After the fall…

[Dan Foster]

Hey all! First time posting here, hopefully I don’t bore you.

I’ve had a decent hardtail for a while now, but just recently started riding seriously. On my ride today I thought I would be able to clear about a foot and a half drop off of a stone wall. Well I didn’t. In the air I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, and braced myself for my first real fall on the trails. I went right over the handlebars, head and shoulder into the ground and then flat on my back. My bike ended up about 10 yards into the woods. Luckily only had a few bumps, bruises, and scrapes. I shook off the cobwebs and hopped back on my bike to finish my ride, after I had to put in a new contact because one fell out on the fall!

I luckily yanked on my rear break (mechanical disk) and it wasn’t working properly. I fiddled with it a little and it just seemed the lever was out of position, and it worked fine the rest of my ride. I looked around my bike tot check and make sure everything else was working properly, and it seemed to be.

I’m no mechanical expert on how to fix anything on a bike (hopefully just for now) and my question is "What should I be checking after a fall to make sure my bike is functioning properly and I don’t end up on my back again?"

I’ve learned a lot of valuable information since joining Singletracks, and I’m hoping someone will be able to direct me to a post that covers this, or, if this is a new topic, help a beginner learn some added safety precautions!

Thanks!
Dan

[GTXC4]

We’re glad that you’re alright and didn’t get seriously hurt.

It all depends on how you landed, HOWEVER, you should police over your bike pretty well. If you don’t notice anything instantly obvious, such as; handle bars out of alignment, bent wheels, etc., then you should be okay to finish your ride. The more experienced you get and know what to look for the easier and quicker it will be. I usually check all my moving parts, the components to make sure that nothing got too bent, like brake and shift levers, wheel spokes, derailleur, scratches on stanchions for suspension, etc. It’s easier to notice things after a fresh wash too. Back this late spring on vacation, I discovered a crack on my rear linkage along a weld and couldn’t ride. Sure, it’s covered under warranty by Trek, but still. It bummed me out. (Guess they’re right, you can’t blow that rear shock out) Just take your time and play close attention to your parts and for cracks, its more common to find them along a weld than not, unless it was struck on a certain area.

Take care,
-GT

[JT Orlando]

I have a knack for bending brake levers. It used to happen to me in my dirt bike riding days and it followed me to the mtb 😆 . That’s usually the first thing I check. There’s nothing worse than taking off down the mountain and squeezing air when you need to slow down.

[Dan Foster]

Thank you for the help!

I had just started rolling at a slow speed when I realized my brake wasn’t working and could still stop with just the front brake. Otherwise I was going to be in big trouble!

I took a look and I have just a few small scratches, nothing bent or too serious it seems.

[fishboy316]

Just do like I do and cushion the bike with your body! They are pretty tough though. Have had 2 major falls recently where I was hurt pretty badly but the bike has been just fine! The c-dale seems to take a hit real well.

Bill

[Author]

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