Going down
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
Going down
Winter, ice ... strange coincidences!
If you think about all the times when you’ve fallen off your bike when commuting (I know, that doesn’t happen often ;-) ...
Do you appear to fall off on one side more than the other?
E.g. I have a tendancy to ‘abandon bike port side’.
If you think about all the times when you’ve fallen off your bike when commuting (I know, that doesn’t happen often ;-) ...
Do you appear to fall off on one side more than the other?
E.g. I have a tendancy to ‘abandon bike port side’.
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,528
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5219 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times
in
2,331 Posts
was just thinking about this recently cuz I had 2 dirt / mud falls on my MTB. no snow or ice yet. both times to my left. and I am right handed. are you? I think for me, it was just coincidence. need more data aka more falls in more varied situations
#3
Senior Member
I mostly fall on the left side. I think I feel more comfortable falling that way. I always mount the bike from the left, maybe that has something to do with it.
#4
Full Member
Thread Starter
I do have a single pannier on the back, opposite side. But I guess intent / direction may play a big role (= the orientation of the front wheel).
On the other hand, no pun intended, I do try to build in a reflex to fall on the left side by being ready to put my left foot on the ground.
Last edited by Bikewolf; 11-05-18 at 11:34 AM.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,528
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5219 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times
in
2,331 Posts
I too, mount & dismount on the left side. there was a moment a cpl yrs ago where I broke thru some thick ice & the bike got erratic so I bailed & let it go down. I stayed upright. a surprising moment for sure. but when I hopped off, I hopped left
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Along the Rivers of Pittsburgh
Posts: 1,255
Bikes: 2011 Novara Forza Hybrid, 2005 Trek 820, 1989 Cannondale SR500 Black Lightning, 1975 Mundo Cycles Caloi Racer
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 291 Times
in
157 Posts
Here's some more data points. I've fallen twice. Both to the left. I'm left-handed. Mount/dismount on the left. First time was making a left turn. Second time, the rear tire kicked out on a slick spot while going straight.
#7
Full Member
Thread Starter
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 5,338
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2429 Post(s)
Liked 2,887 Times
in
1,646 Posts
Not surprising, since most U.S. roads slope down from the center line outward.
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,528
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5219 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times
in
2,331 Posts
#10
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,092 Times
in
2,325 Posts
When I ride on ice without studs, it hasn’t ever mattered. It’s very random. It’s not like you have a lot of control over which way your tires slip. It’s also a very rapid occurance so you don’t really have time to plan.
As someone who mountain bikes, I try to fall to the uphill side for rather obvious reasons but even that is not certain.
As someone who mountain bikes, I try to fall to the uphill side for rather obvious reasons but even that is not certain.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#11
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,092 Times
in
2,325 Posts
and probably the least serious injury you can experience. The worst I’ve seen from someone who had to “put a foot down to catch” themselves was a compound fracture of the lower leg...both bones...that took more than 9 months and several surgeries to repair.
Ride the bike down. Keep your hands on the bars and your feet on the pedals. The bike will take the impact and lessen the impact that you take. Anything that you put out to “catch” yourself can be broken and take a long time to heal.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#12
Full Member
Thread Starter
@ cyccommute: Thank you very much for your very kind and smart advice!
I must add that, I do wear studded shoes and go with studded tires. And I’m no superhero: I still take a deep breath when I have to commute early in the morning when ice may be present, as if I have to climb a big snowy mountain. So I ride very carefully and slow especially when turning; sometimes I simply get of my bike and walk. But every year I gather more experience and courage. I do like winter commuting!
I must add that, I do wear studded shoes and go with studded tires. And I’m no superhero: I still take a deep breath when I have to commute early in the morning when ice may be present, as if I have to climb a big snowy mountain. So I ride very carefully and slow especially when turning; sometimes I simply get of my bike and walk. But every year I gather more experience and courage. I do like winter commuting!