OTB

Wabatuckian · May 31, 2025

I was out riding today, just around town, seeking terrain of opportunity.

We have a paved river trail here, and it's good for bicycle commuting. I'd ridden to see my son at work, and was on the way back.

There was a downhill section where I like to pick up speed, and so I got up to around 20mph. Approaching me were a family with kids, spread trail-wide.

I really didn't want to slow down, so I hit the dirt/grass/weeds beside the trail where the large tree roots almost formed a natural short pump track. I jumped them and then saw, too late, where there was a narrow ditch running parallel to my course concealed by weeds.

I braked, hoping the combination of reduced speed and 29" wheels would save me, but no such luck. I went OTB at around 12mph, the first time I'd gone OTB since I was a kid.

I was rather proud of myself, though. I stopped aikido 27 years ago, but still executed a near-perfect breakfall...

... right into a mix of weeds, some of which were poison ivy.

I had one small abrasion on my leg, and that was it. (I might add a poison ivy rash later, but I'm hoping I got home and showered in time.) I got up laughing. My biggest concern was my bike -- I checked it before I checked myself.

Lesson learned: Never assume there's not a ditch.

I was travelling east. I crashed after the second jump on the map:

Sssnake · May 31, 2025

Wabatuckian said:
I was out riding today, just around town, seeking terrain of opportunity.

We have a paved river trail here, and it's good for bicycle commuting. I'd ridden to see my son at work, and was on the way back.

There was a downhill section where I like to pick up speed, and so I got up to around 20mph. Approaching me were a family with kids, spread trail-wide.

I really didn't want to slow down, so I hit the dirt/grass/weeds beside the trail where the large tree roots almost formed a natural short pump track. I jumped them and then saw, too late, where there was a narrow ditch running parallel to my course concealed by weeds.

I braked, hoping the combination of reduced speed and 29" wheels would save me, but no such luck. I went OTB at around 12mph, the first time I'd gone OTB since I was a kid.

I was rather proud of myself, though. I stopped aikido 27 years ago, but still executed a near-perfect breakfall...

... right into a mix of weeds, some of which were poison ivy.

I had one small abrasion on my leg, and that was it. (I might add a poison ivy rash later, but I'm hoping I got home and showered in time.) I got up laughing. My biggest concern was my bike -- I checked it before I checked myself.

Lesson learned: Never assume there's not a ditch.

I was travelling east. I crashed after the second jump on the map:

View attachment 2147106

Ouch. My last crash was an OTB at decent speed on pavement. DOH!

Wabatuckian · May 31, 2025

Sssnake said:
Ouch. My last crash was an OTB at decent speed on pavement. DOH!

Luckily, this wasn't on pavement, but in the dirt several feet to the side of the trail. I'd used the pavement to get up speed.

wayold · May 31, 2025

I like that you have a hang time and distance recorded for your Superman impression.

chazpat · May 31, 2025

I was riding my gravel bike a few weeks ago and came across a small pine tree that was blocking the old, abandoned dirt road. Thought I'd do my part and laid my bike down to clear it. Grabbed a big branch and bent it back to snap it. It snapped and the trunk end sprung back into my leg, striking just above my sock. So I ended up bloody despite only a planned dismount.

Oh, I take that back. I also was approaching a road crossing and wasn't planning to stop. At the last moment, I saw I needed to stop and failed to unclip and fell over. More blood from my knee and elbow. Long time since I've done that.

zen_ · May 31, 2025

I learned a hard lesson 7-8 years ago going around higher schoolers on a MUP that I didn't want to slow down for (near the HS @ morning rush). Coming back on the pavement there was a 4-6" gap between the ground I was on and the top of the pavement that I didn't see, hop up on, or take at an angle to just roll up. OTB because I was clipped in and the pavement sucked up the front wheel. It was an embarrassing amount of road rash and blood everywhere in front of kids and parents in their cars stuck in traffic. I was on my way to work on a day I couldn't call off on, so that was fun bleeding all over and changing band-aids all day because 'merica too.

Was actually just thinking about that 2 weeks ago when I went OTB from a badly mistimed double jump that my face took the impact from, and I was again bleeding all over the place (8 stitches in my chin later) while trying patch things up to ride home. Didn't really notice there was a gazebo nearby with a high school graduation going that had some horrified onlookers.

OTB's suck, but I guess be glad it was at low speed. The amount of damage from that last, narrowly escaping tooth damage or a shattered nose around 15 MPH into the dirt really made me think about how much worse one would be at 30+ MPH on gravel or road.

Wabatuckian · May 31, 2025

wayold said:
I like that you have a hang time and distance recorded for your Superman impression.

I hit a couple small jumps and crashed out shortly after landing the second one.

I wonder if it would have recorded the actual crash if I turned on crash detection on the Garmin.

noapathy · May 31, 2025

Wabatuckian said:
I wonder if it would have recorded the actual crash if I turned on crash detection on the Garmin.

Pretty likely. Buddy of mine "crashes" frequently with his 530...pretty much every time he comes to a quick stop and then leans the bike a bit to put a foot down. It has detected actual crashes, too, though we try not to test that if possible.

OldN00b · May 31, 2025

noapathy said:
Pretty likely. Buddy of mine "crashes" frequently with his 530...pretty much every time he comes to a quick stop and then leans the bike a bit to put a foot down. It has detected actual crashes, too, though we try not to test that if possible.

My biggest issue with Garmin bike computers - it’s way too easy to set off crash detection, especially if you’re moving fast downhill and have to come to quick stop. I’m then stuck struggling off a sweaty glove so I can disable the feature before I receive panicked texts from the people on my distribution list.

applegatelaw · May 31, 2025

I was descending North Burma in Trione-Annadel a couple of weeks ago with my wife. She stopped short for a hazard I didn't see and I slammed on the brakes and went OTB off the side of the trail. I dropped 15 or 20 feet and landed at an angle on the rear wheel. Wheel destroyed, Timberjack destroyed, poison oak acquired. Lesson: Don't tailgate, people.

ilmfat · May 31, 2025

applegatelaw said:
Wheel destroyed, Timberjack destroyed

RIP Tomato Trooper: She took one for the team.

Pours one out for the homies

Wabatuckian · May 31, 2025

applegatelaw said:
I was descending North Burma in Trione-Annadel a couple of weeks ago with my wife. She stopped short for a hazard I didn't see and I slammed on the brakes and went OTB off the side of the trail. I dropped 15 or 20 feet and landed at an angle on the rear wheel. Wheel destroyed, Timberjack destroyed, poison oak acquired. Lesson: Don't tailgate, people.

Ouch!

My son learned that the hard way, two times, after being told by me countless times to back off. He's 17.

The first time he laid it down in the grass. The second time, he went OTB on pavement. (He tried to blame me, of course, for braking too hard to take a turn on the ride home.)

This is why he has an elderly Rockhopper instead of something newer.

CyNil_Rider · Jun 1, 2025

The universe seems to align in the most idiosyncratic of ways.

The last time I went otb, I was going too fast, obviously, but along with grabbing too much front brake I also veered off trail to the right- which dropped off precipitously.
Turns out that actually assisted me going otb because it allowed me to get my foot up and under me, and then over the bar of my plummeting rig. I let go with my left hand and the bike careened down the ravine a ways 😢. But I was able to more or less step back on to the trail, albeit sans bike.

Oh and the 2 hikers that had suddenly appeared rounding the blind corner that prompted me to dismount in such rudimentary fashion, saw the whole thing unfold and were -luckily for me- suitably impressed and not pissed. They were less than 10’ away when I managed to stop.
I oth, was mortified for exceeding the basic speed law like a d!ck.
In the end tho bike was ok and so I got lucky all round.

Jayem · Jun 1, 2025

Well my last crash was in a gravel race two weeks ago, falling off a bridge down 6 feet into the (luckily flowing) water, because a bunch of people decided to stop and get backed up on the boardwalk bridge with no rails.

CyNil_Rider · Jun 1, 2025

Jayem said:
Well my last crash was in a gravel race two weeks ago, falling off a bridge down 6 feet into the (luckily flowing) water, because a bunch of people decided to stop and get backed up on the boardwalk bridge with no rails.

So it was a “race”?
I mean WTH were “people” doing on a race course??
You mean you rear-ended a bunch of racers???

I feel there’s something I’m missing here.

Sir kayakalot · Jun 1, 2025

CyNil_Rider said:
So it was a “race”?
I mean WTH were “people” doing on a race course??
You mean you rear-ended a bunch of racers???

I feel there’s something I’m missing here.

It was a gravel race. They show up by the thousands, sometimes millions. The slightest thing will have them bottlenecked and crashing because they forgot to unclip before they stopped. Mustaches frowning everywhere

CyNil_Rider · Jun 1, 2025

^^Yes. No I had no idea but the vision you just planted in my brain 😂

Jayem · Jun 1, 2025

Sir kayakalot said:
It was a gravel race. They show up by the thousands, sometimes millions. The slightest thing will have them bottlenecked and crashing because they forgot to unclip before they stopped. Mustaches frowning everywhere

Basically that. Wooden platform ends in a small ramp back to the ground, as in sloped and maybe 2" dropoff. For gravel bikes, that is the death. I'm riding my fatbike with 3.5 tires so I just blast through everything, as long as I can stay on some rear wheels to draft. Gravel bikes back up when someone freaks out about the small downhill roller back to the ground, one guy even has his bike 90 degrees to the platform (with no rails). There's nowhere to go, but down, at least with some friends.

A few years before, a bear was nonchalantly walking along the same platform during the race.

Wabatuckian · Jun 1, 2025

Jayem said:
Basically that. Wooden platform ends in a small ramp back to the ground, as in sloped and maybe 2" dropoff. For gravel bikes, that is the death. I'm riding my fatbike with 3.5 tires so I just blast through everything, as long as I can stay on some rear wheels to draft. Gravel bikes back up when someone freaks out about the small downhill roller back to the ground, one guy even has his bike 90 degrees to the platform (with no rails). There's nowhere to go, but down, at least with some friends.

A few years before, a bear was nonchalantly walking along the same platform during the race.

Gravel bikes sound fragile and incapable. I was thinking about getting (or building) one, but I'm gonna have to rethink that now.

noapathy · Jun 1, 2025

Wabatuckian said:
Gravel bikes sound fragile and incapable. I was thinking about getting (or building) one, but I'm gonna have to rethink that now.

I've taken mine on singletrack 4 times so far and it's not so bad as all that, but just make sure ahead of time you can both reach the brakes AND steer through some obstacles BEFORE taking it on an actual trail (or be willing to walk). I practiced on a little skills course and got reacquainted what's essentially a 90s bike with curly bars and skinnier tires first.

OTB

Wabatuckian

Sssnake

Wabatuckian

wayold

chazpat

zen_

Wabatuckian

noapathy

OldN00b

applegatelaw

ilmfat

Wabatuckian

CyNil_Rider

Jayem

CyNil_Rider

Sir kayakalot

CyNil_Rider

Jayem

Wabatuckian

noapathy

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