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“I look great wearing skin tight shorts with a diaper stitched in side them while wearing a psychedelic billboard jersey while riding a neon pink-orange-yellow-purple bike???”
Of course!! And you want the search & rescue party to be able to see you when one of these other lies tells the truth.
Oh, and one that bites me all too often
“I can just ride over that stick.”
20+ years ago out on my first ride on the new bike, headed downhill on a wide open trail and ran over a large stick. It flipped up and inserted itself through my rear wheel. Stick hit the rear brake cables and frame. Broke three spokes before it stopped the rear wheel dead. I go flying over the handlebars as the front wheel turns hard right. By some sort of bad luck my right ankle gets trapped between the top bar and handle bar. Now I’m doing a superman with a bike attached to my foot. Came out relatively unharmed, but the bike was broken. Had to walk it home a few miles, and go back to the bike shop the next morning.
Last summer I rode over another stick. Somehow it turned upwards and jammed into my right pedal, stopped my dead in my tracks.
“I can get this ride in before the rain hits.”
– ER visit – broken ribs – battered shoulder – many scrapes and bruises –
I would love to find a pair of knee pads that fit fat legs. I ride singletrack, or just easy stuff – because that’s mostly what’s around here – so I don’t need anything super aggressive.
I wear knee pads for volleyball. I have bought the largest size that I can find, and I still have to cut the elastic from the top to the middle. The elastic is then just around my lower leg, from the crease of the back of my knee, down.
I have muscular calves, and muscular/fat upper legs. It’s my body type and there’s little I can do about it.
I am using the Lezyne Micro C watch. When I’m riding, I have it mounted on the handlebars so I can see it, and use the buttons, easily. I have found the GPS to be very accurate, and it has never dropped/skipped the signal or given me any funky readings. I use it with the matching heart rate monitor, which also works very well.
I primarily use it for cycling, as that is what I want to track data for. I am not a runner, so I cannot speak to that feature. I have used the hiking feature, and it works just as well as the cycling. The lifestyle feature is just your basic step/activity counter, without the HR monitor. I don’t use that much.
For cycling, it is excellent. And I haven’t even used all the features, like cadence/power/etc.
I crashed and broke 2, maybe 3 ribs back on Sept 28th, 2018. It was 6 weeks before the stabbing pain of the fractures moving went away, even longer before sneezing wasn’t traumatic. It’s been 4 months now and I still have pain if I stretch/arch backwards too far (broke my left ribs, right in the front). I have ridden once, and fell (managed to roll that time), but didn’t suffer much more than dull pain/achy from hard breathing. Winter is upon us with a vengeance, so I’m not riding for awhile.
Twice in the past I have dislocated a rib, separating them at the cartilage. A right rib in the front, and a left rib in the back. The right one was from full-contact, no gear football on the beach. It took years before it “stuck” back in place. Hiccups were the worst, as was stretching. I still occasionally feel a twinge from it, 19 years later. The left one was from using a giant pry bar to try and move a cement parking block back into position. Was pushing upwards and it just popped. After a few weeks it rarely hurt at all, other than when my chiropractor would attempt to adjust my back right next too it. Has taken a few years for it to stick back and not be bothered by adjustments, although I do feel resistance in it at the time.
When I had mine x-rayed, they could not confirm that I had broken them, told me that unless the ribs are displaced, it’s less than 50% of the time that the breaks are actually visible. Going by symptoms, and that I could pinpoint the spot where the stabbing pain was, along with rib movement, they were diagnosed as broken.
Good luck with sleeping and such!
According to Merriam Webster, the top definition of gay is: 1) happily excited 2) keenly alive and exuberant: having or inducing high spirits
Going by this information I would surmise that just about every mountain biking group out there is gay. I mean, who isn’t happily excited, keenly alive, exuberant, and in high spirits when they’re bombing down an awesome trail?
I will get back out there, I just have to make sure that I don’t cause any further injury. Shoulders are not to be messed with.
In the meantime I am still playing volleyball. I missed three weeks of playing, and then played through the pain after that. If I stretch too far I’ll still get a sharp pain from my ribs. I hurt my left shoulder, so I don’t do too much with it within a game that hurts. Bumping, volleying, etc doesn’t hurt. Left handed spiking definitely hurts, but I typically spike right handed.
I plan to go skiing when the weather allows. Other than ‘skating’ on flat ground, I won’t need my shoulder too much.
Here in Canada we’re in the messy part of early winter, lots and lots of rain and cold weather. Biking conditions are not wonderful as it is.
I have loved biking ever since that first moment when I rode faster than Dad could run and I was on my own two wheels. Growing up we destroyed bikes through unrelenting use. My parents always made sure we each had a bike to ride, but typically just bought them at garage sales or auctions, since we were so hard on them.
I bought a mountain bike when I was 16 and used it for 20 years. I rode like crazy for the first several years, but got busy with life and discovered that my back and knees didn’t like biking so much anymore. I still rode now and then, but not as much as I wished too. Last year while riding in Toronto I broke a shifter and decided it was time to retire the bike and find something new. A month later I bought a Rocky Mountain Fusion 29″, made sure this one fit me. I instantly started back into riding and fell in love with biking all over again. My endurance is not great, but I was getting better. Then I crashed. Broke a few ribs and torn some stuff in my shoulder. I haven’t ridden in almost 12 weeks. Ribs have healed quite well, but the pain in my shoulder is not fun. I want to try riding again, see if my shoulder is ok with the riding position or not.
While riding, I felt mentally clear. The outside world disappeared, it was just me, my bike, and nature. By the end of a ride I would be physically spent, but mentally recharged.
Using a cycling computer with a heart rate monitor added to the feel good aspect. I am not a “fit” person, according to whatever standards are out there. I have a physically demanding job that will leave me spent at the end of the day. I grew up working on the family farm and have always loved being able to do heavy lifting, drive tractors, wrangle animals, fix equipment, etc. But to the world I still look completely out of shape, despite being much stronger than your average female. My ride stats show that yes, I can sustain an elevated heart rate for an extended period of time. My cardio is not all that bad. And I was able to pedal my “excessive” weight up that hill. The numbers don’t lie, I can do that!
Since crashing, I have not felt that feel good feeling and I dearly miss it. I had no idea how much I was loving it, until it went away. All the feel good has gone away and been replaced with pain. At least the stabbing pain from my ribs has subsided. If the weather is ok this weekend, I want to go for a test ride on the road. I still don’t know if the bike is 100%.
As a side part: I only listen to music when riding on the road (country back roads, little traffic, miles of visibility). On the trail I listen to nature. Music is a huge part of my life, but I don’t miss it when I can listen to my surroundings.
Hmm…. the argument between being injured in a bike crash vs being injured in a bathroom fall….. I’m at a draw.
So far I have had one significant injury from a bike crash – broken ribs.
I also have had one significant injury from a fall in the bathroom – a concussion.
Now, to be fair, my bathroom injury was a result of passing out due to illness, falling off the toilet, and hitting my head on the bathtub. Fortunately my mom heard me fall and came to investigate, found me barely conscious on the floor. I was a young teen at the time.
We didn’t wear helmets when we were kids, and we rode all the time. No one wore helmets in the 90’s. One kid in my class (elementary school) fancied himself a “cyclist”. Had some sort of bike, talked about biking all the time, talked about teams and races and such, and bought all the expensive gear. He was the only one that wore a helmet, and had one of those fabric team helmet covers (that I think were soon proven to be dangerous as they would stick to the pavement rather than sliding). Everyone thought he was an obsessive nut.
Then Grandma bought us helmets for Christmas. Got us those early Bell round things that were hot and uncomfortable. We wore them occasionally.
I bought a decent helmet when I was 16, to go along with my first ever brand new bike. If I was going to ‘mountain bike’, I should have a helmet. Kept that thing for years, but didn’t wear it much since it was never comfortable. Until one summer when I was up north and biking on some real trails that had steep hills, rock cliffs, bears, etc. I was flying down a hill that curved out of sight, massive trees and rocks on the left, cliff drop to the right, and I suddenly realized that this was crazy and I should be wearing my helmet. Wore it the next time I went out, and mainly wore it from then on.
When that one died, I bought a nice Giro and for the first time in my life, I had a helmet that was comfortable and well ventilated.
Just this spring that helmet took a tumble down the stairs and cracked. I bought a Giro Chronicle with Mips.
I had a significant crash just three weeks ago. Bruises, scrapes, over-extended shoulder, and broken ribs. I did not hit my head at all, but it certainly was a concern.
You never know what will happen. Bones and muscle heal. Brains don’t always heal.
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.
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….
On my last ride I was going through a nice, gentle downhill section that just weaved back and forth nicely, was totally enjoying the flow of it. Then I came around a right hand turn and there’s a hiker walking 15 feet ahead of his dog that’s dragging it’s leash. Dog is just standing in the middle of the trail, not moving. Even when I stopped with my front tire right in front of his nose. Totally killed my rhythm on that section.
The usual – hikers, garbage, poop, rude people in general, etc.
Mosquitoes!! I rode Friday evening after work. It was completely still, humid, and warm (started at 31C, dropped to 23C). I’m used to being attacked when I stop for a breather, but this time I was being attacked to whole time. It’s hard to ride a rough downhill when a skitter is chewing on your face. I’m covered in itchy bites!
Spider webs. Normally I don’t mind them too much, but they always seem to either get in my mouth or across my glasses. Benefit of riding with a buddy, let them go first and clear the webs!
Being dropped by the group. Sorry that I’m not as fast as everyone else! I started back into riding at 36 (a year ago now) and have never been good at cardio. No one in my family does cardio well, we all do power/weightlifting/strength stuff best. I do my best, but when I’m struggling to keep up with the pace and then you throw in a hill, I simply cannot do it. When I do catch up, give me a chance to rest a minute and take a drink.
I like both riding familiar trails and exploring new ones.
Where I live, trail riding is either atv/rail/road/open type trails, or are single track through a conservation area. Riding a single track trail for the first time is nice to see something new, but you can’t safely ride at any speed as you simply have no idea what’s around the next bend. I went blasting down a hill that had a wider section of trail, turned a corner, and suddenly was on a wooden bridge that led to a section that was nothing but roots. Hit a big one square on a came to a sudden stop – even on a 29″. The roots were so bad I could barely walk across them.
The first time I rode Fanshawe (single track) I was on my own. I rode easy and was doing ok, but going slow. Halfway through the loop I met another rider who invited me to join him. He knows the trail really well and I just followed him. He would tell me if there was a hill/drop/etc coming up. That half of the ride was a whole lot more fun, and much faster! Now I can ride the trail as hard as I want as I know what’s ahead of me. On the clockwise days, the last big downhill long, wide, and rolling. I go flat out and don’t touch the brakes, because I know I can.
When I finally get the chance to take a vacation, I intend to go camping in an area that has lots of trails nearby, and spend the days checking out new stuff. Probably will head to Michigan, Ohio, or New York state. Or, if I feel like staying in Canada, I’ll go north in Ontario or maybe go to Quebec if I can afford it.
It’s a rather easy thing to have happen. I was heading back to my truck, bombing down a flat trail, came around a right hand turn and was face to face with a White Tail deer. Hit the brakes full force and stopped dead, fortunately was on soft packed dirt with tons of traction. We just stood there staring at each other until it walked off into the brush.
Bought my bike 11 months ago, moved from a rigid 26″ that didn’t fit right to a hard tail 29″ that fits quite nicely.
So far, for the majority of my riding, I feel like I’m ‘in’ the bike. But when I need to make a tight turn, I definitely feel like I’m ‘on’ the bike. I feel wobbly. I can balance at a complete stand still on a steep downhill with brakes locked and feel completely comfortable, but the tight turns still get me.
I recently developed a creaking noise too. The harder I cranked, the worse it was. Went away completely while cruising or just lightly pedaling on flat land. If I stood still and bounced on the bike, there was nothing. In/out of the saddle made no difference. Checked all the components I could, made sure everything was lubed properly. Readjusted all quick releases.
Finally got time to take it into the bike shop, they took the bottom bracket apart and re-lubricated everything. Noise is gone. They didn’t even charge me since the bike is still fairly new.
Look at Rocky Mountain bikes, they are Canadian. Entry level bikes are at your price range
