Hypno Toad

So I took a fall yesterday - posted to my thread about wood-deck bridges. Fell on my right side, it makes sense in the edit I posted since I was making a slight right turn. However the first edit in that thread was straight as an arrow and I fell on my right. I don't have hard data on the subject, it just seems like it's always my right hip with the bruises and the memorable falls are on the right side.

Anybody else have the sense that they always hit the same side? Could it be a rider created issue (mashing heavier on one pedal)??

techsensei

I suspect it's like flipping a coin. It could land heads-up a dozen times in a row, but the odds would still be 50/50.

molten

!!!!!!!!!!
GREAT!!!!!
Keep it that way!!!!!!
(as we know): Falling on the "right" means that gravity weight is chosen by your body, to tilt to the right, as your bike go out balance.
DETAIL: That pulls the your body, add the majority of your bike, to the shoulder of the road. During fall-down. As that means opposite to the side of the wheels/car that the side that the road traffic drives on.
OR ELSE: YOU & YOUR BIKE ARE RUN-OVER.

corrado33

I could sell you some weights so that you fall more equally on both sides if you'd like. $35.00 + shipping. PM if interested.

I think I'm the opposite of you. I generally fall on my left side, barring any major force in the fall (aka hitting a tree.)

molten

What be the surface of the shoulder?
As that determines how much damage of the inner foam shell --- of the helmet. If worn.
I have made a thread about this, and a reply to another one's thread about this.
As cracks will widen/lengthen --- oven time (amount of falls). Add the quality/name of the helmet.
As I use Bell.

molten

When one be riding a racing bike, that amount of weight carried is critical.
Add, that when I have an indication that I will need to make that stop -- I merge t the right/shoulder.

Retro Grouch 

I"m pretty sure that I'm an equal opportunity fall-er. It's too bad that I haven't kept records because I suspect that I could provide a pretty good sample size.

rydabent

Maybe it is ingrained in us to fall away from traffic to the right.

corrado33

I think it more depends on what foot you generally put down when you stop. I think the majority of people put their right foot down. I put my left foot down. (On the road.. on the mountain it varies.)

techsensei

Maybe it's Murphy's Law taking effect; you always fall on the right side to ensure damage to the drivetrain.

Hypno Toad

I was thinking this too, I do put my right foot down first when stopping.

HA!

james1024

I've gone down four times since I started riding over a year ago. All times I came down on my left, irregardless of the circumstances. I'm left-handed and always put down my left foot. So, handedness may influence which way you go down.

hyhuu

You need to fall many more times to see if there is a statistical difference. Report back when you have enough falls.

cyclist2000

I'm not sure, I don't fall that frequently. Does my dog pulling me off the bike count?

Hypno Toad

Interested theory. I'd love to hear other's thoughts on this. I'm a rightie and hit the right side more often.

techsensei

I wonder how many people fall by going over the handlebars? Newbies sure worry a lot about that, especially when the see a fixie or single speed bike with only a front brake.

canklecat

Yup, left side, every time. Twice last week (both minor falls, but both on the left side). And every other fall I can remember years ago.

Probably ingrained training from years of amateur boxing. I'm right handed and most righties lead with their lefts, with the body angled so the left side is toward danger -- the opponent. Once that habit has been developed it's hard to change.

CeeDotA

I've only fallen three times (knock on wood). Twice on my right and once on my left side. The first time I managed to bend my derailleur hanger and had to ride gimped a few miles back to the shop. The second time I fell I landed on my knee and bruised it bad enough I couldn't run for a few days. The last time I fell I managed to scratch a relatively new-at-the-time shift/brake lever.

So to answer your question, not really.

Viich

I did once, but it involved someone throwing something at my front wheel.....

joeyduck

I'm pretty equal I think.


Sorry about the fall @Hypno Toad

I've never gone over the bars.

joeyduck

I'm left handed also buy these hasn't been a correlation. Though I always put my left for down, but that's been a worry since my last wreck.

OldsCOOL

Once on the right, once on the left, twice over the bars. I'm a real balanced sort of guy.

I-Like-To-Bike

It is ingrained in me not to fall. How do all the alleged Kool Kid, smart guys and "skilled" riders who post cycling advice on BF keep falling off their bikes?

james1024

I would hypothesize that trust could play a part. It's possible that people would trust their dominant side to brace for the impact of a fall, given that it's the more coordinated side.

Eyesight could also play a part. Lefties tend to be left eye dominant, righties are the opposite. Falling on the dominant side would potentially allow you to better see your way down. Eye dominance also tends to influence which way animals turn. The deer population (and most other mammal populations) is split 50-50 between left and right dominance. A left-dominant deer will virtually always turn left in order to turn around or look behind itself. This is done in order to lead with the dominant eye.

People also tend to lead with their dominant foot when beginning to walk from a standstill. So, it's possible that people have a tendency, however slight, to shift their weight or momentum towards their dominant side.

But, none of this may be true or apply. I'm just trying to make some educated guesses.

kickstart

I generally consider myself to be a clumsy, and awkward person yet some of the advice, and anecdotes of supposedly advanced cyclists who constantly proclaim how others should ride leave me scratching my head.