Embarrassing falls

[sdr gb]

My turn.

A few years ago whilst trying out my new SPD pedals and shoes, I stopped to admire the view from the top of a hill. I clipped my left foot back in and was just about to set off when I decided to reach down and adjust the velcro strap. I leaned over too far and toppled slowly over.

Luckily, there was nobody around to witness it. I still smile when I go past that point.

 

[Wades]

Far too many SPD moments for me. All embarrassing in their own way.

When I was 16ish I had a crappy BSO and used to go cycling with my dad a lot. I remember we'd stopped for a breather half way up this mammoth steep muddy hill. Dad suggested we just walk up the rest but being a 'yooth' and obviously knowing better I said i'd do a cold start - hopped on the bike, far to high a gear and the chain snapped which for some reason launched me clean over the bars to land head first doing a head/hand stand in front of the bike (which was still standing) and covered in mud.

Also remember to give my mate a lift back from the pub on the same bike which ended up with us getting all of 2ft before him falling off and ending up about 20ft away and me sideways on the deck with both feet on the pedals and still holding the handlebars - in Redhill town centre. Mid afternoon. On a Tuesday.

This may just have had something to do with us spending the previous 4 hours trying to drink our own body weight in fine weatherspoons ale (classy lad back then I was).

Thinking about it as it was Redhill we probably didn't stick out that much.

 

[Melonfish]

As a youth of 9 i was at the local BMX track, its basically filled with dirt and stone and has all these brilliant flecks of mica in the stone, anyway there's a little saddle hump, the idea is to slow and take them both however the older kids were jumping it...

oh yeah baby i went for it, cycled my hardest off the last hill pedalling furiously hit the first hump and sailed for a whole meter betfore coming crashing onto the second hump. all my mates were watching as i flew out of the saddle and ended up on my handlebars winded then fell of sideways. top it all off the pedal had swung round and clouted me in the shin which was bleeding and already blackened with yellow edges, how it didn't break my shin i'll never know.

i blame it entirely on the fact that the bike weighed more then i did...

 

[Hip Priest]

As a youth of 9 i was at the local BMX track, its basically filled with dirt and stone and has all these brilliant flecks of mica in the stone, anyway there's a little saddle hump, the idea is to slow and take them both however the older kids were jumping it...

oh yeah baby i went for it, cycled my hardest off the last hill pedalling furiously hit the first hump and sailed for a whole meter betfore coming crashing onto the second hump. all my mates were watching as i flew out of the saddle and ended up on my handlebars winded then fell of sideways. top it all off the pedal had swung round and clouted me in the shin which was bleeding and already blackened with yellow edges, how it didn't break my shin i'll never know.

i blame it entirely on the fact that the bike weighed more then i did...

Is that the one in Sankey, over the road from The Stoop?

 

[Beebo]

I was about 13 years old, riding no hands on my Falcon 10 speed trying to impress some local ladies.

I hit a bump, the front wheel jack-knifed and I went over the handle bars. I had to walk home with a flat tyre, bleeding forehead and the painful sting of embarressment.

It's probably a topic for another thread, but are young ladies ever impressed by lads riding no hands? I doubt it, but it doesn't stop us trying so some reason.

 

[Gixxerman]

I was about 13 years old, riding no hands on my Falcon 10 speed trying to impress some local ladies.

That reminds me of tale my dad told me.
In his 20's he lived up a street called "The Smooting" in the village of Tealby here.
A relation of his who lived with him, was cycling down the front street in the direction shown in the map link, and was just starting the left turn into "The Smooting", when he noticed 2 young ladies walking down the road. His attention was drawn to them instead of looking where he was going.
He wolf whistled at them, and then prompty ran into the wall where the street sign is, much to the amusment of the local butcher Mr Leaning, who recounted the tale to my dad. Luckily, nothing was broken.

 

[Melonfish]

Is that the one in Sankey, over the road from The Stoop?

no the birchwood forrest park one, they've turned half of it into a skate park now (spits)

 

[Cyclist33]

Most recently I flew over my handlebar in a field of recently-sown potatoes, which was hilarious but I'm not sure it counts as embarrassing since no one saw it.

Probably my greatest humiliation was when commuting home from my old office with my best mate and commuting gringo, Paul. We got to the top of the road out of the office, I nonchalantly popped off the kerb very slowly, got my pedal caught on the edgeing to the kerb, was incapable of dealing with the problem and went flying incredibly slowly off the front of the bike, which landed on top of me , bruising my ribs for several weeks.

Paul was as supportive as ever - he did the only actual ROFL I've ever seen, and still laughingly regales any colleagues he can with the tale.

Stu

 

[gbb]

Three, no four for me

1.Cycling on my hybrid with the wife, saw a can in the road, 'bounced' the front wheel on it to crush it....it wrapped round my tyre, spun round then jammed into my caliper, instantly upending me over the handlebars I laughed like a gutter (so did the wife)

2. My first clipless moment, rode up to a TL controlled crossing on a cycle path , reached one arm out to press the button, lost my balance and wrapped one arm round the pole.....and slid oh so slowly into a heap on the floor

I consoled myself that the several cars that were passing at that moment were all laughing, but in a day they wouldnt even remember.

3. Approaching a R/A and there was an pedestrian island shortly before it. A car squeezed through so close...then immediately stopped for traffic on the R/A. I hauled on the brakes, lost the back wheel, tumbled off the bike just before i hit his bumper. And then he drove off...yeah, thanks mate I sat there at the side of the road, trying to unclip as drivers were going past

4. Cycling home one frosty extremely cold night last year. Took a shortcut to avoid a bus that was oncoming, saw the paving brick section in the path in front of me..knew it looked ropey, BANG...off in an instant and slid towards a girl sat at the bus stop. She looked mortified, i laughed like a gutter again. I must have slid about 5 yards..

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Cold going to work but warm coming home so strapped my jersey on the rear carrier A couple of miles into the journey home it started to rain. Stopped at the next set of lights I reached back to pull the jersey off the carrier and over balanced towards the side where my foot was still on the pedal, toeclips and straps, and fell in a heap, then couldn't get my foot out to stand up and spent a couple minutes thrashing around on the ground like a fish out of water before I freed my foot. I then stood up an tried to remount as if nothing had happened, I'm sure I could hear people laughing.

 

[gaz]

[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZqwhpxIKpk[/media]

 

[apollo179]

[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZqwhpxIKpk[/media]

Thats the thing in the wet or with oil you can just go down like a bag of spuds - scary stuff.

 

[waggoner]

Going down a steep grassy hill on an old mountain bike which had road tyres fitted. Put the back brake on which locked the wheel up, so put the front brake on, but a bit too hard and went straight over the handle bars followed by the now upside down bike,, lucky no-one else was about...

 

[NormanD]

Out on one of my liesuerly 18 milers I'm heading towards the Quayside in Newcastle, for my usual coffee stop, along the way is a large car park area which is fenced off, It's used for concerts and large ships to dock at. I'm doing a slowish pace (nice hot day no need to rush) and I soon became aware of a large group of cyclists behind me (some sort of group of novices out for the day, all with hi-viz vests on) so rather than me holding them up (as I said I wasn't in any rush) I thought I'd slow down to a stop, grab hold of the fence (while sitting on the bike) and let them all pass.

I applied the front brake while looking over my right shoulder (as not to hinder anyone) and stuck my left hand out to grab hold, only to find I'd picked the only place along the whole entire fence with the gate open!! as you can imagine I did a nice left hand flop to the ground (no time to unclip now) in front of most of the following group!!

One or two stopped to give me a hand up, but were chuckling away to themselves

 

[Mullerstraße]

Cycling uphill this morning and arrived at the junction to turn right. After waiting for a break in the traffic I went to set off didn't get my balance right, tried to brake, but the next thing I knew I was on the tarmac. Basic error and I must have looked a right tube! The only thing damaged was my pride.....great commute to work afterwards though!