Proper Way to fall?

[Sam Kennedy]

I don't know if this is a cycling question, but just say something goes wrong while you are cycling fast, and you know you aren't going to stay on the bike, is there a correct way to fall off the bike, or do you just try to stay on and hope for the best?

 

[Theseus]

In my, fortunately limited, experience. By the time you realise that the inevitable is going to happen, it is too late to control anything about it so there is no correct way to fall. If you have been trained to fall for a sport such a judo, this may help on the instinctive level, but that is about it.

 

[Landslide]

Always let the bike have its own accident.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

In my many spills over the years from both motorcycles and cycles, I never had any choice as to how to fall. It is always painful........to self, bike, wallet or a combination of all three!

 

[fossyant]

My only advice, especially if a car is going to hit you, is not to tense up, you'll bounce better

 

[wyno70]

As mentioned above, I've had more than my fair share of spills on motorbikes, road and mountain bikes. Apart from 1 occasion they all happened before I knew much about it.

Theory on a motorbike is that you jam the back brake on and lay the bike down, probably resulting in the gentlest landing and least damage to you and machine.

As mentioned, I've only ever had the opportunity to do this once but someone right up my arse meant it wasn't an option!!

You can talk about theory all you like but in my experience it's often over before you know it's started!

 

[accountantpete]

I was always taught never to stick your arm out to cushion the fall as it pops the collar bone but these things happen so fast it is instinctive.

 

[simon_brooke]

I don't know if this is a cycling question, but just say something goes wrong while you are cycling fast, and you know you aren't going to stay on the bike, is there a correct way to fall off the bike, or do you just try to stay on and hope for the best?

I'm rather an expert at falling off mountain bikes

In my humble opinion, one thing you do not want to do is go over the bars and do a face plant. If you can (and in my experience you often can) if you know you're going to go down and it really isn't recoverable, steer the bike out from under you (either side, but preferably to the right so you don't do damage to your drive train) so you go down sideways. Your hips, elbows, shoulders and thighs (and occasionally ribs) will get it but your head doesn't, and because you spread the impact over a number of contact points you usually don't get much damage.

One thing is - do not fall off when not wearing gloves. The palms of your hands often do make vigorous contact with the ground, and gravel rash on your palms is not fun.

 

[Ademort]

Hi I watched a Belgian TV programme called Allez Allez Zimbabwe a couple of years ago. Famous Belgian cyclist Roger De Vlaeminck had the task of going to Zimbabwe to look for new cycling talent. He had to choose 5 cyclists that he thought had what it takes to make it as a pro on the continent. He would then bring them back to Belgium and train them with a view to entering the world cyclo cross championships the same year. To cut a long story short, as part of the training in Belgium they were taken to a Judo club with their bikes and were shown how to fall, given different circumstances.There was a bar erected that they had to roll over and quite frankly if i had not seen it with my own eyes i would never had believed it. So in answer to your question, given the right circumstances YES T HERE IS A CORRECT WAY TO FALL.
Ademort

 

[magnatom]

Sounds like my 28 years of judo training have prepared me for cycling!
Seriously though, judo does help, but they don't train you how to do a bonnet role. Best to avoid crashes!

 

[Sam Kennedy]

I think as long as I don't do this I should avoid the worst injuries

 

[Landslide]

Ouchy. Headtube fail...

 

[Cubist]

I think as long as I don't do this I should avoid the worst injuries

You don't want to go showing stuff like that. Those prototype "body monocoque" recumbents are supposed to be top secret!

 

[Cubist]

I notice he's still clipped in.........

 

[Ben M]

I was approaching a corner way too fast, in the time between realising that I wouldn't make it, and crashing, I managed to shout for my friend who was ahead of me so what he knew what was going on, and to get as side on as possible so that I hit the curb side on and toppled over, this minimised the damage to the bike.