manual63
08-22-2003, 08:38 AM
You might not think this is a riding tip, but it is. No matter how good of a rider you may be, you will alway's crash. You should know what to do when you crash.
The first issue I had was clipping out of the pedals. If I can't get my feet off the pedals during a crash, I am basically #$%@ed! Learn to get the feet out and set the tension less so they come out fairly easily, see the clipless pedals section here for more info on that. If you can't get your feet out and you go over that bars, make sure you tuck your head under and roll keeping the bike as close to you as you can. If you stand up higher and are stiff, your head and/or shoulders will take the fall and you don't want that. If you fall to the side and can't get out, put a hand down if you can or a knee out to break the fall. Sure, your knee might get scuffed, but it will break the fall and soften it some. If you are in rocks or something, maybe using a knee to break the fall is not such a good idea, you might break a kneecap or something. Falling in the rocks is not much fun, especially if you can't get a foot or two out of the pedals.
If you can get your feet out, falling is a lot easier to do. If you go over the bars, get both feet out and jump over the bars and push the bike down underneath you with your arms. By doing this, you can actually land right on your feet and not even fall. Going over head first is not good at all, so try to push the bike underneath and away from you so you can deal with the ground yourself. If you are going too fast to land on your feet and run out of it, then you need to just take 2 or 3 steps and tuck into a roll. Hopefully there are no objects in your way or you will have to make even more evasive maneuvers like grabbing a tree/rock or pushing away from a tree/rock to avoid getting hurt.
If you slide to the side, get your inside foot out and dab it on the ground. If your bike keeps sliding, make sure both feet are out and use your arms to push your bike away. You can then land on your feet again and depending on speed, take the next evasive maneuvers you may need.
The trick when falling is getting the bike away from you. I have learned from many falls, most of them BMX, that the bike is my worst enemy. Very rarely has riding something out by trying to stay on the bike ever benefited me during a fall. You have to take into consideration that without the bike, you have a lot of natural and learned falling abilities that will save you. But with the bike, you have an unpredictable foriegn object you are not used to. There have been times when I have fell, saved myself from getting hurt, and the bike comes to do more damage by hitting me. Get the bike away from you if you can.
There are only ways to improve falling and there is no 100% way to keep from getting hurt. By knowing how to fall on a bike, you will lower your risk on being hurt greatly.
The first issue I had was clipping out of the pedals. If I can't get my feet off the pedals during a crash, I am basically #$%@ed! Learn to get the feet out and set the tension less so they come out fairly easily, see the clipless pedals section here for more info on that. If you can't get your feet out and you go over that bars, make sure you tuck your head under and roll keeping the bike as close to you as you can. If you stand up higher and are stiff, your head and/or shoulders will take the fall and you don't want that. If you fall to the side and can't get out, put a hand down if you can or a knee out to break the fall. Sure, your knee might get scuffed, but it will break the fall and soften it some. If you are in rocks or something, maybe using a knee to break the fall is not such a good idea, you might break a kneecap or something. Falling in the rocks is not much fun, especially if you can't get a foot or two out of the pedals.
If you can get your feet out, falling is a lot easier to do. If you go over the bars, get both feet out and jump over the bars and push the bike down underneath you with your arms. By doing this, you can actually land right on your feet and not even fall. Going over head first is not good at all, so try to push the bike underneath and away from you so you can deal with the ground yourself. If you are going too fast to land on your feet and run out of it, then you need to just take 2 or 3 steps and tuck into a roll. Hopefully there are no objects in your way or you will have to make even more evasive maneuvers like grabbing a tree/rock or pushing away from a tree/rock to avoid getting hurt.
If you slide to the side, get your inside foot out and dab it on the ground. If your bike keeps sliding, make sure both feet are out and use your arms to push your bike away. You can then land on your feet again and depending on speed, take the next evasive maneuvers you may need.
The trick when falling is getting the bike away from you. I have learned from many falls, most of them BMX, that the bike is my worst enemy. Very rarely has riding something out by trying to stay on the bike ever benefited me during a fall. You have to take into consideration that without the bike, you have a lot of natural and learned falling abilities that will save you. But with the bike, you have an unpredictable foriegn object you are not used to. There have been times when I have fell, saved myself from getting hurt, and the bike comes to do more damage by hitting me. Get the bike away from you if you can.
There are only ways to improve falling and there is no 100% way to keep from getting hurt. By knowing how to fall on a bike, you will lower your risk on being hurt greatly.