My stupid mistake: don't let 20 mph fool you

B

Blueshift

100 W
Joined
May 29, 2011
Messages
176
Location
California
Well i had my first crash yesterday. I'm even a little reluctant to tell you all what i was doing but here goes.
My tires were a little low on pressure so for an experiment i wanted to see how fast the bike was going. The problem was that my cell phone was in my tight left pocket. I had the wise idea of not stopping to get my cell phone out. It gets even more foolish. My throttle is on the left side as well so i didn't want to let go of the throttle so what i did is crossed my right hand over to steer and press the throttle while getting the cell phone with my left hand. i somehow lost balance and the bike tipped over and i landed on the ground and did a few tumbles. Truth is i really don't remember. I felt so stupid after i got up off the ground. i had road rash on me and my thumb had a big chuck of nail missing from it and bloodied. I don't know why but i got up instantly. I then noticed that i couldn't put any weight on one of my feet. Luckily i had a ride not to long after pick me up and my bike up. I came out with some road rash, a sprained ankle, bruises, and a pretty messed upithumb, but i did not need stitches and i did not have any broken bones. My helmet didnt have one scratch on it, I do not think i hit any of my head or body thank goodness. I haven't gone to bed yet so ill probably feel pretty sore tomorrow.

I haven't assessed the damage for the bike yet , i do know that the handle bars are now crooked with the front wheel.

20 mph may not seem much but it is enough to do some damage. i think i got lucky and if my body fell in just the wrong may i might have had at least a couple of broken bones. The lesson has been learned. Stay safe always, even if you think your going slow enough for some non riding tasks just pull over and handle it.
Also I am getting some gloves to wear whe i ride, and perhaps start wearing pants. or even kneepads.

Ps. I had to edit this alot because bandages prevent me from using all the letters correctly lol
 
Glad you're okay. At least it wasn't too serious and you probably won't make those mistakes again.

I had two very minor falls - one where I underestimated my speed and tipped over in gravel.

However, the first was much more stupid. I was thinking about a problem, noticed something rubbing my thing, looked down and saw that it was the battery for the rear light - readjusted it and looked up in time to see the bike heading into bush along the side of the road. I hit the brakes and tried to turn the bike. Too late.

I ended up skidding and dragging my shoulder along the road. It was wet - no damage and my rain jacket wasn't even marked. I was lucky as I was in the hard shoulder so I didn't get run over by the cars coming from behind. :mrgreen:

We all make mistakes and we learn from them.
 
Ouch! :shock: Lesson learned!

Get well quick. :wink:
 
I am relieved that there wasn't a crash into a solid object and am glad you're pretty much okay.
 
messed up ithumb is bad. how is the iphone? now it will be texting with ipinky finger.

i bet this was so you could take a picture too.

i think brett was only going about 20 when he went down and died from the impact of his head on pavement.
 
Riding is much more dangerous than driving. Never let yourself get distracted. Keep you eyes, brain, and whole body into it exclusively. Streets and trails have enough hazard and traps already, no need to add our own negligence to it. :roll:
 
I've had three crashes in the last 10 years. The last one, about 20mph, the helmet probably saved my life. The two crashes before that were caused by reaching for my cell phone, just like OP.

The common thread of all three crashes: I was doing something reckless right before going down.
 
Under estimating the damage even seemingly low speed (20mph isnt really slow on a bicycle) can do is something many of us do.
 
Good to hear the damage is stuff that heals fast.

I always like to say, there are crashes and there are accidents.

Crashes are like this, you ride into a corner too fast, or maybe hit some deep sand dirt riding. You see it coming, you know it might be about to happen, and when sand grabs your front wheel despite your best try at pulling a last second wheelie, you take your flight, tuck into the landing and sit up laughing about it. Hopefully you got vid.

Accidents though, they catch you completly by suprise, even if you cause it yourself with something foolish. Of course you wouldn't have done that if you really thought what happened was going to happen. The accident leaves you no time at all to affect your flight, and you land bad and take lumps, break bones, etc.

My accident 4 years ago busted me up real bad, at 15 mph. Don't stuff a waterbottle in your forks. Stop to drink, stop to use the phone.
 
I recently had my first crash too. I was distracted and got too close to the curb. I flipped and thankfully went to a rolling stop on the grass. It was actually kind of fun, but i would imagine that it would have been bad if i landed on the pavement.
 
Phew, glad you are not irrepairably hurt, had t chuckle at the standing up immediateky (or trying to).. seems to be an inbuilt reaction, have tried to do same with busted ankle leg knee ... sounds like not too much damage to bike, to straighten up handlebars try facing bike from front, hold front wheel between knees, place hands on handle bars an try to turn bars like steering, but against held wheel and apply force to realign... if turns easily then you will need to tighten shizzle up but high chance you can realign this way. apols for one long paragraph typing one handed due to cat sleeping on other arm... joe
 
Blueshift said:
...
Also I am getting some gloves to wear whe i ride, and perhaps start wearing pants. or even kneepads.

...
Click to expand...

:shock:
Riding in underwear not recommended!

:lol:
joe
 
Glad you're alright. This why it's so comical when a customer comes in our store (who has never riden an e-bike) and says, "they only go 20mph?"

My instant response is, "have you ever went 20mph on a bicycle?" I realize some of you ES guys are comfortable going 30+mph, but I sell electric bicycles, and you won't catch me going that fast! We've done quite a few 48V conversions at our shop that do over 25mph, and that's is fast enough for me! It's borderline scary. Although I'm sure you get used to it -- this is when accidents happen -- when you get too comfortable...

Hopefully this post is a lesson to all... STAY SAFE!
 
Blueshift said:
I haven't assessed the damage for the bike yet , i do know that the handle bars are now crooked with the front wheel.
Click to expand...

Oh, sounds like you just need to loosen the gooseneck and tap the bolt down to knock the wedge loose so you can straighten the bars. If you didn't hit the curb or other protrusion, the bike has an excellent chance of coming away unhurt. But as Eco is trying to point out, they aren't necessarily the most stable platforms at speed. I've seen a few front wheels shatter at speed, before the fall. (Or should I say CAUSING it.)

I get a clear picture of why you lost your balance from the way you described it, now sure why you said "Somehow." Your weight was mostly on the left side. You have better balance no handed than reaching across like that, or at least I do. Just a hunch but I'd say the contorted position you were in when you fell caused a lot more injuries as you couldn't have any sort of controlled landing that way.

The best fall is straight to the flat ground, no landing on the curb or anything else that's "Nonlinear." No matter how fast you're going being close to the ground minimizes the impact. MotoGP riders fall off at over 100mph and if the don't hit anything besides flat ground they pick the bike up and get going again. Even in their protective gear you'd probably have that bad ankle right now the way you fell. Believe it or not it might be a hip impact making it hurt. if it doesn't ease up in a few days I'd say that's probably why. (I have a bad leg my whole adult life I've recently learned about what REALLY dragged it down.)

Blueshift said:
perhaps start wearing pants.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that'll protect you if the seat suddenly falls off.

So the dumbest accident I can think of being there for was my little brother, him somewhere around 5th-7th grade. He got ahead of me and I had the front row seat for the show. He turned left at speed and rode up the entrance to the parking lot and right into the chain across it. A little thing like him can fly quite well at 20+mph. I asked him if he even noticed the chain and he said "But I wanted to go in there." He seemed to think that, well, that would make it okay for him to just ride right through.

In fact, less than a year later, I witnessed him do about the same thing on the nearby bridle trail. As our oldest brother always said: "That boy ain't rowin' with both oars in the water." In high school he suddenly hopped on another kids' motorcycle that was warming up riderless and tried to take off, getting about 30 feet when he hit a parking block and totalled the bike. Something he doesn't grasp about the word "Obstruction."
 
Top of mind, 'cause I just read the book, and another that cited the second stats . . .

. . . for pedestrians hit by cars, at 20 MPH you're likely to be injured, at 40 MPH, you're more likely to be dead.

On a bike, I always figure I'm more like a pedestrian than like a car -- with all due caution that implies.

Not to say I don't go fast and even bend the law . . . but the laws of physics can never be broken.

From "Electric and Hybrid Cars: A History" by Curtis D. & Judy Anderson
Charles S. Adams wrote an editorial in Scientific American in October 1906 in favor of speed limits . . .
claiming that drivers did not realize that danger increases to the square of the speed . . .
three identical vehicles, one at 5 MPH, one at 20 MPH and one at 40 MPH . . .
the second has sixteen times as much stored energy as the first . . .
the third has 64 times the force.

See also:
http://humantransport.org/sidewalks/SpeedKills.htm
http://www.humanimpact.org/evidencebase/category/vehicle_speed_and_type_of_vehicle_predicts_pedestrian_injury_and_fatality
 
Dauntless said:
Blueshift said:
I haven't assessed the damage for the bike yet , i do know that the handle bars are now crooked with the front wheel.
Click to expand...

Oh, sounds like you just need to loosen the gooseneck and tap the bolt down to knock the wedge loose so you can straighten the bars. If you didn't hit the curb or other protrusion, the bike has an excellent chance of coming away unhurt. But as Eco is trying to point out, they aren't necessarily the most stable platforms at speed. I've seen a few front wheels shatter at speed, before the fall. (Or should I say CAUSING it.)

I get a clear picture of why you lost your balance from the way you described it, now sure why you said "Somehow." Your weight was mostly on the left side. You have better balance no handed than reaching across like that, or at least I do. Just a hunch but I'd say the contorted position you were in when you fell caused a lot more injuries as you couldn't have any sort of controlled landing that way.

The best fall is straight to the flat ground, no landing on the curb or anything else that's "Nonlinear." No matter how fast you're going being close to the ground minimizes the impact. MotoGP riders fall off at over 100mph and if the don't hit anything besides flat ground they pick the bike up and get going again. Even in their protective gear you'd probably have that bad ankle right now the way you fell. Believe it or not it might be a hip impact making it hurt. if it doesn't ease up in a few days I'd say that's probably why. (I have a bad leg my whole adult life I've recently learned about what REALLY dragged it down.)

Blueshift said:
perhaps start wearing pants.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that'll protect you if the seat suddenly falls off.

So the dumbest accident I can think of being there for was my little brother, him somewhere around 5th-7th grade. He got ahead of me and I had the front row seat for the show. He turned left at speed and rode up the entrance to the parking lot and right into the chain across it. A little thing like him can fly quite well at 20+mph. I asked him if he even noticed the chain and he said "But I wanted to go in there." He seemed to think that, well, that would make it okay for him to just ride right through.

In fact, less than a year later, I witnessed him do about the same thing on the nearby bridle trail. As our oldest brother always said: "That boy ain't rowin' with both oars in the water." In high school he suddenly hopped on another kids' motorcycle that was warming up riderless and tried to take off, getting about 30 feet when he hit a parking block and totalled the bike. Something he doesn't grasp about the word "Obstruction."
Click to expand...


Your story about your brother reminds me of one of the worst bike accidents I've ever had. Was biking at dusk and rode towards a parking lot at speed. Next thing I know, bike is ghostriding without me and I'm on my back. Clotheslined by a nylon coated wire going across the entrance at the most unperfect height. Luckily, my neck and chest weren't that bad since I was a flyweight at 9 year old. Got up and found my bike 40+ feet away :oops:
 
cal3thousand said:
Dauntless said:
Blueshift said:
I haven't assessed the damage for the bike yet , i do know that the handle bars are now crooked with the front wheel.
Click to expand...

Oh, sounds like you just need to loosen the gooseneck and tap the bolt down to knock the wedge loose so you can straighten the bars. If you didn't hit the curb or other protrusion, the bike has an excellent chance of coming away unhurt. But as Eco is trying to point out, they aren't necessarily the most stable platforms at speed. I've seen a few front wheels shatter at speed, before the fall. (Or should I say CAUSING it.)

I get a clear picture of why you lost your balance from the way you described it, now sure why you said "Somehow." Your weight was mostly on the left side. You have better balance no handed than reaching across like that, or at least I do. Just a hunch but I'd say the contorted position you were in when you fell caused a lot more injuries as you couldn't have any sort of controlled landing that way.

The best fall is straight to the flat ground, no landing on the curb or anything else that's "Nonlinear." No matter how fast you're going being close to the ground minimizes the impact. MotoGP riders fall off at over 100mph and if the don't hit anything besides flat ground they pick the bike up and get going again. Even in their protective gear you'd probably have that bad ankle right now the way you fell. Believe it or not it might be a hip impact making it hurt. if it doesn't ease up in a few days I'd say that's probably why. (I have a bad leg my whole adult life I've recently learned about what REALLY dragged it down.)

Blueshift said:
perhaps start wearing pants.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that'll protect you if the seat suddenly falls off.

So the dumbest accident I can think of being there for was my little brother, him somewhere around 5th-7th grade. He got ahead of me and I had the front row seat for the show. He turned left at speed and rode up the entrance to the parking lot and right into the chain across it. A little thing like him can fly quite well at 20+mph. I asked him if he even noticed the chain and he said "But I wanted to go in there." He seemed to think that, well, that would make it okay for him to just ride right through.

In fact, less than a year later, I witnessed him do about the same thing on the nearby bridle trail. As our oldest brother always said: "That boy ain't rowin' with both oars in the water." In high school he suddenly hopped on another kids' motorcycle that was warming up riderless and tried to take off, getting about 30 feet when he hit a parking block and totalled the bike. Something he doesn't grasp about the word "Obstruction."
Click to expand...


Your story about your brother reminds me of one of the worst bike accidents I've ever had. Was biking at dusk and rode towards a parking lot at speed. Next thing I know, bike is ghostriding without me and I'm on my back. Clotheslined by a nylon coated wire going across the entrance at the most unperfect height. Luckily, my neck and chest weren't that bad since I was a flyweight at 9 year old. Got up and found my bike 40+ feet away :oops:
Click to expand...

reminds me of my worst crash, though it didn't invlove any low hanging obsticals.

I was about 14 at the time, was riding home from school and came into my driveway at speed. unfortunately this time I failed to miss the 30cm pot hole on the way in... my bikes front wheel/handlebars twisted 90deg, and as I tipped over the end of the bars went straight into my hip, about 3cm above my groin, with all my weight and momentum behind it. lucky it wasnt right on the jewels, as the pain was excruciating as it was... ended up with a purple bruise that spread down the inside of my thigh, and other 'near by' areas. not a pretty sight. funnily enough the council finally patched that hole a few weeks later.
 
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