Crash Stories

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

On a recent thread, we veered off topic things that might cause crashes. Stories began pouring in, and they were fascinating and useful. I think we should have a new thread here where you can contribute your experiences and the rest of us can learn a thing or two. For instance, I didn’t know a fender unsecured at the seat stay could cause a crash and now I do. I’ll be fixing mine forthwith!

I feel fortunate not to have any stories to contribute here, but please share yours with us. Some of them might even be funny. (We’ll be laughing WITH you.)
Leah

[Joe Bernard]

I was on a folding bike at my old apartment, rode to the mailbox. Grabbed the mail, put it on top of the bars and rode back. At one point I came to a turn in the path and..I don't remember if I couldn't reach a brake lever or what exactly went wrong but I could tell I was about to WAY overshoot the turn into a bush. So I bailed instead and tumbled through the grass to my left. After looking around and realizing nobody saw it, I quickly stood up and walked the bike back like nothing happened 😬

Joe "nothing to see here, folks" Bernard
Falling at the apartments, California

[Garth]

  Oh I remember running into a parked pickup truck at low speed in front of the County garage in the fairgrounds at age 12 or something !   My new Raleigh 3 speed as unharmed too.

Ummm ... keep your head up ?   

Ahahahahahahaaaa !!!

[Joe Bernard]

Ooh, I have that story from about the same age, too, Garth! I was cruising along on my Sting-Ray (probably) and got distracted for a moment.. KABLAMMO..suddenly I find myself sprawled on the back of a parked VW Beetle. I hope the cute girl across the street was impressed. The one I was distracted by.

[Steve Palincsar]

I remember when I was in elementary school watching a kid riding as hard as he could, head down and not looking where he was going, ride right into the back of a New York City garbage truck.  He ended up flying over the bars, inside the truck, sprawled out in the garbage.  The bike was a total loss.

-- 
Steve Palincsar
Alexandria, Virginia 
USA

[J Imler]

I thought I was Lance Armstrong. My commute home was a leg of the tour. I was riding hard, head down. Next thing I know there’s a lady on the street that I’d put the front wheel between the legs of. She was getting her mail and we collided. Luckily she was young and could take it. She was exceptionally nice about it. I think I was on an upslope so that probably helped.

[George Schick]

My crash stories begin way back in the mid-60's.  My first "decent" bike was a Raleigh three-speed knock-off of some kind or another.  I was riding down a long hill along the edge (no shoulder) of a major concrete, curbed thoroughfare when I, not knowing any better, rode across a storm sewer that only had parallel grates.   Needless to say, my front wheel went straight down between some of those grates and over the bars I went.  I managed to get up without any injuries, save maybe a few minor bumps and bruises and continued on.  'Course, I was a kid then and more able to withstand injuries.

After that I was on high alert for sewer grates.  In subsequent years most of my "crashes" have been caused by irresponsible personal behavior - forgetting to clip-out of pedals until too late and falling over, not watching where I was going and running into inanimate objects, etc.  Nowadays, when I've become too old to afford to have a crash of any kind, I'm overly cautious about anything and everything.

[ted]

Over the 50 some years I’ve been riding I’ve “crashed” numerous times. But rather than relate tales of those I’d like to sing the praises of bump and touch drills. I encountered these when riding with a racing focused club but I’d hope other types of clubs or clinics do such things. Im no great bike handler but I’m convinced having practiced riding through things that sometimes induce folks to crash has enabled me to stay upright more often than I otherwise would have.

[JAS]

I love learning from others too, Leah. Thanks for this thread idea! Here are a couple of crash tales from my twenties:

I was living in Colorado far away from family, car-less, and looking for a job. It was the year before grad school and fortunately, I was able to cobble enough money together to buy a used Raleigh Super Course. Due to life's limitations, having a bike opened the world to me once again. I was thrilled to ride through the neighborhoods and one morning I was minding my own business down a tree-lined street when a guy backed his truck out of his driveway right into me. Of course, I went flying. Miraculously, my right foot was in just the right position (up) and his bumper hit my pedal, saving my leg from what would have been a bad crunch. I bounced up off the street, he apologized and I went on my way; no injuries and no damage to my bike. Lucky for me because it would have been tough to afford the medical bill or another bike.

On that same bike, I was doing some fun loopy, slalom swerves down an empty street when I learned why one should pay attention to pedal position when turning. My pedal struck the street and down I went. Again, no injuries, but "ala Joe," I checked to make sure nobody saw this embarrassing fall!

--Joyce (learning something new every day)

[Ted Lewis]

Broke my wrist in mid December. Surgery, plates, 'external fixators', and some hydromorphone.
Hit buckled pavement by a bus stop, caused by heavy buses coming and going over the years.
Off the bike since then. Juuuust about ready to start commuting again.
I was riding an 88 MB-2 with 2.3" tires and upright swept back bars, so pretty much a tank. Can't imagine how someone with road tires would have fared.

[Dave Small]

The two worst crashes I've had were as a kid.  

In one, I was riding down my street popping small wheelies.  It wasn't your typical Wheelie Bike but still, by pulling up on the handlebars I could lift the front wheel for a second and then come back down.  One time I did that and watched the fork lift, but the wheel stayed on the ground rolling just a tiny bit faster than the bike I was on.  I came down on the fork tips and toppled, but don't remember hurting from it.  

In the other one I was racing my friend Jay down the same paved street.  I was next to the curb on my right, Jay was on my left, away from the curb.  I won and stopped pedaling, but Jay kept pedaling and went ahead of me after the finish line.  I had a premonition and yelled out "Don't turn!"  He hollered "What?"  I said "Go straight.  DON'T TURN!"  Jay turned right into a driveway.  My front wheel clipped his back wheel and I went flying.  I had huge strawberries on my leg, arm, and forehead, and felt 100% deflated.  I stood up and mumbled "get my bike" and walked home and collapsed on the couch, where I just kinda laid for awhile.  

Fun times, huh?

Dave 

[lconley]

I did the same thing on my two-speed Schwinn Sting-Ray - popped a wheelie and watched the front wheel roll away - managed to step through the handlebars when the front came down. 

A year or so later, I crashed my Schwinn Varsity Sport into a parked car because I was looking down at the front derailleur after shifting - trying to center derailleur cage around the chain. Chipped two teeth on the rear fender of the car - but I rode away, bike was unscathed.

Laing

Delray Beach FL

[Patrick Moore]

I was being a young jerk aged 12 or 13 by tailgating another cyclist on a busy Delhi street. He swerved around an ice cream cart -- these were big push carts with canopy made from solid wood and mounted on auto tires -- while I ran smack into the back of it and bent my fork.

In other accident news: as a teenager, taking the long way to school, riding fast down a hill curving to right (traffic on left), I found myself in the dirt of the roadside verge and slammed on the first brake I found, which was the front, and did a complete vertical 180. I missed the ground entirely, but the top of the back wheel slammed into the ground ahead of me and sustained a large dent. Had to call mama from a nearby house.

Exiting the Gallup, NM Tour de Dump route, which allowed fast, open-road cruising, over the cattle guard, I got my 559 X 22mm wheel in one of the slots and did another 180, but this time damaging front wheel and ribs. Cars passed by, some occupants laughing at me, until I was picked up by 2 fat boys out of Deliverance in a matt black primered pickup who very kindly gave me a ride to the ER. They were taking the valves from a Harley to be ground. Just bruised rib or ribs. I worked as PR director at the hospital and got more ribbing -- hahahah -- for falling over.

On the way home in summer, 2006 on the then-newly-converted-to-fixed-drivetrain 2003 Riv, I stopped at a red light on a major N/S artery, in the bike lane, with a carful of kid boys to the left. The light changed, I moved forward, and the car turned right, knocking me over, all at slow speed. The Riv traveled to the ER with me in the ambulance, sat beside me in the hallway as I lay in triage for 2 hours in a hallway, and went with me into the sewup room -- 28 facial stitches, none serious, and sore back and sides for 10 days afterward. The driver's mother's insurance paid up handsomely. Now I pull into mid-lane when traversing intersections.

The other usual tumbles, including one on black ice, but nothing really serious in 60 years of riding, thank God.

[Patrick Moore]

Oh, one more if we're dwelling on fond memories: bought a NOS Orbit tandem for then-wife and me, but tandem babes-in-wood; tandem tubing was tout 531C -- it was a racing tandem, as I figured out later: Maxicar hubs and top of line Fench kit -- and under us inexperienced riders wagged like the dog's tail. We were on our inaugural ride on the Paseo del Bosque paved trail wagging away when a child riding the opposite directino darted out in front of us. I slammed on the front brake, and the steerer snapped just above the fork crown. I went over bar, ex went over me. She was alright, I got some bad bruises on legs from bar. Next tandem was a KHS mountain bike tandem, on which we also fell over, almost crushing 1 of 2 Shi Tzu after she took a dive over the side of the carry crate -- yes, strapped in, but obviously inadequately -- but no harm done to anyone.

--

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[Patrick Moore]

One more only, I promise, but it's very on-topic. The most violent bike accident I've seen, fortunately not mine. I was walking home after hitchhiking at the blind-spot bottom of a long, steep hill curving left toward our house 3/4-mile along near top; narrow, curving, 2-lane blacktop -- in US, width of neighborhood street --  from Town and major artery. Brit coming up fast behind me in Jag or Merc or Rover, speeding as all did -- 60 was common; he must have been doing 70 -- swung wide right on blind corner to pass a small road roller chugging along near me at 6 mph with nothing at all to warn oncomers of slow vehicle ahead -- and ran smack head on into 2 black Africans coasting downhill at 35 mph on a rodbraked roadster, passenger on rear rack (I add the race information because it is part of the story. Brit was rich white African with nice car whose criminal stupidity is part of the narrative, though criminal -- jail time in US -- driving stupidity then and there was the habit of all races and classes except perhaps South Asians). Rider and passenger went literally cartwheeling 10 feet into the air. The driver did stop and I saw him and passers by carrying rider to car, with large hole gouged out of his calf; passenger was standing, shaken, as you might expect. My father often left Sunday dinner upon hearing crash noises to take victims to hospital; Kenya had one of world's highest accident rates at the time, and the old Limuru road was one of the worst for them. Yet, yet, yet -- I rode all over the countryside and downtown on various bikes, including my first build with freewheel and no brake except foot on front tire, with no accidents, and most close calls due to my own agression (against cars and buses behaving badly). Despite the criminal driving, Kenya's vehicles and infrastructure were far more sophisticated than India's, where I also rode, and especially Pakistan's, where traffic was just truly and bizarrely ungoverned by any principle besides rule of biggest -- damned hellhole of a country; yet in no place did bike accidents seem horribly numerous, the latter 2 places being saved doubtless because crowding prevented speeding. Bismark again ...?

[Christopher Cote]

Circa 1999 I was living in Torrance, CA. I used to ride past the Del Amo mall to the beach, and head north on the strand up to the power plant at El Segundo and turn around and head back. The strand is a concrete strip along the beach that is often covered in sand here and there. I hit a patch of it in a tight 90 degree corner and was down on the ground before I knew what happened. Cracked my helmet and tweaked my neck. I jumped up and got back on the bike like nothing happened, but was sore for a very long time. 

Chris "I prefer to wear a helmet when I hit my head on the ground"

[Keith Weaver]

Mountain biking has of course resulted in more crashes than I could count, luckily none with anything more lasting some minor scarring. One memorable one was on Maui, riding in the Poli-Poli area on the slopes of Haleakala. I fell off the downslope side of the trail and landed in the dense tropical vegetation, suspended about 5 feet above the actual ground. My friends said it was striking to watch, I just disappeared into the vegetation. I was unharmed, but it was quite a struggle to get back up to the trail without being able to reach the ground!

One that was a bit more of a teachable moment for me happened when I was 16. I was riding down the only hill in my town, on the sidewalk on the left side of the street, building speed for a jump that was on the next block. It was a ridge in the pavement where two driveways were right next to each other. Not much of a jump, but it was fun for me. A car pulled out across the crosswalk I had been planning on riding through at top speed, and I hit the right front fender. I did a full front flip, with my hands still on the bars and my bike above me, over the hood of the car. I swear I remember looking in the windshield of the car, at the family of four, their mouths open in horror. I landed approximately on my back, with my feet hitting first, then my butt, then my back. Generally unharmed, I don't think I even got scratched up (no helmet of course, this was 1986). The fork of my bike collapsed, and the front wheel was toast, but otherwise it was OK. The driver was very apologetic, and loaded my bike in his car and drove me home. My takeaway from this: only ride on the sidewalk if you must, and be careful at intersections!

Cheers,

Keith

On Mon, Mar 16, 2020 at 10:02 AM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

One more only, I promise, but it's very on-topic. The most violent bike accident I've seen, fortunately not mine. I was walking home after hitchhiking at the blind-spot bottom of a long, steep hill curving left toward our house 3/4-mile along near top; narrow, curving, 2-lane blacktop -- in US, width of neighborhood street --  from Town and major artery. Brit coming up fast behind me in Jag or Merc or Rover, speeding as all did -- 60 was common; he must have been doing 70 -- swung wide right on blind corner to pass a small road roller chugging along near me at 6 mph with nothing at all to warn oncomers of slow vehicle ahead -- and ran smack head on into 2 black Africans coasting downhill at 35 mph on a rodbraked roadster, passenger on rear rack (I add the race information because it is part of the story. Brit was rich white African with nice car whose criminal stupidity is part of the narrative, though criminal -- jail time in US -- driving stupidity then and there was the habit of all races and classes except perhaps South Asians). Rider and passenger went literally cartwheeling 10 feet into the air. The driver did stop and I saw him and passers by carrying rider to car, with large hole gouged out of his calf; passenger was standing, shaken, as you might expect. My father often left Sunday dinner upon hearing crash noises to take victims to hospital; Kenya had one of world's highest accident rates at the time, and the old Limuru road was one of the worst for them. Yet, yet, yet -- I rode all over the countryside and downtown on various bikes, including my first build with freewheel and no brake except foot on front tire, with no accidents, and most close calls due to my own agression (against cars and buses behaving badly). Despite the criminal driving, Kenya's vehicles and infrastructure were far more sophisticated than India's, where I also rode, and especially Pakistan's, where traffic was just truly and bizarrely ungoverned by any principle besides rule of biggest -- damned hellhole of a country; yet in no place did bike accidents seem horribly numerous, the latter 2 places being saved doubtless because crowding prevented speeding. Bismark again ...?

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[RichS]

Not a crash story per se but the potential for crashes with potholes has me mindful to keep looking ahead and down. This time of year, following winter’s temperature fluctuations and other ravages, streets have taken a beating. No doubt there are variations from region to region. Even in relatively mild Georgia there are enough potholes and deformities to cause crashes.

Best,
Rich in ATL

[Jim M.]

OK, I'll play. Dumbest was as a teenager, of course. Riding no-handed while dribbling a basketball, tried a crossover, hit the front wheel and down I went. Big road rash on my knee which still shows a scar some 50 years later. 

Most recent was on the Pine Mountain Loop in Marin. I was descending and got distracted by the beautiful view of Kent Lake. Front wheel caught a rut and down I went. The end of the handlebars punched me in the rib and cracked one. Too painful to ride after that, so I hiked out about 8 miles.

jim m

wc, ca 

[dougP]

Seems like lots of "when I was a kid" stories.  Mine was when I was about 10.  We'd clip playing cards to the fork with clothespins, and enjoyed the motorcycle noise.  When the cards got knocked away from the wheel, we'd just reach down with our foot and kick them back into place.  As I was doing this, I was looking at the bike & not where I was going.  On a one lane, dirt road, a neighbor comes around the corner.  I heard a horn honk, & looked up to see a stopped car in front of me.  My newsboy Schwinn only had a coaster brake which of course I slammed on.  Being on dirt, I instantly went down, which was a good thing as I went under the front of the car.  The poor old guy hops out of his car, thinking he must have killed me.  I crawled out from under the car & retrieved my bike.  No serious damage but I was going to have to explain the scrapes to my parents.  Don't recall what I said but I'm sure the neighbor checked with them to make sure I was OK.

Another time, I was around 14, and riding my first 10 speed (a double with 5 in the back in those days), a steel monster with steel everything (wheels, cranks, etc).  Climbing up the hill toward home, I was hunkered over the bars, grinding away, not looking where I was going (recurring theme?), when I rear ended a parked car.  After picking myself off the trunk, I checked out the bike and found the front wheel "taco'd".  When I rolled it back a bit, BOING!, the wheel sprang back to round (more or less).  I rode the bike that way for years & never noticed any problem.  

Plenty of other dumb stories but two is enough soul bearing.  There was the cowboy leading the horse, crossing the highway, but I didn't hit them.

dougP

[Garth]

 

 Well gee this has nothing to do with crashes of the sorts.... this is just a fond memory I have with my sister as a kid.

In the 70's every weekend on the radio America's Top 40 music with Casey Kasem played in the morning/afternoon. In the spring we'd get on our little bikes, cuz we wuz little you know with the transistor radio in my sisters white woven front basket of her magnificent rolling machine.... hee hee..... and ride round and round the blocks while we sang along with each song as it was so elegantly presented each week.

I rather miss that kinda time with her. 

Every once in a while I'll see someone either walking or a kid riding with a transistor radio playing ..... oh what a smile I just can't help.

Come to think of it .... when I was 16 or something I went on a bike trip with a buddy to go see Rush with Max Webster in La Crosse, WI. .... Lee Anderson was his name.  He was as unpredictable as I was .... so we always had fun. We didn't talk about or tell each other what we were taking other than I had a 2 man tent and we both had sleeping bags. Well I go over to his house and we start rolling and he pulls out a tape recorder.... you know ..... a big honkin' cassette tape recorder !  For those that don't know the magnitude of such a device ... https://www.hifiengine.com/images/model/panasonic_rq-2379_portable_cassette_recorder.jpg .  He straps it onto to his handlebar top .... and we rocked to Billy Idol's album at the time .... the one with White Wedding and Hot in the City .... and holy smokes ... it was hot .... like over 100 degrees hot... and humid. This is Minnesota after all ... where it gets really cold ... AND really hot and very humid.  I gotta say ..... in some tiny little Ma and Pa market between Rush city and La Crescent .... I never had a cold bottle of Gatorade taste so good !  A glass bottle too .... everything tasted good in glass those days..... the returnable bottled sodas and the beers.... even cheap beer tasted good in those bottles. Orange Crush ..... oh my ... enough to shiver your timbers it was so good. Yeah ... returnable glass bottles that were sterilized and refilled at the factory ...recycling before recycling was even a "thing".

    We eventually get to La Crosse and we stay in a hotel instead because who can sleep when you're head is like a fried egg ?  The day of the concert we eventually and eagerly start walking down to the Arena, maybe a mile or so.... as we're in no condition to ride a bicycle, if you know what I mean. You gotta remember this is 1982, no internet ... only newspapers and radio and pay phones when you're away from home ... and we had no radio and of course and no one watches tv when you're on vacation !  So we get to the Arena ..... man it sure does loo quiet .... too quiet .... and where's all the people ... there's no one around !!! Are we in the Twilight Zone ?   Oh... we look up at the Arena illuminated sign ..... "Rush with Max Webster .... CANCELLED... ReScheduled "   NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!! We rode all this way .... planned the whole weekend .... and oh shoot ..... oh well ..... So we just meander back and "party on" .... that's right Joe..... even before Wayne's World was invented.  Ahahahahah !!!! 

  

  The eventual way home was one of navigating the Mississippi Bluffs then open unsheltered plains and the heat abated thanks to a cool front..... but we were headed straight into the high frontal winds due west..... the kind of winds that can bring you to your knees laughing unless you are a strong cyclist which neither of us were. We survived to ride another day !

  I can still hear Billy Idol .... on a hot summer night .... " HOT in the City Tonight !!! "

  In epilogue ..... Life was just fine without the internet, cell phones and being "connected" with stuff electronically.  We missed the planned concert ....a shrug of the shoulders .... what's next , the night and day is young ! The Earth never stopped rotating, hearts never skipped a beat..... stuff happens and you roll with it ..... and Life just goes on and on in All Life's Glorious Self !

   Leah I know this is supposed to be about crashes and all , and every story I read I seem to recall another crash that I hadn't much thought about. Maybe later .... I talk in person and on the phone seemingly forever but typing ..... I'm not so loquacious .. besides.... it would prolly be as long as a novel .... then again ... Life is a Novel.... a Living Real-time one .. pretty darn cool .

[Minh]

oh this is fun, i'm going to do two:

a few years ago, was riding my quickbeam home with some chinese take out and took the short cut thru a wooded area. there was a wooden foot bridge and there was a moisture on the moss covered wood. i turned my front wheel at a bad angle and it slid out from under me. i hit my head on the handle bars, the next thing i know i'm about ten feet further up the trail, straddling my bike with no memory how i got there. i was bleeding from my temple (thank goodness i was wearing glasses, they cut my side, but at least i didnt poke my eye out, tho that did cost me $500 glasses), but i could not tell how much i was bleeding, i stopped a passerby and he gave me a pretty horrified look, but didnt stop me. so i walked home with napkins to my temple trying to figure out why the bleeding wouldn't stop. when i got home i could see that the cut was pretty deep and not closing, so off i drove (again, not really smart) to urgent care and then the emergecy room for stitches. 5 or so hours later i got my stitches and ate my takeout, the cost of the glasses and the 2K or so in medical bills make that one expensive night of chinese takeout!

the other story also involves a trip to the hospital but not mine. my little sister (maybe 11 at the time) just learned to ride and she followed me down this road towards my parents store, there was a hill (not that steep but enough to get some speed), my sister had not gotten the concept of standing back for the brakes, instead she went head first over the handlebars and into a thorny bush. i ran to find my mom and told her my sister just did a superman off the bike. it took a few hours at the emergency room and a few stitches to deal with all the thorns.

[Kent Peterson -- Eugene, Oregon]

I have a bunch of crash stories that I could pick from. Here's one.

My friend Andy had broken his collarbone mountain biking and was off the bike for a few months. He finally got the clearance to ride, so he and I were out on a gentle road spin around the south end of Lake Washington. As we came around the south end of the lake, just past Boeing Field, there are those little yellow domes in the road. We call them "road turtles". It had just started to rain lightly and I turned my head back to tell Andy "watch out for those things, they are really slick in the rain." The act of my turning my head made my bike drift just a bit to the left and my front wheel caught the edge of a road turtle. I went down quicker than a jackrabbit on a date and, of course, I broke my collar bone!

For years afterwards I could tell when the weather was changing by the ache in my collar bone.

Kent Peterson

Eugene, OR USA

[Kent Peterson -- Eugene, Oregon]

Oh, and here's an Andy crash story that nobody believes when I tell it. It's better that way.

https://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2012/10/its-good-story.html

[Bob Ehrenbeck]

I don't have to go back to my childhood for this one, as it happened less than four years ago.

I was part of a small group, riding on a rail trail after getting off a train in Wassaic, NY and heading toward Millerton to camp overnight for the following day's annual Harlem River Rail Ride event. Being the amateur documentarian photographer that I am, I was taking photos of fellow riders and the surrounding scenery (and spending too much time looking through the viewfinder of my camera rather than directly in front of me). At all road crossings there was a large post right in the middle of the trail to discourage idiot motorists from driving onto it. Well, one was coming up, and I just happened to catch sight of it (through my camera's viewfinder) only a second before slamming into it. I wasn't going really fast, but it was fast enough for me to get thrown right over the bars, do a complete flip, and land on my back. I had a scrape on my shoulder and knee, but otherwise I was well enough to continue the ride to the campsite and dinner by a lake that day and do the main ride the next day -- heck, even the camera around my neck survived -- although the pain did come a couple of days later. That'll teach me to look where I'm going!

Bob E

Cranford, NJ

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

I am completely fascinated reading these stories. And the ones from when you were kids? I laugh out loud at my screen. It instantly takes me back to my own childhood. I’ve been scrambling to remember my own crashes, but sadly(?), none have come to mind. I wonder if I had a boring childhood. Or maybe I was knocked unconscious. More than likely the garage sale Resurrectio (it was hit by the family station wagon and the dad welded it back into working order. Sort of. My parents felt strongly that they should buy this warped bike for me.) never pedaled fast enough to get me in trouble. It was like pedaling in your hardest gear, always. Through mud. Uphill. Barefoot. With a headwind.

I’ll see if my siblings have any good crash stories. Those idiots were always pushing their luck! And my parents bought them nicer bikes. 🙄

[Drew Saunders]

My best "almost-crash" story:

When I was an undergrad at Stanford, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and we did all our assignments on clay tablets (late '80's), I was biking to class one day and had an epic almost crash. For context, Stanford is a large campus, so there are a LOT of cyclists, most of whom have no clue how to ride with any sense of self preservation. I'm staff there now, and the kids are just as oblivious to the laws of physics and as utterly lacking in common sense as I was. 

Full of my lack of sense, I was biking no handed, and wanted to turn right, but the bike just in front of me, and to my right, didn't, so we bumped a bit. I grabbed my handlebars, we both maintained control, but we essentially split the difference and went a bit to the right, where there were four pedestrians walking towards us. They saw what we were doing and instantly split into two pairs to let us get through them, which we did, safely. One of the pedestrians crossed himself when he saw the almost-epic crash that didn't happen. Acting under the idea of "nobody hit the ground, so it wasn't really a crash," we both biked along our merry ways.

I've had a few real crashes. As a former "gentleman of substance" (max weight 125kg, height 176cm), I have had several frames and parts break. I was riding my Riv in 2012 when my left crank snapped, dumping me on the ground. A professional dog walker in his truck came by shortly after and offered to drive me home. The dogs were very happy to see someone, and thought my bike smelled great! I forgot to turn off Strava, not surprising since I was probably somewhat concussed, so it thinks I was able to ride my bike at some pretty impressive speeds! I am forever grateful to that kind stranger who got me home safely!

--Drew

[Scott Marriott]

I admittedly have at least one good crash a year, mostly simple commuting in the snow/ice crashes that might dent my helmet a bit, but don't really rise to the level of a good story. 

That said, one of my "best" bike crash stories is the traditional young kid, fast bike, big hill story.

It starts with me "borrowing" (kind of) my cousin's new Trek something (this was a 1980 or so model). 23 or 25mm tires, superlight (compared to my Mongoose BMX or Huffy 10 speed) and fast; so very fast...

I was out for a ride on this new bike when I saw an El Camino with a couple of tough, older high school students in it turn on the street behind me.  Admittedly, I knew their reputation as troublemakers from the neighborhood, so I immediately thought I should bike quickly away from them. "Fortunately" I was at the top of hill when I started pedaling quickly down the street to a riverside bike trail that was only a block (and a cross street) away. 

As I started descending the hill I heard the El Camino rev it's engine so I pedaled even faster. I was easily going faster than I ever had (and likely ever will) on a bike.

Now that soon to be crossed cross-street I mentioned earlier was fairly untrafficed so I wasn't very worried about it when I started my sprint (I was also about 14 years old), but as I was about 3/4 of the way down the hill I notice a white panel van moving in my direction along this cross-street at a rate of speed that made it eminently clear that I was not going to be able to cross the street unimpeded by several thousands of pounds of very solid, if slightly rusty, American manufactured steel in the form of this van. (I should also mention here that I also had a stop sign, whereas the driver of the van did not.)

Thankfully, my early teenage brain did the proper risk-assessment and immediately jammed the brakes of the narrow tired Trek, causing me to go into (what was probably a pretty cool) skid.  Fortunately I was able to shed enough speed to not become a hood ornament of the van, but instead simply added some aftermarket body modifications to the side door of the van which I bounced off at about 20 miles per hour or so.

The next minute or so is a bit of a blur, but the couple that was in the van get out and immediately start gesturing to me, but not saying anything that I could hear outside of some mumbling.  My 14 year-old self thinks, "Oh Sh!!!T, I'm deaf".  Thankfully the woman who lives on the corner where the accident occurred had a daughter I grew up with (and was the lunch lady at my elementary school) so she immediately runs out of the house and starts yelling, "Scott, Scott are you OK!" so I get a sense that I'm not deaf at least, but in still in a lot of pain.  Also, the kids in the El Camino stopped to check on me and validate that I'm not deaf just dumb.  

The usual follow-up happens, police are called, ambulance comes, parents come, etc.. I have a separated shoulder, but no real damage.  I also find out that the couple who's van I damaged, were deaf / mute so I feel pretty bad then (and now) about injecting my idiocy on them. 

Worst of all, the bike was trashed. Fork, front wheel, and frame were all scrap and my cool bike access was gone until I purchased a used High Sierra in college.

Scott M. (Chicago - Hyde Park)

[masmojo]

I really don't crash all too often and generally when I do they are hardly memorable. 

I wouldn't chalk it up to skill (although several years of mountain bike racing certainly helped) or even over-cautiousness, more than likely just the experience of riding a bike for 51 years and kind of knowing what sort of situations will lead to a bad outcome.

Generally far more satisfying for me are the times I almost crashed, but didn't!

I learned early on some little tricks that help me avoid crashing when I think to use them; the one I like the most is related to tire choice. I don't mind running slicks or semi-slicks on the back, but on the front I like to have a few knobs on the tire or at least the outside edge. A small thing, but having that extra little bit of bite up front can keep you from losing front traction at those awkward times. rail crossings, metal steps, Wet curbs, etc. Generally I pick the front wheel over them so it's not an issue, but occasionally you get caught out. Luckily these are typically fairly low speed crashes and are more embarrassing than anything.

The one wreck that always sticks with me is from many years ago (92"?); I was riding my fairly new XO-1 on my standard after work 42 mile loop in Houston. Probably doesn't take a genius to figure If I left after work and I was out for 42 miles I was arriving Home in the dark. :-(  Additionally, a few miles from home a light rain kicked in; those old Avocet tires had a sort of inverted tread, fine when you're going straight!!  2 blocks from Home I came around a corner, a corner that I knew like the back of my hand, but maybe I was going a little faster than usual?  I don't know, but there was an expansion joint  going down the center of the street that was about 2" taller on one side than the other, my front wheel caught it and I went down pretty hard.

So, I lay there on the street taking stock of my situation. Bones broken? No! Good! Blood/road rash? well yeah, but partially because it's wet, not too bad!  At this point I notice the headlights of an old Dodge van slowly creeping my way. I stagger to my feet, picking up the bike and examining it for damage.  Front wheel is not aligned with the handlebars as could be expected by the way I went down, but otherwise everything seems fine.

As I am swinging my leg over to limp home, the guy in the van pulls up and says "is your bike OK?"; I say "I think it's fine" and he drives off.

After he left I started thinking that maybe the guys priorities were a little off, because he didn't really care if I was OK or not!  Just the bike! LOL

[Bill F]

I hit a curb with my right pedal and flipped over the handlebars. Wasn't paying attention then went into slow motion. Keep your distance! (glad I learned that lesson in my 20's).

[Philip Williamson]

Worst crash? Fifty mile fixed gear ride out through Occidental and Guerneville in Sonoma County. Hustling back to the house so I could pick up my son from kindergarten, I turned into my neighbors’ brick driveway a little too fast. Bike slid out on the wet bricks, and I thought, “Oh, I’ll just catch myself on the fender of my car.” Nope. Seconds later I was laying next to my car, bike somewhere else, and clearly could feel my left arm out in front of me, but I couldn’t see it where it should be. “Oh, I must’ve dislocated my shoulder.” Grabbed the left arm to pop it back into place, but it was all floppy at the elbow.
I started yelling for help. My wife, in the kitchen was like, “Philip’s probably yelling about some dumb thing with his bike. I don’t need to deal with that.” My neighbor across the street thought, “Oh no, the landscaper ran over one of the neighbor’s puppies. I don’t need to see that.” About 30 seconds later they all came running and took me to the hospital.
Five hours of surgery for my smashed humerus, two giant titanium plates, and many pins, one of which came loose a month or two later and worked its way to the surface, just under the bicep.

My arm still tells me when the weather changes.

Philip
Santa Rosa, Cal.

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Oh my gosh, Philip. You made it all the way home and nearly died in your driveway.

Also, I’m shocked at how many of you have flown over your handlebars. And that you seem to have escaped broken ribs and necks. I now think about your stories on my rides and am imagining all the ways I might also go over the bars. I morbidly wonder which bones would be the best ones to break and have the least impact on my life. I wonder if collarbones are the obvious choice. I don’t want to be on crutches, and so much can go wrong with hands, I really don’t want anything facial, maybe a couple of ribs wouldn’t be the worst, no surgery, and all...now this is what I think about. 😜

[Steve Palincsar]

You don't get to choose collar bones, but they do tend to choose themselves a lot.

Still, if you can manage it, the best thing is to not crash at all.  The point of my sending photographs along with descriptions of the crashes at those places has been to make explicit the little-noticed dangers that have brought others to grief in the hope that you can, forearmed with knowledge, avoid experiencing them yourself.

On 3/18/20 1:10 AM, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:

Oh my gosh, Philip. You made it all the way home and nearly died in your driveway.  

Also, I’m shocked at how many of you have flown over your handlebars. And that you seem to have escaped broken ribs and necks. I now think about your stories on my rides and am imagining all the ways I might also go over the bars. I morbidly wonder which bones would be the best ones to break and have the least impact on my life. I wonder if collarbones are the obvious choice. I don’t want to be on crutches, and so much can go wrong with hands, I really don’t want anything facial, maybe a couple of ribs wouldn’t be the worst, no surgery, and all...now this is what I think about. 😜

-- 
Steve Palincsar
Alexandria, Virginia 
USA

[ted]

When I was fairly young (pre teen I’m pretty sure) I took a judo class at the ymca. The first thing they focused on was “learning to fall”. Of course I can’t be sure but I suspect that that early training is part of the reason I’ve been lucky enough to get through several “unplanned get offs” over the intervening decades without a broken bone.

Try not to worry, find someone to do bump and touch drills with, and maybe take a beginner judo class. Though many folks have been seriously hurt riding a bike, many of us have not. Though I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody who’s ridden a lot that never fell. Please don’t fret about it too much. Usually there is no damage or just some “road rash.

[Kainalu V. -Brooklyn NY]

My 2019 Thanksgiving Eve collarbone-

And early December's-

I believe it was caused by my new front wheel, a non machined Velocity Cliffhanger. It was squealing/squawking  like mad and I was convinced I could wear it away like I'd done in the past (I had sanded the seams so's to avoid sudden stops, or so I had hoped).

I should probably start a thread regarding my research into non machined rims and my mixed outcomes in using them with rim brakes, but I'll keep it brief and post it here- they work much better after sanding the track clear of coating. Anyways, I don't remember falling, but my helmet does. 

Stay safe

-Kai (developing a keen weather sense with my new titanium shoulder)

[Eric Floden]

I too learned to practice falling from age 10-up (IIRC inspired by cub leader), and that has really helped me avoid injury in countless bicycle, motorbike, and ski crashes over the years...

My best non-crash was riding at local market area (Granville Island) with old rail tracks still in place. One wet day, I was riding my Fargo where the tracks were parallel to the direction of travel, and tried to ease across these tracks. Something did not work as hoped, and the front wheel must have "tripped " on the rail, causing me to do a 180. I ended up still right-side up but facing the opposite direction I had just come from!

Happily, no motor vehicles were nearby..

Phew,

EricF

Van BC

[Jim Salinas]

I am 71 yrs old and live in a gated community for seniors north of Dallas. I ride 3 times a week with a small group...we go 20 to 30 miles on each ride. I do the occasional solo ride that averages 10 miles. A neighbor once waved me down as I was leaving on my bike, and said, "Jim, I hate to see you riding that bike....you are going to get killed!" I said,"do you know what the most dangerous activity is within Heritage Ranch? (Not a day goes by without hearing paramedic sirens coming through the front gate) My neighbor said, "what's that?" I replied,"laying in a recliner day after day, watching cable news!"
I am not a lean and mean cyclist. I am 6' tall and weigh 220 pounds. I would probably weigh 275 pounds or more without bicycling. I hate other types of exercise because they are so boring. Like Garth...I prefer to be outside.
I have 3 Rivendells (Waterford Hilsen, Cheviot, and Roadini). Everytime I get on one, I think to myself, "this is my favorite one!" I feel young again when I'm riding a bike. Try to put a price on that! Bicycling is not just exercise...it is also mentally refreshing.
My point is, yes...bicycling is dangerous, as is everything else. We just have to be as careful as we can be, but look at the big quality of life picture.

[RichS]

Jim:

Well said! Couldn't agree more. I'm 70 and the reply you gave to your neighbor was perfect in my book.

Best,

Rich in ATL

[Fullylugged]

My only cycling injury was a crash casued by a dog racing out silently from under a hedge at right angle to my direction of travel. I picked him up to late to avoid and he got in front of my front wheel. I hit him and he scurried away, and I hit the asphalt gaining a hip pointer for myself. No cell coverage, solo riding, and the leg with the impact didn't work. I used the bike as a crutch to get upright after checking for blood & breaks, and dipped it low to get my foot over the TT. Then I clipped the good foot in and one legged it 7 miles back to the car. Still my proudest achievement on a bike!. I was afraid to call my wife and tell her I'd been hurt so I waited till I made it home and could not get OUT of the car to call her from the garage. She was an angel and helped without recrimination. Since then I have had a couple other dog or other crash issues but I have tucked and rolled and bounced up un damaged.

[Patrick Moore]

Good for you, Jim, especially as you make even me look young (just
turning 65). But really, cycling **statistically** is not that
dangerous, especially for experienced, cautious, adult cyclists. And
of course, adding in the benefits to health from regular, gentle
exercise, compared to 12 hours a day in a barcalounger, it's
practically a sin not to bicycle.

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Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[SurlyProf]

Reading about all of these injuries and browsing X-rays makes me realize how lucky I've been in my 45-50 years of riding a bike.  In all that time, I've only been in 3 crashes (all, of course, involving cars with clueless drivers). 

In the '80's, I bought my first really nice "Italian" bike at a sidewalk sale in Huntington Beach (1/2 price!).  I'd been out of college for a year or so and hadn't owned a bike since my last one was stolen freshman year.  It was an '86 Bertoni Corsa Mondiale in metallic lavender (in Italian they called it, "God-awful purple").  Loved that bike but thought it might have been cursed.  Within a month or two I had two crashes in the same weekend!  The first happened as I was riding down in the Newport/Balboa area.  I was probably cruising at 25+ mph when I was passed by a van.  The van barely went another city block when it took a right turn in front of me.  I hit the brakes and slid the bike sideways like I was doing a hockey stop.  I must have hit the side of that van at 10 mph.  The whole incident seemed to happen in slow motion.  I even remember the fear in the elderly woman's face as I slammed into the van right next to her.  Looked like a couple driving their in-laws around the area.  I'm sure this incident made an impression as I did given the huge Wile E. Coyote-shaped dent I put in their side.  They slowed and saw that I was still on the bike and, I guess, assumed I was OK and drove off.  I quickly unclipped and put a foot down and then heard the lunchtime host at the restaurant on the corner where it happen say (in a fantastic Jeff Spicolli voice), "Du-u-u-de... I can't believe you stayed on the bike!"

The next day I went out for an easy ride to loosen up my severely bruised hip and shoulder and was right-hooked by a pick up truck.  That time, I was not so lucky.  I flew over the handlebars onto the pavement as I heard the squealing of tires as they tore off.  My rear wheel was completely taco-ed which I didn't bother repairing for at least a month since I thought the bike was cursed.  Fortunately, because of the previous day's accident, I was wearing a helmet that second day.  Could've been a lot worse. 

I loved that bike and kept it for another 25+ years.  Wish I'd held on to it for riding Eroica.  Still had all the original Shimano 600 gruppo (obligatory bike-geek statement).

John 

Niles, CA

[Leah Peterson]

I have loved this thread; it really has been so instructive and also - please don’t take offense - entertaining. 

I now have a name for those yellow things in the road (“road turtles”) and know that I should never get near them in the rain. I will never, ever race my best friend lest she turn her bike in front of me and send me flying. I will certainly never attempt a wheelie. 

In all seriousness, these stories as well as the COVID pandemic have made me more careful - now is not a good time to need a hospital. I usually ride helmet-free but I’ve been wearing one more often just as an extra layer of safety. Helmets come with certain annoyances, particularly for women, and because I can’t ever just be serious, I catalogued it in the video below. 

I don’t have a crash story to contribute, but what I have I give to you. Also, don’t we just need to laugh these days? 

[Lyman Labry]

Video was hilarious.  Thanks.

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On Mar 21, 2020, at 8:46 AM, SurlyProf <john.m...@sjsu.edu> wrote:



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[masmojo]

Leah, I have a similar helmet problem only worse because I have no hair! I just have a really tall Head, If you see me with a helmet It looks like I've got a sticky bun up in there, maybe my wallet, BUT I don't!!!

It's a bit like a cross between Lex Luthor & Homer Simpson with a Helmet on (if you can imagine), Giro's tend to fit me OK and don't look too goofy, but Bell's?? NO they don't fit!!!

Well, I typically avoid the helmets unless, I am riding a drop bar bike, then it's automatic! With the body so far forward the head (or face) is going to make first contact!

[Alan Pickett]

Joe's mention of his Stingray reminded me of this: in 1977 I was living in Charleston WV and had a yellow Schwinn Stingray. Black banana seat and those high, high "monkey bars". Behind our house, there was a church, and we would often ride our bikes in the parking lot, bunny hopping, and jumping off the edge of the asphalt, which dropped sharply about 2.5-3ft as it transitioned into an undeveloped, weedy and rock-strewn lot. I don't know what inspired me, but I got it in my head that if secured my mom's large umbrella to the very back of the seat (in addition to the seat post, there was a long, vertical arc of cheap metal that attached at the rear drop-outs and rose up to stabilize the seat), I might perhaps sail loftily over the drop-off, momentarily weightless, and alight gracefully to the weed-lot below. Needless to say, my vision, as well as my bike and I, came crashing down, as the umbrella only served to produce enough drag to keep my rear-end up, briefly holding my bike in a nose-dive position before I was severely re-introduced to terra-firma. Hey, at least I had a dream!

On Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 11:40:51 AM UTC-4, Tirebiter ATX wrote:

Video was hilarious.  Thanks.

On Sun, Mar 22, 2020 at 10:36 AM Leah Peterson <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have loved this thread; it really has been so instructive and also - please don’t take offense - entertaining. 

I now have a name for those yellow things in the road (“road turtles”) and know that I should never get near them in the rain. I will never, ever race my best friend lest she turn her bike in front of me and send me flying. I will certainly never attempt a wheelie. 

In all seriousness, these stories as well as the COVID pandemic have made me more careful - now is not a good time to need a hospital. I usually ride helmet-free but I’ve been wearing one more often just as an extra layer of safety. Helmets come with certain annoyances, particularly for women, and because I can’t ever just be serious, I catalogued it in the video below. 

I don’t have a crash story to contribute, but what I have I give to you. Also, don’t we just need to laugh these days? 

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On Mar 21, 2020, at 8:46 AM, SurlyProf <john.m...@sjsu.edu> wrote:



Reading about all of these injuries and browsing X-rays makes me realize how lucky I've been in my 45-50 years of riding a bike.  In all that time, I've only been in 3 crashes (all, of course, involving cars with clueless drivers). 

In the '80's, I bought my first really nice "Italian" bike at a sidewalk sale in Huntington Beach (1/2 price!).  I'd been out of college for a year or so and hadn't owned a bike since my last one was stolen freshman year.  It was an '86 Bertoni Corsa Mondiale in metallic lavender (in Italian they called it, "God-awful purple").  Loved that bike but thought it might have been cursed.  Within a month or two I had two crashes in the same weekend!  The first happened as I was riding down in the Newport/Balboa area.  I was probably cruising at 25+ mph when I was passed by a van.  The van barely went another city block when it took a right turn in front of me.  I hit the brakes and slid the bike sideways like I was doing a hockey stop.  I must have hit the side of that van at 10 mph.  The whole incident seemed to happen in slow motion.  I even remember the fear in the elderly woman's face as I slammed into the van right next to her.  Looked like a couple driving their in-laws around the area.  I'm sure this incident made an impression as I did given the huge Wile E. Coyote-shaped dent I put in their side.  They slowed and saw that I was still on the bike and, I guess, assumed I was OK and drove off.  I quickly unclipped and put a foot down and then heard the lunchtime host at the restaurant on the corner where it happen say (in a fantastic Jeff Spicolli voice), "Du-u-u-de... I can't believe you stayed on the bike!"

The next day I went out for an easy ride to loosen up my severely bruised hip and shoulder and was right-hooked by a pick up truck.  That time, I was not so lucky.  I flew over the handlebars onto the pavement as I heard the squealing of tires as they tore off.  My rear wheel was completely taco-ed which I didn't bother repairing for at least a month since I thought the bike was cursed.  Fortunately, because of the previous day's accident, I was wearing a helmet that second day.  Could've been a lot worse. 

I loved that bike and kept it for another 25+ years.  Wish I'd held on to it for riding Eroica.  Still had all the original Shimano 600 gruppo (obligatory bike-geek statement).

John 

Niles, CA

On Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 3:40:10 PM UTC-7, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:

On a recent thread, we veered off topic things that might cause crashes. Stories began pouring in, and they were fascinating and useful. I think we should have a new thread here where you can contribute your experiences and the rest of us can learn a thing or two. For instance, I didn’t know a fender unsecured at the seat stay could cause a crash and now I do. I’ll be fixing mine forthwith!

I feel fortunate not to have any stories to contribute here, but please share yours with us. Some of them might even be funny. (We’ll be laughing WITH you.)
Leah

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[R Shannon]

Leah,

Watch out for the road turtles even in dry weather! The ones in my neck of the woods are pretty robust. 

Best,

Rich in ATL

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 22, 2020, at 11:36 AM, Leah Peterson <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have loved this thread; it really has been so instructive and also - please don’t take offense - entertaining. 

I now have a name for those yellow things in the road (“road turtles”) and know that I should never get near them in the rain. I will never, ever race my best friend lest she turn her bike in front of me and send me flying. I will certainly never attempt a wheelie. 

In all seriousness, these stories as well as the COVID pandemic have made me more careful - now is not a good time to need a hospital. I usually ride helmet-free but I’ve been wearing one more often just as an extra layer of safety. Helmets come with certain annoyances, particularly for women, and because I can’t ever just be serious, I catalogued it in the video below. 

I don’t have a crash story to contribute, but what I have I give to you. Also, don’t we just need to laugh these days? 

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<Video.mov>

Sent from my iPad

On Mar 21, 2020, at 8:46 AM, SurlyProf <john.m...@sjsu.edu> wrote:



Reading about all of these injuries and browsing X-rays makes me realize how lucky I've been in my 45-50 years of riding a bike.  In all that time, I've only been in 3 crashes (all, of course, involving cars with clueless drivers). 

In the '80's, I bought my first really nice "Italian" bike at a sidewalk sale in Huntington Beach (1/2 price!).  I'd been out of college for a year or so and hadn't owned a bike since my last one was stolen freshman year.  It was an '86 Bertoni Corsa Mondiale in metallic lavender (in Italian they called it, "God-awful purple").  Loved that bike but thought it might have been cursed.  Within a month or two I had two crashes in the same weekend!  The first happened as I was riding down in the Newport/Balboa area.  I was probably cruising at 25+ mph when I was passed by a van.  The van barely went another city block when it took a right turn in front of me.  I hit the brakes and slid the bike sideways like I was doing a hockey stop.  I must have hit the side of that van at 10 mph.  The whole incident seemed to happen in slow motion.  I even remember the fear in the elderly woman's face as I slammed into the van right next to her.  Looked like a couple driving their in-laws around the area.  I'm sure this incident made an impression as I did given the huge Wile E. Coyote-shaped dent I put in their side.  They slowed and saw that I was still on the bike and, I guess, assumed I was OK and drove off.  I quickly unclipped and put a foot down and then heard the lunchtime host at the restaurant on the corner where it happen say (in a fantastic Jeff Spicolli voice), "Du-u-u-de... I can't believe you stayed on the bike!"

The next day I went out for an easy ride to loosen up my severely bruised hip and shoulder and was right-hooked by a pick up truck.  That time, I was not so lucky.  I flew over the handlebars onto the pavement as I heard the squealing of tires as they tore off.  My rear wheel was completely taco-ed which I didn't bother repairing for at least a month since I thought the bike was cursed.  Fortunately, because of the previous day's accident, I was wearing a helmet that second day.  Could've been a lot worse. 

I loved that bike and kept it for another 25+ years.  Wish I'd held on to it for riding Eroica.  Still had all the original Shimano 600 gruppo (obligatory bike-geek statement).

John 

Niles, CA

On Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 3:40:10 PM UTC-7, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:

On a recent thread, we veered off topic things that might cause crashes. Stories began pouring in, and they were fascinating and useful. I think we should have a new thread here where you can contribute your experiences and the rest of us can learn a thing or two. For instance, I didn’t know a fender unsecured at the seat stay could cause a crash and now I do. I’ll be fixing mine forthwith!

I feel fortunate not to have any stories to contribute here, but please share yours with us. Some of them might even be funny. (We’ll be laughing WITH you.)
Leah

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[Joe Bernard]

Oh I have another Sting-Ray crash story: This was the early-'70s and the heyday of Evel Kneivel. We all set up ramps and jumped things (or kids) on those bikes and they weren't built for this. Every kid in my neighborhood eventually snapped their fork and went tumbling down the alley. Good times! 🤣

[Joe Bernard]

Tangential to my last story and not really a crash story but there is one at the end, but mostly because I've never had a reason to tell this one before:

One time as a kid in Long Beach, CA. I was out on my bike early evening. I came up on this commotion in an alley way and - I could not believe my eyes - there were 2 or 3 cars lined up side by side; a huge ramp on one ended, a shorter one on the other. There were big spotlights strung up like this was some kind of "event", but no TV cameras. Presently I discovered there was a rider on some sort of BMX-looking bike with an HUGE front chainring. Ok, this fool is going to jump these cars in this alley under these lights, and I just happened to discover it. None of this makes sense!

The next thing that didn't make sense is there was a big telephone pole set on the edge of the alley, right down the way a few yards from the landing ramp. No problem, I wouldn't even worry about it.

Whelp, he got to cranking on those cranks and hit the big ramp with the quickness..and dontcha know he completely overshot the other one, the bike bounced a couple times and tossed him right into that pole! Broken arm, and now I remember there was even an ambulance there for him to get into. With his cute girlfriend attending, because this scene wouldn't be complete without our hero having a worried cute girlfriend on the other side of this ridiculous stunt.

I swear all of this is true. The '70s were... different.

Joe "I was there" Bernard
Marin County CA.

[Joe Bernard]

You can find ANYTHING on the internet. Apparently - I didn't know this - BMX was invented by a motocross racer in Long Beach in 1970. He even refers to being an Evel Kneivel-style daredevil in this article, though I have no way of knowing if he was the loon jumping cars. But it does explain a guy on a "BMX-looking bike" doing something insane in Long Beach when I was a kid. So there ya go!

PS. I rode my Sting-Ray on the lot mentioned here. I didn't know it was the first BMX track.

https://signaltribunenewspaper.com/8260/sports/from-lb-dirt-lot-to-the-olympics-bicycle-motocross-celebrating-its-40th/

[Leah Peterson]

🤣🤣🤣 What kind of tomfoolery was this?!? The ‘70s must have really been something.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 22, 2020, at 2:51 PM, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Tangential to my last story and not really a crash story but there is one at the end, but mostly because I've never had a reason to tell this one before:

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[Lyman Labry]

Awesome. Thanks

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[Joe Bernard]

"🤣🤣🤣 What kind of tomfoolery was this?!? The ‘70s must have really been something."

Ya know how you sometimes think, "That Joe, he's ok I guess, but he's SUCH an idiot." I grew up in the '70s 😋

[Joe Bernard]

Anyway, back to the thread. I may be slightly cooped up and rambling a bit. Like, even more than usual!

[Patrick Moore]

Not bike related, but certainly accident related: Your forlorn attempt to get airborne reminds me of a jarring experience at age 9 when I saw my first skateboard -- they were really just boards with metal skate trucks bolted to them. For some reason, I got the bright idea that I could place the skateboard squarely facing me on a friend's concrete driveway, walk back 15 feet, take a run, and do a belly flop onto the board. Forget what exactly I expected to gain from this.

Needless to say, I overshot the skateboard and landed on my front teeth, which were big enough to earn me the monicker, "Beaver." One is still a couple of mm shorter than the other.

[Surlyprof]

https://youtu.be/B-H5g9WEqCc

Evil Knievel was the inspiration for most of our bike-related tomfoolery in the ‘70’s. He, and this toy, prompted us to spend a lot of time trying to trash a 3-spd Raleigh by jumping it over the creek in our backyard. It was the hand-me-down bike that no one wanted. Several crashes/injuries later, the bike remained intact. Being 10-12 years old, the only lesson learned was that Raleigh made strong bikes (lugged steel).

John “Don’t get me started on SSP Demolition Derby toys”
Niles, CA (previously Middle of nowhere, Ohio)

[masmojo]

Turtles?? The local Motorcycle riders call'em City Titties.

Yeah, Sounds better to me to! :-)

[Surlyprof]

Leah,

Your video reminded me of the “hairmet” on The TV show Scrubs. https://youtu.be/OL0GkcO05JE

John

[Leah Peterson]

John, this was worth the watch - I laughed out loud on my walk like a fool. 😂

I think The Ponytail Helmet (TM) is more aesthetically appealing, however. And no prescription necessary. 🤣🤣🤣

Sent from my iPad

> On Mar 27, 2020, at 9:36 AM, Surlyprof <jmcc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Leah,

>
> Your video reminded me of the “hairmet” on The TV show Scrubs. https://youtu.be/OL0GkcO05JE
>
> John
>

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[Roberta]

I could see The Ponytail Helmet (TM) as having a vertical opening, about two inches wide, going from the top of head to top of neck, so you could accommodate any placement of ponytail, except for a side-pony (hey, perhaps a second product idea?).  Me?--I have short curly hair, so I'm going with a hairmet.

On Friday, March 27, 2020 at 12:49:19 PM UTC-4, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:

John, this was worth the watch - I laughed out loud on my walk like a fool. 😂

I think The Ponytail Helmet (TM) is more aesthetically appealing, however. And no prescription necessary. 🤣🤣🤣

Sent from my iPad

> On Mar 27, 2020, at 9:36 AM, Surlyprof <jmcc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Leah,
>
> Your video reminded me of the “hairmet” on The TV show Scrubs.  https://youtu.be/OL0GkcO05JE
>
> John
>
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[Eric Norris]

You all need one of these:

I wore one of these back in the day … but without a ponytail.

--Eric Norris
campyo...@me.com

@CampyOnlyguy (Twitter/Instagram)

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[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

I have a crash story from last week - not mine. I think this is a good thread to resurrect - I certainly learned some valuable lessons from your stories.

My friend, D, is a triathlete and has a lot of triathlete friends. They love to get their road bikes out and ride in groups. The Las Vegas Strip is a ghost town right now, and folks are taking their bikes and riding there. Last week, my friend was meeting a couple to do this very thing. When they were late, D didn’t really worry. They were arriving by bike, and maybe they were delayed. But the D’s phone rang, and the wife said there had been a crash and an ambulance was on the way.

Here’s what happened.

The husband was clipped in and stood up on his pedals. He was beginning a descent, and when he stood, his right foot came unclipped and his foot got caught in the spokes. He reportedly flipped several times and was unable to stand at the scene. After a lot of bungling on the part of a Vegas hospital (the joke here is “Where do you go for medical care in Las Vegas? McCarran Airport.”) he was discovered to have: a dislocated right hip with a possible hairline fracture, a broken scapula, numerous pelvic fractures and a TON of road rash on his back. He’s had two surgeries already and will be bedridden for 6 weeks. He faces a long road of PT and OT for his recovery.

His story has haunted me ever since I heard.

[dstein]

I think Philip's takes the cake, yikes.

I went over the handlebars going downhill last year (Tunnel Rd in Oakland for you Bay Area folks), not sure what happened but the caliper brakes on my Frank Jones Sr. got caught in the spokes of the front wheel and locked it, face planted the pavement, wasn't going super fast, but easily 15-20mph, I had to brake hard the turn before to avoid a squirrel so maybe something shook loose then. Ended up with 8 stitches on my chin and 6 on my upper lip that scarred pretty bad, I'll pretty much always have a beard now, I was just thinking of shaving it off right before the accident. Ate through a straw for 2 weeks my mouth was so busted (miraculously did not even chip a tooth!). The whole thing shook me up pretty bad, I'm just now starting to ride a little bit again, but it'll never be like before. Previous accident was a skid and sideways fall, also on pavement, ended up with a grapefruit size hematoma that took me out of commission for 2 weeks as well.  

I'm amazed at the number of people that will pass you on the side of the road all bloodied up (it was pretty gnarly) and barely slow down, continuing to ride. I'd say 10+ people rode right on by. One guy said 'oh, that will hurt, you'll never be the same', and kept riding. Luckily someone did stop and hang out with me until my wife came. Who knows, maybe I would have been one of those non stopping people if the situation was reversed, not in the future though that's for sure.

Stay safe out there folks. Check your brakes every now and then, make sure they're on there tight. And don't go too fast. 

[Joe Bernard]

Wow, that's quite a lineup of 'stuff in spokes' stories! In the triathlete's case I can't even the fathom the bad luck of his foot popping off and right into the front wheel. Sheesh!

The second story sucks bad, too, especially the idiots who kept riding. As the new owner of a Frank Jones it made me go take a look at my brakes. Yep, those pads are at the very top of the slots and I better keep 'em tight. I'm glad you're feeling better and slowly getting back on the bike, mate. As we say in another discipline, one day at a time.

Joe Bernard
Marin County CA.