[Durango65]

Man I know that the title alone will catch me some flames...but be that as it may I will soldier on. I've taken some pretty nasty (in my mind) spills lately and was just curious how often people wipe out a week versus how much they ride. And as a second part how do you get the motivation to hit that root drop again? I am waylayed for a couple days until these ribs de-tenderize so I wanted some motivation to hop back on the horse.

Thanks in advance.

Dan

 

[rkj__]

Man I know that the title alone will catch me some flames...but be that as it may I will soldier on. I've taken some pretty nasty (in my mind) spills lately and was just curious how often people wipe out a week versus how much they ride. And as a second part how do you get the motivation to hit that root drop again? I am waylayed for a couple days until these ribs de-tenderize so I wanted some motivation to hop back on the horse.

Thanks in advance.

Dan

Personally, i do not fall often. How often you falls depends on the risks you take. When you are just cruising down singletrack, you are not likely to fall. However, if you are hitting jumps and drops, chances are, you will fall much more often, and may want to consider some light armor.

 

[TNC]

Yep, wear more protection. Durango, this topic elicits more varied input than you can shake a stick at...or get beaten with that same stick. Some bicyclists are some of the most resistant folks I've ever come across to wearing protective gear. Some have a "wuss" factor attached to it, some have a social disdain for it, and there are many other reasons. Please note that I say "some bicyclists"...but the ratio seems higher among bicyclists than a lot of other physically active sports that have the potential for injury.

I understand what rkj was getting at with the statement, "How often you fall depends on the risks you take", but it's hard to calculate. You can fall any place, at any time, on some of the most mundane sections of trail. Granted, the more risks you take in technical terrain, the better the chances, but off roading always has this risk to some degree.

I'm not a real freerider, though I will get some decent air on jumps and drops occasionally, but most of the places we ride have some decent rocks and technical areas. I always wear some very comfortable and breathable knee/shin guards. You ride with them for just awhile, and you don't even know they're there anymore. I also wear a modified DH helmet for most aggressive trail use. It's very breathable and as good an air flow as my old Giro Switchblade. I wear full finger gloves all the time. I also wear long sleeve CoolMax jerseys all the time...for sun as well as abrasion protection.

On some trails in Moab and a major trail complex near my home, I even wear a light breathable MX-style body armor set complete with elbow/forearm protection.

Do some other riders think that I, and some of my friends, wear too much protection?...yes, often. Am I the one, either on the trail or at the end of the ride, swabbing up blood or bandaging gashes?...not usually...and if I am cleaning up a wound, the unprotected rider would have probably been cleaning up worse. Going to Moab often puts things in perspective, because you get to see a ton of riders of all kinds out there. I don't know how many bare knees and shins I've seen gashed open. I've seen broken teeth, busted/broken noses, split chins, ears nearly ripped off, etc., etc. I've crashed in some of those same places and just got up, dusted myself off, and went on my way.

Does armor stop all injuries?...of course not. Will it stop or minimize many serious and debilitating injuries...most definitely. So...you have to ask yourself...how much armor am I willing to wear? Am I willing to put up with the disdain that sometimes comes from "some" other riders for wearing armor? This is always an interesting topic that draws a myriad of responses. People don't have to wear armor of any kind when they ride, and I'd never even suggest the requirement of such...but to some degree it can be a wise choice.

 

[PeanutButterBreath]

I fall pretty rarely. I hate to tempt fate by writing that, but I fell into a two foot deep freezing cold stream last Saturday so I hope I'm all good for a while. I don't really think about it that much. It happens eventually, but riding is worth it.

 

[hansfranz]

Well stated. I've been wearing my full face pretty much all the time recently, along with my knee/shin guards, and I'm pretty much used to them, as well as the comments/jokes from other riders. As soon as I started getting back into mountain biking, I saw some pictures of a guy with half his nose stitched back on and a few teeth missing, and I said "looks like I'm getting a full face helmet!" I don't really see the need to have big nasty "battle scars" like some guys. I've also had my eye on the Rockgardn Flak Jacket lately...

 

[Krause]

Get armor.

If for nothing else then the extra confidence it will give you to get back on and try the same thing again that injured you before. Helmet, and upper body armor (rib and lower back mainly) and Shin/knee gaurds. Could always wear light pants over them and a loose jersy over the chest gaurd.

Or just leave them out, i have had 3 knee surgeries from various things and had over 150 stiches in my shin, anyone who says anything about knee/shin gaurds to me can seriously lick my nuts.

 

[mtb_biker]

you can look at in terms of ...at least you have a story to tell

 

[Sixty Fiver]

I've taken a few good spills this year and two of them involved wet bridge decks at high speed... from this I am developing the new sport of deck surfing where the bike serves in place of a board. LOL

I actually strained my shoulder and hand pretty badly after my first spill o' the year (see wet bridge decks) and was a few weeks in getting back to 100% riding shape.

I actually had my first fall on the trail last weekend where I smacked a pedal on a rock on a short fast climb, stalled, and then tipped because I couldn't get my foot disengaged from the pedal.

I had a nasty spill last year when I failed to land a jump with my usual grace and caught 13 sprocket teeth in the front of my right leg... I still have the marks from that one.

So lemme see... over the last 2500 km of mountain biking I have had two serious wipeouts that resulted in more serious injuries and a little pedal rash that has inspired me to look for those shin guards.

We aren't going to count the minor scuffs and abrasions that are just part and parcel of riding trails.

 

[SuperNewb]

I know I used to wipeout when I was learning to ride better/faster but in the past 5 or so years I rarely fall. Usually only when Im tired and not paying attention that good. Like with todays ride when I clipped a tree from getting to close to it and then clipping another tree but alot harder on the other side of the handle bars at the end of the trail. That 2nd hit was alot harder and almost made me wipeout, was also a good sign to take the easier way back home.

If jumping I would wear a fullface for sure but body armor would be an after thought.

 

[LyNx]

As TNC said this is going to get a lots of responses on all sides of the field, so here's mine............ I personally don't wear any armour or anything more than a regular bike helmet, but I only ride XC/Aggressive XC and as such my risk taking is normally fairly low and the risks aren't too bad when the odds go against me - endo's ending in a sprain, bruise etc. However I am now considering getting maybe some protection so I can have some more confidence to further my riding skills and try bigger, knarlier stuff where I know I've endo'd/bailed etc in the past. According to one of my riding compatriots I have the skills, but not the confidence and lack of confidence will get you everytime.

I say get some protection if you are in the "learning phase" as it will give you some added confidence and then maybe when you get your skills up you won't feel you need it till you start to push your limits again and then you'll have it if and when you want it. Also as siad above watch out for when you're tired as this is something that will also get you some nasty falls - if you're not feeling all there and tired then know that you willl need to walk stuff since your concentration isn't on.

 

[JMH]

I crash a lot.

For XC riding I wear lycra, ride clipless, and am more concerned about riding a long way or riding fairly quickly. I will avoid really technical trails or walk sections that I would be glad to try on another bike. I don't like thrashing my team kit or tearing up my sexy legs, so I take it easy on the tech end. Crashes on my XC bike are rare, and almost always involve me pushing my skinny 2.0 tires to do things they don't like to do.

About half the time, though, I will don varying degrees of armor and seek steep and bumpy terrain. When I am riding my bigger bike, I take way more risks and push myself to progress. Depending on the difficulty of the trail I might dump it a few times on one ride. If you wear a full-face, shin guards and something on your arms, you find that falling a few times is no big deal and it really pays off in the long run.

I am going up to ride at Deer Valley tomorrow, and if I don't fall on NCS, I will be stoked. But I reckon I will go down at least once or twice if I really go for it. It took me too long, but now I am a believer in armor for sure. If every time you fall you end up bruised or bleeding, you can't keep going until you learn something new.

JMH

 

[Phil]

...I've taken some pretty nasty (in my mind) spills lately and was just curious how often people wipe out a week versus how much they ride. And as a second part how do you get the motivation to hit that root drop again?...

I ride 1-2 times per week offroad, 1-2 times per week road. I do not fall often, and when I do, it's usually not too bad since I'm slow and try not to do anything crazy. Some might say that I do not push myself hard enough and therefore will never be a good rider. Others might say that it's OK to stay in my comfort zone (and minimize the risk) if I'm happy doing that.

Last time I had a real crash, two years ago, I separated my shoulder, missed 3 days of work and 10+ weeks of prime mid-summer off-road riding time. I wasn't doing anything crazy then, just didn't see it coming. You never see the one that hurts coming...

 

[Durango65]

Thanks!!

I never realized that there were so many sides to this...Armor no armor...etc. I've got to admit that the other day at a fairly mild riding trail (Oleta River) I noticed a couple riders fully jersey'd and armor'd and wondered why, but after these spills I must say it makes sense. If I fall and can just keep going then who cares what it looks like to the rest of the world. I never understood the point of jersey to this day either. I have lost plenty o skin at my local trail, mainly my forearms and legs.

I appreciate the responses and that you all avoided the temptation to nail the newb.

Dan

 

[AndrewTO]

I never realized that there were so many sides to this...Armor no armor...etc. I've got to admit that the other day at a fairly mild riding trail (Oleta River) I noticed a couple riders fully jersey'd and armor'd and wondered why, but after these spills I must say it makes sense. If I fall and can just keep going then who cares what it looks like to the rest of the world. I never understood the point of jersey to this day either. I have lost plenty o skin at my local trail, mainly my forearms and legs.

I appreciate the responses and that you all avoided the temptation to nail the newb.

Dan

Wwwaaaaaa, I want my mommy!!!!!!

If you fall, then get up, check your parts, check your bike's parts and if it's all good then stop being a wuss a keep riding. GEEZ!

No, i'm just screwin' with ya! Actually, i've gotten good at going OTB. It's like a summersault from the saddle now. How's THAT for bad?

I believe what I quoted above is you answering your own question. If there's other's riding the same trails with armor then you really might want to pay attention to that fact. :thumbsup: Good luck with the fit.

Just remember - if you don't crash every once in a while you're probably not pushing hard enough.

 

[keen]

When I got into mtb'ing I was coming off riding mx. I was shocked to see not one person wearing anything other than an xc lid on my local trails. I wore knee / shins & elbows from day one. Took quite a few spills during the learning process that I was able to walk away from. Sure I would get a few looks on the trails or feel bulked up on climbs. Its been a number of years now and I still wear the same gear though my skills have much improved. I wear the pads not because of simple rider mistakes but now because my speed & technical riding has multiplied. I am always the one in our group w/ armour but I also don't have to worry as much about injury.

 

[TLud]

I think my experience is similar to others here. I don't usually fall or wipe out on the most technical stuff; it usually happens when I'm pushing to go faster through easier sections, especially when I'm tired. Also, when it's wet out, I can practically guarantee myself a crash or two.

 

[Jordansrealm]

Next question in response to wearing armor, why dont you guys suggest what to get first? Obviously a helmet is first, then what? Knee? Shin? Elbow? When you fall what most likely are you injuring? I wear a helmet but thats about it and was considering some knee/shin combo armor. Suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[TNC]

Well, you'll get lots of different recommendations on this subject too, and understandably so. There are many varieties of equipment for many levels of riding and preference for comfort, fit, and other personal issues. I'd start out with a very basic strap-on knee/shin guard and some simple elbow guards. On full coverage helmets, there's not much available between a regular XC lid and a full-on DH helmet. I had to modify a highly ventilated DH model to get something that I could ride trails with...and it not be too warm.

 

[TrekFan]

my crash the other day was pretty funny. i'm riding along the trail and there's a HUGE pile of horsesh*t smack damn in the middle. so i swerve to avoid it. only thing was that all of this was right in the middle of a nice thick patch of mud. tire and rim sink into the mud and wham, down i go. i wasn't riding all that fast, maybe 8-10 mph, but it did hurt. luckily i crashed JUST after the horse pile. when i fell, i was about 6 inches away from it...

 

[Martin.au]

My second to last crash was out the front of my house, being silly. I broke the radial head in my elbow.

My last crash was OTB on my new FS rig (with a still broken elbow :eekster: ). Fortunately I landed it perfectly and my elbow seems fine.

Prior to that I haven't stacked much at all. The main reason for this is that for some bizarre reason it's very hard to OTB on my hardtail. I've no good reason why, but even when I think it's close it always rolls out of it. It is much easier to OTB on the new FS than the hardtail.

I'd definitely recommend protection though. I noticed that I've been going faster on the FS and pushing harder. I've also started purchasing armour because of this. I've got some shinnies and I'm looking at full face helmets and arm protection too.

How do I get the urge to ride back again. I just figure out what I did wrong and try not to do it again. I also look at ride reports and other articles. Pretty soon the urge returns, occasionally prior to complete healing, which can be troublesome.