Squashednuts

Cycling home from work
Waiting to turn across traffic, a helpful driver slowed & let me cross.

Not sure what went wrong but I ended up in an embarrassed heap on the floor, there was a reasonably large audience.

Only things injured were my ego & right gluteus maximus.

hoodat

At 84 and after three weeks in a coma my balance is shot, That's why I ride a trike. If I tried an ordinary bike I'd spend half my riding time flat on my face,

cale

Last Sat (cut me some slack, please haha), I was out on the road but looking for off-road adventure. I came across a trail leading into the woods but "protected" by a large dirt berm. I hesitated as I made my approach and lost all momentum at the top. Too late!!! I looked down at my shoes still clipped into my road pedals and rather ungracefully keeled over on my side in the sticker bushes... bike still attached to my feet. Pulling sticker out of my handlebar tape I looked around but the area was empty. Did it ever even happen? Haha

Doctor Morbius

Fortunately, I haven't fallen off a bike in about a decade. Unfortunately, it was when I was new to SPD cleats and I didn't get unclipped in time at a stop. Fell right over in front of a car full of grade school kids. I could hear the little darlings laughing all the way down the street.

Nermal

Interesting. I spent three weeks in the hospital with fractures of pelvis, collar bone and a couple of ribs. My balance still isn't right after eight years, and for some reason, my feet don't always go where I expect them to. And yet, I can ride a bike. In fact, I ride better than I walk.

scott967

I came within a hair of going down yesterday. I was just rolling slowly but had to come to a quick, unexpected stop. When I tried to unclip my shoe blew out. I did get unclipped but my first thought was oh-oh, this isn't going to be good.

scott s.
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ShaneHanchey

Last week I think. Front yard. Practicing getting clipped in on the MTB without rolling any since I've gotten decent at trackstands where I'm already clipped.

Right foot was clipped, left foot coming up slowly while balancing and starting to lean more and more to the right. Left foot somehow ended up underneath and on other side of the bike when I went down and the chainring shredded the back of my ankle.

BobbyG

Funny you should ask....Until a year or so ago I had fallen only once in 20 years and it was a smooth-shouldered curb I had stopped at. The front wheel slid out from under me and I feel into some grass and leaves. Since then, two toe-strap mis-haps, one black ice slip, and just this Wednesday another curb-related incident...but none of three occured over 5 mph.

GTIMKIV

I was riding the local BMX/Skate park with my 9 year old and forgot that I haven't done this since the early 80's! Didn't actually go down, but I came close enough to see that a 43 year old on a box store comfort bike riding vert could be a bad idea. But once I get that 26" BMX I'm back in!!

Indyspeeddmon

So close but a last second twitch saved me. Came to a slow stop, just cruising along, thought I'd unclipped but when I went to put my foot I was still attached. A panic twist worked at the last possible moment but even at that the bike was at about a 45% angle before I saved it. Many people were around so I am pretty thrilled to have saved myself from that embarrassment.

GovernorSilver

Turned from the street to get onto the MUP. Missed the MUP by an inch and rolled onto the grass instead, which was fine. I fell when i tried to roll back onto the MUP - it was a couple of inches higher than the grass - almost like trying to roll from a street onto a sidewalk and hitting the curb. Tore some skin off my knee. Didn't realize how much of a bloody mess it was until I got in the shower at work. Fortunately we have an in-house nurse, who taught me how to do a wound dressing.

Wiped out this week doing yet another right turn, this time from the crosswalk to a sidewalk. Banged up the other knee. Fortunately, no blood this time - just some swelling and a purple spot.

One of my bosses said falling and getting bruised is part of life as a first-year cyclist. I have still have 9-10 more months to go. Yay.

timguyonatrek

Oh yeah just the other day goofing off with the wife in front of me, we are riding thru a tunnel and neither of us have a lite on our bikes but I have a flashlight in my right hand, she is in front so she can see with my light, she stands up and starts shakin her toosh at me so I speed up for a closer look, lol just about the time I get close enough to give her a little pat she makes an abrupt turn into my path, well I have a really quick choice to make, hit her or grab the front brake, front because that's the only hand on the bars, well I'm not about to plow into the love of my life so I grab the front brake and plow into the dirt, no damage to me and little damage to my brand new bike, the wife and I had a good laugh on that one after we realized there was no blood.

Baldy1953

I have fallen several times. New to clip ins and have stopped a couple of times and forgot the foot would not come loose. Everyone knows what happened to me. Just get mad at myself , pick the bike up , and go on my way.

Last Oct. , riding on the local bike path, became dehydrated, and passed out. woke up in the hospital and had to stay overnight. Do not remember much of the next 4 days. Still have a bit of double vision. Cracked several bones around and below my left eye, to go with the concussion and inter-cranial bleeding. DRINK when riding.

canklecat

I used to fall way more than I'd like to admit, when I commuted daily on a Motobecane Mirage. Those slicker, skinnier high pressure tires I used to prefer for speed were pretty sketchy on any patch of gravel and sand I'd encounter on turns. And I was hit from behind several times at 4-way stop sign intersections. Fortunately almost every fall was at slow speed, practically no-speed, so the worst injuries were usually a red face from embarrassment if it was my fault, and cussing if the dolt behind me at the stop sign mistakenly thought I had no corporeal form.

After a long I-hate-us from riding I expected to fall at least once the past month. So far, so good, fingerscrossedknockwoodetc. I don't ride fast anymore and the 700x38 Specialized Hemisphere tires feel very secure even on patches of sand and gravel, narrow ruts in melted asphalt and the occasional bit of rutted rocky dirt that passes for "sidewalks" in my area.

rex615

Does a unicycle count? Fell off doing a free mount in the garage. Hadn't ridden the thing in years. Got back on though. Fortunately no damage to myself and the unicycle only suffered a scuff on the seat.

canklecat

Yikes. I think my worst dehydration incident resulted in painful cramps. I underestimated my need for hydration during a time trial or crit on a cool, overcast day.

The closest I've come to falling since resuming cycling a month ago was mostly embarrassing. I get sudden muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders due to injuries from a car wreck several years ago. Usually I just get off and stretch. But a couple of weeks ago a spasm hit in the middle of a narrow bike/pedestrian bridge, with a Very Serious Cyclist approaching from the other direction. The spasm in my right shoulder and neck pulled me into the railing and I squealed "YIPES!" as I sorta bounce-scraped along the rail for a few yards. Poor folks nearby prolly thought I was nuts.

Fortunately I don't ride in England or the consequences of those right side spasms might be a problem.

OuchMyFace

Yeah, I'll throw in. I bought a new VO stem from someone off a Facebook group just so I could train myself to use track drops (never used them in the 15 years of riding these damn things for some reason), screwed them on, immediately went down a steep hill at about 12% of the speed of light and.....BAM the entire faceplate disengaged and I went DOWN. Wound up with the mother of all concussions and apparently had a 30 minute talk with my mother (speaking of mothers) that I don't remember and woke up on my floor in a winter coat. Got checked out by a neurologist and I'm miraculously okay but that was scaaaaary..

Current theory is that either I colossally screwed up screwing on the bolts or the guy sold me a headset with all the screws and holes stripped to hell and I won the blunt force trauma impact lottery as a consequence.

The literal most embarrassing part of this story is that this happened right as I tried to sharply turn to get a look at the Pope, who was coincidentally driving down my street when he was in DC. So there's a good chance the chosen representative of God upon this earth saw me eat concrete like a total ******.

Daniel4

I just wiped out a few minutes ago. It's at the south end of the trail parallel to Leslie Street. Someone at the city must have realized a mistake or an omission so a cutout through the shrubs and chain link fence was made to let cyclists in and out to the parking lot of Wrigley's gum. I always gear down and try to keep my balance as I roll through the roots and branches. Today I lost my balance and scraped my left knee. It's got some blood. So now I'm relaxing at Second Cup with a vanilla bean latte.

avidone1

nope

ColaJacket

A couple of weeks ago, I was on a beginner ride. We were stopping at a light that doesn't always change for cyclists, so I was going over to where pedestrians can push a button for the traffic signal.

Unfortunately, the button was a yard or two off the sidewalk, and it was on an incline. I clipped out ok, but the grassy incline did me in. I remember that the bicycle fell, but I think I was able to stay off my butt. And the signal changed without me ever pushing the button.

GH

02Giant 

Fall off...nope, not this week.

Leebo

For those of you who mt bike, it is a regular occurrence. Arm and leg armor, good.

olivieri_velo

new to biking with clipless pedals.. got home from a quick ride, called to my wife "I'm home" as I'm making my way to the front door, as she opened it I unclipped one foot but managed to somehow shift my weight to the unclipped foot and just fell sideways right in front of her, she was laughing her butt off, was super embarrassing. Luckily no one else from the neighborhood was outside.. all I could tell me wife was "yea, you're laughing now because it wasnt anything serious..."

avidone1

OOOOOPs. Fell this evening. I was leaving a gated community and tried to ride between the poles that block all traffic that doesn't have the bar code on the window. It was a narrow space but I have done it before. Not this time. My right grip hit the right pole and down I went. Have a not too serious cut on my right leg and an even less serious scrape on my left elbow. I'm actually glad for these minor mishaps. They remind me to stay vigilant.

BlazingPedals

My annual fall has been overdue since about June. Which is why I want to ride my lowracer for the rest of the season.