How many times have you fallen/been knocked off your bike?

[Richard A Thackeray]

Discounting initial attempts with clip less pedals in the early 90s (Look & SPD), I think it's been about 5 times over the course of 25-30 years commuting

- Diesel on a roundabout

- having to change line mid-corner, due to pothole, & finding the man-hole cover

- going through the rear window of an abandoned Austin Metro (as Police later told me), & landing partially on back seat, after being dazzled by opposing traffic, whilst on my commute home from Leeds at 23:30 one night
Thankfully it was before I started work at this Hospital, so whilst my wife (who was Bed Manager at the time) knew A&E staff, I didn't.
I dread it happening now,& having Doctors/Nurses I know dealing with me


- twice on black ice, within 600 yards of each other, whilst commuting about 3 years ago. On the second fall, I realised the true meaning of seeing stars, & thought I'd broken my wrist





Then, of course, there's the various falls whilst MTB racing/Cyclo-crossing, but those are outside of the parameters of this survey, I guess???

 

[dellzeqq]

lots, but I've only wound up in hospital six times

 

[Sandra6]

3 "proper" falls , several spontaneous dismounts at unexpected moments and 0 times knocked off by other people (taps head) touch wood and all that.
I fell off when I misjudged the amount of mud on a grass ridge on the first bike, damaged my pride mostly but did manage to buckle the front wheel.
First time mountain biking was my only serious off, full on over the bars dismount with a roll and tuck landing in a ditch, fortunately no lasting damage although my arm didn't work properly for a fortnight.
3rd was a clipless moment, even though I wasn't clipped! I just misjudged the distance from me to the floor and over balanced while stopped at a RAB. I found it a lot funnier than the bloke in the lorry behind me.
I do tend to misjudge off road hills when on the 29er and end up hopping off the bike, or over the side, fairly frequently though - but it's not a fall if I know I'm doing it right?!

 

[Frood42]

Once, when I was a teenager, it taught me a lesson...

 

[ColinJ]

A colleague who used to give me a lift to work told me that he had slipped on wet leaves when walking his bike to Hebden Bridge railway station, a fall which broke one of his hips!

 

[ColinJ]

A colleague who used to give me a lift to work told me that he had slipped on wet leaves when walking his bike to Hebden Bridge railway station, a fall which broke one of his hips!

I think that brittle bones may have been a factor.

I have been told that I need to be on anticoagulants for life, but since being put on Warfarin I have read research showing that longterm exposure to the drug can cause osteoporosis. I don't think that I would have got away the falls I listed previously if my bones had not been strong, so I am worried about the risks of future falls. I will probably request to be taken off Warfarin next year and switched to a drug which does not mess with bone health.

 

[coffeejo]

5+ for me, mostly MTBing or clipless moments. Took a corner too fast as a kid and my rear wheel lost it when it hit loose gravel. I sprained my thumb and couldn't do the homework I intended to do that evening. So I ended up with a sprained thumb, ripped jeans and a detention. And a couple of winters ago, I came off on black ice and slid up the road on my front. Would have made a great video if I'd been wearing a cape.

 

[glenn forger]

My nephew on a fast descent had the front wheel collapse, the bars snap and the fractured end of the bars impaled through his shoulder, his scar is way cool.

 

[Lockring]

Many. Many. Too much. Ow!

 

[dan_bo]

farking loads.

 

[akb]

One. Not sure if it was wet leaves or ice. But they both on the ground at the time of said fallage so both got the blame. I was ok though; I was wearing a helmet (although my knees, hands, and elbows probably disagree)

 

[welsh dragon]

Has anyone fallen off an exercise bike or spinning bike. Can you Imagine falling off a bike that can't even move. How embarrassing.

 

[MarkF]

I clicked 0, but since my last post claiming never, I recalled an "off", but I was exceedingly drunk and it wasn't my fault, at very low speed a cat ran into my front wheel. Under the extenuating circumstances I am still claiming it's never happened.

 

[ColinJ]

Has anyone fallen off an exercise bike or spinning bike. Can you Imagine falling off a bike that can't even move. How embarrassing.

I am sure that people fall off rollers all the time!

I did a long warm up on a spinning bike at the local gym. It was fixed gear and had a massive flywheel which I gradually ramped up to a sprint, and then I decided to stop pedalling and dismount. The kinectic energy in the flywheel was enough to kick me up into the air and almost rip my feet off the ends of my legs!

 

[welsh dragon]

I am sure that people fall off rollers all the time!

I did a long warm up on a spinning bike at the local gym. It was fixed gear and had a massive flywheel which I gradually ramped up to a sprint, and then I decided to stop pedalling and dismount. The kinectic energy in the flywheel was enough to kick me up into the air and almost rip my feet off the ends of my legs!

I must admit, those things are scary both spinning bikes and rollers.