cut down brambles, @20 seconds. This was about 2 weeks in to being an eeb owner:

Used to be called a Spud Thud from when most people used SPDs and they were not able to get the foot out fast enough when coming to a stop (or the weight went in the wrong direction).

 

[SquireRides]

Used to be called a Spud Thud from when most people used SPDs and they were not able to get the foot out fast enough when coming to a stop (or the weight went in the wrong direction).

I don't have the SPD excuse this time!

I think the problem was I went to put my foot down and the ground wasn't there, it was some way under the spikey bush that i eventually ended up in.

 

[CJaMTB]

The last time I raced Mountain of Hell, not a scratch, came home and went for a sunset ride with my Wife, a couple of days later. On the final descent into town, front tyre exploded and I went down so hard that I snapped my (newly fitted that morning) bars! Elbow was almost to the bone but, being a Friday night, I wrapped it in clingfilm and went to bed. In to minor injuries the next morning, a telling off, then back in twice a week for the next 6 weeks, getting the granite and poo removed from the wounds!

 

[Tubby G]

The last time I raced Mountain of Hell, not a scratch, came home and went for a sunset ride with my Wife, a couple of days later. On the final descent into town, front tyre exploded and I went down so hard that I snapped my (newly fitted that morning) bars! Elbow was almost to the bone but, being a Friday night, I wrapped it in clingfilm and went to bed. In to minor injuries the next morning, a telling off, then back in twice a week for the next 6 weeks, getting the granite and poo removed from the wounds! View attachment 79921 View attachment 79923
View attachment 79922

Can you zoom in on the open wound a bit more, I didn’t quite vomit all over my ipad !

 

[CJaMTB]

Can you zoom in on the open wound a bit more, I didn’t quite vomit all over my ipad !

Sorry! I insisted my Wife photograph it before we wrapped it up though. Notice that I looked far more peeved about the handlebar than the elbow!

 

[Tubby G]

Sorry! I insisted my Wife photograph it before we wrapped it up though. Notice that I looked far more peeved about the handlebar than the elbow!

Yeah I would have been too

 

[maynard]

Why are your bars full of toxic green sludge?

 

[CJaMTB]

Why are your bars full of toxic green sludge?

Spank Vibrocore

 

[Beekeeper]

Reading through this thread I can see why a few people want ebikers banned from the countryside. Our elbows and knees are causing so much soil erosion

 

[apac]

Are spankspike vibrocore not downhill certified?

 

[mtbbiker]

I was riding down the side walk to my local trail head. Saw a Coke can and decided to run it over! My front wheel hit it dead on, the Coke can perfectly wrapped around my tire. As the Coke can rotated upwards towards the backside of the fork. It hits the fork legs and just brings the wheel to the fastest stop I’ve ever seen from any disc brake system I’ve ever used. I went over the bars so fast and rolled. Got up laughing so hard in total disbelief that that just happened! And continued on my merry way.

 

[CJaMTB]

Are spankspike vibrocore not downhill certified?

No idea, but clearly not on Dartmoor!

 

[Turbo Mike]

So yesterday, I came off my bike. I collected 14 cuts and grazes ( 2 quite deep), a cricked neck, sprained wrist, bruised ribs, and a damaged helmet visor.So where did this happen, I hear you ask. The Alps?, Moab?, One of the UK’s most deadly black runs? No, it was the towpath of the Grand Union Canal! I hit a rut at 15mph and got catapulted into the hedge which had recently been cut with one of those flailing cutting machines, turning it into a mega pin cushion. Just shows that shit can happen anywhere. On the plus side, before the crash l sat quietly and watched a heron catch a fish, something I have never seen before, so not all bad.
Mind how you go?

So I heard it said many times . . . "You ain't rode if you ain't been throwd . . . ." We had a similar experience many years ago with a rider that decided that Teddy Bear Cholla was his preferred landing pad. Of course a picture was taken before assistance was rendered. Don't still have the picture but attached a picture of a "teddy bear" specimen. (Required a trip to the emergency center to remove the hundreds of spines - Yikes) But he did live to ride another day.

as he was going into shock - Yikes) But he did make it!

 

[Giff]

Yes. About month ago I was doing my usual route, a steady uphill climb about 12mph when I reached a certain point and within 1.5 seconds I was on my arse. WTF?

My left knee took the brunt and although it wasn't life threatening, it hurt like fuck. So, some POC kneepads ordered.

Was also the day I broke 500 miles.

View attachment 34383

I have snagged shoelaces and been pulled sideways before now..