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Gravity- she's a harsh mistress

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Gravity- she's a harsh mistress

Old 08-08-06, 10:41 AM
  #1  
p3ntuprage
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Gravity- she's a harsh mistress

or i just fell over infront of a line of traffic, while completely stationary. [eveyone's got to do it once]

it goes like this: my right clip/strap is always fully tightened, i pull my left foot out when i stop. pulling right out of a junction, and [hoping to go] up a hill i must have lifted the left a bit too quickly and pushed down a bit too hard on the right.

i went down like freshly felled tree.

it was beautiful to behold.

i'm trying to work out whether the young jewish mother with children in the mpv behind me was shocked by the expletive[s] or just dumbfounded by what she'd just seen.

to add insult to injury the impact was enough to drop my chain.

stoopid gravity

fsnl
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Old 08-08-06, 10:47 AM
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Just do some pushups while you're down there and get back up like you meant it.
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Old 08-08-06, 10:49 AM
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i remember when i fell during a trackstand. it was right when classes were getting out at a traffic light in front of few well populated buildings.

people still tell me how funny it was when they meet me. i guess a lot more people saw than i thought.

at least you're ok. when i fell i managed to skin my left knee and elbow.
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Old 08-08-06, 10:50 AM
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I did the exact same thing over the weekend. I'd say one of the top five stupidest moments of my life.
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Old 08-08-06, 10:50 AM
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I thought you were supposed to get up and look at the bike like its the bike's fault.
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Old 08-08-06, 10:51 AM
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nah, it's all about getting up with tears running down your face and sprinting away as fast as you can.
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Old 08-08-06, 10:59 AM
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Originally Posted by cavit8
Just do some pushups while you're down there and get back up like you meant it.
hmmmm.... might have impressed the teenage daughter in the passenger seat rather than eliciting laughter.

i'll remember that for next time.

[maybe learn how to do pushups properly before then too]

pushups > sprawling like a beetle on its back

fsnl
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Old 08-08-06, 11:11 AM
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Originally Posted by cavit8
Just do some pushups while you're down there and get back up like you meant it.
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Old 08-08-06, 12:16 PM
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I have done this twice. Both on crowded streets in the middle of the city. Both times I muttered "I'm fine" to all of the concerned pedestrians who stopped to help me, then sprinted away as fast as I could with a very red face. Thanks for letting me know that I'm not alone.
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Old 08-08-06, 12:19 PM
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The secret is to start laughing before you hit the ground, throws everyone off.
Or at least thats what I tell myself.
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Old 08-08-06, 12:23 PM
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I've done this too as I waited for oncoming traffic to pass. Heard the faint giggling of two young girls on their way home from school and saw the snickers on the face of the car waiting behind me. Not much to do but laugh it off and ride into the sunset. It's the same feeling as trying out your brothers mountain bike with the clipless pedals and trying unsuccessfully to unclip at the top of a brutal climb. Not that I've done that or anything.
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Old 08-08-06, 12:30 PM
  #12  
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I think this is a right of passage must fall trackstand thing. Seems everyone has fallen over for one reason or another.
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Old 08-08-06, 12:51 PM
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Ha, I fall off my bike all the time. I'm usually in public places, but not traffic.
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Old 08-08-06, 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted by shishi
I think this is a right of passage must fall trackstand thing. Seems everyone has fallen over for one reason or another.
All you suckers that have never fallen over for no reason at all don't know what you're missing...

It's funny that it happens at totally random (and usually inopportune) times and seems to have nothing to do with trackstanding ability in general.
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Old 08-08-06, 01:12 PM
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the best is when you clipless guys fall trackstanding and don't have time to clip out before you hit the ground. that's why i love my clips / straps.
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Old 08-08-06, 01:21 PM
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I did a great one when I was trackstanding while answering my cell phone in front of a large group of tourists. I was all tangled up with the bike so I just decided to keep lying there on the side of the curb until i finished my call. I don't think I tricked anyone into thinking that I had done it on purpose!

Every bike I have recently posessed I have managed to fall over on during my first track stand on it. The best was with my shiny new cyclops out for its first ride when I meet 'toe-overlap' at an intersection and go down, mangle the bar tape, lose a pedal dustcap, sprain my left wrist, skin my right wrist, knock my knee and have a goup of pedestrians walk AROUND me while I was sprawled on the ground in front of them. You just have to suck it up because the reality is you look like a ridiculous clown, so just laugh at yourself and maybe do a wheelie or something on the ride onwards
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Old 08-08-06, 01:58 PM
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Not exactly a stationary tip-over, but I recently made a total ass of myself in the middle of an intersection. I was accelerating from a stop and my friend (new to riding) was right behind me on my road bike. About half way through, I suddenly lose balance and go over. My friend didn't have time to swerve, and ran over my rear wheel and pulled an endo. So I (the supposedly more experienced cyclist) managed to crash both of my bikes at the same time. That has to be a record.

Turns out my quill stem had come loose and I didn't notice until my bars were going one way and my wheel was going the other. That seems possible...right?...

Go check your stem bolt.
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Old 08-08-06, 02:06 PM
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Originally Posted by 666pack
the best is when you clipless guys fall trackstanding and don't have time to clip out before you hit the ground. that's why i love my clips / straps.
If you're stopped, it's not about time, it's about instinct. When I first started with clipless, I leaned the wrong way once and, as I slowly tipped over, I had about eight chances to unclip, but I wasn't twisting my heel out enough. On the other hand, the other day I leaned the wrong way after a stop (I was paying too much attention to my ringing phone ), but I easily unclipped my other foot before falling. I suppose it might depend on the type of pedals you use. Maybe ATACs are just easier to get out of than other pedals.
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Old 08-08-06, 02:09 PM
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oh my. everybody has fallen doing something silly.

most recently, i was visiting philly riding north on 11th st through chinatown when my friend got stuck in the trolley tracks. he pops out of the tracks and falls... into my bike. i end up sliding on top of him and his bike down the street when a second friend bringing up the rear sees us going down and makes a hard left to miss us... and hit the curb and flip over the bars. three bike pileup of awesome.

also, a couple weeks ago in dc we had a fundraiser race for a couple of friends who have been recently damaged by vehicular traffic. as the races were getting ready to start, i skidded to a stop but not fully because i had a new tire on. so i tried to stop my skid and my foot got stuck and i tried to take it out and then i fell over and got tangled in my bike. pretty amazing.

also, two weeks ago at polo i dismounted into a tree hug.

good times on bicycles.
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Old 08-08-06, 02:31 PM
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using clipless for a while, i keeled over the first time i used clips and straps again... right in front of the doorman. i always clip in while trackstanding clipless and have yet to fall.
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Old 08-08-06, 02:47 PM
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i've fallen a few times on trolley tracks in philly.

i pretty much stay away from streets that have them now, if i have to get somewhere i'll go over a block or two so i can stay away from those death traps. they're the perfect size for a wheel.
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Old 08-08-06, 02:54 PM
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Now, the first to post there vid of themselves falling over on youtube wins
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Old 08-08-06, 03:13 PM
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Ah, I just love watching folks doing the "Turtle".

This post is in need of pictures.
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Old 08-08-06, 04:14 PM
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I keep waiting for dutret to chime in and tell us how stupid we all are.
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Old 08-08-06, 04:16 PM
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The first time I fell over, my feet unclipped right as I hit the pavement and I sort of bounced away from my bike. I'm sure that was pretty funny to see for the one person on the road at 1 am. The second time was probably even funnier, though, because my foot somehow didn't unclip and I was wriggling around on the ground with my bike on top of me trying to get my foot out. Both times I was laughing so hard at myself that it took a while to get up, so I didn't notice if anyone else was laughing.
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