Crash Protection

[DCBassman]

You can shoulder barge with considerable force without causing serious injury.

Shoulder-charging the ground is significantly different from shoulder meeting, for example, a human body. Ground ain't got no give...

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The trick to avoiding injury is to dive off the bike in a triple back pike somersault.

 

[MichaelW2]

Shoulder-charging the ground is significantly different from shoulder meeting, for example, a human body. ground ain't got no give...

In a bike crash, the more you skitter along and move, the more energy is dissipated. In my two crashes of recent decades, I hit the ground upper arm first but with forward motion. I did not impact imovable ground from 20mph to zero in an instant, as you would from riding into a brick wall.
In my experience, the upper arm is the strongest and least vulnerable part to impact first, from riding position.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Remember that unless it’s a head on collision into a wall your forward velocity on the bike has no bearing on the impact velocity into the ground.

 

[DCBassman]

In a bike crash, the more you skitter along and move, the more energy is dissipated. In my two crashes of recent decades, I hit the ground upper arm first but with forward motion. I did not impact imovable ground from 20mph to zero in an instant, as you would from riding into a brick wall.
In my experience, the upper arm is the strongest and least vulnerable part to impact first, from riding position.

Mine was an uncontrolled topple at almost zero mph, like a big clipless moment, if you will. Didn't break, just destroyed all the involved soft tissue - the rotator cuff and tendons. Age plays a part in that, too. There was enough bone damage to require replacement.

 

[MichaelW2]

Remember that unless it’s a head on collision into a wall your forward velocity on the bike has no bearing on the impact velocity into the ground.

It is not the initial velocity of impact but the rate of deceleration that hurts. This is the idea behind crumple zones in cars.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It is not the initial velocity of impact but the rate of deceleration that hurts. This is the idea behind crumple zones in cars.

But that still doesn’t affect impact velocity with ground. In other words the velocity that matters when it comes to breaking things. The forward velocity will just affect the extent of scrapes, in other words flesh wounds.

 

[matticus]

... although that does depend on whether the ground stops you moving, or a different solid object. I suppose statistically it's most often the ground, but I'm very away that my only serious bike crash involved a kerb as a landing pad. (and the car hitting me in the first place hurt quite a lot!)

The faster you come off, the more likely you are to hit a non-ground object? \hypothesis

 

[Dave Davenport]

On a ride a few years ago one of my mates slowed to about 4mph on a really tight, greasy corner, both wheels went from under him and he broke his hip. If he'd tried going round at 15 to 20mph he'd have probably ended up skidding along the slippery surface without doing much real damage. Moral of story; NEVER slow down for corners.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

... although that does depend on whether the ground stops you moving, or a different solid object. I suppose statistically it's most often the ground, but I'm very away that my only serious bike crash involved a kerb as a landing pad. (and the car hitting me in the first place hurt quite a lot!)

The faster you come off, the more likely you are to hit a non-ground object? \hypothesis

Hence the bit above head on collision above. Either way none of the so called cycle safety gear is designed or tested to be useful against cars or curbs.

 

[Oldhippy]

At the risk of annoying a load of people when did all this 'danger' become a thing? I grew up playing on bomb sites, tearing round in woods on home made bikes, building go karts from Parma and wood and finding a steep hill to use it. Did I hurt myself? Yep! Went and did it all again. Now I see people head to toe in day glo, helmet on a cycle path with no traffic! I have ridden on roads for many years no helmet, no day glo just lights when it's dark. Toured many miles in my time as well. Have I been lucky? Is riding a bicycle today a dangerous sport or has the world gone mental and I didn't notice?

 

[fossyant]

It is not the initial velocity of impact but the rate of deceleration that hurts. This is the idea behind crumple zones in cars.

Aye, 13 mph to zero in no distance. Spine split in two on impact, then busted four ribs when I eventually hit the ground. Didn't get chance to roll ! Helmet was no use, didn't even touch anything. Quite handy for showing paramedics,nope it's not my head, look ! It's my back. Spinal boarded, and the rest is history.

 

[fossyant]

At the risk of annoying a load of people when did all this 'danger' become a thing? I grew up playing on bomb sites, tearing round in woods on home made bikes, building go karts from Parma and wood and finding a steep hill to use it. Did I hurt myself? Yep! Went and did it all again. Now I see people head to toe in day glo, helmet on a cycle path with no traffic! I have ridden on roads for many years no helmet, no day glo just lights when it's dark. Toured many miles in my time as well. Have I been lucky? Is riding a bicycle today a dangerous sport or has the world gone mental and I didn't notice?

You'll find peer pressure etc etc. Lots more traffic these days also contributory negligence that 'can' pop up in RTA accidents.

Old MTB's can't go anywhere near as fast as modern ones down hill - nothing like - they are just incredible now, but with more speed, comes potential for a bad landing.

 

[matticus]

A generation that didn't ride bikes regularly as kids; they either take it up as adults (and feel the need for as much PPE as they can afford), or teach their kids to ride using all the PPE their friends' kids wear.

 

[Dave Davenport]

It's weird really the way parents cover kids in PPE whenever anything with wheels is involved, even if it's a balance bike or little scooter, but are happy to let them on a playground with swings and slides etc. with nothing (as it should be) where the 'risk' is much higher.