Riding fail

[warthog1]

Not my greatest moment today and not the first such fail either.
Riding in to work this morning I left home a bit late so I was under the pump to get in and out of the shower before the other bloke who uses it arrived. I usually go first and don't like holding anyone up.
Anyway I arrived onto the work driveway travelling a bit fast having gone around the back of a pedestrian crossing the road immediately before.
The driveway has a sharp, rim buckling, 2 inch lip on it.
Up with the front wheel and then a bit of front brake on landing with a little bunny hop of the back wheel to clear the back wheel over the lip.
Well dopey yours truly was travelling faster than usual so used a bit much front brake.
Before you know it I'm vertical on the front wheel staring at the concrete.
Splat.
The lady crossing the road rushed over to see if I was alright. I pretended I was.
I don't think she bought it.
Worse I looked accross the road to see the staff at the Aldi supermarket I visit every other day peering out the front window.
Worse still, my work colleague had passed me earlier in his car and was opening the front door for me and saw the whole thing.
Anyway one more day and I'm on holidays for 4 weeks.
I think I'll take my lunch to work tomorrow.

[Ross]

Hope the supermarket staff were actually peering and not peeing out the window!

[warthog1]

Hope the supermarket staff were actually peering and not peeing out the window!

Oops
Probably a bit of both laughing at the d head.

Bloody shoulder is still sore.
A couple of panadeines tonight.

[rodneycc]

Not good Warty. Yeah I usually find the embarrassment worst initially as well until the injury cools down then it hurts like hell, so I'm tipping you wont be good this morning!

Anyway heal well, getting too old to bounce mate!
Cheers Rod

[brumby33]

I feel your pain....was having a leisurely ride in Sydney city a few Months back....was headingg up towards Wynyard from Barangaroo in Erskine St.....i went to grab a pole that had the pedestrian button on it and missed....didn't have time to put the feet down and down like a bag of spuds i went...in the gutter...right on the corner and in front of 3 young women.....fairdinkum...right then if i could...wanted to crawl into the cracks of the concrete gutter.....oh my damaged pride

[outnabike]

It's pretty hard to take a bow and pretend it didn't happen.
When your really old they come a-runnin. I always let the young 50 year old galls help me up.....

[chriso_29er]

Bugger, hope all is well.

I did a very similar thing directly in front of work. Its on a 6 lane suburban hwy which I need to turn right across all six lanes to reach. Theres a u-turn point where I can get across without hopping the median but no driveway only a gutter with grass nature strip.

Silly me goes to hop the gutter and forgot I was on the very light short road bike instead of the long heavy mtb. pulled the back wheel up with a bit too much gusto and went straight over the bars lol.

[warthog1]

Glad I'm not the only one
I did a similar thing last year in order to show off my mtb skillz.
Pulled in just up from the bunch meeting spot and popped the front wheel up onto the concrete verandah.
Did the same trick with the rear wheel and again too much front brake.
Splat. Right in front of the entire bunch.
For good measure my leg hit the shop window I was in front of to guarantee their attention also.
It was a packed takeaway shop. I didn't make eye contact with anyone in there though
I wasn't surprised that nobody wanted to be behind me on the bunch ride that night.

[10speedsemiracer]

The big question here, and the one that everyone has avoided.....is the bike ok?

[10speedsemiracer]

Only joking, hope you're on the mend and the heavy duty dent in pride has diminished a bit.
Murphys First Law of cycling = if you come off a bike in a spectacular or embarrassing manner, there always seems to be an audience.

[uart]

edit: 10speedsemiracer posted exactly the same thing while I was typing.

[warthog1]

The big question here, and the one that everyone has avoided.....is the bike ok?

Both times, yes

[foo on patrol]

How embarrassment! You didn't say anything on that other forum.

Foo

[warthog1]

How embarrassment! You didn't say anything on that other forum.

Foo

No I can hear Esty carrying on already, before I've even posted
I might fess up on there at some stage.
Shoulder is slowly getting better.
No more front brake, bunny hop only
I don't bounce like I used too.

[NASHIE]

I don't bounce like I used too.

Im finding that hard to get used too. Don't give up putting on a good show for the punters . Hope you mend quickly.

[foo on patrol]

How embarrassment! You didn't say anything on that other forum.

Foo

I don't bounce like I used too.

You only just found that out!

Foo

[Philistine]

It sounds to me like fate has visited retribution on the OP for disrespecting a bike by performing circus tricks on it. Bunny hops and wheelies, indeed! What would the velominati have to say about such acts of necromancy?

[Nobody]

Ah well. If you do nothing, you get nothing wrong. Plenty of people out there in the world who do nothing different and take no risks. Pretty boring life if all one does is drive to work and back, then sit at home on the computer or in front of the TV most of the rest of their life. They have no scars but they probably don't have any body shape at our age. Unless you call round a shape.

I've gone OTB more times than I can count. The last being about 7 months ago with that slowish head-on crash on the bike path. My left elbow is still a bit clicky. IMO from middle age on. The problem isn't so much embarrassment, but problems with injuries healing well.

Reminds me of an accident I had at work in Perth about 1995. I got on my bike and rode through the car park as usual, not really paying attention. I ran into a rope which was dividing off a section of the car park. Snapped the rope, but managed to just stay upright. Still have the scar on my arm 23 years later to remind me. Fortunately no-one there to see.

[10speedsemiracer]

It sounds to me like fate has visited retribution on the OP for disrespecting a bike by performing circus tricks on it. Bunny hops and wheelies, indeed! What would the velominati have to say about such acts of necromancy?

Lol...Velominati

I'm very conscious of not deriding OP to any extent as am about to make the transition to clipless (courtesy of the very kind user rowdyflat) after 40 years of clips/rat traps etc. I fully expect my first unclip will result in a slo-mo fall, so yes, will report. That old saying (glass dwellings and projectiles) holds true.

[warthog1]

Lol...Velominati

I'm very conscious of not deriding OP to any extent as am about to make the transition to clipless (courtesy of the very kind user rowdyflat) after 40 years of clips/rat traps etc. I fully expect my first unclip will result in a slo-mo fall, so yes, will report. That old saying (glass dwellings and projectiles) holds true.

Brace yourself, it will happen.
I pulled up at the main intersection in Alice Springs in peak hour and forgot about the clips.
Of course I leaned the wrong way.
No eye contact was made.

[warthog1]

Ah well. If you do nothing, you get nothing wrong. Plenty of people out there in the world who do nothing different and take no risks. Pretty boring life if all one does is drive to work and back, then sit at home on the computer or in front of the TV most of the rest of their life. They have no scars but they probably don't have any body shape at our age. Unless you call round a shape.

I've gone OTB more times than I can count. The last being about 7 months ago with that slowish head-on crash on the bike path. My left elbow is still a bit clicky. IMO from middle age on. The problem isn't so much embarrassment, but problems with injuries healing well.

Reminds me of an accident I had at work in Perth about 1995. I got on my bike and rode through the car park as usual, not really paying attention. I ran into a rope which was dividing off a section of the car park. Snapped the rope, but managed to just stay upright. Still have the scar on my arm 23 years later to remind me. Fortunately no-one there to see.

We could compete for the crown of clumsiness.

Yeah it made me realise how lucky I am I wasn't badly injured. Shoulder is still sore but range of movement is definitely improving and pain subsiding.
I work with an older colleague who tripped over at work.
Misdiagnosis at a busy ED and they didn't pick the shoulder damage.
She also ended up with a DVT in her lower leg. Initially just passed off as a sprained ankle but it didn't improve.
Full shoulder reco and looks like permanent damage in her ankle/foot.
I don't think she will be back to work.

[10speedsemiracer]

Lol...Velominati

I'm very conscious of not deriding OP to any extent as am about to make the transition to clipless (courtesy of the very kind user rowdyflat) after 40 years of clips/rat traps etc. I fully expect my first unclip will result in a slo-mo fall, so yes, will report. That old saying (glass dwellings and projectiles) holds true.

Brace yourself, it will happen.
I pulled up at the main intersection in Alice Springs in peak hour and forgot about the clips.
Of course I leaned the wrong way.
No eye contact was made.

So first clipless ride tonight (ever). Shimano light action pedals, Shimano cleats (as in, not aftermarket). Just a short one, less than 4km. Had a moments panic at a roundabout when a 4wd started coming in after I had entered, crisis averted.
Got to shop, left hand balance on pillar, right foot unclipped, all good.
Going home, coming up on parked car and two cars moving in street. No-one yielded and I pulled up behind parked car, forgot about the unclip, fail, slo-mo fall onto grass.

[RobertL]

Lol...Velominati

I'm very conscious of not deriding OP to any extent as am about to make the transition to clipless (courtesy of the very kind user rowdyflat) after 40 years of clips/rat traps etc. I fully expect my first unclip will result in a slo-mo fall, so yes, will report. That old saying (glass dwellings and projectiles) holds true.

Brace yourself, it will happen.
I pulled up at the main intersection in Alice Springs in peak hour and forgot about the clips.
Of course I leaned the wrong way.
No eye contact was made.

So first clipless ride tonight (ever). Shimano light action pedals, Shimano cleats (as in, not aftermarket). Just a short one, less than 4km. Had a moments panic at a roundabout when a 4wd started coming in after I had entered, crisis averted.
Got to shop, left hand balance on pillar, right foot unclipped, all good.
Going home, coming up on parked car and two cars moving in street. No-one yielded and I pulled up behind parked car, forgot about the unclip, fail, slo-mo fall onto grass.

You beat me to it, but I was going to post that it won't be your first stop where you forget to unclip. You will be concentrating really hard that first time.

It's a bit later in the ride, when you go to do something that you've automatically done for ages and forget that you are clipped in...

[gorilla monsoon]

The best part of a crash is that five seconds when the world goes quiet and you feel nothing - until your nerve endings tell your brain something has gone terribly wrong.

[CXCommuter]

Similar recently here too... top of the hill out of North Sydney on the highway and a car incident... the merging cars meant I had to put my foot down quickly into leaking fluid that I thought was coolant...

Nope engine oil.. foot slipped out alarmingly and I found myself draped over a cars bonnet peering at a startled young lady.

No damage to any property other than my already insignificant pride.