Your best crash story

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    • #68457

      I’m holding out. Some one start it. Set the stage then the stunt

      Get set

      GO!

    • #68458

      It wasn’t a stunt…..

      We were coming through the park on a paved bike/jogging path, down a steep curvy hill. My wife went first, about 15 seconds ahead. I came down, and at the bottom was a sharp right. I apexed the turn, and coming out of it at a good clip, my wife was coming back the other way.

      My brakes worked.

      Front and rear locked up, and since the pavement was damp and I was still into my lean, the tires slipped out from under me.

      I went down and skidded (missing my wife) down the hardball for a good 15-20 feet on my side.

      She laughed at me, and so did the 80yr old German guy chilling on the bench right there.

      Oh yeah. It hurt.

    • #68459

      I don’t know if this was my best wipe-out, but it was definately funny. My nephew and I were riding up the lift at Northstar-at-Tahoe and he pointed out that he wanted to try the Liftline trail. I said I wasn’t sure that I wanted to ride it, because I knew I’d have a spectacular bail right under the lift.

      We get to the top, and took Flameout half way down the mountain. From there, we cut over to Liftline via a fire road. The road isn’t steep or anything, but its still on a mountain and has a nice decline, and we were hauling ass, around 30mph. I was right on my nephews ass, and he was kicking up a nice dust cloud, and sure enough, right under the lift, I moved a little to the left to get out of the dust, and I hit a decent sized rock I couldn’t see! I must’ve flown, superman style, for about 20 feet, before I landed, and hit my head hard enough on a rock to see stars!

      Needless to say, I received quite an ovation from everyone riding up the lift! 😳

    • #68460

      😏 😆good ones

      Not my best but we are coming down Sawpit at Demo. Steep fast single track. Wife is her safe distance to avoid any of my antics. We about halfway down in the real fast stuff it’s going light dark light dark. I make a sharp blind left into the dark (wow a low stump in the middle of the trail). Straight over the bars landing on my feet and started running.

      My wife turns the corner and finds me running down the trail with my following me like it’s being ridden.

      So in her true form she asks loudly 😏 What are you doing!

    • #68461
      "Juan_Gear" wrote

      My wife turns the corner and finds me running down the trail with my following me like it’s being ridden.

      Wheres a helmet cam when you need one!?

    • #68462

      Probably not my worst, but anyway my friend and I were riding to a trail. from where we were coming from we had to go down a huge hill(clocked at over 50mph down this hill). my friend was about 30ft behind me go down the hill(probably going about 30 at this point) I cut onto the fireroad, my front tire washes out when it hit the dirt 😮 . I slid into the woods. My friend almost fell off his bike laughing.

    • #68463

      ok about 2 weeks after i bought my fisher, i was trying to go down a somewhat steep single track off a mediumish hill and… drastically underestimated the technical stuff, i still made it over the big rocks, the mossy rocks and around a few fell trees, however, i paniced at the sand pit and went to wrong side, began to fall and reached out for the limb of one of the fallen trees.. my bike kept going with my feet still cliped in, swung round and hit the treee i grabed, pinning me between my bike and the tree. So heres the picture, im bent over a fallen tree, butt in the air (a big rotting tree at that) with my bike, gravity of a steep hill, and a very awcard angle not alowing me to unclip my feet. When my bike swung aroung it slamed into a branch as well and all i could do was yell for joel (bombadier) to come straiten my bike out so i could get off the tree and free my feet. Yup, i had a nice 14” x 3” branch shaped bruise on my upper thigh for a while after that.. That was when i desided i needed adjustable float pedals untill i got the hange of clipless 😏

    • #68464

      COOL 😆

      That the does not kill ya makes ya stronger they say

      Who ever they are 😃

    • #68465

      For those of you that do not know 1st 2nd and 3rd divide. It is a rustic intermedate ride. Not that steep but loose shale which is normal around Downieville. It is early spring and we are taking a friend for his first ride here. Along 1st divide are gold miners lonely after a long snow so we are telling squeel like a pig jokes. When we get to 2nd divide my bud finds a small plastic hippo in the road. It looks kinda like a pig so it becomes our lucky pig mojo so we dont have to worry about marrying miners today.

      About a mile up 2nd divide a wasp fly in a helmet vent and is not happy starts busting loose on my head before I can stop get helmet off. My lady carrys benadrell in her pack so I take one, kinda woozy but ride must go on. We get to the cliff side you locals know where I mean loose shale on a rock base. Can see the water what 50/75 feet below on the right There are a number of steps just before dirt again I know the moves pull, push, pull, push left pedal comes uclipped left knee against left hand

      I drive right off the edge, I’m looking at my bike one hand one foot framed by sky and have time to hear the wind rush pased my ears. Also time to think how Bleeping far is this. Landing on my back on the only piece of dirt maybe one foot by three foot with a grunt as it knocks my wind out. Bike is now totaly free I can hear it spinning in the air before landing in a small tree. I crawl the 15 or 20 feet back up handing my bike up first to my bud.

      We ride off for the truck and set a new top speed on 3rd divide I take the last jump to find that the day before new cement blocks have been instaled with sand on top. Yehaw.

      Years later after a MRI my doctor asks when did I break my back. Just happens be be under my pack so it should be O.K. 😏

      Lucky pig is still hanging on my stem

    • #68466

      What ya’ll found was definitely a pig, but i dunno about the lucky part after hearing your story. 😮

    • #68467

      Man, I know exactly where you are talking about. That is a HAIRY section if something goes wrong! I had a guy hauling ass on a dirt bike come by me there once. I thought we were both dead!

      You know that last uphill section you do? I watched a girl ride right off the edge of it. Her and her boyfriend only brought one bottle of water to share between the two of them, we found out, and she bonked. I hopped off and was able to save her bike, but she slid down about 20 feet, until she caught a scrub tree, almost to the drop off into the river. Man, I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared for anyone else!

    • #68468

      That last up hill is a killer my wife slid off the river side so far it filled her clothes up with leaf litter that same day. She slid till she found a small tree also. Says to this day she thought she was going for a swim. Was only worried about her Zaskar thats my girl 😃

      Whats with that house way back there always kinda spooky like were being watched. Kinda weird riding through a front yard in the middle of nowhere. Howbout that rooty section at the other side of yard?

    • #68469

      I love the claim signs. 357 Mine, etc. and stuff like “Enter at your own risk.” I rode there right about this time of year, last year, and it was real spooky. There were a TON of hunters wandering around the top area, by Pauly Creek, and I was wearing a green jersey, and tan shorts. I was waiting for one of their drunk asses to take shots at me!

      My best crash on that trail was on Second Divide (I think), after you get through the initial steep stuff, and you open up onto a sandy section that isn’t steep, but it is still downhill and straight. I wasn’t paying attention, and somehow crossed up my front end on the loose soil, and went over the bars doing about 30mph. I can’t believe how far I flew! I landed flat on my back, and knocked the wind out of myself.

    • #68470

      Did you have your horns on you melon cover? That adds to the fun factor 😆

    • #68471

      I don’t think I needed them! I was waiting to hear someone say “Boy, you sure have a pertty mouth” or something like that! With the amount of hunters up there, plus us mountain bikers, I can’t believe no one winds up dead!

    • #68472

      I got one for ya. I had just built a drop, just a little to keep speed up on this trail. I go off of it, land, the front starts to wash out then hits a rock. I think I went over but I don’t know I closed my eyes. All I know is my face hit the dirt hard and slid for a few feet. I hit my leg on something because it still hurts(happened like 3 hours ago)
      pic of my helmet after I somewhat cleaned it
      Image
      my front wheel hard
      Image

    • #68473

      Mmmmm dirt taste good. 😏

      Riding life all else is waiting

    • #68474

      A couple of buds and I are up above Aptos on the fire road. On the way back down we cut off on to Pig trail it rides along a ridge a while. Then takes a sharp left turn around a tree well not really a turn. When you come to the tree you turn and hop onto a 50+% drop more like a cliff with a run out 😼 . To steep to roll really need to hop onto the face which has a trail about eight inchs wide.

      I hit my bar on the tree turning the wheel 90 to the trail landed on my head. Passed out when I heared the crunch thought it was my neck. Woke up sliding face first mouth open and leaf litter in my throat 😢

      Damage was split helmet, jersey, shorts, bar, seat, gloves, face, shoulder, back, knee to shin, other knee, elbows Uh ego too

      Oh yeah I rode out to the truck

    • #68475

      I dunno what the deal was today, but we both were just suckin’ on terrain we normally clean no sweat.

      So…..

      I had just made it through a super narrow, steep, rocky, root-filled death-chute. We were running fast after that part, and I hit a pretty tall ledge drop. Instead of rolling it, I thought I’d be slick and hop the thing.
      Well…. I was carrying to much speed, (fall leaves are slippery!), and landed too close to the inside line of the trail. I corrected over a large sloped boulder; which happended to be covered in damp, slippery moss; promptly skidded off into a larger, more flat boulder; promptly bounced off of; and did a half-endo with my Shin-Beaters Mallet pedal kissing my left leg nicely.

      And to make the day complete, I ran through a mud-hole that happened to be filled with compost water and pinch-flatted my rear tire.

      My leg hurts, I have a flat tire on a Sunday in Germany (nothing is open except bars), and my bike stinks…. literally.

    • #68476

      And to think this is why ya got up today 😆

      Riding is life all else is waiting

      • #242745

        I went over a jump, and as I landed, I was leaning way back on the bike. When I hit the ground, the shock sent my butt down onto my rear tire, and my balls got sucked in between the tire and the back of my seat. It was not enjoyable.

    • #68477

      I know…. What is wrong with us? 😏

    • #68478

      Ever been bit by your bike?

      Not really a crash story, more of an ‘I’m an idiot’ story…Don’t know why I’m sharing this but here it goes.😳

      On a local trail in the Denver area that I’ve yet to have a good ride this year on–for one reason or another–I was coming around a steep switchback thinking I was all slick by only unclipping one foot. Well, I ended up getting my unclipped foot stuck between the chainring and the ground. Below is a picture of what happens when your bike decides to take a bite out of you. Amazing how far those teeth can penetrate skin. Nothing like cleaning chunks of your own skin off the chainring.
      Image
      Eight stitches and $1000 in medical bills later, I’m back on the bike. But I’m a little more cautious at those switchbacks. Took about a month for the achilles to heal.

    • #68479

      really makes you wanna go with a single ring and poly bash-guard, doesn’t it? at least people’d think you’re all hard-core…. and stuff. 😏

    • #68480

      And to think I tattoted my chain ring mark on on.

      I.m a wuss 😉

      Riding is life all else is waiting

    • #68481
      "Bombardier" wrote

      really makes you wanna go with a single ring and poly bash-guard, doesn’t it? at least people’d think you’re all hard-core…. and stuff. 😏

      Just don’t clip out, and you won’t have the problem! You’re starting to sound like Juan, on the one ring!

    • #68482

      Naw 😃 no bash guard 😉

      sometimes bikes will hunt ya down anyway. Maybe it’s payback for what we do to em 😆

      Riding is life all else is waiting

    • #68483

      Funny thing, I’ve got Mallet C’s on my Coiler. I was out riding one day, and bashed my shin on the pedal and got a nasty cut and a huge scar from what was a stupid little mistake! I wound up crashing hard that day also, with little damage, but that little bash from the pedal definately was the worst. Funny how the bike takes its toll in blood now and again.

    • #68484

      yeah, i’m starting to think CrankBros are really literal in their pick of product names….. that, and I think they had a nice quiet chuckle when they named those pedals “Mallets”…. truth in advertising!

    • #68485

      well, it had to happen I guess….

      The last time I took a dirt-sample, my bike musta kissed a pointy rock, ’cause now I got a nice sized dent in my top tube, and it looks like the aluminum stress-fractured.

      😢

    • #68486

      Man, that sucks! But look at the bright side, now you can buy that new bike you always wanted!

    • #68487

      If only! 😏

      My wife has her heart set on the new GF Fat Possum…..

    • #68488

      I’ve taken pride in not having had a significant wipe in my past 7 years of riding, though I’m pretty aggressive. Changed that a few days ago!

      Up in Massachusetts, I was coming down a steep, very rocky section of the Blue Hills. To the right is a 40-50 drop that you could in theory ride if you never wanted to stop. You’d tumble down it if you fell, but you’d live!

      So I was admiring this beautiful hill when being a moron, I cranked over a huge rock, leaned to correct, and found myself going straight at the ledge! I dipped hard to the left, going with the road, to try and stop, but no luck…

      … until I rode head first into a huge tree on the lip of the ledge. Right over the handlebars and helmet first into this big old oak tree. Fell off and was laughing before I hit the ground — never thought I’d be happy to hit a tree! 😆

    • #68489

      Thats pretty funny! Sounds like the tree saved your bacon!

    • #68490

      Over 2000 members out there and only a few crashs storys. Boy you all must be GOOD 😏

      Dirtskydirtskydirtskydirtskydirt_____huh? 😮

    • #68491

      Okay, here’s my worst crash.

      I was riding out at Hall Ranch in Lyons, CO, and I took the Antelope trail up to Bitterbrush because of time constraints. I only had time to do the loop and that is the fastest way there.

      I was having a great ride, tearing it up around the loop, hitting the waterbreaks and getting air, climbing well, all the good stuff.

      On the way back to Antelope through the valley on Bitterbrush, I was thinking, “I’ve never really had any hard crashes, I must be pretty good.” Stupid brain.

      So, I flew down the fireroad, hit the first singletrack section there and cruised the switchbacks. I was feeling good, the bike was working, we were one.

      After the second section of short fireroad turned off into singletrack, there’s a sharp turn with a boulder on the right and few rocks on the left. I was looking past that at the people coming up the trail, misjudged my distances or something, and endo’d when my front tire hit one of the rocks, and stopped dead.

      I remember thinking, “Well, at least my feet came unclipped so the bike won’t land on top of me.”

      I landed about 8 feet away on the downslope on some rocks, and the wind was completely knocked out of me. So I’m trying to breathe, and making these horrible sounds (“uuuuuuhhhhhhhhh, uuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh!”) and basically freaking out the people coming up the trail.

      Slowly my breath came back and I started to assess the damage. It didn’t feel that bad, my arm, shoulder, and leg on my right side felt damaged.

      When I stood up, that’s when I felt the pain. Ouch. “I think I broke something in here,” I said, rubbing my side. It was painful riding the last 1/2 mile down.

      The damage was two broken ribs, and the rest on the right were severly bruised, ripped up my back, huge bruises on my thigh, numerous scrapes. The doc told me that most of the pain comes from all the connecting tissues in the ribcage being stretched and torn. Surprisingly, the bike was perfectly fine. That happened in June, and I finally stopped feeling pain in November.

      Broken ribs suck.

    • #68492

      Yeah every time I think man got this riding down the big guy spanks me good 😏

    • #68493

      I actually have two…both in the same day, same trail. I was riding what is now my favorite singletrack in my area (Sac River) for only the second time. The trail was muddy like it almost always is, and I had some serious mud & leaf litter buildup that wouldn’t even allow my wheel to turn. I thought it would be brilliant to try and ride through a rocky part of the River to try and clean it off a bit. It might have worked…except for I was really a newb, and my hands and legs did things that my brain curses them for to this day. Anyhoo, hit the water wwwaaaayyyy too fast, managed to hit the only scummy spot, and found myself laying in the water a few seconds later wondering how I’d gotten a stick down the back of my pants.
      About an hour later, I decided to ride the trail backwards (as in, the other direction) to get some of the downhills I’d taken up. I was pedalling along, feeling on top of the world ‘cuz I’d conquered some pretty rough terrain. For some reason, that emotion always seems to be a mistake. There’s a little trail demon that runs right next to me and if I get even the slightest bit cocky, he’ll take me down.
      I hit between two rocks on a downhill at exactly the right spot, and my tire got stuck. I wasn’t going slow when I hit…I honestly don’t remember if I went over the handlebars or if they hit the ground before I did. I do remember thinking “That wasn’t there when I was riding it the OTHER way.” 😀

    • #68494

      That reminds me of one time when I was riding Pauley Creek in Downieville, CA. I had just finished that first real rough, steep, shale section, and was feeling pretty good. After that, the trail kind of opens up into a more mild slope, and is pretty non-technical for a bit. I was just letting the bike run, and was really hauling ass, but not paying much attention to the trail, when somehow I crossed up my front wheel in some of the loose dirt/dust typical of the area. Next thing I know, I’m flying through the air for what felt like about 30 feet! The landing knocked the wind out of me, but didn’t do any real damage to myself or my bike, just my ego! It just goes to show that when you get over-confident and don’t pay good attention, what can happen!

      Either that, or I have one of those little trail deamons also 😼

    • #68495

      Biking is kinda like riding with good angel/bad demon on each shoulder. The good one is going “stay in the middle… slow down… announce yourself… don’t try anything crazy…” while the bad demon is laughing chaotically, swigging whiskey and screaming “Ride you crazy motherf–er, ride! You can go faster than THAT!” and eventually falling off your shoulder while giggling like an idiot… which makes it easy for him to climb back on when you ditch.

      At least that’s how I envision it. 😃

    • #68496
      "Fitch" wrote

      Biking is kinda like riding with good angel/bad demon on each shoulder. The good one is going “stay in the middle… slow down… announce yourself… don’t try anything crazy…” while the bad demon is laughing chaotically, swigging whiskey and screaming “Ride you crazy motherf–er, ride! You can go faster than THAT!” and eventually falling off your shoulder while giggling like an idiot… which makes it easy for him to climb back on when you ditch.

      At least that’s how I envision it. 😃

      Seriously! Not only is he swigging the whiskey, he’s trying to pour it in your Camelbak, all the while trying to convince the good angel that it’s Gatorade.

    • #68497

      nah, it’s tequilla the little devil is slipping into your juice…. mixes so much better with fruity drinks ya know… 😼

    • #68498

      Mine has an Irish accent and keeps telling me it’s not Stout but esspreso

    • #68499
      "Juan_Gear" wrote

      Mine has an Irish accent and keeps telling me it’s not Stout but esspreso

      I fell for that once…. 😏

    • #68500

      Well, it’s official. I’ve got to upgrade my trail demon to just a bike demon in general; I made the mistake of listening to her last night while riding on pavement, which was a mistake because what does she know about that anyway?! At any rate…she convinced me to ride down a Jeep road connecting two neighborhoods in the dark with no streetlights, and to do it fast. ROCK. BIG. HIT.
      My husband was ready to take me to the hospital when I stood up and said my trail demon made me do it…. 😮

    • #68501

      Went over a log today, which was fine, but there was a small ditch behind where I crossed that I didn’t see. Endoed down and took a shot in the junk from the side of my bar horns. I think I’ll take those off now. 😳

    • #68502
      "Fitch" wrote

      Went over a log today, which was fine, but there was a small ditch behind where I crossed that I didn’t see. Endoed down and took a shot in the junk from the side of my bar horns. I think I’ll take those off now. 😳

      The Junk or the Horns 😆

      Riding is life all else is waiting

    • #68503
      "Juan_Gear" wrote

      The Junk or the Horns 😆

      Hahahahahahahaha – I left myself wide open for that one! 😆

    • #68504

      Hey thats are what Bud’s are for 😏
      Keep ya on your toes

      Riding is life all else is waiting

    • #68505

      hmm, worst crash was first time out on a bike after the off season, managed to forget to get my brakes looked at, so i’m riding the avalon area in MD, going down a nice descent, steep turn at the bottom, and i remembered that my brake pads were almost literally gone, so i hit the turn, caught air and sailed into the woods. amazingly enough, i didn’t get hurt, and my bike only ended up with a stick stuck in the seat. that very week i was riding a tiny little trail behind my buddy’s house, had just come down a nice descent, front tire hit a rock and bike stopped dead. i supermanned right over the handlebars into a creek ><. worst part was the realization that i had bent my fork beyond all repair /cry, but gave me the excuse i needed to get my new baby, jamis cross country 2.0 (not much, but it was the nicest in my price range)

    • #68506

      Have heard some good stuff about the Jamis bikes

      Riding is life all else is waiting

    • #68507
      "Juan_Gear" wrote

      Have heard some good stuff about the Jamis bikes

      I looked at some top-end Dakar Sports a while ago, they had excellent workmanship on the frames, and here they’re better accessory-wise than the advertised Stateside versions.
      Either Euro bikes get better components overall, or the shop decided to up the level on the goodies.

    • #68508

      well, got the new bike, and i pretty much love it, which is why my trail demon was being extra boisterous. i cased it the first day i took it out on the trail. not quite sure what happened (i bonked my noggin) but i have to get new shifters and a new derailler, luckily the nice folks at sram took pity on me and gave me new shifters for free. i just need to shut out my demon for a while

    • #68509

      😼 Nate trust me you won’t get hurt 😼

    • #68510

      My best crash ever. Well to set the stage this was before bikes had suspension and I had this wonderful Nishiki bike with ground control brakes(these were some stupid invention some engineer had, they put the brakes on the bottom of the frame on the lower bars of the rear triangle).

      A week earlier I had hit a rock with the brakes down there and bent the post on one of the brakes. I had to remove the back brakes because the bike wouldn’t roll since the bent bar forced the brakes to always be engaged. The bike was now retired from mountain biking but I thought it was save for road riding, boy was I wrong.

      My friend and I had run out of gas in his van but I had my bike with me so I jumped on it with a gas can and headed out to get some petrol. I was flying down this residential street and a car backed out in front of me. Instincts took over and I grabbed the brake handles. Big mistake. I flew over the bars and rolled over just in time for the large sprocket to hit me sqaure in the nose. I got three puncture scars from the teeth on the sprocket and a broken nose to boot. I think this beats the time when I cut off the ends of two of my fingers while riding a bike.

    • #68511

      O.K. I’ll bite how do you cut your fingers off with a bike 😕

      When I was a kid I tore the bottom my foot off

      Riding is life all else is waiting

    • #68512

      You will love this. I was in Junior high trying to put the chain back on the bike while riding it. I got the chain back on and lost the ends of two of my fingers.

      They were building some condos at the time and I asked the workers to take me to the hospital. They told me to quit dipping my hand in red paint and go to school. So I grabbed my hand and rode the rest of the way to school. The nurse at school freaked. I think I was calmer then she was. I ended up in the ER for five hours while the grafted some skin onto the end of my middle finger after cutting the bone down so it didn’t stick out above the finger nail.

    • #68513

      Oh man, that had to hurt! Hell of a way to get out of school for the day!

    • #68514

      I have a few that left some scars and a concussion, but this one cuts me deep…mentally!!! (not really, this is one crash in which my family and I “bond” over…Of course…At my expense!

      This was before I bought my StumpJumper. My family and I were camping. We decided to take a quite ride around the campgrounds. I was riding my FIL’s “mart” bike. It seemed o.k. to “kick around on”…

      Well, I came to a nice rock, where kids and the like had been riding over. It made a nice foot high ramp off the top between these two rocks. Being the “show-off dad” and trying to prove to my boy that “dad has still got it”, I said, “Hey son…watch this!”…famous last words… 😳

      As I hit the top of this one foot, smooth transitioned rock ramp, the front tire decided to crank over 90 degree’s and tried to make a sharp right turn as I reached the top. 😮 😮 😮 However, ,my mass + the handle bars had already committed to going straight! You guessed it!!! The “goose neck’ wasn’t tightened down and I was sailing over the bars… 😮

      Anyway, I hit the ground and rolled out of it…I tried pulling it off by shouting out to my shocked family, “and that’s how you need to tuck in and roll when you eat it!!!” 😳 😳 😳

      My family didn’t buy it…They were all on the ground laughing to hard, to speak. My dauther (11 years old at the time) kept shouting, “SON, WATCH THIS” in between catching her breath from gut busting laughing.

      From time to time, as I’m riding my bike with my family…They all take turns shouting out, “HEY SON…WATCH THIS” and break out into two hour snorts and laughter!!! 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆

    • #68515

      Now now, Ken, there’s nothing funny about watching people fall down.

      I COMPLETELY take that back, that’s hilarious. 😆 😆 😆

    • #68516
      "gab26" wrote

      I ended up in the ER for five hours while the grafted some skin onto the end of my middle finger after cutting the bone down so it didn’t stick out above the finger nail.

      I’m SO glad you don’t have photos to post.

    • #68517

      Ok, didnt want to read all, ok i DID want to read all of them but I’m doing some english typing for schoolwork.

      Heres [i:3s1wyguz]a few[/i:3s1wyguz] mine:

      I was riding on a friends property (huge, 1000 acers), freeride style (on a hardtail of course 😏 ) and decided to take a MONSTER gap. Now, before I go on, let me explain this monster. this place is HUGE. the area i was riding is on the bakside of the small mountain on their property. its all open, no trees. EXCEPT the part where the gap is (see where this is going?)
      anyway. I said to myself, “self, if you dont take this one you’ll be realy late and mom is gonna get hella pissed.” so I go through the shortcut (where the trees and gap are) and have the P-E-R-F-E-C-T setup for the take off, my landing zone was perfectly clear, everything was good. But of course, something had to go wrong. I hadnr been back there in a while, so I wasnt sure about vedgitation.

      I’m a quorter way over the ting, when i realise that there is a branch in the way of my landing. “Oh, fine. FINE and FLIPPIN DANDY!” i say to myself. “of all times for a BRANCH to be in my wa- SHIT! OUCH!!!! AAAAAHH!!!!”
      well, there I am, hung over a branch with my bike in the gap. And of course my mom has to send someone to go find me. so about half an hour later, I see my friend and his sister (my girlfriend at the time) come up through the trees on ONE, ONE mind you ATV. they got me out of the tree (it wasnt all that high, but I was tangled pretty good) and I decided to tak the atv track back to the house. you should have seen me, I was a MESS!

      ok, that was my worst, stunt on a bike ever. my worst crash would be when I forgot which break was which whil I was returning on a fire road from one of the peaks in hope valley. That bike had hydrolic disk breaks. I had a fifty fifty chance of hitting the right one, but of course, I HAD to hit the wrong one. whoops! and there goes Chris FLYING over the handlebars. let me tell you this:

      50-60 feet of dirt mixed with loose shale and some medium sized rocks fallowed by a creek DOESNT GO WELL WITH SHORTS, SHORT SLEVE SHIRT AND A HELMET THAT S UNBUKLED.

      this has been the basis for many a joke ever since.

      I’ll tell you about the bear, some other time.

    • #68518

      OK, so I start reading these and decided to join in on the “fun” of telling one’s story of crashes and follies. So I am out riding on the Seneca Park blue trail (one that I know VERY well by the way) on an early morning ride. Temp outside is a nice 29 degrees so everything you hit feels a little harder than normal.

      There is a section that I always dismount from my bike and do a little hike-a-bike over a dry rivine. I’m coming back in from an incredible ride and I pass a couple of hotties just starting their ride. Guys are stupid when it comes to trying to impress the opposite sex…well at least I am anyway. I start to hammer a little harder and I am back at the section of the trail where I dismount. Not today! I decide that on this day I am going to try and clear the rivine. Keep in mind there is no jump, ramp, or anything that will help me clear this thing. I am not great at bunny-hopping anything wider than my downtube so this can only turn out bad!!

      I started off pretty smooth and I felt like the king of world being up in the air. However, as I am coming down I can sense that my front tire is going to go straight into the opposite bank and get caught with me pretty much heading over the handlebars. Where the pain comes is as my tire sticks in the ground, the handlebar gets turned and as I am flying over the bars my thigh goes right into the bar. The placement of the bar was literally 1/2″ from the family jewels on my upper thigh. (The bike is OK though!!) As I am laying in agony on the cold ground I hear the two hottie riders coming to a screaching halt about 4 feet from me asking me if I am OK. I am in about the worst pain of my life right there and my pride gets in the way as I tell them that it’s all good! At this moment I wanted to do nothing but cry and get into the fetal position. After convincing them that it was just a small spill they finally ride off into the trail and I check the damage. I wish I had my digital with me because words just don’t do this any justice. All I saw was blue down there and it looked like someone whacked my leg with a baseball bat.

      All I have to say is OUCH!!! I have learned that no matter who is watching me, there is no shame in dismounting the bike and taking a few safe steps over potential danger!!

    • #68519

      Ouch! thats cold dude! well, crazieness also impresses… some of the , “hotties”.

    • #68520

      Kramer would you first name be Cosmo :{)

      Riding is life all else is waiting

    • #68521

      I was ripping down some nice singletrack today at the Belmont Conservation and went for a close squeeze between two rocks… a little too close, apparently. Wheel hit it and jack-knifed, and I went clean over the handlebars into an AWESOME roll (2 or 3 times over, it seemed). When the dust settled, I was laughing at how great of a fall it was — I was 15′ from my bike! Good times!!! 😆

    • #68522

      Could life be better? 😃

      Riding is life all else is waiting

    • #68523

      I commute back/forth to work everyday. No biggie, like four miles round trip.
      Unfortunately, there are no dedicated bike lanes here on Ft. Carson, so I have to ride a lot on main roads.

      So.

      On my way home today, I was crossing one of the main drags, and had to ride up a short slope to the main jogging trail that leads to my house. Upon crossing the road and hopping the curb, I started up the slope.

      It was at this time that the Ft. Carson wind (which is really starting to annoy me, words can’t describe) decides to gust perfectly perpendicular to my direction of travel, and just as I hit the steepest, sandy part of the hill.

      So yeah, the wind blew me over, right in front of rush-hour traffic.

      😈

    • #68524

      😏

    • #68525

      my best-worst down, on MTB challange SKODA LANG GP race, i break my arm on trial when i ride down 40km/h about, ride on stick and gras, an when i have pusch my front wheel on air to jump on the easy trail ….i landeed down on my arm, when the docter become to my accident he sad : hmmm, yuo can’t ride today, you mast go to hospital quikly and go to “cut table”……

      my arm, my leg, shoes, glowes all in blod bbrrrrrrrrrrrr when i think abot i have cheeken skeen….brrrr

      when i whose younger i feel down on my head, than twoo weeks on bad, i eat many fruits, and my brain been on another planet….he he it w’snt nice, friends meets me and ask : how are you Jaqb, how you feel…

      …..ALWAYS RIDE ON YOUR HELMET………………………. 😉

    • #68526

      Not the best but the latest

      Was going clockwise at Forest hill about 7 miles around coming down the rocky fire road. Lift the front across a big rut on the downhill. TUBE LET GO WHILE IN THE AIR. No sound just flat when it hit, then I hit, lots of bloodie rock rash.
      Bummer is the scar across the Tat on my shoulder which will need new ink now. OH WELL !

      Riding is life all else is waiting

    • #68527

      My friend almost did a few days ago. We were coming back from a saturday ride to get away from my parrents cause they were being bitchy, and we were coming up to this switch back that is right on the edge of a ravine. Well, her breaks arnt too good (neither is her bike, its a Next, so…..) and she over powered the switchbackthat leads int o a nasty climb. I was WAY ahead of her cause I like to ride fast, and I hear “Oh shit! *scream* CHRIS!!!” I instaintly thought, “Oh hell what did she do this time? 😏 .” It ended up that she had endoed around it and her ass-tire hit a tree:).

    • #68528
      "Juan_Gear" wrote

      Bummer is the scar across the Tat on my shoulder which will need new ink now. OH WELL !

      That’s one of my fears on biking, man! I’ve got a tat on my shoulder that I always make sure is covered when I ride — it’s perfectly level with large sticks, prickers, etc….

      Maybe I SHOULD just tattoo my chain ring to my leg…

    • #68529

      Last year I got a new full suspension and after a couple of weeks I thought I had the feel of the bike down. I took my wife up a trail I always ride and down at the bottom there is a pretty good washout in the road that make a good jump. Well, I hit it way too fast, and was lurched forward when the rear suspension hit. I landed way out front and the front wheel went out from under me. I skidded about 20-30 feet, baseball style, on the rocky road.

      I had road rash from my ankle to my hip and several stitches in my arm. The crash was cool but the wife was not impressed. The next week was painful as the skin grew back.

    • #68530

      I was riding in the Catalinas North of Tucson with a group of bikers. We were flying down the last part of the trail and there were these washouts that had been recently redone by the forest service. They were lined nicely with rocks and tapered from shallow to deep as they progressed across the trail. I took the first one on the high side (where the trench was smallest) and planned to do the same on the second, except my speed was too fast and I could not get up high second one. I hit it straight on and my bike and I did an 360 and I landed on my arse.

      I did not get hurt, but I broke the crown on my Marzocchi shock. The guys I rode with were awed by the acrobatics. I declined to try it a second time….

    • #68531

      Ouch?
      Lol.

      Heres one:

      So today I got realy board with DVD making, set the compo to auther on itz own (verrrrry geeky) and went out and saw some perfectly matching boards lying around. So I decided to buld a ramp. Well after I got it all setup (on a saw-horese BTW), I went back into my neibours driveway, strapped onthe old brain-bucket and started out. Well, about half way there, I realised that it was Just a TAD bit off on the horse, but enough to throw me off. Well, my approch was fine, my launch was fine, but I did something fucky in the air that made me come down wrong and fuck it up.

      So I ended up on the ground with a gnarly scrape on my arm and a cracked helmet (I’m pretty happy ’bout that), but a ton of laughs from all but my aunt (who had just arived). She was so worried and everything….. it was funny. My baby (bike) is fine and here to ride another day.

    • #68532

      well this is my only crash an burn story thus far but it was today. i was riding behind a kohls dept stroe around the mall area and i was comin down hill pretty quick. i got some sweet air off the first hill i hit and then it was all downhill after that, when i hit the ground i just noticed the ther rest of the trail was nothing but ruts from the 4×4 that run back on forth on the trail so i did what i thought was best…run it out 😼 …well that was a bad idea i hit them head on useing my brakes lil by lil hit the first deep rut got some air then the next one threw me off my bike and i slid about 5 ft but i got a nice rash from my ankle to me rear i got up after the fact didnt care how bad it hurt and was like YES that was awesome!!! then the pain hit me lol

    • #68533

      So, tell me why when I am jumping or riding some technical stuff I don’t fall, but on a perfectly straight and flat area of the trail I wipe out. It happened about two weeks ago. I was riding Rodalben Germany with some friends. We came around a corner and there was a group of riders taking a break. As we passed them they started riding behind us. So to stay a head of them we hammered down, and got up to about 30mph, according to my computer. Then, out of nowhere I am on my side sliding at 30mph. I was so embarassed that I didn’t even stop sliding before I was back on the bike riding again. I don’t even know what caused me to fall, there were no rocks, roots, or soft sand.

    • #68534

      german tree faries thats the only thing i could think of lol 😆

    • #68535

      Have been toooooo! busy ta log on

      This post is still going :{)

      Riding is life all else is waiting

      Off to Downieville for the downhill

    • #68536
      "Juan_Gear" wrote

      Have been toooooo! busy ta log on

      This post is still going :{)

      Of course it is! We all like hearing about people fall down. 😆

      A few days ago I wanted to sneak a quick ride in, but didn’t have time for the woods, so I headed down the ol’ Charles River in Boston. It’s been a long time since I road on boardwalk and I forgot about how slippery it gets when wet.

      I thought my bike was trying to run away from me sideways when I took a turn! The thing shout out from under me like a rocket, and I landed flat on my chest because my hands slid out, too. SUCKED!!!

      Kinda funny, though. No injuries besides my pride infront of the two good looking ladies walking towards me. 😳

    • #68537

      Downhill did not go great but is a new crash story.

      I always blow th first corner so got to the hill early and watched the pros.
      Start time came tick tick tick and I’m off. Off to the left through the roller keeping it low, bank hard through the bracking bump burm. crowd/riders to come yell PERFECT!

      Feeling good and start passing people soon,which is good with one min start gaps. Come into rock garden, which is realy Boulder garden feeling good when damping blows out of the rear shock. Not good enough to ride pogo stick through boulders.

      Over the bars seprate my shoulder and walk four hours to the finish. shoulder pops out to many times to count on the walk. If some days were not like this I would not do it. Oh Well

      Riding is life today Im a bruise :{)

    • #68538

      I was riding on an in-town local trail with Raleighman91 and another friend. When we went down the first time my other freind forgot where a ditch was and endoed into it. His bike went through $200 of damage. A few runs latter Raleighman and I decieded to do a drop in off the side. He went first, but couldn’t make the first turn three times in a row. I thought that was odd, because he is a better downhill rider than I am. But, I go anyway. I nail the first turn and then the first drop, but I forgot to pull my handle bar up for the second, larger drop. My wheel stuck in the ground, and I flew over the handle bars and skidded about ten feet on my left knee. What made it worse was that there were two riders on the other side watching the whole thing. 😳

    • #68539

      I’m new so I haven’t had many crashes yet, but I went to Rays MTB Indoor park in Cleveland. On the technical section you ride north shore style on boards. I found one line that was lots of fun, on a board about a foot wide, the only problem was that it went veeerrrry close to a pillar holding the roof up. I want down the line a couple times with no problems but the last time I hit the post with my handle bar on the right side. My bike rolls left and I go right, my head (thankfully in a brand new helmet) hits a board from the line next to the one I have just fallen from. I hear the helmet crack and my rear disk brakes get messed up. A bunch of the riders that saw me go down later came and asked me if I was OK so that was cool. Me and the bike are OK. I wear my backup but I still have the crashed helmet. I don’t see any dammage at all but I don’t know wether I should send it in to get it replaced for $35 or just wear it. Suggestions are welcome.

    • #68540

      "Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils."

      Hector Berliaz

    • #68541
      I don’t see any dammage at all but I don’t know wether I should send it in to get it replaced for $35 or just wear it. Suggestions are welcome.

      Hey man – as I understand it, once the integrity of the helmet has been compromised, it’s like the hull of a boat and doesn’t have the same resistance any further, so I’d say replace/fix the helmet; that being said, listen to what some of the older/more experienced guys have to say about that!

      PS: Misfits are great. 😀 Jerry Only is a cool dude!

    • #68542

      Please get a NEW LID BEFORE GOING OUT AGAIN. Even a cheapie/uglie/girlie is better than not

      Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils." Hector Berliaz

    • #68543

      Thanks for the input!

    • #68544
      Thanks for the input!

      Kinda Mad this thread is still rolling

    • #68545

      I didn’t end up dumping, but I defintiely got a bruise this weekend! I took the guitarist of my band (five years my younger) biking for the first time this weekend, and he’s been a dirt biker for years, so he handled pretty well. We did some singletrack in Massachusetts, and I was rolling up front, trying to look all cool reminding him that the old man can still put him in his place once in awhile! I got a little too showy and when hooking a tight turn, I put my right shoulder into a tree and overcorrected partially off the trail.

      Nothing big or bad, but defintely looked pretty funny… so I just downshifted and put about 50 yards in between us to hide my face! 😀

    • #68546
      german tree faries thats the only thing i could think of lol 😆

      Either those, or some hefty pre-ride quantities of hefeweizen and weinschorle….. 😼

    • #68547

      well yesturday was my first offical Mountain bike trail ride. Hard about this new place went down checked it out alone. . took trail to the right thanking it was for bigginers. For it was farly straight and smooth. But cruzing at about 20 I see a drop thanking in my head "all its the bigginers run so cant be to bad" then launching off the top I look down to see no ground. it was about a 40 foot 80 Deg. slop to the ground. I landed luckally on the trail about 10 feet down going 20 brakes applied I was in a full ski. down the hill and at the bottom is a turn. I told myself "you are not going to make the turn". And i did not right into the trees I went, layed it down Cut hand, arm , far-arm, elbow, Lt knee, right knee and shins. body hurts all over. but got back on bike and finished the trail. Going back I realized the hill is so steep I couldn’t even walk the bike up it had to go around what a first ride experiance and I loved every minnit of it. I thank i do need to adjust brakes though.

    • #68548
      well yesturday was my first offical Mountain bike trail ride. Hard about this new place went down checked it out alone. . took trail to the right thanking it was for bigginers. For it was farly straight and smooth. But cruzing at about 30 I see a drop thanking in my head "all its the bigginers run so cant be to bad" then launching off the top I look down to see no ground. it was about a 40 foot 80 Deg. slop to the ground. I landed luckally on the trail about 10 feet down going 30 brakes applied I was in a full ski. down the hill and at the bottom is a turn. I told myself "you are not going to make the turn". And i did not right into the trees I went, layed it down Cut hand, arm , far-arm, elbow, Lt knee, right knee and shins. body hurts all over. but got back on bike and finished the trail. Going back I realized the hill is so steep I couldn’t even walk the bike up it had to go around what a first ride experiance and I loved every minnit of it. I thank i do need to adjust brakes though.

      😮 ????

      You might want to see a doctor, I "think" you might have sustained a few more injuries. 😉 After a visit to the doc, make sure you have a good helmet, and keep tring.

    • #68549

      30? As in miles per hour? On a trail?… you sure you weren’t on a dirt bike?!?!? Even on pavement over a half mile downhill, the fastest I EVER hit was 32mph…

    • #68550

      32mph?? what a girlie man 😏 😆 43 at Downiville/3rd divide, but I’m not the brightest bulb

      "Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." Abraham Lincoln

    • #68551

      well the crash felt thirty. i was going 20. does this sound better. still sore even today. My rt. knee more than anything.

    • #68552

      Strange how when a tree is coming at your face it seems like 100, Eh?.
      :{)

      When I scab a knee, I fill the tub with ice and water soak for three then out for 20, til the ice melts.

    • #68553

      two beauties – cliff drop measuring 28ft take off to landing (was only about 10ft in height!) but front-ended and bailed big…couldn’t walk for 3wks at least!! PS Atomic :ab wheels are well ‘ard…

      Second was at Ludlow in Shropshire, (on XC bike) front brake had snapped off from earlier jump and we were tanking it down a trail on some wet grass, I was in front, got round a bend and there was a bloody stile about ten ft in front of me…only option was to jump off my bike, which ricocheted off the stile and the top tube hit me on my head just under my lid and I had three wire marks imprinted onto my head from the cables….!!!

      Wheels were totalled, = ouch!!!

    • #68554

      Spud, whats a stile???????????

      :{)

      "Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils." Hector Berliaz

    • #68555

      Geez, and I thought 30mph downhill is a fairly slow pace!

      I don’t like going very slow on unknown trails, so that when I do encounter drops like Amaster1 described, I don’t have a chance to second-guess myself at the last moment and end up dead-sailor’ing it through the void. A few of the best drops I’ve ever landed were nasty surprises just like that, but when I’m at speed the Nomad will take flight in a nice neutral fashion and give me time to spot the landing.
      I suppose that I’ve gotten lucky and not had to break hard left or right after a surprise drop…. Otherwise I might be singing a different song now, one of pain and suffering…. 😼

      And people wonder why I run such hardcore parts on my bike…. I’d rather break myself than my bike, that thing’s expensive! 😏

    • #68556

      First time out on my new All Mountain Giant AC on an early morning before work ride. I am bombing down this fire road and have no clue of what I am doing or how I am supposed to be riding. I bomb into an off camber turn, front of bike rears up and to the right but body and gravity are still headed down the mountain and according to my GPS I took a header in the stones at 24 mph. Nearly dislocated my shoulder – couldn’t move it for a week. Doc said if I wasn’t in such good shape I’d have been a lot worse off.

      Of course, my wife was due in about three weeks and it meant for awhile I couldn’t pick up my kids. Fortunately by the time the baby came I was able to carry the kids around.

      Cracked my helmet and still got bumb on the noggin, plus nice scratches and contusions.
      Image

    • #68557

      That smile is very obviously the result of a good time…..
      Or perhaps it’s a mental defect caused by blunt-force trauma resulting in a chemical imbalance on the pariatial surface of the trans menenigical obdula oblongata in the third occipital lobe….

      😎

    • #68558

      ìWhy does the stuff that only happens to stupid people, always happen to me?î Homer Simpson

    • #68559
      That smile is very obviously the result of a good time…..
      Or perhaps it’s a mental defect caused by blunt-force trauma resulting in a chemical imbalance on the pariatial surface of the trans menenigical obdula oblongata in the third occipital lobe….

      😎

      Some people call it the effects of Boomer-itis but believe it or not I am at the start of the Gen-X era. My says its better than a new girlfriend. I call it having fun and its way better than drugs.

    • #68560

      I was rideing down a trail near my house after a wind storm. I was comeing around a blind corner and right in front of me a small tree about 2 inches around, but about 7 inches off the ground. It had rained during the storm and my now my brakes hardly worked, not enough time to jump it. So I nailed it straight on 😮 my bike stopped and I kept going, flew about six feet, knocked the wind out of me. My firend thought it was pretty funny, expecially sense I told him that I was taking the lead this time. Luckly my bike was not busted up and could continue the ride, only to find out it was the only tree or branch for that matter that had fallen over the trail.

    • #68561

      My first post, hopefully I do this right …
      Well, it was not on a mountain bike but I had a big crash a few weeks ago on a time trial bike (yeah, it takes a lot of skill to crash in a time trial). Practicing with my team and we were flying, about 30 mph, I hit a 2×4 in the road while in the aero bars and had no hope of saving myself. I went flying off the bike and while airborne hit a mile marker sign with my left knee. That sent me spinning off the road and I landed in a heap about 20 feet from the blasted 2×4. I hit the ground so hard my shoe flew off and I cracked my helmet. My knee was huge and had a deep cut from the sign, I had some scratches/bruises on my face, and bruises/cuts all over my legs, but nothing broken or torn, somehow. It was really scary 😢 but I survived to race 2 days later. I probably would have needed stitches but before deciding to go to the ER my coach cut some skin off my knee to clean the wound. Ouch!

      Riding is fun, crashing is not!! 😉

    • #68562

      Well, it’s been almost a year, so I think I’m over the trauma enough to talk about it. 😉 😏

      Last June, I was over at Big Creek in Roswell, GA, and I had just hit the trail. I was timing myself since I was riding alone, thinking that would push me a little bit. My riding had really progressed in the two months leading up to this fateful ride. I was climbing better and going faster than ever.

      I was carving a turn near the end of the second advanced section and trying to set myself up for a switchback around a tree that had a two foot drop. I swung a little wide to the left side of the trail so that I could maintain speed through the switchback when I felt a quick tug on the left side of my handlebar. I had just enough time to register that my barend had caught a thick rope of thorny briar.

      Before I could react to this knowledge, I was on the ground about 8 foot down the trail. I sat up and looked at the bike. The briars had tangled so badly around the bike that it had stopped dead in its tracks. I tried to assess the damage and everything felt okay except I must have jammed my left thumb. It hurt a little.

      After I got up I noticed I couldn’t move my thumb at all. I took off the glove, and saw that it had already started to swell. I tried to wiggle it around, but it wouldn’t move. Best I can figure is that when the handlebars were jerked backwards out of my left hand, it took my thumb with it, bending it all the way back at an odd angle.

      Well, after I untangled all the briars from the bike, which took a good 10 mins with one hand. I tried to ride out but couldn’t use the left hand at all. So I ended up pushing the bike about a mile back to the trailhead. I loaded up the bike, got de-geared, all while trying not to bump or move my left hand.

      I called the wife, who met me at the urgent care place. I got x-rayed and found out that I had completely destroyed the socket on my left thumb. The damage was very extensive. I ended up having surgery on the thumb to get it rebuilt and then spent 8 weeks in a cast and another 6 weeks rehabbing the thing. I finally got back on the bike in October.

      By the time I was able to ride again, all the progress I’d made up to June was history. I was basically starting over.

      The worst part was that I had been planning a two-week vacation to Arizona/Utah/Colorado, and I broke my hand 2 weeks before it started. I had to cancel that so I could have surgery. My whole year was ruined by one little briar bush.

      One year later and I still feel pain in that hand. My mobility is somewhat diminished and I can look forward to my senior years being filled with painful arthritis in that hand.

      I’m finally back to where I was last year, riding-wise. My nerve (courage) is starting to return, where I don’t cringe every time I see a thorn bush.

    • #68563

      Ouch 😮 !! glad your back at it. Did ya touch wood after telling us?

      :{)

    • #68564

      Come on you all not crashing or not riding 😆

      Riding is life all else is waiting

    • #68565

      oddly enough, the two crashes on my bike that have done the most damage have been at less than 5 mph within 100 feet of my front door, both trying to do something stupid. the first was during my session of trying to get my bike to wheelie (with the I-Drive suspension which has noticable pedal bob in any gearing combination, no less), I decided I was going to try to brake-stoppie my bike. well, with mechanical disks set for relatively quick engagement, one would think this would be easy. WRONG. I discovered that it is generally a bad idea to shift your weight foreward and keep it there after the rear tire lifts from front brake. when did I discover this? about when the frame started to pivot at the steerer tube. down I went, hands out in front of me out of impulse. onto pavement. all 145+ pounds of me came crashing down onto my palms onto pavement. road rash on my palms, and pain in the surrounding area when I put any sort of pressure on it for about 2 days to boot. not my best idea, but it proves that when the driven wheel lifts, bad things happen.
      moving on, my next mishap happened when the bike was stationary. I had just stuck the grio sticker on my frame (came with the new grio helmet I got) when i decided to try another wheelie session. again, the wheelies, although unspectacular and short-lived, posed no harm to me at all. I had discovered taht when I stopped the bike I could keep the bike upright as I swung my right leg over the bike in a dismount. so I had the bright idea to try the same thing, only getting on the bike. lock the brakes, turn the cranks so the left pedal is closest to the ground, put one foot on it, swing right leg over bike. this is about when things got hairy. if you noticed my thread in accesories & parts, I am in the market for a big chainring bash guard. here’s why. right about as my mass was centered above the bike (although still in motion), something went drastically wrong, and me and the bike went over. mainly, the bike went over and I followed. I was in the 2nd chainring from my wheelie session (2nd chainring, 3rd gear on the cassette makes for easy lifting of the front tire), leaving the cogs of the 3rd chainring exposed. mind you all 145+ pounds of me are coming down hard on this chainring. before bending out of shape enough that it kicked the chain off the next morning on the way to school, it tore a half-dollar sized, nearly perfectly ROUND hole in my jeans and put 4 gashes in my shin, in addition to scratching the inside of my upper leg. currently the chainring is bent back into shape (it was a pretty much uniform bend so I just bent it back with a wrench and went along on my merry way), tho it has seen better days. I am definitely in the market for a chainring bash guard that’ll fit a TruVativ 44 tooth chainring now after having it put 4 holes in my shin and try to put more holes in my upper leg

      speed may kill but slow or stopped don’t always feel so good either.

    • #68566

      Last week, I decided to take an old bike (like a ’99 schwin or something, seriously older than god) to my local with the intent of finnaly cleaning this launch point that I’ve biffed like a hundred times. Took the old bike ’cause i didnt want to mess up my good bike (read: mistake number one.). So I get to the trail, start to build up speed to hit the jump, then get cold feet and try to bail (mistake number two.). going too fast to bail, I intead decide to bunny hop off the launch point rather than acually cleaning it (mistake number 3.). I end up in the bottom of the 5ft ditch the launch point takes you over, my bike bottoms out and breaks in half (it was a full suspension frame but had rusted to the point of being ridged… yes I am an idiot.) and I end up getting kicked in the back of the head my the rear wheel, not to mention my poor manhood jackhammered by the saddle.

      I spend the next hour and a half dragging the shattered remains of my poor bike out of the woods. Also had to explain to my roommate how his bike got stolen… 😼 [/i]

    • #68567

      I wrecked the other day and my bike got stuck in a tree. The other day I was riding a local trail backwards so all of the obstacles were a little more difficult than I was used to. I came up to a pretty big log laying across the trail and decided to try to hop over it. I popped the front tire over, but apparently didn’t have enough speed to get the back tire over. The front tire stuck right into the ground and the back tire got hung up on the log. I knew I was done at this point. I couldn’t stop myself from moving forward and veering off to the side towards a ditch about 3 feet deep. There was a tree laying across the ditch and I knew I was going right for it. I managed to jump off the bike and over the tree, but my bike didn’t quite make it. I landed with a thud down in the ditch (in a patch of poison ivy no less) and my bike got stuck in the tree. It was just hanging there like I put it there on purpose. I only got a couple scratches and bruises (and poison ivy the next day), but I was ok other than that. I will post a picture if I can figure out how.

    • #68568
      "barrem" wrote

      I wrecked the other day and my bike got stuck in a tree. The other day I was riding a local trail backwards so all of the obstacles were a little more difficult than I was used to. I came up to a pretty big log laying across the trail and decided to try to hop over it. I popped the front tire over, but apparently didn’t have enough speed to get the back tire over. The front tire stuck right into the ground and the back tire got hung up on the log. I knew I was done at this point. I couldn’t stop myself from moving forward and veering off to the side towards a ditch about 3 feet deep. There was a tree laying across the ditch and I knew I was going right for it. I managed to jump off the bike and over the tree, but my bike didn’t quite make it. I landed with a thud down in the ditch (in a patch of poison ivy no less) and my bike got stuck in the tree. It was just hanging there like I put it there on purpose. I only got a couple scratches and bruises (and poison ivy the next day), but I was ok other than that. I will post a picture if I can figure out how.

      Woo Hoo this thread is still going LOL, Hmm never tried riding my bike backwrds off road, sounds alike a good way to get hurt

      Riding is life all else is waiting

    • #68569

      I was riding a trail that is designated hiking only on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I will not say the mile marker. It is sweet… Ride on the nasty days, you will avoid the hikers and the Federal PoPo. This area is all about where to go…call us!

    • #68570

      I agree, riding the hiking only trails in a certain State Park out west here in the Santa Cruz mountains during winter is a great thing. I stayed upright during that trip, but had a friend fly straight through the turn of a switchback. It was amusing for the rest of us, especially when he snapped off one of the shifter levers of the rental bike he had (he isn’t a regular mtber) during the off the edge of the trail fall. He lucked out that is was the front derailleur shifter.

      I spent a few weeks in NC last fall, had the golf and fly fishing gear with me (left the bike at home). Spent some time in the Smokies, great place.

    • #68571

      Was maybe 1998, we had been riding one or two times a week for three or four years. One of our favorite haunts had been Annandale State Park in the Sonoma Valley near Santa Rosa. Back in the day the Rock Hopper races were held here, yeah that’s how the bike got the name. We learned to ride major rocks there, the rougher the downhill the more we love turning around and climbing it.

      This before they fixed (“ruinedâ€

    • #68572

      A few years ago, my family and I were biking down Mammoth mountain, and my 55 year old dad turned a corner and flew off his bike and faceplanted into the side of the mountain….we were pretty concerned at first until he started laughing at himself!

      Either way, it was pretty funny to watch 😃

    • #68573

      Woo Hooo my kinda Dad I’m 52 😎

      riding is life, all else is waiting

    • #68574

      i went over a jump and grabbed the brakes. i was headed right towards my friends brand new $3000 bike. i hit it then went over the bars, over the other bike, over a log then landed on another log that i broke i half with my face. i crawled back over the log when the pic was taken so it doesnt look like i went that far but i did!

      http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.c … ID=7471780

    • #68575

      Well I finally did it. I have been riding for two years now without much more than some bumps, bruises, and scrapes but now I have a true biking injury. This year I was really getting into my riding and improving beyond my expectations until four weeks ago. I do my daily rides at a state park near my home and the trails for the most part stay unchanged so I know them very well.

      On the day of my crash I rode the course in both directions doubling my daily routine. Needless to say, I was feeling great. Well I finished my ride and was coming out of the woods on my ussual route. I always roll off a four foot bank into a parking lot that is almost always empty but today had about ten teenagers playing volley ball. When I got to the edge of the bank I notice a log had been placed at the bottom and I panicked and hit both brakes. I did an endo from the top of the bank and stiff armed the ground.

      I new that I was hurt before I stopped rolling but got to my feet quickly and ran back to my bike. No problems there but while I was pushing the bike to my truck my shoulder and arm really started hurting. I could not get my bike on the rack and my riding partner helped me. I finally got my gear off and took my shirt off when I seen what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder but after going to the emergency room and getting xrayed I was told that I had a AC Separation (separation of the colar bone and shoulder blade) and that i would be out of comission for six weeks and that I would have a knot on top of my shoulder for ever. The knot is still there but I took my first ride at three and a half weeks and I believe that I went to bed and was still grinning. Even though the ride was very low key and not technical at all it was fun. I rode again today and plan to ride again this weekend. I made sure that I have performed the Physical Therapy which has ensured that my recovery comes quick. Now I will just need to work on my courage.

      I found out that the maintenance crew at the park laid the log there and did not pick it up at the end of the days like they had planned. Really sucks getting hurt because of someone elses laziness. But I am not holding a grudge because I am back on the bike and recoveing nicely.

    • #68576

      My favorite crash happened on Tsali Right Loop. We had just began our first ride on our first day of a 3 day camping/mtb biking trip. We were on a fast, high ridge line. One in which everyone said you don’t want to drop off that and fall down there! Looked 60 feet down to the bottom. Up slope to our left, big drop off to our right…way way down.

      My son was leading our pack and I was following behind him with 3 others from our group behind me. The section we were on was relatively flat for the moment and we had decent speed trying to stay with my fast son. There was a section on the trail that had a slight grade up, then banked back to the left on top of exsposed root mass from a tree. As I came over it and turned to the left, my back tire got a little air which caused it to get off line on the down-slop side, putting me into kind of a power slide with my front tire still lined up in the trail and my back tire sliding down the hill.

      Just when I thought I was going to save it and come out of the slide and bring my back tire back online, the down slope got steeper, placing me sideways to the trail, my sideways tires then lock up and grabbed, flipping me and ejecting me off down the mountain with my biking flipping over with me, both tumbling off the ledge and into the abyss. I must have rolled and flipped 3 times, with my bike doing the same.

      What I loved about this crash is that my friends were terrified when they saw me go over the ledge, only to see me hop up and yell "I’m OK!". There were so many obstacles and trees I could have nailed, but luckily missed everything but soft bushes and underbrush. I couldn’t have been any luckier.

      Only one small scratch, and even better, no mechanical breaks for the bike either. It took 3 of my buddies to help me pull me and my bike back up the hill to the trail.

      It made for great camp fire side chat all weekend.

    • #68577

      My worst crash happened on the road…

      My friends and I were going skimboarding and since I had the best bike I had to carry 2 of my buddies skim boards. So I was carrying the skim boards with my left arm and everything was fine.. Until we came up to a big downhill. Normally this is no problem however I got up a lot of speed on the way down and I was in a gear that was way to light. Plus there was a car coming up behind me. So I tried to switch the left gears with my right hand which caused me to drift quite a bit to the right where a steal guard rail was just waiting for my arrival. So the bike hit the rail causing me to front flip over the rail slamming ribs and leg on the rail. The rail left a huge cut in my side and a huge strawberry on my right thigh.
      I bruised my ribs and needed four stitches. And unfortunately that ended my vacation at my friends lakehouse ahead of schedule. 😏

    • #68578

      TSD

      My buddy when down three times in the first 1.5 miles on a fairly easy trail this morning. I only saw the first one. after waiting for him I went looking. Found him at the truck with a riped shirt and sock, bleading from his left leg. His handle bars and front wheel bent. Once I found out he was OK, I laughted for over and hour.

    • #68579

      Worst crash… When i first started riding it was on small trails thru the woods in my neighborhood on the Gulf Coast that me and a buddy carved with a chainsaw and fourwheeler. We made some small hills one in particular right before a hard turn. We’re out riding one afternoon i’m out in front of my buddy and we’re twisting and turning thru the trail and coming up on that one special hill. I had a pretty good bit of speed and never expected to get airborne. I go sailing thru the air bout 6-7 ft off the ground straight towards a pine tree. I ditch the bike best i could. Have you ever seen George of the Jungle with Brendan Fraiser? When he faceplants the tree and his arms and legs wrap around it? I definitely pulled one of those " Watch out for that… BAM!…tree" moments Walked away with minor cuts and scraps but huge scars on my pride. LOL

    • #68580

      I did see that movie,hahahahaaha,There’s never a camera when ya need one is there?
      How high on the tree did you hit it,I mean,once you hit the tree you had to have fallen a little bit to the ground.I got that image in my head of you hitting the tree and sliding down it like a wet rag.hahahahaaha.

    • #68581

      Sorry dude,but I have this buddy that is in this improv comedy group and the guy just never quit’s with the funny stuff.I guess it rub’s off.’
      somtimes I dont go to his show’s because I’m just too tired to laugh that hard.

    • #68582

      The best medicine I’ve ever encountered.I try to ride with a smile everywhere I ride.Make’s for a good ab workout too.

    • #68583

      Where I ride in Toronto we have a local trail in the heart of the city. Where my friends and I frequent called the Don Valley Parkway trail.. Its actually very fun with lots of neat twists and elevation changes. Anyhow one ride my three friends and I were hitting a section where they have Shore type obstacles one of which is a relatively easy up and over a fallen tree that has been modified. There is a bail trail around it which is fine if you want to do that..Well i was leading the ride that day and i went up and over no worries followed by my friend….well ummm he somewhat missed the down part and the front wheel just dived straight down when he fell nearly flat on his face his bike was still attached to his feet. Because of the way he fell the bike "launched it self" at me flying about 20 feet in the air at me nearly missing me….Needless to say the two other guys who witnessed this from behind were dying laughing…..Well long story short we had to wait a bit and fix a few "technical issues" with the bike….Ohh yeah as well as my friend a bit of road pizza on the face.

    • #68584
      "steve32300" wrote

      I did see that movie,hahahahaaha,There’s never a camera when ya need one is there?
      How high on the tree did you hit it,I mean,once you hit the tree you had to have fallen a little bit to the ground.I got that image in my head of you hitting the tree and sliding down it like a wet rag.hahahahaaha.

      yeah tell me about it! that’d been great footage too… I had to be at least 6′ up the tree and no i didn’t slide down it like a fireman pole I had too much momentum i just kinda bounced off and landed flat on my back.

    • #68585

      Well, I finally got mine.

      I was at Wells State Park this past Saturday and had just finished a five mile loop with my lady friend who’s still learning the ins and outs. Right next to the parking lot, there’s a quick little horseshoe, and I decided to tear through it. I knew at the end of the loop was a killer pile of gravel that you could get some air off of, so I was ripping it.

      Well, at least there used to be a pile.

      What’s now there is a steep wall of gravel with a good 3.5′ drop off into loose sand underneath it. I hit the gravel wall at 18mph and the bike stopped dead, launching me over the top. I went straight up and down, head first, into the ground, breaking my helmet.

      I stayed down for a second before slowly getting up, checking for broken bones. All felt good, but I was light headed and experiencing white washed vision. I fortunately stopped my friend from doing what I did and walked around for about 2 minutes before I passed out with a full concussion. Thank God I didn’t break my neck! I woke up with my friend shaking me, trying to get me conscious, then passed out a second time for another minute or so.

      Hospital ride, ER visit, CAT scan and x-ray, but fortunately everything was clear, just a real good concussion. Back to work tomorrow, but the good news is… MY BIKE IS FINE!

      May need a new helmet, though. 😆

      Image

    • #68586

      wow, glad you are ok 😎

    • #68587
      "Fitch" wrote

      Well, I finally got mine.

      I was at Wells State Park this past Saturday and had just finished a five mile loop with my lady friend who’s still learning the ins and outs. Right next to the parking lot, there’s a quick little horseshoe, and I decided to tear through it. I knew at the end of the loop was a killer pile of gravel that you could get some air off of, so I was ripping it.

      Well, at least there used to be a pile.

      What’s now there is a steep wall of gravel with a good 3.5′ drop off into loose sand underneath it. I hit the gravel wall at 18mph and the bike stopped dead, launching me over the top. I went straight up and down, head first, into the ground, breaking my helmet.

      I stayed down for a second before slowly getting up, checking for broken bones. All felt good, but I was light headed and experiencing white washed vision. I fortunately stopped my friend from doing what I did and walked around for about 2 minutes before I passed out with a full concussion. Thank God I didn’t break my neck! I woke up with my friend shaking me, trying to get me conscious, then passed out a second time for another minute or so.

      Hospital ride, ER visit, CAT scan and x-ray, but fortunately everything was clear, just a real good concussion. Back to work tomorrow, but the good news is… MY BIKE IS FINE!

      May need a new helmet, though. 😆

      Image

      Dude, that’s awesome, but I hate to hear that you had to go through he!! in order to a great crash story. That must have been some kind og major impact to break you helmet. And that your bike came out unscaved is remarkable. Can you tell me what kind of bike you have, I think that I might need to get me one like it. Appreciate the inspiration of not holding back. That’s using your head. 😃

    • #68588
      "spazjensen" wrote

      Dude, that’s awesome, but I hate to hear that you had to go through he!! in order to a great crash story. That must have been some kind og major impact to break you helmet. And that your bike came out unscaved is remarkable. Can you tell me what kind of bike you have, I think that I might need to get me one like it. Appreciate the inspiration of not holding back. That’s using your head. 😃

      Hahaha – only mountain bikers hear this and say "that’s awesome!" My doctor, ironically, was a rider as well and used to live outside the park I was riding at. Good timing. 😆

      I’ve got a Trek 4300 and I think it came through unscathed because of the sand I landed in. Had it been hard packed soil, I’m sure it would have gotten banged up, and I’d probably have broken my neck instead of just my thick head! I’ve got some nice pics of the "incident site" I’ll be posting later!

    • #68589

      Picture this:
      Rocky climb all the kids are fading, see the good line. I’m am feeling my boys, swing out to pass, pulling with all my might at end of the bars, using every muscle down to my finger nails. All my weight on the front/left pedal, pulling with the right leg, can hear the frame creak. Front wheel is floating only touching the tops of ruts, steering with the body, back tire is scatching.

      POP! chain gone 😮

      Over the bars, no time to get hands up, on the lid/face slide a few feet to a stop. Can hear Damn, Dude, K?, Need help, I scream go go go. Arms and legs look as if Chucky caught me with a grinder. Feel the calm of shock slide over me, a bit of a chill, see the look on others face and know it will be a long month.

      [i:37mtiaam]Single speeds are the best[/i:37mtiaam] 😏

    • #68590

      The gate keeper at the Doc’s tells me on a visit, some day you will be an old man and hurt.

      I looked at the Doc who is a riding buddy an ask would you rather be an old man that hurts or an old man with no storys.

      I got story

    • #68591

      Back in ’93, myself and a friend were pre-riding a race course in North Cheyenne Canyon, west of Colorado Springs. He raced cross-country, I was a downhiller, so I gave him the lead for a good portion of the course but when we came to the downhill portion, he moved out of the way and I took off like a shot. I looked down at my cyclocomputer and was smiling as I was approaching terminal velocity….that was the last thing I clearly remember. Later, my friend informed me that as I leaned into the first curve the bike shot out from underneath me (damned granite pebbles were strewn over a boulder in the ground) and all he saw was a cloud of dust. He said it looked like I exploded, I don’t remember much of anything after that (due to the concussion). I did finish the course (at a much slower pace) and while we were at the parking area we did talk to some other riders. I won’t go into the part about me removing rocks from my legs with tweezers or my blood soaked socks. Here is the funny part; about 3 years later, I was living in Durango and while visiting my favorite shop we started discussing our worst crashes. After I told the above story, one of the guys said "That was you? I was talking to you at the trailhead". The moral of the story is; always wear a helmet and that no matter how big our sport gets, it’s a small world unto itself.

      Attack life! It’s going to kill you anyway.
    • #68592

      Welp
      Collar bone still will not heal, riding any way, with a loose bone, it gives me a totally styled whip bunny hop/jump. Stacked pretty hard at Boggs Mountain, with the clavicle on that side tucking only broke my ribs. 😏

    • #68593

      Does anyone have any really good crash photos? Looking to put together a full week of MTB crash PODs! 😼 😼

    • #68594

      The helmet cam crashes are cool. Sky-Ground, Sky-Ground, repeat. 😄 Later,

    • #68595

      Just that one of me in a neck brace from 2008. 😛

    • #68596
      "Fitch" wrote

      Just that one of me in a neck brace from 2008. 😛

      Haha yeah, I saw that one!!

    • #68597

      I just started riding in July. Being a woman who is pushing 40 it wasn`t the brightest idea to pick this up as a sport (but I Love it. Being black and blue and all 😃).

      After only riding one month i decided to ride Massenutten by myself. The uphill killed me, but once I finally started down i was loving it. So I was flying down and all excited about how fast I was going until I hit a rock garden. I flew over my handlebars and went about 20 to30 feet before finally hitting the ground hands first. Then my body fell and landed on a rock. My hip is still discolored 3 months later.

      I just knew my wrist was broken and i only had 40 minutes until emergicare closed. So i had to fly down the mountain only being able to use my left hand. To this day that was still one of my best rides. My wrist wasnt broken thank goodness.

      I did learn from that the next time i endo`d instead of putting out my hands i just landed directly on my chest. Lol

    • #68598

      tuck and roll 😀

    • #68599
      "blknblu118" wrote

      I did learn from that the next time i endo`d instead of putting out my hands i just landed directly on my chest. Lol

      +1 to schwim’s tuck and roll suggestion, but if that’s not really an option, it’s better to land on your fore arms. Distributes the impact across a greater area.

    • #68600

      1 funny
      Riding rocky singletrack near FtC, CO. Got front tire stuck on a step-up. Refused to step out of the pedals. Kept jamming on the pedals, expecting to eventually get over the step. Never got over the step and bashed my hip really hard. I knew I was going to have an impressive bruise. Following my usual MO, I jumped up and kept riding. After the adrenaline wore off, something was really irritating the hip on every turn of the pedal. Stopped. Pull the shorts away from my hip to assess the damage, and there are ~50 big/thick prickly-pear thorns stuck thru the shorts into my hip. 😀 Spent ~10min standing in the trail with my pants partly pulled down, pulling thorns. Finished the ride. Found a few more thorns when I got home.

      2 All my bad crashes happen when I hook the front tire on some obstacle while looking way down the trail, prepping for the next obstacle. My brain refuses to admit that I’m going over the bars – it’s NOT happening. Eventually the front tire is going to make it over. Ha.
      The Example: Maxwell trail just west of FtC. It’s got a few super rocky sections that I usually hit at fairly high speed. I’m prepping for one spot with a slot where rocks on both sides are about chain-ring high, and narrower that the pedals. I pull the stunt above, going over the bars before I get to the slot (to this day I have no idea what the front tire hung on). I refuse to let go of the bars until it’s too late to do a decent job of breaking my fall. I land chest first on some irregularly shaped rocks. Oooof. Ribs, knee, and crash elbow all hurt, with blood in a couple of spots. I jump up, and start riding. At the next serious obstacle, I realize I’m having trouble concentrating due to the pain in my elbow. I stop for a couple of minutes. A group of riders, going the other way, stop and ask me if I’m ok (I’m so covered in dust that it’s pretty obvious that I was on the ground). I tell them I’m ok. They give me the “I don’t believe you” look, and ask a couple more times. Finally, I get them to continue on, and manage to ride back to the car. Putting the bike on the rack proves to be a real struggle – my elbow really hurts. After the ride, I’m supposed to go pick-up my son at a friend’s house. As I start driving, I realize that I should call and ask them to bring my son to our house, because I feel so bad that I need to go straight home. I dial the cell phone with my left hand, and then realize that the elbow has swollen so much that can’t get the phone to my head – not even within a foot of my head. I have a mini-debate with myself about the wisdom of driving with the left hand while driving with the right! I pulled over. In the end, the elbow was just a bad bruise. The cracked ribs proved to be the longer term pain in the tail.

      3 my favorite crash of someone else (back in the 90s)
      My buddy Tom on Klondike Bluffs in Moab. You say “Klondike Bluffs? I take my kids on that trail.” Yeah, that’s what the folks at the emergency room said too. We’ve got some extra energy after the major ride of the day. We head to KB to check out the dinosaur tracks and the views. On the ride back down we’re flying down the slickrock. Tom manages to find what must be the only big pothole on the whole trail (it’s nearly impossible to see from the uphill side). Tom flys off the uphill side and totally tacos a wheel on the downhill lip of the pothole. The tire blows, sounding like a shotgun, and Tom is bucked back into the pothole with the bike on top. The pothole is 4+ feet deep and completely filled with water. Tom hucks the bike out of the water, and stands in the water emptying out his pack and making fun of himself. The best part is the camera which spews water everywhere. Just then we realize that Tom’s spewing blood from a wonderful chain ring gash above his eye. For grins, we convinced the ER folks to shave his eyebrow while they stitched him up. Tom and his bike rode the next day.

    • #68601
      "DanK_NoCo" wrote

      I dial the cell phone with my left hand, and then realize that the elbow has swollen so much that can’t get the phone to my head – not even within a foot of my head.

      LOL!
      The mental image from that line is awesome!

      Glad to hear you’re alright.

    • #68602

      Awesome stories, dank! Thanks for sharing!

      I had a crash the offer day. Landed a jump off center, slid out on the leaves and slid about 5 to 10 feet on some rocks:

      Image

    • #68603

      Doing a "geurilla run" on some power lines I fashioned a make shift jump out of fallen tree debris and a torn down delapitated deer stand, nothing nuts just enough to leave mama earth for a few let’s just say it pays to stay alert, I got caught sleeping upon my approach next thing I remember is staring at the ground as I became a lawn dart I went OTB into a dried up creek bed which essentially was a natural rock garden busted up my entire left side, then to add insult to injury (no pun intended) my sled persued me and decided to kung-fu me in the jaw with one of the tires. The ONLY thing I regreat is my phone was home charging or else I would have had some pretty funny vid. maybe next time. I plan to go back and try it again as soon as I’m done licking my wounds (and straighten out my bars, re-aligning my rear derailer, and get rid of the phantom shifting for whatever reason) thanks for letting me share

    • #68604

      Dang mtbgreg1 that long one looks sore, almost looks as though your shin made friends with a pedal.

      At this point I have no stories, but I’m sure the stories will come soon enough.

    • #68605
      "slipfinger" wrote

      Dang mtbgreg1 that long one looks sore, almost looks as though your shin made friends with a pedal.

      At this point I have no stories, but I’m sure the stories will come soon enough.

      Yah man it was no fun. It’s been a couple of weeks now and it’s still a little sore!

      Oh and yes, the stories will definitely come!

    • #68606
      "mtbgreg1" wrote

      Yah man it was no fun. It’s been a couple of weeks now and it’s still a little sore!

      If I can sleep soundly the night of the crash, I classify it as minor.
      My wife doesn’t agree with my classification system. 😃

      BTW, I was in your neck of the woods over New Years. Hiked Blood Mtn, but didn’t have a chance to ride.

    • #68607
      "DanK_NoCo" wrote

      [quote="mtbgreg1":1bn2lnvo]
      Yah man it was no fun. It’s been a couple of weeks now and it’s still a little sore!

      If I can sleep soundly the night of the crash, I classify it as minor.
      My wife doesn’t agree with my classification system. 😃

      BTW, I was in your neck of the woods over New Years. Hiked Blood Mtn, but didn’t have a chance to ride.[/quote:1bn2lnvo]

      Oh cool! What were you doing around here? Blood mountain is easily the best hike in the region–good choice!

    • #68608
      "DanK_NoCo" wrote

      [quote="mtbgreg1":fwhb9auf]

      BTW, I was in your neck of the woods over New Years. Hiked Blood Mtn, but didn’t have a chance to ride.

      Oh cool! What were you doing around here? Blood mountain is easily the best hike in the region–good choice![/quote:fwhb9auf]

      Stopped in to see some of my wife’s HS friends, on the way to a beach vacation in the Bahamas.

    • #68609
      "DanK_NoCo" wrote

      [quote="DanK_NoCo":pnhis4fb][quote="mtbgreg1":pnhis4fb]

      BTW, I was in your neck of the woods over New Years. Hiked Blood Mtn, but didn’t have a chance to ride.

      Oh cool! What were you doing around here? Blood mountain is easily the best hike in the region–good choice![/quote:pnhis4fb]

      Stopped in to see some of my wife’s HS friends, on the way to a beach vacation in the Bahamas.[/quote:pnhis4fb]

      Very nice, sounds like a great time!

    • #68610

      I am remembered seeing this thread a while back and now that I am sitting here with torn ligaments in my right shoulder’s AC joint I figured I could make a post.

      I was excited to ride a new trail and rode the first lap with a local who I met up with at the trailhead, but I decided to explore a little on the second lap. There were several very rooty sections on this trail and many of them downhill and into turns. On one of these sections I took the corner at what I thought was a reasonable speed. I was following the inside of the corner around a blind corner and as I rounded the corner there was a tree right in front of me. My bike does not go 10 mph to stopped fast enough for that kind of surprise. I hit the tree and hit it hard. I was stopped completely by my shoulder hitting the tree. I knew something was wrong right away since it was bruised instantly, started to swell, and hurt like hell to move at all. Needless to say, I walked to bike back to the car.

      It wasn’t the gnarliest way to get hurt, but it is setting in how much it will suck to not be able to ride for possibly two months depending on if surgery is necessary. I guess I have time to work on my bike now…

    • #68611
      "treky92" wrote

      I am remembered seeing this thread a while back and now that I am sitting here with torn ligaments in my right shoulder’s AC joint I figured I could make a post.

      I was excited to ride a new trail and rode the first lap with a local who I met up with at the trailhead, but I decided to explore a little on the second lap. There were several very rooty sections on this trail and many of them downhill and into turns. On one of these sections I took the corner at what I thought was a reasonable speed. I was following the inside of the corner around a blind corner and as I rounded the corner there was a tree right in front of me. My bike does not go 10 mph to stopped fast enough for that kind of surprise. I hit the tree and hit it hard. I was stopped completely by my shoulder hitting the tree. I knew something was wrong right away since it was bruised instantly, started to swell, and hurt like hell to move at all. Needless to say, I walked to bike back to the car.

      It wasn’t the gnarliest way to get hurt, but it is setting in how much it will suck to not be able to ride for possibly two months depending on if surgery is necessary. I guess I have time to work on my bike now…

      Dang man, I’m sorry that you’re off the bike!! I hope you heal up quickly!

    • #68612

      Here’s the aftermath of my most recent crash:
      Image

      So much for enjoying this awesome spring.

      The good news is, I’ll save a ton of money not driving to trails the next 6-12 weeks! 😆
      (It’s a stretch, I know.)

    • #68613

      Dang dude, hope you get better soon!

    • #68614

      Thanks, Greg!

      I go back in 6 weeks for a check up, hopefully the doc has good news!

      Oh, I forgot to mention: The bike is a-ok! 😄

    • #68615

      Wow, Jared. Hope you heal quickly. Very crappy time in the season to get benched.

    • #68616

      AC separation Jared? That film looks really similar to my right shoulder currently…

    • #68617

      I couldn’t agree more, Schwim!

      It’s a broken left clavicle, treky92. And of course, I’m left handed.

    • #68618

      Riding the Nicolet National Forest (WI) Roche Trail for the first time I was trailing my friendby about twenty yards headed down a fairly shallow hill. Neither of us realized that there were a couple man made log towers on that section. Nothing huge, no more than 10in tall. But my buddy was even less experienced than I was and he kind of freaked and slammed on the brakes when his back tire left the ground over the first tower. he did an endo and ended up laying on the trail on the down side of the log pyramid so I had to slam on the brakes to prevent from running him over. I did an endo over the top of my friend and landed further down the trail. When I turned around somehow he ended up completely under his bike, holding the frame up with both arms. I made him stay there while I took a picture it was so hilarious.

    • #68619
      "ARCHangel992" wrote

      Riding the Nicolet National Forest (WI) Roche Trail for the first time I was trailing my friendby about twenty yards headed down a fairly shallow hill. Neither of us realized that there were a couple man made log towers on that section. Nothing huge, no more than 10in tall. But my buddy was even less experienced than I was and he kind of freaked and slammed on the brakes when his back tire left the ground over the first tower. he did an endo and ended up laying on the trail on the down side of the log pyramid so I had to slam on the brakes to prevent from running him over. I did an endo over the top of my friend and landed further down the trail. When I turned around somehow he ended up completely under his bike, holding the frame up with both arms. I made him stay there while I took a picture it was so hilarious.

      Let’s see the picture!

    • #68620
      "ARCHangel992" wrote

      Riding the Nicolet National Forest (WI) Roche Trail for the first time I was trailing my friendby about twenty yards headed down a fairly shallow hill. Neither of us realized that there were a couple man made log towers on that section. Nothing huge, no more than 10in tall. But my buddy was even less experienced than I was and he kind of freaked and slammed on the brakes when his back tire left the ground over the first tower. he did an endo and ended up laying on the trail on the down side of the log pyramid so I had to slam on the brakes to prevent from running him over. I did an endo over the top of my friend and landed further down the trail. When I turned around somehow he ended up completely under his bike, holding the frame up with both arms. I made him stay there while I took a picture it was so hilarious.

      "Dude, you alright?"
      "Yeah."
      "Good, stay there so I can get a pic."

      😆

      Post it when you get a chance!

    • #68621
      "Jared13" wrote

      "Dude, you alright?"
      "Yeah."
      "Good, stay there so I can get a pic."

      😆

      Post it when you get a chance!

      I’m not sure the picture does the story justice but here he is…

      Image

    • #68622

      LOL!
      Awesome!

    • #68623

      Several years ago my family and I were visiting my in-laws at some camp grounds near our house. I didn’t have my bike with me, but my in-laws had their big box "mountain bikes". My wife, kids and I grabbed them and were just cruising through the camp grounds. I noticed a rock with a well worn single track that kids had been using as a ramp. Just a small foot tall and fairly rounded whoop.

      I headed towards the rock and picked up a bit of speed. I wasn’t going to huck some big gap, but just get a little air. As I approached the rock ramp, I announced to my kids, "Hey kids, watch this"…

      As I hit the small rock ramp, the front wheel "pussed out" and made a sharp right as it hit the bottom of the rock. The handle bars stayed committed with the rest of my body and tried to complete the simple jump… (stem wasn’t tightened down).

      I went over the bars and bounced on the other side of the rock. I rolled up all full of dirt and grass in my hair… My wife and kids were rolling on the ground too… Only they were laughing "at me" in hysterics!

      Smash/Cut some 11 years later and my boy still says, "hey kids… watch this" whenever he see’s me grab my bike to take a ride.

      And that’s one of my favorite (and embarrassing) crash stories…

    • #68624

      SOOOOO i was riding along when… I got the the freeride section @ Markham Pak. I wasn’t too into the trails today so I tried jumping around. Then the peer pressure started. One guy went first but stopped before the wooden banked turn. I went and was doing pretty good until the exit part of it..(I am expecting a pair of tires this week, so I been skidding around having fun=bald tires)…Anyway, my rear washed out, and I had dirt salad.

      After walking it off I examined my injuries. Big time road rash on right leg, left elbow, and somehow inside of my upper right arm.

      Both wheels are bent up, and one flat. With blood on my pedal (from where it scraped me)

      There is a video of somebody else crashing in the same spot.IDK why but I was much higher up the bank.
      ->; [url:1mwmqcmi]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ex8IBDUAc[/url:1mwmqcmi]

    • #68625

      My favorite crash happened recently on some ATV/Hiking trails near my house.

      I picked a different line down a descent that bottomed out into a small, peaceful looking leaf covered hollow. I had not ridden this particular line before and thought I would try it, looked like fun. Problem was that the leaves covered the roughly three feet of stinking mud in the peaceful looking hollow.

      Front tire dug in DEEP and the bike stopped dead while I flew head first into the stinky, soupy mud.

      The bike stood for a moment, stern suspended in the air like the Titanic.

      Needless to say both bike and rider got a complete cleaning upon returning home.

      Wish there was video, it would be hilarious!

    • #68626

      I have so many crash stories. I was very large and clumsy when I first started mountain biking so every ride was a crash story waiting to happen.

      My best crash happened a few weeks ago at a local trail Fountainhead Regional Park. They recently redesigned sections of the trail to be flow trails with huge banked turns and a few jumps here and there. The largest jump there is a table top and it is at the end of one of those banked flow sections so you have some speed when you hit it. It was my buddy’s first time riding there and I was following him. I hit the table top and everything goes slow motion as I see his bike lying in the middle of the trail and him crawling on all fours to get out of my way. I sort of panicked in the air and didn’t want to hit him or run over his carbon Niner so I landed and trying to stop on a dime resulted in a wipe out (still not sure how I crashed.)

      The damage: He is still recovering from a cracked rib and my knee managed to get banged up and swollen and is still giving me hell when I ride.

      Best part of it all: My go pro was strapped to my handle bar and rolling the whole time.

      Skip ahead to the last couple minutes for the good stuff.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UnzyIE-KSM

    • #68627

      Several years ago in my first race, only me and one other rider wher in the beginner class. We where very close the entire time. I was right behind him at high speeds, faster than my comfort zone. I came up to a slightly rough section that I could easily have rolled over, but I thought I’d be smooth and just hop it, big mistake..
      The landing was a bit slanted, all I remember is seeing my front wheel hit the ground and shoot out to the side, and seeing the ground fly by as the front of my helmet scraped down the trail. I got up and off the trail right away to avoid getting ran down by any other racers and at this time felt terrible and in shock. I didn’t take that much external damage to my person aside from a small cut from my sunglasses, but my brain got quite rattled, I definitely had a mild concussion. I still finished the race litterelly a few feet behind the other rider in my class. My bike was perfectly fine.
      I never went to the doctors, don’t think I had insurance. I felt mentally slow for the next 3 months, the next time I went for a ride it felt aweful because my response time to things in the trail was notably delayed. That mental slowness went away, but since then, if I swing my head around too fast and hard to look behind me, my sternum or something in that area makes an aweful pop, but doesn’t bother me so its ok, guessing something got out of wack from hitting my head, because I don’t recall feeling like I hit anything else in the fall.
      Lesson learned, don’t make unnecessary maneuvers on the trail, especially at high speeds.

    • #68628

      its not so much about the crash, but the small stones that are still in the palm of my hand that i will always be able to laugh about. (the crash was about ten years ago!)

    • #68629

      Living up to my screen name. I was climbing rooty hill yesterday not overly technical but not overly simple. I hopped my front tire over a set of roots about 6" up and when I went to hop the rear tire up my bike seemed to fold under me. I came down directly on the end of my handlebars, to the chest. I have knots all the way around to my back. It did break the skin but it’s just abraided. I’m currently sitting on the couch heating the hell out of all the knots in my back trying to get them to release. I’ll probably be off the MTB for a couple of weeks waiting for my chest to heal. Looks like I’m stuck on the road til I can handle the bumps again 😢

      Update: ribs 2 + 3 are broken it’s not muscle knots…….Crap

    • #68630

      When I was just learning to ride back in 2007 I tried out Horsetoothe Mountain Park by Fort Collins.
      The trail is an advanced trail and after spending several hours climbing/hiking my bike to the top I was exhausted! The first bit of down hill on the trail is a tricky rock garden that is very steep. I was riding down the face of a rock with all my weight over the back tire and laying on the binders when my front tire hit a loose volley ball sized rock and sent me over the handle bars. As luck would have it I was at the top of a 3 foot drop so not only did I fall the distance of my bike at speed but I also fell the additional 3 feet onto hard rock, head first.

      When I regained composer and looked over the yard sell of my equipment spread out over the trail, I realized my helmet was shattered, my right arm was badly cut open, both my hands (no gloves) had huge gashes, and my right leg had serious road burn up it. Luckily there is a service road that goes to the top which offered me a smooth easy ride back to the car. My arms still have the scars but other then that I am still riding and have tackled that section of trail numerous times since!

    • #68631

      Like I said in your other thread, good luck healing, Doomed!


      @sniswend

      Glad to hear you healed and very glad to hear your showed that section what was boss! 😄

    • #68632

      Maybe not my best, but my latest.

      Last Sunday I had a training at the Bikepark Beerfelden. The conditions has been worse, because it was raing since Saturday evening and the trails were muddy and slippery. After hours of practice and instructions, I lost my concentration for a second. The frontwheel hit a root and lost traction, the bike got out of control and I landed on my left side. I was getting up again, checked the bike for damages, finished the run and called it a day…..

      Image

      I ended up with a broken thumb on the right hand, a bruised left shoulder and a abrasion on my left elbow. I’m not going to imagion, what would havs happend, if I wasn’t wearing a saftey vest that day…. 😕

      At least 4 weeks w/o biking 😢

    • #68633
      "ollysj" wrote

      Maybe not my best, but my latest.

      Last Sunday I had a training at the Bikepark Beerfelden. The conditions has been worse, because it was raing since Saturday evening and the trails were muddy and slippery. After hours of practice and instructions, I lost my concentration for a second. The frontwheel hit a root and lost traction, the bike got out of control and I landed on my left side. I was getting up again, checked the bike for damages, finished the run and called it a day…..

      Image

      I ended up with a broken thumb on the right hand, a bruised left shoulder and a abrasion on my left elbow. I’m not going to imagion, what would havs happend, if I wasn’t wearing a saftey vest that day…. 😕

      At least 4 weeks w/o biking 😢

      Dang dude that sucks! I hope you get better soon! Prayers heading your way.

    • #68634

      Thanks!

    • #68635

      That sucks man!

      At least 4 weeks, is that when the cast comes off?

      Get lots of calcium and rest in the mean time.

    • #68636

      sucks big time….

      Maybe the cast will be removed ealier. Depends on the x-rays

    • #68637

      I had my first big crash yesterday… I was riding up the Crow Creek Trail at Curt Gowdy State Park. The side to my right is a drop off down to the reservoir, and it was already making me nervous. I was climbing, and some how got on a big rock, lost momentum, and started leaning to my right. I looked down, saw the tumble I was about to take. I bailed off the bike, some how pushed some sharp sticks and baby aspen trees out of the way in midair, and landed on my left side, jamming that ankle and wrist. Then my bike landed on me. I was about 10 feet down from where I started. Being the big baby I am, I started crying and my boyfriend bailed off his bike to come to my rescue 😆 . Luckily it’s just mostly a small stab wound (LOL), scratch, cuts, and a sore wrist and ankle. I had a job interview today, so I was mostly worried about having to hobble into it. I’m just happy I wasn’t clipped in…

    • #68638
      "mtbgreg1" wrote

      Does anyone have any really good crash photos? Looking to put together a full week of MTB crash PODs! 😼 😼

      Since i dont know how to include pics in my posts Im just pasting the link to my photo album where you will find three decent pics of the results of my bike wreck. You might like em in all seriousness. sorry but no pics of the actual wreck.

      http://www.singletracks.com/mountain-bi … &view=user

    • #68639

      Looks like this isn’t my year. After me broke thumb was good again, I started my vacation at the Allgäu (a german area, east of the Lake Constance) and had some decent rides. On Monday, I was riding with my wife and daughter slowly on a paved road and since I was bored, I did some manuals until I landed flat on my back. I was lucky, to wear a backpack, so I didn’t hurt anything but my butt, which has some nice bruises now. No more sports for the rest of my holidays….

    • #68640

      Of course it happens when you’re on an ‘easy’ ride.

      Thank you for not posting pics! 😆

    • #68641

      2 pretty lame crashes from TX.
      Riding in Huntsville state park. Just easing down a trail, where I met traffic coming the other way, so I pulled of to the side immediately so this young couple could pass. So there I was, dead stop, standing on flat pedals, for about half a second. 😆 Nothing hurt but my pride.
      Then riding Kit McConnico in Lufkin. pretty easy so I was hauling mail when a skinny tree pair got me. hit one side of handle bars, pretty much went airborne and landed on left chest across a 2 ft log. nice solid one to, nothing rotted about it. It was a good 6 weeks to get back to 100%.

    • #68642
      "Jared13" wrote

      Thank you for not posting pics! 😆

      I didn’t want to pay for everybodies therapy 😄

    • #68643

      Bubblehead – Nice!

      I’m still recovering from a wreck on the 4th of July. Was riding unfamiliar rocky/rooty trails and came around a turn way too hot into a section of roots which caused the entire bike to wash out underneath of me. I was sliding down a hill and my left arm caught a root and got pulled back behind me. Sprained my rotator cuff. Still hurts pretty bad after rides, when I put weight on it, and if I move it in certain directions 😢

    • #68644

      I’ve been very fortunate to not have any tumbles lately, but I did find this fall quite funny… I did about a two hour ride up at Musquash Conservation Area in NH with two friends, weaving our way through perfect weather and great singletrack intermixed with the typical roots and New England rocks.

      No issues, no falling… about 15 minutes left for the ride, we wrapped up a break and I clipped in one foot and immediately tilted over, falling into my riding buddy because I couldn’t get out. You know… wiped out from a dead stop.

      That’s when you know you’re tired. 😀

    • #68645

      Hey all – killing time at work and came across this thread, thought I’d sign up and share!

      I had my first serious crash riding the Hydrocut in Waterloo, Ontario about a week and a half ago. Weather had been super dry and trails were extremely hard packed so I had my slicks on to give myself some more speed and a bit of a challenge. Anyways, it rained a little the night before my ride – nothing substantial, but enough to leave a few small puddles on the trail.

      So I’m having a great ride, ripping through my fav sections and pushing myself harder and harder with each section. So I get about 3/4 of the way through my ride and decide I should head back to my car. This is where it got scary.

      Approx 5-10 minutes later I woke up in the forest, bike beside me (it survived the crash), helmet shattered, neck is excrutiating pain and I have no idea where I am. I get up, stagger around and realize I’m mountain biking. I try not to panic and decide the best thing to do is to pick up my bike and walk the rest of trail until I can find somehwere to sit down and figure out what happened. Anyways, long story short – I come across some riders who claimed I was muttering incoherently and completely dazed – one of them was kind enough to walk me back to my where he called EMS and the cops. EMS said I had a mild concussion and a serious case of whiplash, but it was up to me whether I wanted to ride in the ambulance. – I opted not too, not sure why, but just didn’t. Long story short, drove him, crushed a 6 pack and 2 advil and slept like a baby. Headache was constant for three days but its done and me neck is slowly getting better, but it’s still tight. Worst part – I don’t remember how or why I crashed: there’s a 5 -10 minute interval where I don’t remember anything…

      Thank god for helmets!! 😃

    • #68646

      I just crashed hard in my driveway on Wednesday while getting onto my bike to go for a ride…and I wasn’t even clipped in yet ….Broke my Derailleur hangar and busted my front Derailleur

      50 dollars down the drain…and a trashed elbow and knee.. good thing I can install them myself or it would be another 50 lost.

    • #68647
      "thoops6" wrote

      Hey all – killing time at work and came across this thread, thought I’d sign up and share!
      ……………….
      Thank god for helmets!! 😃

      Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikes! That’s effing SCARY, man! Take it easy on that brain of yours – I had a severe concussion in 2008 that had permanent effect on how my brain works. I was recommended to take 2-3 days off of work and only took 1… you need to literally try and not think for awhile.

      And yeah, helmets FTW…

    • #68648

      I have been riding for a few months and really getting into it. I felt completely confident on my bike everytime I hit the trails, and was trying to ride every chance I got. When I would visit my parents in New York, I would bring my bike home to ride some trails early in the morning. My dad noticed my enthusiasm, and being a good dad who wants to spend time with this son, he started tagging along. Problem was, I was riding a new Cannondale and he was riding a 1990’s walmart-purchased bike. I would rip the trails, and he would be huffing and puffing trying to get around on this 50 pound piece of scrap metal. So father day rolls around, and I go to my local bike shop and pick him up a decent mountain bike. When I gave him the bike, I remember him looking at the bike with this look on his face like "Hey, this is pretty cool!!". I was psyched.
      So we roll out Fathers Day morning to Stillwell woods on Long Island, and start riding around the trails. Im leading, and see a sign up ahead which gives you two options: Easy, or Most Difficult. Ive ridden the most difficult and thought to myself, "Well, he has shocks now. Lets see what he can do".
      About a quarter mile down the trail, there is a section with some drop offs which could be pretty intimidating for a beginner rider, and I roll up to one and wait for him to catch up. When he rolls up to it and stops, looking at it, I say "Go for it. Just get some speed". He kinda smiles, saying "Speed? Are you crazy?", and proceeds to roll off this drop at about 3 MPH. I remember knowing things were gonna be bad when I saw his front wheel stop. So I stand there, watching my 58 year old dad go over the handlebars, hit his ribs on a rock sticking out of the ground from about 3 feet up, the bike falling on top of him, and him slding down the trail. With his brand new bike. I jumped off my bike and ran down and asked if he was OK, but he couldnt breathe. He sat there in a daze for a few minutes, and then insisted we keep going. I thought to myself, "No Way". We had to walk our bikes off the trail, sneak through some backyards, and ride about a half a mile back to the car. He refused to go to the hospital until about 2 weeks later, when he felt an itching sensation in his wrist. The diagnosis: Broken wrist, 2 broken ribs. Worst Father’s Day gift ever.

    • #68649

      First time on single track with my almost new Giant Talon 29"er HT. It was at the Slaughter Pens in Bentonville, AR. I huffed and puffed up these hills, with a death grip on the bar so bad my forearms started cramping. I came to a little bridge that was someones Eagle scout project, it had an OK approach in retrospect but there was a little drop and some roots leading in. "Well alright" I said and started to ride in, …then chickened out trying to stop. I went head first down the steep hillside. fortunately I hit some stuff that stopped my fall. The baby head my knee landed on I could of done without. I road away feeling not too bad and made my way out, and back to my truck. As I road the knee swolled up and became painful but got better after a week or so, and I’m afraid I’m guilty of littering to the tune of a speedo Magnet. It must be there somewhere.
      [url:1hzkj8oh]https://picasaweb.google.com/110267808319882951185/PhoneCam#5770701579994770434[/url:1hzkj8oh]
      https://picasaweb.google.com/1102678083 … 3076937570

    • #68650

      I Really messed up today riding Image this. Must not have been paying attention, because I didn’t feel anything, just landed head first more or less, and on my left chest and arm pit, and hip, and right knee. Coughing hurts the worst, but nothing seems to be broken. 😎 I finished the loop…slowly, then had about an 8 mile ride to truck, and an 8 Hour drive to look forward to.
      I have a pic of the scratch pattern on inside of left arm and left chest which I will spare you all from. 😆

    • #68651

      Hmmmm… I don’t really have a crash story regarding MTB’s. But I do have one to share going back to around 1976 when I was a teenager, riding my Raleigh 10 speed.

      I was out riding with my best friend/next door neighbor. We’d always take off and just…[i:v20gicis]leave[/i:v20gicis]…you know? We’d both tell our mom’s "See you later! I’ll be home for dinner", and would ride 20 – 25 miles or more during the summer months.

      Well that one fateful day, it had rained the day before, but was okay and the roads were dry. There were a few puddles on the sides of the roads though. We were cruising along and my best friend laughed at me, as I veered off to the side and went through a puddle and got my bike wet, my brakes wet, and put a wet stripe up my back. I slowed down and let him go ahead and then raced to catch up. Just up ahead, we descended down a WICKED steep hill. I’m talking so steep, that they’d probably close the road in the wintertime or heavily sand/salt it, so people could get up it. Anyway, my best friend whipped down the hill and then slammed on his brakes at the bottom at the sharp T intersection and turned left and stopped. I came flying down the steep hill too, but, my brakes were still soaking wet and my Raleigh 10 speed couldn’t stop. You can just guess what happened next…. [i:v20gicis](Now remember, this was the 70’s… No helmets, no anything…)[/i:v20gicis]

      To this very day, all these decades later, all I remember is my Raleigh 10 speed trying to make that left turn with me dragging my left foot like a motorcross/dirt bike racer. Next thing I remember, I woke up being wheeled into the ER of the hospital with a neck brace on and my left hand all bandaged up and a huge bandage around my head!

      My best friend said that I went off the road, went airborne like Evel Kinevel, and me and my Raleigh 10 speed crashed into the woods and my bike went head-on into a tree! 😮 What saved my life is that my left hand got caught in the handbrake, pulling me over the handlebars to the left side and not into the tree. I was told I dislocated my left thumb, ripped the webbing between my thumb and index finger of my left hand, and when I went over the handlebars, my head landed on a big rock, knocking me out cold, and caused a massive gash in my head. My best friend ran to the house nextdoor and the family all came running out and dragged me out of the woods and called the ambulance and called my parents.

      [u:v20gicis]Damage assessment[/u:v20gicis]:
      8 stitches in my left hand.
      My left thumb popped back in place and all bandaged up.
      13 stitches in my head and all bandaged up.
      A foam neck collar due to a mildly sprained neck.
      A stay in the hospital (just overnight for observation).
      A totally trashed, twisted and bent, Raleigh 10 speed bike.

    • #68652

      A few of us were riding in Homochitto National Forest in 2010 i think it was, not an easy trail for the likes of me. Towards the end of the day, an excruciating day at that, we came to a downhill that had a few options – smooth, not as smooth, and all the way to the left was a staircase-like downhill… Well seeing as everyone before me chose the smooth route, leaving myself and Devin_P, if i remember correctly, i chose the staircase route… Well i started off way too slow and my front tire bit into what i thought was dirt. Turned out that it was in fact a root, which we all know will win. The bike decided a front flip was best, so i had to comply. Over the handlebars i went, landing on the old noggin… Went immediately onto my back, crushing the backpack and all contents therein… Poor camera still wont turn on to this day. Camelbak is fine though. Have since upgraded to an Olympus Tough series.
      Anywho, that is my most remembered crash story

    • #68653

      This is no fun, I had a nice ride around town, back to the truck stop, and at the spur of the moment desided to drop into a storm drain trough for fun. I missed that there was a culvert dumping into the same spot, got messed up between stopping and riding and got my weight forword for a perfect endo landing on my shoulder on concreat. Also dislocated 3 finger joints. Broken scapula(displaced)
      BTW I smacked the dome pretty good. Helmets work 😀

    • #68654

      While riding at F.A.T.S on Brown Wave, didn’t pay attention to the "SLOW" signs and ended up not making a turn. Hit the brakes a bit to hard to avoid a tree and ended up going over the handle bars landing on my face/head, and knocking the wind out of me. I was alone on this particular day, so I dusted myself off, checked out my bike, and continued riding. Through out the day as other riders would pass I’d nod hello and kept getting strange looks. I really didn’t think anything of it at the time. As the day wore on it was getting increasingly difficult to breath, and decided I had enough and headed for the truck. When I get back to my truck and start to load my bike onto the rack I caught my refection in the window. The left side of my face was black and blue, covered in dry blood, and both my eyes were bloodshot. My helmet was dented in and my visor was dislocated and sticking out the top. I guess I know what everyone was looking at! 😆 To top it off, when I finaly went to lay down that night to go to sleep I found that I could no longer lay on my stomach. Turns out I cracked four ribs in the process.

    • #68655

      I was trying to beat my best time on a really simple trail. A short down hill swoop to your left then to the right. Wen I say short I mean no more than thirty yards including the turns. The last turn was at the railroad tracks. The railroad rocks took me down. Thats not the funny part though. The kids sitting on the rail road crossing had a front row seat and all gave me a perfect ten. Lots of blood on that one.

    • #68656

      not my best crash but the most recent just got home for the night with my kids watching and showing off as I do sometimes tried to jump a snow pile from the curb when I landed front tire went out from under me tore a little skin off my knee and got a round of laughter from kids dad acting like an idiot again

    • #68657

      I was flying down a fire road at NorthStar resort. Bikes in front of me were kicking up a bunch of dust so it was hard to see. Right under the chair lift, I hit a rock and endo’d supremely! I must have flown 20 feet! Of course I got an ovation from everyone on the lift watching my dumb ass fly over the bars!

    • #68658
      "revans1961" wrote

      I was trying to beat my best time on a really simple trail.

      Sometimes it’s the simole ones. One of my worst came on a dead flat straight trail when I caught a bat on a little tree going to fast. Is the re e a good way to handle narrow tree gaps? 😕

    • #68659

      I had a pretty funny one last weekend…in my backyard riding this:

      Image

      I came in a little too hot, front wheel missed completely, rear wheel hit the skinny…I smashed into the ground sideways. The neighbor kid laughed loud enough for me to hear and he was about a block away. 😆

    • #68660

      I was riding a short trail that ends with a stream crossing about 15 feet wide. Right next to the stream crossing is a picnic site where there are usually folks enjoying the area. I was riding pretty well and thought I’d try a different route across the stream than usual. I managed to make it half way across the stream before catching my front wheel on a submerged rock and going down pretty spectacularly. I couldn’t get my feet unclipped from my pedals and laid there thrashing about in the water trying to get free. When I finally was able to get up and drag myself out of the stream I noticed a family right there having a picnic and probably wondering what the heck I was thinking. They asked if I was alright and tried to suppress their laughter as I staggered out of the stream all soaking wet and bloody. I assured them I was just fine and tried to ride away with at least a tiny portion of my dignity intact. Once I got out of sight of the picnickers and the adrenaline wore off I realized how hard I had crashed and how bad it really did hurt. Luckily I hadn’t broken anything other than my pride so I limped home and licked my wounds. It must have been quite a sight, I’m sure that family probably tells the story of this knucklehead biker crashing and burning in the stream often to the great amusement of their friends. 😆

    • #68661

      the little wiskey chugging guy on my shoulder got me again today was flying on trail today had about 20 min then had to go to field trip for my 3 year old anyway went over a nice little jump and of course had to land on the only ice left needless to say bike went out from under me so Iwent to the field trip with a bleeding arm from the crash does the guy telling you to be mello ever win?

    • #68662

      I preloaded my rear shock a bit too much last March. I ended up going over the handle bars and supermaning through the air. Broke both bones in my left forearm, it was a fun day though =].

    • #68663
      "Schell21" wrote

      I preloaded my rear shock a bit too much last March. I ended up going over the handle bars and supermaning through the air. Broke both bones in my left forearm, it was a fun day though =].

      Ouch! I did that on a new FS bike. Nailed my knee though, cut right down to the knee cap!

    • #68664

      Don’t you hate the stupid stuff? This isn’t some big wreck over boulders on a double black diamond trail. No, this was a flat "easy loop" trail that connects back to the parking lot. Yep, this past Saturday, after 10 miles of intermediate and advanced trails, I was heading back to the truck and wham! I hit a small tree stump that was hiding in the leaves off to one side. I never even saw it. My bike stopped dead in a millisecond. My handlebars twisted to the left, jabbing the end of the handlebar into my left inner arm, making a huge bruise. That happened as I was falling on top of the bike in a big clump. The bruise looks worse than it feels, so everybody thinks I had some bad wreck. Nope.

      Have fun!

    • #68665

      I haven’t had a good one yet, but last weekend we were doing an advanced trail "advanced for the area I guess….is said very difficult on it lol" Kendra my wife was going a little to fast around a corner, pedal jumped a root and flew over the handlebars ….while I was waiting for her at the end of the trail …. I guess she pretty much did a superman over the bars and slid about 6-7 feet lol. She pulled up covered in dirt and leaves a few minutes later laughing. Glad I know she is extremely tuff getting into this sport 😀

    • #68666

      Not sure what’s my best. Seems, either you have a great crash and don’t get hurt or a pathetic incident where you do…
      1. Was riding a very hilly trail which is fast and coming up to a short 3 foot long wood bridge, I was floating a bit and my front tire caught, something (I have no idea to this day what) and I went flipping over the handle bars to my left, with bike in hand (so front flip?) and began to slide downhill in all of the tall "fall" grass and weeds. When I came to a stop I was so mad because I still had no idea what I hit and began yelling "Why!?" over and over. Within seconds I got up, picked up my bike, and headed to the truck dead mad like I was dragging a brat out of Wal-Mart. As I ventured back to the truck, there were some spectators. 😆
      2. I was on another trail booking down a little bit before it got serious and decided to remove my left hand to scratch my face (which I have done several times before) and a few feet later I hit a root and went over and sideways to the right. So I got up and was going to keep going until I noticed red all down my left leg. One of the spikes on the pedal tore a gash just under my knee cap pretty deep. I had to hike it stiff-legged a mile and a half to my truck, then drove to get stitches. 😎

      Is what it is.

    • #68667

      I made a complete ass out of myself yesterday on this particular short, steep downhill portion of trail at Fountainhead:
      Image

      The picture is looking up the hill I was coming down. This is one of those sections of trail that is so technical it makes you think “WTF were these people thinking when they built it?” There’s no fast way down this hill without killing yourself, you have to pick and choose a slow line down it. There are water bars toward the end with ramps to roll down (seen in the pic) but the ramps are blind…when you’re coming down it just looks like a 3 foot drop in front of you and you can’t launch it with speed because there’s another one immediately following.

      I get to the first water bar, rear end sliding a lil bit to slow me down and I slide off the left side of the trail and slowly fall on my side because I psyched myself out. The thing you can’t really see in the pic is the 10-15 foot steep embankment I was really close to falling down lol.

    • #68668

      I was riding my local trail, 3.4 miles and covered with roots, and I was trying to beat my past time so I guess I was moving pretty fast. I came out of a short downhill section and into a turn where it forked off and pretty much punched a tree. That tree made me lose control a bit and well its little tree buddy clothes-lined me. I swear it was planned.

    • #68669

      Going to keep it short and sweet.

      Was on a solo ride, after making the summit start descending on a loose gravel rocky section of the trail before getting into some sweet technical single track. The descend had a rut on the left side full of rocks and I told my self that if someone fell there it was going to hurt. Guess what? Almost intermediately my front wheel slips and changes my direction to the left and I find myself inside the rut trying to survive the rocks.

      Felt like loosing control and all of a sudden I tell my self "This is going to hurt", went OTB and landed shoulder first on my right side. Hit my head and elbow in the process, net result, a nice gash and hole in the area between the forearm and elbow. After a bit on the ground, collected my self, assessed the damage, finished the loop and went home.

      The funny thing is that after the ordeal went for a round of golf, the starter the guy noticed my freshly wounded arm and thought that I had fallen in the parking lot, he offered a wet towel and asked it I needed assistance, with a smile I explained what happened and we both had a laugh.

      Good times!

    • #224873

      Somehow stumbled on this old thread and thought I’d try to revive it since these are some funny stories.

      My best crash was at Valmont Bike Park in Boulder. After about two hours of successful jumps, slaloms and huck’s, my wife and I decided to head out. Turned my head around on the gravel path back to the parking lot to make sure she was still behind me. Caught a rock with my front tire and supermanned into the dirt. Not a single crash riding above my skill level all morning, 8 stitches in my chin and a mummy’s worth of gauze on my arm from a gravel path.

    • #224893

      Yesturday I installed my race face chester pedals for the first time on my bike (I used them a week prior in a Santa Cruz demo event in MA). I knew they gripped super well…too well. Anyways, I was riding yesturday at Case Mountain in CT. I went down a pretty decent sized roller. On the other side was a bunny hop. I hit the bunny hop but came down with the handlebars slightly turned and my feet shifted upwards (rookie mistake). I crashed sideways. The worst part wasn’t the crash itself, but when I fell down, the back of my leg snagged onto the pins in my pedals. Ripped my leg open. Those pins are sharp on the chester pedals.

    • #224894

      I’m pretty new to mtbing, but I’ve been a roadie and a graveller for 15 years. For some reason, one of the best local mtbers has sort of taken me under his wing, which has pluses and minuses. The pluses are that I’ve learned a lot. The minuses are that I’ve crashed a lot. But I wasn’t crashing on the ride in question, back in May. I was riding pretty well. I hit a stream crossing pretty fast, one that had scared me before, and cleaned it fine. Stopping on the other side, I put a foot down, but missed the top of the stream bank where I was aiming for. That led me to fall into the stream, and I put my right hand out to catch myself, breaking one of the carpal bones in my hand and earning me two months off the mtb. I still remember laying in the stream thinking, “The water isn’t as cold as I expected.”

    • #237750

      Jammin’ on my first full suspension disc brake mountain bike I noticed a stick across the trail with my 52 year old eyes and not wearing prescription glasses when that stick suddenly was recognized as a rattlesnaaaake! Well slammed those brakes and launched myself right over that snake. The bike stopped 2″ in front of it but I did a superman and flew right over and passed it, then kept rolling away, in the dirt and weeds. If snakes could laugh!

    • #237979

      Cruising down the TR express trail at Tanasi trail system on my friends Konah Cinder Cone. Of course I’m a newbie not even having my own bike at the time and my friend puts me on a pretty wild downhill section rated “difficult” on the trail map. So I keep getting told to not ride the brakes…like DUDE if i don’t ride the brakes I’m hitting one of these trees!!! well i took his advice anyways after a downhill section I come up on a decent sized hump that lead into a corner. Im going just a little to fast to stay on the trail and get about 6 inches off the ground and I’m supposed to be on the brakes for this corner…well I was on the brakes but they didn’t work until the tires made contact with the earth. Launching me over the handlebars, sending the bike flipping and me (also flipping) off the side of the mountain… luckily i was caught about 10 feet down the mountain by a couple of trees. So i crawled back up the side of the mountain and just laid there for a few seconds to let the pain die down, got back on my friends bike, we laughed it off and kept going. Been hooked ever since!

    • #237990

      still not sure what happened here, but this was mine.

    • #240171

      I was out on a logging road with my 8 year old son showing him some basic riding skills on descending hills. I was coming down about 15% grade at a reasonable speed when I hit a hole about a foot deep and locked up the front wheel. I  went OTB, did a few somersaults. landed on my feet with a separated shoulder. Got back on and we rode home. During the ride home my son asked me where I learned that trick.

    • #240546

      Typical Sunday, riding with my son.  Trying out a new section of trail.  Black diamond, you know.  Piece of cake, I tell my son (who is a solid, skilled  rider, unlike his old man).  He leads.  He has a hard tail, easily table topping the rather large, fast whoops.  I have a full suspension Epic with fully loaded rebound to help handle my girth.

      Unfortunately my suspension decided to launch me airborne on the 3rd, and largest whoop whilst accelerating just beyond my talents can control.  My son said that it is the highest he had ever seen a human fly unassisted.  When I landed on my back some 20 feet later the ensuing crash left chain ring marks on the outside of my LEFT leg and ruptured the spare water bottles in my back pack.  I came to a stop face down in sort of a twisted ball, waterboarding myself as the bottles dumped the water into my now upside down nostrils.

      Once I caught my breath and walked around a bit, we proceeded down the trail for another couple of miles.  At the next trail head we stopped and I confessed to my son that something was amiss and that he should ride on and I will take a shortcut back to the car.  After I loaded my bike up, I waited for my son (who had the car keys) to finish his ride my body got stiffer, my breathing became labored and I could no longer bend at the waist.  He drove.

      Once home I attempted to shower to try to loosen up and hide the crash evidence from the wife, to no avail.  I could not move or breath.  So off to the ER we went for a couple doses of Fentanyl, some much needed oxygen,  2 liters of IV fluids and a full body CAT scan which reveled the largest contusion the ER doctors had ever seen.  It stretched from my left shoulder blade to the bottom of my left thigh, changing my 38 waist to a 44 waist, along with several cracked ribs thanks to the water bottles.

      After we got home my wonderful wife filmed me as I chugging around the house, high on Vicodin, saying “movin is lubin, movin is lubin”.

       

    • #240549

      Not a serious crash, but a funny one. Four days ago I was out for a normal ride at my favorite park. I started off with a steep climb, which I cleaned most of, followed by a fun descent that I was absolutely flying down. After the descent there is a mostly flat section of trail along the shoreline of the lake that I have ridden hundreds of times without incident. I’m sedately pedaling along feeling pretty good about the last descent, glad to be out riding, when I see it: the stump. It is roughly nine inches in diameter and about sixteen inches high, and right on the edge of the trail on the inside of a slight left-hand turn. It was chewed off by a beaver just a few years ago and is still quite solid. I’m pedaling. I look at the stump. I see the stump. I continue pedaling with no course adjustments. I think to myself: “My pedal is going to hit that stump.” There is no panic, no urgency in my thoughts, simply fact. I am going to hit the stump, it is a foregone conclusion. Disaster! Calamity! Pain! My pedal collides with the stump, and all my forward momentum is translated into downward momentum, sending me towards the ground as if flung from a catapult. I land, arms out to protect myself, and lay on the ground in shame of my idiocy. My bike is on top of me, and it is a struggle to untangle myself. I climb to my feet and dust myself off. I have bruises growing on my right forearm, my right knee just above the kneecap, my left knee right at the base of my quadricep, and my left shin. Nothing is seriously injured but my pride. I ride off in pain, with my figurative tail between my legs, and the stump remains, stout and unmoved.

    • #240635

      Hey guys, new one here on forums. I’ve been riding on 2nd May on my local trails and one moment I was riding very steep and very loose terrain(compackt dirt with very sharp loose rocks/stones over it). Wanted to slow down but the brakes didn’t do shit and when the brakes grabbed the track my last wheel got blocked completely and went sideway. I’ve flew over rear tyre diagonaly so I didn’t hit bike frame or handlebars, tried to catch myself but i hit my knee very hard, and my shoulder very badly, fractured my upper arm on two           places but luckly nothing broke  or moved apart. My upper arm and ellbow are still bruised and hurt but my knee is healed completely, I am wearing a brace for my shoulder now. I came with speed of 24 kmh(15mph), the speed and impact was so great that my helmet was literally torn off my head. The strap unpinned next to the chin pin. The head was hit by the helmet, but I didn’t hit head or helmet on the ground, helmet has only scratch on the visor because it tumbled on ground afterwards. I layed on my back for few minutes before I stood up, grabbed my helmet, put it on handlebars, grabbed my bike, wich othervise undamaged) with my left arm, if I only touched bike with my right arm it started to hurt even more. I needed about 20 or more minutes to get back home(I was 500m away from my homne) and then my family member took me to hospital and now I have to wear brace until next week when I have check up. This is my first fracture in my whole life. Been riding bmx since 8 years old, road bike, hardtail and now fs.

      • #240639

        Not sure how to categorize a “best” crash versus a “worst” crash.  Somewhat counter intuitive for me 🙂   So I’ll go with a “scary” crash.  I recently came down a short steep staircase of rocks with ~2 high “steps”.  Steep enough to have my bottom side just about on my rear tire.  The trail is a little wide at this section, so multiple line choices exist.  I happened to be to the far left this day, and snagged some brush, turning me further to the left and against an old wire strand fence… that happened to be barbed wire strands!  Rather than take on the rusty barbed wire, I chose to go a really bad line back to the right, sending me over the bars and going down the rock “steps” bouncing on my back.  Worst damage was to my shins… chain ring rake marks, SPD pedal stamps, and a few other rock dings.  Bar far not the worst crash I’ve had, and not enough to keep me from riding on.  But what made this particular fall just about the scariest, was the flashback I experienced as I worked to avoid the barbed wire fence.  Many years ago, just about the time mountain bikes were “invented”, I carelessly zipped across an open field with waist high grass on a motocross bike (the kind of dirt bike with a motor 🙂 ) when suddenly I was hit by something that threw me off of the bike.  Laying there, I didn’t know what happened, or what I hit.  There was nothing around for 50 yards or more.  Very surreal moment.  The wind was knocked out of me, and didn’t really notice any pain (darn that adrenaline).  One of my riding buddies shows up with a look of horror on his face.  I look down, and the entire front of me, from my neck to my waist, is covered, literally soaking, in blood.  At that point, weakness kicked in.  Next stop, the ER.  Stitches and tetanus shots, oh boy.  Turns out, as I was carelessly ripping across that field, I caught onto a old knocked down barbed wire fence line.  Based on scar damage and wood in my wounds, the assumption was as wire caught the bike, it pulled a rotted post entangled with barbed wire into me just below my chin into my neck.  I was very lucky that old post was what hit me, and not just bare wire.  That probably saved me from experiencing decapitation to some extant. That was over 40 years ago.  I still have those scars on my neck today.  And as scary as it was, I am glad I relived that moment when I brushed up against the barbed wire fence on my mountain bike the other day, because I believe that is what made me take another line and risk the crash, as opposed to just trying my luck with that fence.

    • #240685

      I got one here how it goes.

      So we were just entering the secret trail on our place a heavy rain just passed by we were going fast and careful because its really slippery a friend stopped after he spotted the deep mud after the corner he was in front of me he shouted “deep mud ahead!” But I proceeded anyways and the mud was 3 inches deep went OTB and *splat* mud covered got my face covered in mud and oh boy was it a good time washing up all those gear.

       

    • #241309

      This is still pretty fresh for me. Last weekend I crashed hard on Bracken mtn desent (Brevard NC). It was a little wet, missplayed a small jump putting me to the left and struck a tree. Had surgury Sunday morning to fix my broken jaw. no solid food or mtb for six weeks.

    • #241605

      Not particularly gnarly but I think it’s interesting…

      Two seasons ago (spring 2016) and I’m riding my favorite section of a local trail. It’s a tight single track weaving through scrub oak with maximum 20 foot line of sight and just enough gradient to keep about the trail’s max speed without much pedaling. I rail a turn and suddenly, where’d my bike go? I’m tumbling on the ground… I get up (no real damage to me), look back up the trail and, where’s my bike? I know it should be around here somewhere… I turn around and look down the trail to find my bike hanging by the rear wheel in a tree. I get the bike down to find a broken non-drive side spoke and flat rear wheel (popped the bead on the right side).

      After piecing things back together; I think I caught my outside pedal on a small stump that was hiding in some grass at the edge of the track. This abruptly rotated the bike to the left, high siding me to my right and popping the bead on my rear wheel. The bike then cartwheeled over me (I was too busy tumbling on the ground to notice) and I nto the tree.

      I just think it’s funny because how often have you crashed and lost your bike?

    • #246179

      Back in 2006, when I first started, I took a co worker out on our local trail. As we were just yards away from the end of our ride, I started a tight left hand turn a little fast as there was 2 washes to go thru. The first one ok, the second one catapulted me right over the bars, landing the Superman position hands first. A lot of scrapes and blood running down my leg, I got up, dusted myself off and gathered my bruised ego.  Wife asked me when I got home, if I enjoyed myself with that sh!t eatin grid on her face! GRRRRR

      The next day my left hand would hardly hold my cup of coffee. Off to  the hospital for X rays.

      4 months later, surgery ( Scapholunate dissociation) and 4 pins. Doc told me the next time my wrist would be froze straight out. Now I’m wearing a reinforced wrist brace when I ride.

       

    • #247850

      It was only supposed to be a light rain.  It was not.  And it was early.

      No big deal, I don’t mind getting wet.

      Trail was getting slick in the open areas, but still rideable.  Last couple of kilometers to go, one nice downhill left.  My favourite downhill.  Definitely took it too fast, rear tire hit something that sent it to the right.  Front tire went left.  I went left.  Landed with my left arm extended, fortunately my hand slid in the wet grass.  Knees/legs are well skinned.  Shoulder hurts, but moves.  Major pain from left ribs.

      Now I am sitting in emerge, soaking wet and freezing cold, hoping x-rays show nothing major.

      Rode the rest of the way out.  Handle bar is crooked, something sounds crunchy, but that could be all the mud packed in everything.

      Time for chest x-rays….

    • #247856

      So…. no punctured lung, but “inconclusive” results as to any broken ribs.  Major bruising showing on knees and legs.  Shoulder will probably show bruising later.

    • #247883

      After watching Evel Kinevel make some jumps as a kid, I decided I could jump the creek across the street. The neighbor recently had some dirt delivered and dumped in his yard right next to the creek bank not long before I had this idea…..Insta-ramp. I hopped on my bike with the semi round rear solid back tire with all the flat spots from leaving skid marks all over the neighborhood. Started out in our carport, sped down our steep driveway, crossed the street, down the neighbors steep driveway, across their back yard, hit the ramp, pulled back on the bars and…liftoff! Must have went 200 feet high! lol at the apex of my jump I realized I was now upside down and accompanying that realization was the impact into the creek bank on the other side and then boom! hit square in the chest with my own bike, bullseye with the handlebars. I laid there, upside down, dying from suffocation as the breath had been knocked clean  out of my chest never to been seen again. while I lay there awaiting search and rescue, lifeflight, and the power of grayskull…all I could think was I’m still alive and my folks are going to kill me.  I didn’t say anything about what happened and one of my siblings told on me because I released a curse word during my jump and that’s how my folks found out….and turns out I had cracked some ribs which I wasnt able to hide because of the pain.

      • #247888

        G.W. : After watching Evel Kinevel make some jumps as a kid, I decided I could jump the creek across the street

        Oh man, I remember the Kineval days!  We were trying to jump everything!  My Kineval crash happened trying to jump over two garbage cans (those heavy metal ones we all used to have) on my very own home made ramp… on a “banana seat” bike no less.  Yeah, that was before mountain bikes.  Two engineering mistakes.  Ramp too steep, probably near 45 degrees, and plywood wasn’t thick enough/lacked support.  Ramp snapped bucking my rear tire up.  I basically went though the air pointing straight down.  Yeah, I cleared the two trash cans, but the landing sent the goose neck (we now call them stems) straight into my nether region.  I though I was going to die… good times…

        Thanks for pulling that memory out of storage.  🙂

    • #248282

      My best crash story? I went for a ride at one of my favorite local trails and woke up in a hospital bed in my riding clothes.  I remember loading my car up and then waking up. Beyond a concussion I was fine. Better still, nothing got broken on my bike, it took the cash better than me. I guess I kept asking if my bike was okay. I also got brought to the hospital by a guy that had the same name as a guy I ride with, and I kept asking if that was him (it wasn’t). I kept my scrapped and slightly bloody helmet as a trophy/reminder of that cash.

    • #252622

      I hit my bar on the tree turning the wheel 90 to the trail landed on my head. Passed out when I heared the crunch thought it was my neck. Woke up sliding face first mouth open and leaf litter in my throat

      Damage was split helmet, jersey, shorts, bar, seat, gloves, face, shoulder, back, knee to shin, other knee, elbows Uh ego too

    • #252965

      Allright boys, Here is (one) of my best crash stories:

      A couple years ago, i was invited to a co-worker’s house for dinner(this guy and his wife were known for their excellent cooking and entertaining skills)

      but of course, i had a buddy ride planned for right after work, and before the dinner plans. So me and another friend proceeded to rip the local trails here in Vermont, one guy egging the other on in a escalating game of cat and mouse, showing off, pushing each other, etc. When it happened: railing down an incline at speed, my weight got off the right side and started to pull me to the right. The trail was super lined with trees , many but of small diameter.

      There was nothing for it, Mr. Frodo: I was gonna connect with a smallish tree, head on. Nothing i could do.

      Well, the impact was such that i was catapulted forward at high speed, and with force. Problem was, i rammed straight into my stem with the family parts i was saving until i wanted children. That’s right, i clobbered my package and i have never felt such crippling pain as a shot to the junk.

      After stopping and crouch-healing for a while we made it out of the woods and back to the car. I still had to go to my co-workers house for dinner, but on the way over(He lived super-close to the trail head) i wisely stopped for a bag of ice for the ‘nads. Ah, sweet relief. i packed my shorts with my little bag of cold comfort, commando of course and went to dinner.

      The Horror started when i walked in, greeted by my friend’s wife, and as if on cue, after asking how i was, the bag of ice inside my shorts slips, and plops to the linoleum…so embarrasing to grind your nuttella into a tree, and then have to explain why a baggie of ice has just fallen out of your pants…

      It still is a funny story to tell.

    • #252995

      I was suprised when I got to the park that I was the only one out there on a beautiful Sunday. I thought, “Fabulous, I have the place all to myself!” Got going on my favorite trail, and on a split second decision, decided to take an ‘advanced’ cutoff. I had ridden past it a ton of times, but never took it due to the large and intimidating rock garden. But this time, I said, “What the hell,” and veered off. Had no problem getting over the rocks. However, I was unaware that within about ten feet after the end of the rocks, there was a substantial wood ramp jump, which could not be seen from the main trail. It came as a complete surprise. As I wasn’t expecting this, I knew I didn’t have enough speed to make the jump. I had time to ride around it, but…decided to try to accelerate with what little distance I had to see if I could make it. As soon as I hit the ramp, I knew this wasn’t going to end well. The bike dumped me over the bars and the first part of my body that made contact with the ground was the left side of my face. I was momentarily stunned, like, “What the hell just happened?” I quickly jumped up as if to prove to myself that I was okay, not paralysed or anything. Then I looked at my Bell Helmet. It was split in two in front, right in the middle. Even though my face and head hurt like hell, I’d had a concussion before and felt as if I didn’t have one. The bike, of course, was fine…looking at me as if, “What’s the matter? Let’s get going!” I was pretty much in the middle of the trail and about 2 miles from the parking lot and my car, so there was no way I was going to walk back, so…I got on my bike and began to ride. Before I did, I took a selfie of my face. When I got back to the parking lot, I stuck my face under the shower to wash all the dirt and crap off my face. The instant the water hit my face, I was shocked: it hurt like hell! Took another selfie afterwards, then made a call to some friends to let them know what had happened and that I was going to drive home. A number of friends offered to come get me, but as it was a Sunday, and the park was out in the boonies, I thanked them but declined. Turns out I was okay, just ended up with a little scar above my lip. It was my pride that was hurt more than anything. The next day, I ordered a Bell Full Flex BMX/skate helmet. My Singletracks profile photo was taken a day or two after my f*ckup.

    • #253009

      LMAO @steveilikebeer Great story!

    • #254106

      <p><b>”Not to insane just went flying over the handlebars and my bike flip over while going to a steep part of a technical trail.”</b></p><p>                                                                                                                                                                                                                          -S. Holt</p>

    • #255557

      <p style=”text-align: left;”>My worst crash was actually on my road bike. I was riding behind my brother and told him to check traffic and cross the road. While I was looking over my shoulder, he slowed down a little bit and then started to cross. He caught my front wheel with his back wheel. Because I was looking the other way it turned my front wheel and down I went at 12 MPH or so. I hit the pavement pretty hard. Got gravel stuck in my elbow; part of the bike (still not sure what) tore my sock and cut my ankle; and I got a patch of road rash about 3″ across on my hip. Somehow my shorts sustained no damage at all.  Luckily there were no cars immediately behind me.</p>

    • #256385

      I once went OTB in a rock garden riding solo, thankfully at the bottom of my home trail about 100m from my house. Landed head first on a rock & smashed my lid to bits, giving myself a decent concussion in the process. I ended up having to go to my neighbours house for them to take care of me with cups of tea while I gathered my senses. The worst part however, is that I must’ve caught my crotch on my stem or something as I went down, as my nether regions were bruised entirely purple for about a fortnight. I could barely walk!

    • #257985

      That was 3 years ago) I was driving at high speed on a sloping road. It was already evening, it was hard to see the road. A car flew out of the door, I didn’t have time to dodge. Because of the trees I did not see the headlights and did not brake in time. I broke my arm and two ribs)

    • #260969

      Reality check, all true mountain bikers possess a over the bars club card im pretty sure

    • #261028

      OTB into rock garden, broken helmet is a different level than hands out in dirt.

    • #261181

      There was a girl I liked in high school.

      Everybody in the school including a few teachers thought there was something mutual but there was nothing.

      She hated me as much as I liked her, talked a few times only in 4 years.

      Four years flew away so quickly, we went to separate places after school.

      She kept me blocked on FB since the day I created my account and when she unblocked me, I blocked her.

      She is happy with her life and I am happy with mine. We have never talked after school i.e. 2012.

      Since we have a lot of common friends so I still, sometimes,  face the question, “Are you in touch with her? Where is she? What is she doing?”

      Her father and I talk pretty well even today if, ever, we run into each other.

      Today, the memories make me smile. Such boyish behavior!! school days!! But it was worth it.

      https://bestflashlightsreviews.com/

    • #261182

      There was a young lady I preferred in secondary school.

      Everyone in the school including a couple of instructors thought there was something common however there was nothing.

      She abhorred me as much as I preferred her, talked a couple of times just in 4 years.

      Four years took off so rapidly, we went to isolate puts after school.

      She kept me hindered on FB since the day I made my record and when she unblocked me, I obstructed her.

      She is content with her life and I am content with mine. We have never talked after school for example 2012.

      Since we have many regular companions so I still, sometimes,  face the inquiry, “Would you say you are in contact with her? Where is she? What’s happening with her?

      Her dad and I talk truly well even today assuming, ever, we keep running into one another.

      Today, the recollections make me grin. Such innocent conduct!! school days!! In any case, it was justified, despite all the trouble.

      https://bestflashlightsreviews.com/

    • #261300

      Opening day at the local bike park last year…

      Overshot a big tabletop and hucked flat into a rocky section. Went otb, headfirst into the rock garden and broke the chinbar and visor clean off my fullface helmet. Broke my wrist, tore up my shoulder and got scraped up pretty bad on my arms and thighs. Surprisingly no concussion though.

      Lesson learned … always dry run a trail after they make changes

      Alls well now just a few scars to show for it 🙂

    • #265858

      Sounds like most on this page are in for reckless abandon rather than living a long, healthy and pain free life.  What’s wrong with taking things a little slower and avoiding the crashes altogether?  I crashed once at about 10 mph on my first downhill ride when I let my uphill pedal catch on a rock or root in Corner Canyon, Draper Utah.  I learned my lesson and haven’t crashed again.  I enjoy my downhill singletrack rides at less than 20 mph.

    • #271592

      Taught there was a lion in front of me so I crashed on this waist level plant and I quickly run without my bike.

      • #271701

        Old thread but I’ll bite. In 2014 I was at Dirtfest in south central PA. That’s a mountain biking festival put on by Dirt Rag mag in mid may every year.

        It’s at Raystown lake and the trails there can be very fast and flowy unlike most of PA’s trails. The demo loop included one called Osprey. It lived up to it’s name. Fast and swoopy flow. Very fun.

        Anyway I rode the loop once on my own xc hardtail and I wanted to take a demo from Pivot out next. All were out so I went on mine again.

        Well I went OTB at 20mph off of a roller apparently. I don’t remember. I woke up bloody in an ambulance on my way to a helo ride to a trauma 1 center in Altoona PA. They told me I was out for about 10 minutes. I had lots of bruises and trail rash. The main event was a hard hit over and around my left orbital. My helmet took most of the hit and that part of my face took the rest. I had a gash around my left eye that needed stitches and a severe concussion from that.

        Without the helmet I’d be a goner for sure. The only permanent damage is some depth perception issues on the left and I still sometimes get headaches where I hit. Rarely anymore though.

         

    • #271705

      Seeing as this is a mountain biking forum, I won’t go back to any of my motorcycle, dirt bike, ATV, or Skiing crashes.

      My best crash story was just this summer. I went downhill riding for the first time. We spent four days at Snowshoe WV riding both sides of the mountain. I wasn’t very good, and the blue trails gave me about all I could handle. I did do a couple of blacks very slowly. And managed to clean short a hard blue/black tech trail, the hardest trail I have ever been on anywhere. Afternoon the last day we went back to the main green trail to relax and finish on a high note. On the very last run, only three corners from the end, I caught a round rock and my front tire slid out. Fortunately I was wearing all my leftover motocross pads, but even so I hit hard enough to dislocate a rib. Was in a fair amount of pain, and was thinking it would be my first and last time downhill. I didn’t even realize the rib was dislocated until a day later back at home when I sneezed and it popped back into place.

      That hurt way more than the crash, and by then I realized my left hip was bruised and starting to hurt also, my old hip pads weren’t that good. This reaffirmed my commitment to give up downhill. But now it is several weeks later, I’m feeling back to normal, and I bought new/better hip pads. I’m thinking February maybe I will take a trip to Spider Mountain TX. Not as big a downhill, but still downhill.

    • #277861

      riding home from my brothers’ house in Newport on the Crystal Cove trails 4th of July super drunk at nighttime I fell and split my chin open

    • #289852

      In 1994, after downing the better part of a bottle of bourbon in the college dorm, my buddies and I decided to go for a ride.  Being a college campus, there were always plenty of bikes to “borrow” to ride around, so that’s what we did.  I recall looking down at the front quick release swinging and swaying as I showed off my drunken 1am fitness level.  Being toasted, I didn’t have the capacity to equate that quick release with my impending doom, so I launched off of the curb.  The front wheel came off, the fork hit the pavement, followed by my face.  Not a scratch on my hands, because you need to be sober to use those to break a fall, apparently.  I came to with my buddies freaking out, some dude holding a t shirt to my face and a throbbing everywhere.  After mystery man drove me to the ER, I also recall the matronly nurse asking if my 19 yo self had been drinking.  She took my affirmative answer as meaning that I might not feel anything, and that I probably deserved a lesson, so she proceeded to clean and debride (think small scrub brush) my face so they could stitch around my eye.  The best part?  The next day, we discovered that the bike I borrowed was my former roommate’s bike.  We had a good laugh and he decided that fate had punished me enough by not asking me to replace the badly bent fork.  Many lessons learned that weekend.

    • #290021

      I was at practice for high school XC racing, we were at a park, and there was a big hill. Going down the hill, my foot slipped off the pedal and landed in the front tire, locking it up. And I went over the bars and crunched up my hand and fractured it

    • #318075

      I had gotten brave one day when I was about 15 years old and I decided to jump all of the speedbumps in my area. All was going very well until I got to a relatively big one that had a perfect launch angle and really just made a for a great jump. I jumped it once and I was successful and it was fun so I went back for round 2….. I lost round 2. Shortly after the bump the road does a sharp turn and I landed too close to the turn to be able to take it, I hit the pavement and I carried on going but my bike stopped.  I will still go back to that speedbump any time  want a fun jump though

    • #577692

      The front wheel came off, the fork hit the pavement, followed by my face.  Not a scratch on my hands, because you need to be sober to use those to break a fall, apparently.  I came to with my buddies freaking out, some dude holding a t shirt to my face and a throbbing everywhere.  After mystery man drove me to the ER, I also recall the matronly nurse asking if my 19 yo self had been drinking.

    • #580308

      Just finished railing a techy section of my home trail at high speed. Feeling proud of myself, I relaxed for a couple seconds while rolling a smoother section (at 25mph), before entering the next techy section. I lazily let my right pedal down and hit the only embedded rock in that section of trail. I’d ridden that trail a 100 times, and never even noticed the rock I hit. Anyway, I went down hard on my left knee, and supermanned down the trail until I came to a stop. I popped up, and started taking inventory. My left knee apparently found a sharp rock that I’d also never noticed before, tearing a jagged 3 inch hole below my knee cap. Standing on the trail, I could see my patellar tendon. It was clearly still working. Feeling very little pain, I hopped on the bike and rode back to the trailhead, taking no chances of going down again. Drove to the ER.

      I always remember interesting comments at the ER -> We got all the dirt out and closed the wound, but this is going to take time to heal … you’re missing some “material”.

      I now own and wear knee pads.

    • #580390

      It was my first time going on a proper trail in the forest, with only minimal suspension in the front.

      There were 2-3 inch roots coming out of the ground and my bike just started bouncing up and down. I end up going forward, riding about 30-40 feet ONLY on my front wheel, before finally touching down with both and skirting into the ditch.

      Luckily didn’t get hurt bad but the nature of the crash was unbeliveable

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