# what happens when you fall?



## lomoid (Aug 14, 2006)

this might seem lengthy, but bare with me:

I've been riding for a bit now and I don't compete yet, or ride THAT aggresively. I like to go fast, but I keep things under control and ride mostly in my local park that is pretty easy to navigate. 

I've been riding clipless for some time and, to date, have avoided an all out wipe out.

I have however, done the: "forgot I was clipped in as I stopped at a light and fell over" bit as I was getting used to the clipless pedals.

ok...so... all that being said, when I simply fell over standing still, my feet stayed attached to the pedals as I assumed they would, and I had to twist my foot while lying down to disengage. I don't really have a problem with that..
what I'm trying to figure out is what happens when you take a significant spill at speed?
do you endover or slide out with the bike attached the whole time?
will your feet just pop out? I feel like my knees would shatter if I went down and the bike goes one way and I want to go another?

can any one with experience shed some light on this for me?

thanks


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

lomoid said:


> what I'm trying to figure out is what happens when you take a significant spill at speed?


you get hurt....bad usually. road rash, broken bones. 

// your feet should come out of the pedals...everytime I've taken a major biff they come out right away.


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

I ride Look pedals and, from my experience in a crash about two years ago, the last thing you will think about during a crash is unclipping. My feet were free of the pedals before I hit the deck just from the forward and twisting motion over the bars. My collarbone was dislocated, but my legs were fine. My guess is that Speedplays and other clipless pedals are the same in that regard.


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## ttug (May 14, 2004)

*golly gee*



lomoid said:


> this might seem lengthy, but bare with me:
> 
> I've been riding for a bit now and I don't compete yet, or ride THAT aggresively. I like to go fast, but I keep things under control and ride mostly in my local park that is pretty easy to navigate.
> 
> ...


Well, if you go really fast, you could get the torsional or spiral fracture, yeah, those are less than pleasant. However, you have to provide a bit more context. You know, cruising down a hill at 40 and BAM, fork failure of a wheel just gives away. But a real man buys it by getting thrown off the bike and into the running gears of a corn thresher, yeah, thats how I wanna go.


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## bikeboy389 (May 4, 2004)

In the major crashes I've had, I came completely loose of the bike, every time. Even if I hadn't, I think that being still attached to the pedals would be the least of my problems.

What's a REAL eye-opener is when you crash because your feet DIDN'T stay clipped in.

Edit: Now that I think of it some more, I think I failed to come loose of the bike a time or two in the old days when I used toe clips and straps. So in my book, clipless is more reliable on the getting loose front.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

ttug said:


> But a real man buys it by getting thrown off the bike and into the running gears of a corn thresher, yeah, thats how I wanna go.


how about a long slide on asphalt to generate lots of road rash and then a final drop into a pool of hydrochloric acid?


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## mmoose (Apr 2, 2004)

Spill. I've been unclipped from my speedplays before I even thought about it. If you tip a no speed, You might stay clipped in, don't worry about that.

Only time I stayed in during a digger was in Munich....I forgot to watch where I was going, road curved..., squared off curb locked my front wheel so I could not turn....momentum going the wrong way, tip over and slide to a stop. In that case, I stayed in my old toe traps and they took the brunt of the sliding (along with the h-bars)

the last thing you'll *think* about will be your feet, if it's a serious enough crash/spill, your feet will take care of themselves.

It will hurt, but you might not feel it until the next day. (oh, and to continue with the humor...) It can get EXPENSIVE! H-bar tape, shorts (if you don't slide a hole in them, you may have to replace from getting the inside dirty!), hope you have a rear derail hanger that you can replace, otherwise, new frame!


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## RobW (Aug 9, 2005)

lomoid said:


> what I'm trying to figure out is what happens when you take a significant spill at speed?


You do come unclipped. You also get welcomed to the house of pain...


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## funknuggets (Feb 4, 2004)

Kind of off-subject.. but kind of not. Which are worse, the wrecks you see coming that you have time to think to yourself repeatedly before it happens... "this is gonna be bad, this is gonna be bad, this is gonna be bad.." and then it happens and you go down and it is as bad as you expected... ie George Hincapie and the cracked steerer tube... or is it worse to go down suddenly and unexpectedly like the dude that caught the hawk in his front spokes....


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## anthrax (May 31, 2006)

Like every one else has said...

When it counts you seem to clip out...

However I have been using clipless long enough now that I can't relly remember what happened before cliping in and out was automatic...

Cliping out will eventually become automatic, you won't even have to think about it, you just cip out...

Just get out there and let it hang don'e worry about the crahses they happen concider them a right of passage.


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## ampastoral (Oct 3, 2005)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> you get hurt....bad usually. road rash, broken bones.
> 
> // your feet should come out of the pedals...everytime I've taken a major biff they come out right away.


it could go either way my friend...note, #1 clipped in #2 bike no person, came unclipped...but then again, this is a wimmin's race, do the mammaries affect the torsional force required to unclip?....


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## ttug (May 14, 2004)

*hey hey*

Folks this is alot of bad news here. Lets cheer up huh? Just remember that all speed bumps are just a function of being unable to extract the body from the asphalt. Its just a grain of salt in the shaker of life......


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## nachomc (Aug 31, 2006)

Depends. On my mtb I've been able to get off the bike before it went end over end. I landed on my feet thankfully. The only time I did crash was when I did an overpowered wheelie. THAT, hurt


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## svend (Jul 18, 2003)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> then a final drop into a pool of hydrochloric acid?


I hate when that happens....keeps the legs nice and hair free though ( and everything else )which is a nice bonus .....


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## mtbmom (Sep 3, 2006)

My nickname when I was first learning MTBing was Crash. I never was seriously injured (lots of hematomas from arm/leg/arse v. rock).

Now the road, biggest thing (barring a larger, faster moving object such a s car) to worry about of course is road rash. I'm a trauma nurse and have taken care of many patients with road rash requiring skin grafts. I have however, never taken care of a cyclist needing a graft that was NOT hit by a car. My graft patients are always Motorcycles not Motorless cycles.

Sue Z


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## lomoid (Aug 14, 2006)

*just for the record...*

*THAT IS NUTS!*


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

Your feet will find a way. My last two crashes:

1. At about 21 mph in a race. I thought I could float over a big pothole. Pothole thought otherwise. Went down hard on my right side. One Speedplay unclipped fine, the other pedal spindle pulled out of crank arm, so I was lying there with my pedal still in my cleat. Had to pry it out.

2. At about 7 mph on the MUT. Gust of wind blew a piece of plastic construction fencing into me, catching my bars. Went down hard on right side. One Speedplay unclipped, the other cleat was ripped from the bottom of my shoe, so I was lying there cleatless with my cleat still attached to the pedal.


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## Scuzzo (Jul 21, 2006)

my worse biff was when the back wheel came out jammed into the seat stays. *STUPID CONTROL TECH HEX KEY QR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *when i rose to gear up for a sprint. came upclipped but Gods Cheese Grater was right under me so i rashed up pretty bad however i was knocked out so the road rash did not really affect me untill way after the cat scan.. so most often momentum pops you free of the peds. often but not always.. a note to those who use LOOK, be sure to replace those puppies once the cleat is worn. if they get too flexy you can have a very bad day very quick.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

I always have somehow become unclipped when I have fallen EXCEPT for my all-time major crash when my bike slid out from under me when I was descending on a wet, curved descent at 44.5 mph. My entire right side of my body hit the road simultaneously and I slid across the asphalt with the bike still attached to my cleats. A berm on the other side of the road finally stopped me and my bike. My body was not in good shape (broken shoulder, major road rash). But, my bike had hardly a scratch.

When you are going down, whether you are clipped in or not is the least of your worries. Don't think about this too much. Just ride.


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## Cory (Jan 29, 2004)

*Clipless makes no diff--what happens if you fall anway?*

At least in my experience, the method of attachment to the bike doesn't make much difference in a serious fall. FWIW, my feet have always come loose (not necessarily true when I just topple over at a stoplight, but in a real, moving crash). It always hurts, I always feel stupid, so far I haven't broken any bones, though I did separate a shoulder. But the pedals don't seem to be an issue.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Bocephus Jones II said:


> how about a long slide on asphalt to generate lots of road rash and then a final drop into a pool of hydrochloric acid?


Well Beej...to quote a very wise and learnéd guru of gurus, from Poland....


"...$hit HAPPENS...........and if it DOESN'T then YOU have GOT PROBLEMS."


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## jerman (Jan 28, 2005)

agree with cory, two screws sticking out of my shoulder for the next 8 weeks after ac separation in the shoulder. i'm sure with my feet flailing they popped out of the pedals easily, so not even an issue. i was thinking i was ok when i first hit, but didn't see that the guy behind me was coming through the air over the top. fortunately he was able to continue his ride after my shoulder and i protected his fall and kept him from the asphalt.
stupid ligaments


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## John Nelson (Mar 10, 2006)

I took my first crash at speed two days ago. My feet came unclipped by themselves. The orthopedist says I'll be able to ride again in 12 weeks.


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Coming unclipped is overrated. Being attached to the bike when going down isn't inherently worse that flying free of it. I should know. I came unclipped going down in 1998 and stiff legged it into the pavement, shattering talus, calcaneas, and navicular bones in ankle/foot. After many surgeries fusing them all together (and a total 42 weeks on crutches), I've been riding again for 6 years. 

If you obsess over this stuff you'll make yourself crazy. Crashes like mine are very rare. A little more common for racers (I'm not) but always rare. Statistically being hit by a car is a bigger risk, and far more dangerous.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Not going to happen*



lomoid said:


> this might seem lengthy, but bare with me


I'm not going to bare with you, nor anyone else on this forum! The only time I bare with anyone else is with my wife, the doctor, and locker rooms


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## KenB (Jul 28, 2004)

lomoid said:


> *THAT IS NUTS!*


No, that's is the definition of PWN3D.

I just want to know what was going through his head at the time.....


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## OneGear (Aug 19, 2005)

i've begun to fallen over once or twice only to unclip by chance and land on my unclipped foot. check to see if your tension is ok. i've also flown 4 or 5 feet after a wipe out and usually your clipless should disengage. i guess there is no real way of protecting yourself, try not to land on bad angles on your joints and neck.


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## I am The Edge (Jul 27, 2004)

KenB said:


> I just want to know what was going through his head at the time.....



"her" head....


women's race.


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## jlfbogey (Aug 18, 2004)

Last 3 crashes I came unclipped easily and spontaneously on all three. First was on a mtb where I locked up the rear wheel on some gravel covered whoop-de-does and ended up lying on my back with the bike, specifically the crank chainring teeth, driven into the small of my back. I now have a permanent chainring tattoo in a very unique place, right above my right buttock (nearly a year later). Number two was a couple days later on the same mtb trip where I didn't quite make a downhill cutback turn and started to launch off the edge of the downhill outside part of the curve. I instictively unclipped and litterally vaulted over the handlebars to end up standing upright immediately downhill of my bike which again whacked me in the backside. Third was a road ride two months ago when I looked over my shoulder to check on my wife and just got off balance with the front forked turned too much, doing a sideways endo but coming unclipped somewhere i nthe middle, ending up lying on my back with the bike on top of me this time. Unfortunately, I only suffered some road rash and a bruised ego (wife saw the whole stupid thing) while the bike took a big hit to one of my Record carbon shifters----about $150 worth of repair/replacement parts. Ouch, that wa by far the most painful part of the whole thing.


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## estone2 (Sep 25, 2005)

lomoid said:


> this might seem lengthy, but bare with me:
> 
> I've been riding for a bit now and I don't compete yet, or ride THAT aggresively. I like to go fast, but I keep things under control and ride mostly in my local park that is pretty easy to navigate.
> 
> ...


My cleats come unclipped as I'm falling. Unless I be a dumbsh!t and panic as I fall, in which case, I break the cleat, and my shoe comes out.
Don't worry about clipless hurting you when you fall... Worry about the road hurting you. Focus on being a limp rag doll of sorts. It spreads the impact over all your body, minimizing road rash and joint damage. My last fall was at 25mph, and I seriously did nothing but get tar on my bibs. And swear a lot... and break a cleat... But no bodily harm, cuz I went limp.
Go XC mountain biking. You're a roadie. You can't mountain bike. You will go slowly. Like 6mph average. You will fall over a lot. It teaches you to fall on a soft surface like nothing else.
-estone2


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## estone2 (Sep 25, 2005)

KenB said:


> No, that's is the definition of PWN3D.
> 
> I just want to know what was going through his head at the time.....


"oh ****" "why the @#%*[email protected]* did I pick this sport?" "hold your @%(@#_ line, asshat" ???
-estone2


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## rizorith (Aug 4, 2006)

Dude, ya'll are scaring me and I haven't even ridden yet. Anybody ride with motorcycle armor?

I'm defintely getting a nice helmet.


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## asciibaron (Aug 11, 2006)

in my 5 years as a racer, i only went down once. my rear wheel was taken out when another rider took a turn wide. i landed on him and everything was fine. i punched him in the kiwis to let him know how i felt about being taken down on the bell lap. i think he got the message.

since returning to riding, i have never gotten a flat nor have a gone down. at some point i expect both to happen, but i'll deal with it then. 

funniest crash i've seen was a dude on rollers pre race - he went flying across the parking lot and broke his forks. no race for him that day - 3 hours of driving to watch a race he should have won - that's pwnage!


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## estone2 (Sep 25, 2005)

rizorith said:


> Dude, ya'll are scaring me and I haven't even ridden yet. Anybody ride with motorcycle armor?
> 
> I'm defintely getting a nice helmet.


Dont worry about it. Don't be a klutz, don't do stuff quickly. Move through the pacelines like a normal person, not in between people, etc. You'll be fine. Don't try tricks, don't corner around the oil and chip roads liek it's a race. It's okay to swing wide and slow, and on gravel that's the best thing to do. Don't slam on the brakes in a paceline, but it's okay to tap them really lightly to trim off .1, .2, even .5mph.
Call out when you're turning left and right, or slowing. Other riders will reciprocate.
And when you first go to ride with someone, if you've never ridden with them before, keep your distance. Watch them, if they're confident on the bike, not trying any tricks, and riding a straight line, they're safe. You'll stay upright just fine.
-estone2


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

I am an experienced mountain biker and ride lots of technical terrain, have many falls and race occasionally, so I am not exactly a clutz. Yet the idea of falling off my road bike positively scares the crap out of me. I hope it never happens or I am afraid my road riding days may be over.


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## CC09 (Mar 11, 2006)

ive fallen (not like forget to unclip, but totally eating it fallen) twice now. once i was in a paceline and had no idea what i was doing, and made it onto some grass, came unclipped, no damage other than the ego. second time i did a front flip, came unclipped, and some minor road rash on the back and untrue rims. don't worry about it, it happens, if your unlucky, you may get slightly hurt, but they have doctors. you can sit inside on the coach and watch tv, or you can go ride your bike.


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## hell0.com (Sep 7, 2006)

I had my first fall about 2 weeks ago. It was my first time on the bike following shoulder surgery (cycling unrelated), and I got about 500 feet from my house when I decided it would be a good idea to slow down and ride on the sidewalk due to a lot of construction traffic. Well, I forgot how high the lip at the curb was and thought I could approach it at an angle. As i hit the curb, the bike went one way and I went another. Shoes came out as expected and I flew into the pavement. Luckily, it doesn't look like it reinjured my shoulder, but I was sore for days after. Also, I destroyed my rear derailler and handlebar tape.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that the only time i've fallen was my own fault. I shouldn't have tried to get on the sidewalk, and i shouldn't have come at the curb at an angle. Use common sense and you'll greatly lessen your chances of crashing.



ttug said:


> fork failure of a wheel just gives away.


WTF? That can actually happen? I quit...


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## lomoid (Aug 14, 2006)

just for the record.. after all this talk- I had my first fall. I was on my mountain bike but I was clipped in and the tire caught an edge and I went down. EVERYONE WAS RIGHT! I didn't think about my feet at all, they just came undone and I rolled out of the crash. I just jammed my hand which I put out to stop myself on the way down but that was it. no big deal- luckilly I got up and was able to conitnue on my way... thanks for the advice all.

lo-


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