What are the reasons you have fallen down?

[Ablang]

From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
falling down.

What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
etc?

Myself, it was b/c I came off a smooth curve (not at an angle)
parallel to water rolling down the gutter. My 700x32 tire lost grip
and I fell.

[Tom Keats]

In article <mhbo749fjth1spfkdmccid4dtorc2haa4r@4ax.com>,
Zoot Katz <zootkatz@operamail.com> writes:
> On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:03:18 -0700 (PDT), Ablang <ron916@gmail.com>
> wrote, in part:
> \
>>What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
>>general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
>>etc?
>
> I fall down because I **** up.

That raised bike path on the Stanley Park Seawall
is an odious endangerment to riders (and walkers,
for that matter.) Whomever designed that thing
f'd up royally. I think the Parks Board should
just get rid of it, flatten the whole surface of
the seawall to one single grade, and ban riding
on the seawall altogether.

Ooooh, I so destest bike facilities that are
unnecessarily raised above or lowered below
the adjacent, "normal" grade. If designers
want visual separation, they can use colours.

I even dislike those stoopid li'l islands with
the bicycle-allowing cutouts at Bike Route
intersections, like at 37th & Main St. Those
cutouts leave raised concrete "stepping stones"
that serve to complicate blind people's feeling
their ways around. And there's a fair number of
blind people in my neighbourhood.

What are they tryin' to do, kill us?

My next rant will probably be about useless bollards
on bike facilities, that only serve to get in the
ways of, and pose hazards to riders. But I'll save
that for another time.

People get too fancy when designing bike facilities.
They throw-in so many afterthoughts, just for the
hell of it. I used to like the public drinking
fountains along the bike routes, until I found
where some ignoramus put a bag of dog poop in
the one at 37th & Ontario.

And then there's traffic circles/rotary islands,
which are The City's response to drivers not
understanding ROW rules. I appreciate the ones
with gardens in 'em, but a bunch of tall gladiolas
growing in the middle of the street doesn't do
much good for sight lines.

If you wanna fall down, just make use of a bike facility.

Y'know those zig-zag gates at dismount points on the
Seawall? I wonder if you can ride your Xtracycle
through 'em :-) I bet you could, if you approach
the task gingerly.

What are they tryin' to do, kill us?


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[Will]

On Jul 13, 1:03 pm, Ablang <ron...@gmail.com> wrote:

> What are the reasons you have fallen down?

Riding in a dark place and not seeing the big sawhorse in front of the
work hole in the road. Some dickbrain had taken the flashers off the
sawhorse.

Failing to glue a sew up correctly. It rolled into the fork crown at
25 mph (very sad)

Running over a microscopic twig. It carried the fender into the fork
crown. Bent 3 tubes and both fork blades.

Lessons learned ==> helmets are smart investments (sorry Frank).
Equipment added ==> HID helmet light system. Clinchers. Breakaway
fenders.

[Tom Sherman]

Ablang wrote:
> From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
> falling down.
>
> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?...

On road:

Adult-
Tube tearing at the valve stem and the front tire partially rolling off
the rim.

Being rear ended at a stop sign by another cyclist on a club ride.

Locking up the front wheel while braking on wet pavement.

Losing front wheel traction while cornering hard on wet pavement in an
impromptu parking lot race.

Pre-Adult-
Having a imbecilic child dart out into the street in front of me.

Unknown (do not remember crash).

Off road:

Losing traction while climbing at low speed.

Hitting a tree coming up out of a very steep gully.

Loss of control while descending over water stops.

Failing to clear a log.

Attack by a Mikey V. trained mountain lion (OK, I made that one up). :)

I have never fallen while riding my trike. :)

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"People who had no mercy will find none." - Anon.

[Tom Sherman]

Ablang wrote:
> ...
> What are the reasons you have fallen down?...

Gravity.

- Issac Newton

[Pat]

>
> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?

I fell once when going around a 90 degree turn to the right and there was
sand in the curve. I hate it when people say, "Oh, you fell off your
bicycle?" and I always grumble "I didn't fall off---the bike went down,
too!"

I am extremely wary of corners now, looking for any gravel or sand.

Pat in TX

[Jym Dyer]

=v= I fell down because the very first time I tried toe clips,
an SUV-driver went out of her way to cut me off. Somehow my
middle finger came free of the handlebars, causing me to lose
my balance. My suavest move ever.

=v= The other time I fell down was when I tried clipless pedals
for the first time. They were a present on an Xmas morning,
so naturally I had to try them out right away. On icy streets,
in the snow.
<_Jym_>

[Peter H]

On Jul 13, 2:03*pm, Ablang <ron...@gmail.com> wrote:
> *From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
> falling down.
>
> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?
>
> Myself, it was b/c I came off a smooth curve (not at an angle)
> parallel to water rolling down the gutter. My 700x32 tire lost grip
> and I fell.

Female joggers...

Peter H

[Ted]

Rear Wheel on ice around a very gradual turn. Rear wheel slipped out
and bike went down. This happened three times (different days) then
the fourth time I was able to get my foot down. Unfortunately my foot
landed on the ice too and my knee bent sideways. Ouch. I am
petrified of ice now. Shoulda had studs.

The last time I was walking my bike off to the side of the road with
my right foot clipped in and "scooting" with my left. The front tire
sort of stopped in the sand and tipped to the right. I couldn't get
my foot out fast enough and I tipped over on the right side.
Unfortunately, I bent the "derailer" hanger making the remaining 50
miles more challenging.


Ted.

[It's Chris]

All of the above, and I don't even have to read the thread to know that
<sheepish grin>

- -
Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

My website:
http://geocities.com/czcorner

[Leonard Migliore]

In article
<772e5383-61f7-4a98-ad86-3769b19248bf@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
Ablang <ron916@gmail.com> wrote:

> From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
> falling down.
>
> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?
>
> Myself, it was b/c I came off a smooth curve (not at an angle)
> parallel to water rolling down the gutter. My 700x32 tire lost grip
> and I fell.

Taking a driveway at a shallow angle; slight curb lip twisted the front
tire and the bike went down instantly. I broke my femur but the bike had
no damage at all...

[Frank Krygowski]

On Jul 13, 2:03*pm, Ablang <ron...@gmail.com> wrote:
> *
> What are the reasons you have fallen down?

Only one moving on-road fall ever, as an adult.

Descending a short, steep, one-block-long hill, so steep the city has
since closed the road. Winter. Salt was on the hill. I was braking
to keep my speed at about 3 mph, saw glass ahead and turned to avoid
it. My front tire slipped on the salt, so I got a small scrape on my
knee.

I had one stationary fall, standing still at a red light, when I
turned around to fuss with my rear brake and lost my balance. But
really, that's more like being a pedestrian.

Come to think of it, I've fallen more often walking than on a bike.

- Frank Krygowski

[Ron Wallenfang]

On Jul 13, 1:03*pm, Ablang <ron...@gmail.com> wrote:
> *From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
> falling down.
>
> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?
>
> Myself, it was b/c I came off a smooth curve (not at an angle)
> parallel to water rolling down the gutter. My 700x32 tire lost grip
> and I fell.

I'm usually good for a fall a year or so. Here's some that come to
mind:

- a door prize

- ran into a parked car

- ran into a highway warning sign

- a turn on black ice

- hit a ridge of snow running parallel to it

- hit a low curb runnig parallel to it

- hit the lip of a bike trail running parallel to it

- sideswiped from behind by a car

- hit by a turning car

- hit a pothole hidden by a puddle

- turning in fresh falling snow (x 3?)

- hit soft sand on a gravel road

- tried to turn in soft sand

- foot got caught in a toe clip

- foot got caught in a "clip-in"

- twig caught in front wheel

- tried to stop on ice

- got caught in mud trying to ride through a closed road

[recycled]

"Ablang" <ron916@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:772e5383-61f7-4a98-ad86-3769b19248bf@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
> falling down.
>
> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?

Yep, yep, and then some. The biggest is snow covered ice during the winter
commute. Not such a big problem in July. Second would be - not the difficult
parts of a mountain bike trail but just after. My working theory is that
after I've gotten through the hard part I ease up and pay less attention so
I don't notice the leaf covered pothole in the trail and respond less
quickly.

I was once asked about some scrapes and scratches.

In a deadpan I said: 'My bike stopped before I did.'

[dgk]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:03:18 -0700 (PDT), Ablang <ron916@gmail.com>
wrote:

> From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
>occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
>fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
>falling down.
>
>What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
>general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
>etc?
>
>Myself, it was b/c I came off a smooth curve (not at an angle)
>parallel to water rolling down the gutter. My 700x32 tire lost grip
>and I fell.


Ah, my brand new Trek 7000 Mountain bike - the thing came with front
shocks! I was very impressed at riding a bike with shock absorbers.

Normally, hitting a curb causes the tire to go up, but not with shock
absorbers. No, in that case, the front of the bike goes down. Who
would have thought of such a thing? Many people I'm sure, but not me.
So the front goes down, and I go over the handlebars.

No major damage but I think I heard the bike laughing.

[Rick]

Similar to many, although definitely had gravity play its role to
perfection. On the road, twice due to my clipless pedals. First
time, about 3 weeks and 5 rides or so after getting them, unclipped
the left side while stopping, looked right for cars coming and fell to
the right of course. Second time, riding with a group of boy scouts
up a steeper hill, going quite slow and trying to keep plenty of room
but they went slower and slower, finally one stopped right in front of
me, I braked and made a graceful fall to the side into nice soft
grass, missed the cactus by about 4 inches from my face.

Plenty of mountain bike falls for various reasons. Best was the first,
hit a water bar/block at the wrong point in my pull up, first real
mountain ride ever, at fairly high speed. No clipless pedals yet,
shot about 6 feet in front of the bike which had stopped cold at the
water bar, so at least the landing, on all 4s, was relatively
comfortable, although the shifters did a number on one shin and that
scar took 9 months to fade. The second was riding down a steep trail
I have never tried before called the "Box o' Rocks" for obvious
reasons once I was on it. Made it most of the way safely until
finally the 2 inch diameter rocks threw me a bit sideways, front tire
hit a big rock rather than the small ones, and I was up on the front
tire for about 10 seconds it felt like until finally coming down on my
side.

Rick

[Jeff]

Ablang wrote:
> From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
> falling down.
>
> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?
>
> Myself, it was b/c I came off a smooth curve (not at an angle)
> parallel to water rolling down the gutter. My 700x32 tire lost grip
> and I fell.


Oh! Oh! Oh!

Gravity.

Am I the first?

[John Kane]

On Jul 13, 2:03*pm, Ablang <ron...@gmail.com> wrote:
> *From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
> falling down.
>
> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?
>
> Myself, it was b/c I came off a smooth curve (not at an angle)
> parallel to water rolling down the gutter. My 700x32 tire lost grip
> and I fell.

Many causes but one I remember was oil and water on a corner. We had
3-4 weeks of dry, +25 C weather and then a sudden rainstorm that
washed a lot of oil and water down a slope. I hit the resulting oil
slick as I was turning the corner.

John Kane Kingston ON Canada

[Shawn]

Ablang wrote:
> From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
> falling down.
>
> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?
>
> Myself, it was b/c I came off a smooth curve (not at an angle)
> parallel to water rolling down the gutter. My 700x32 tire lost grip
> and I fell.

I had a good one as a teen. On a team training ride our small group
(five or so) passed a parked police car as we approached a stop sign.
He used his very poor P.A. system to say something to the effect of
"Please stop at the sign" I heard something more like "Plagrecsk stooph
aghh hcign". Turning around to see where the attacking Vogon was, I
neglected to notice that the rider in front of me* spoke fluent Vogonese
and put on the brakes. I hit his rear wheel and launched OTB, landing
head first, tucking, rolling and coming to a stop sliding on the metal
cleats of my oldtech shoes (they weren't at the time though). Cop
completely ignored me, finished the ride with a slightly bent derailleur
hanger and bruised heel.
I've avoided tangling with cars, but have fallen many times for many
reasons. Only two resulted in E.R. trips. :)

Shawn

[Dane Buson]

Ablang <ron916@gmail.com> wrote:
> From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
> falling down.
>
> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?

Oh, I fall all the time personally. Some of that is due to riding in
poor conditions, but there are other reasons too.

* Wet leaves - twice
* Ice - lots of times
* wet road - I don't think I've ever fallen because of this actually.

* One inch lip between one lane and another - this hurt so much
* Car collisions - three times so far
* Stick rolling my front tire sideways - stitches and dental damage
* Someone's bullhorn bar snagging my drop handlebars
* Heavy trailer pushing rear wheel out from under me while braking

I'm sure there are others, but those are the highlights.

--
Dane Buson - n0n6t0p8@unixbigots.org
The penalty for laughing in a courtroom is six months in jail; if it
were not for this penalty, the jury would never hear the evidence.
-- H. L. Mencken

[Tom Keats]

In article <772e5383-61f7-4a98-ad86-3769b19248bf@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
Ablang <ron916@gmail.com> writes:

> What are the reasons you have fallen down?

<much embarrassed, hands-in-pockets hummin'-&-hawin'>
Forgetting to pedal.

And forgetting there's a tall load in the milk crate,
going to "cowboy mount", and my leg bounces off the
load.

A couple of years ago I high-sided off the left turn
from No. 6 Rd onto Bridgeport in Richmond BC. Killed
a new pair of jeans doing that. There was a pavement
divot I tried to avoid, and in so doing, my steering
went all squiggly, with more over/under-steers than
my brain could timely process.

I've done some hops at speed that have gone horribly
wrong, what with one wheel or the other landing on a
nicely rounded robin's-egg rock or a babyhead, and
rolling out from beneath me. Those are the worst,
and result in real road rash. If you're gonna hop,
look on the surface ahead first.


cheers,
Tom





--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[Jorg Lueke]

On Jul 13, 1:03 pm, Ablang <ron...@gmail.com> wrote:
> From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
> falling down.
>
> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?

Forgetting to unclip! Other than that I've had a few close calls
taking curves to fast.

[Claire Petersky]

"Ablang" <ron916@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:772e5383-61f7-4a98-ad86-3769b19248bf@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...

> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> etc?


I guess I'm closer to Dane B than Frank K when it comes to frequency of
falls.

Falls over the last year:
- Pedestrian on a cell phone stepped in front of me on the I-90 trail
- Slipped on the Montlake Bridge in the dark and pouring rain - I was tired,
too, as it was late
- Rim blew out in the middle of a busy intersection downtown,
- Misjudged the difficulty of coming down a steepish dirt trail on my road
bike

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

[sni]

damn gravity ... Its bothered me all my life
Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:g5dn1p$f79$2@registered.motzarella.org...
> Ablang wrote:
> > ...
> > What are the reasons you have fallen down?...
>
> Gravity.
>
> - Issac Newton

[John Reed]

"Tom Sherman" <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:g5dn1p$f79$2@registered.motzarella.org...
> Ablang wrote:
>> ...
>> What are the reasons you have fallen down?...
>
> Gravity.
>
> - Issac Newton

That's outdated physics. Einstein says gravitation is curvature of
spacetime. Tests of his theory have all been proven correct. Now you know.
Blame your fall on the curvature of the spacetime manifold caused by the
mass of the earth. It couldn't have hurt that much. It's just empty space
after all.

[Tom Sherman]

sni? wrote:

> Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:g5dn1p$f79$2@registered.motzarella.org...
>> Ablang wrote:
>>> ...
>>> What are the reasons you have fallen down?...
>> Gravity.
>>
>> - Issac Newton
>
> damn gravity ... Its bothered me all my life
>
Some say "The Man" is holding us down, but really it is gravity that
holds us down.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"People who had no mercy will find none." - Anon.

[recycled]

"sni" <sstarbune@wmconnect.com> wrote in message
news:g5dpuv$b5d$1@aioe.org...
> damn gravity ... Its bothered me all my life
> Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:g5dn1p$f79$2@registered.motzarella.org...
>> Ablang wrote:
>> > ...
>> > What are the reasons you have fallen down?...
>>
>> Gravity.
>>
>> - Issac Newton

...and inertia.

[Pat]

"sni" <> damn gravity ... Its bothered me all my life


Don't worry about it; it's just a theory.

[Leo Lichtman]

I was riding with my SPD's for the first time. I came to a stop sign, and
failed to unclip. The embarrassing part is that a fire engine was passing
just at that moment, and they stopped to help me. I continued my ride, and
as I approached the next stop sign, I said to myself, "I'll be ready this
time." I unclipped my right foot as I rolled up to the stop, and fell to
the left.

I was riding a downhill trail, with exposed roots as big as your wrist. I
had done this many times without a problem, but this time I was enjoying my
brand new Rock Shox. I overestimated their benefit, and I went over the
handlebars. I wound up with my face against the ground, my feet still
clipped to the pedals, as I watched my spectacles lenses slowly filling with
blood. I wasn't hurt much, but I had to get my glasses straightened by a
professional.

[Richk]

Fell just last week - during my commute I started listening to my Ipod
during part of the ride (first time I've ever done this before and
only did for a few days on part of the rail-trail). Won't do it
again, my mind wasn't all on riding as I didn't slow down enough for a
known section of trail with sharp curves.

before that I had:

1 or two stoplight/clip incidents
had the wheels fly from under me on a oil slick while making a turn
The dumb one was getting my hand caught while brushing my wheel to
clean off the tire. That one hurt.

[Tom Sherman]

Frank Krygowski wrote:
> On Jul 13, 2:03 pm, Ablang <ron...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> What are the reasons you have fallen down?
>
> Only one moving on-road fall ever, as an adult.
>
> Descending a short, steep, one-block-long hill, so steep the city has
> since closed the road. Winter. Salt was on the hill. I was braking
> to keep my speed at about 3 mph, saw glass ahead and turned to avoid
> it. My front tire slipped on the salt, so I got a small scrape on my
> knee.
>
> I had one stationary fall, standing still at a red light, when I
> turned around to fuss with my rear brake and lost my balance. But
> really, that's more like being a pedestrian.
>
> Come to think of it, I've fallen more often walking than on a bike.
>
You should consider wearing a walking helmet! ;)

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"People who had no mercy will find none." - Anon.

[Tom Sherman]

Jeff wrote:
> Ablang wrote:
>> From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
>> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
>> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
>> falling down.
>>
>> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
>> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
>> etc?
>>
>> Myself, it was b/c I came off a smooth curve (not at an angle)
>> parallel to water rolling down the gutter. My 700x32 tire lost grip
>> and I fell.
>
>
> Oh! Oh! Oh!
>
> Gravity.
>
> Am I the first?

No.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"People who had no mercy will find none." - Anon.

[sni]

gravity.... all i know about it is that the older i get the faster it
works.

Pat <tmail@tmail.com> wrote in message
news:6e22ppF4vrm0U1@mid.individual.net...
>
> "sni" <> damn gravity ... Its bothered me all my life
>
>
> Don't worry about it; it's just a theory.
>
>

[Paul O]

John Reed wrote, On 7/15/2008 1:26 PM:
> "Tom Sherman" <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:g5dn1p$f79$2@registered.motzarella.org...
>
>> Ablang wrote:
>>
>>> ...
>>> What are the reasons you have fallen down?...
>>>
>> Gravity.
>>
>> - Issac Newton
>>
>
> That's outdated physics. Einstein says gravitation is curvature of
> spacetime. Tests of his theory have all been proven correct. Now you know.
> Blame your fall on the curvature of the spacetime manifold caused by the
> mass of the earth. It couldn't have hurt that much. It's just empty space
> after all.
>
>
>
Its not the empty space that the problem, it all the leptons and baryons
that keep getting in the way!

--

Paul D Oosterhout
I work for SAIC (but I don't speak for SAIC)

[Leonard Migliore]

In article <g5j451$hfs$1@news.nems.noaa.gov>,
Paul O <first.d.last@company.com> wrote:

> John Reed wrote, On 7/15/2008 1:26 PM:
> > "Tom Sherman" <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote in message
> > news:g5dn1p$f79$2@registered.motzarella.org...
> >
> >> Ablang wrote:
> >>
> >>> ...
> >>> What are the reasons you have fallen down?...
> >>>
> >> Gravity.
> >>
> >> - Issac Newton
> >>
> >
> > That's outdated physics. Einstein says gravitation is curvature of
> > spacetime. Tests of his theory have all been proven correct. Now you
> > know.
> > Blame your fall on the curvature of the spacetime manifold caused by the
> > mass of the earth. It couldn't have hurt that much. It's just empty space
> > after all.
> >
> >
> >
> Its not the empty space that the problem, it all the leptons and baryons
> that keep getting in the way!


I thought we were all bosons on this bus.

[Tom Keats]

In article <04225dba-beab-41f0-a5e9-42a3c0ba6b16@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
Jorg Lueke <jlueke_2000@yahoo.com> writes:
> On Jul 13, 1:03 pm, Ablang <ron...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
>> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
>> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
>> falling down.
>>
>> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
>> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
>> etc?
>
> Forgetting to unclip! Other than that I've had a few close calls
> taking curves to fast.

Descents on curvy roads while trying to stick to a tight line
instead of using the width of the road are classic, textbook
cases of bailing/freaking out at the last moment.

IIRC Jobst has written about it. At any rate, whatever I
read was 100% correct -- you've gotta make good use of
whatever lateral road space you have during a high-speed
descent. Because if you don't, and you try to follow a
line as tight as on flatland, you're pretty much screwed.

I guess it all has to do with steering bikes by leaning
left or right, and how much the road allows you to lean
your bike. As you've no doubt observed, some roads have
curves banked the wrong way, and that really makes things
interesting.


cheers,
Tom



--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[Kinney]

"Jorg Lueke" <jlueke_2000@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:04225dba-beab-41f0-a5e9-42a3c0ba6b16@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> On Jul 13, 1:03 pm, Ablang <ron...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> From reading here, it seems that falling down is not a unique
>> occurrence to just me. I haven't fallen since I was a tween (but did
>> fall about a week ago), so it was strange for me to read other adults
>> falling down.
>>
>> What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
>> general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
>> etc?
>
Number one is Ice second on the list is dogs.

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <sdednUlF5NJsqRbVnZ2dnUVZ_oWdnZ2d@earthlink.com>,
"Claire Petersky" <cpetersky@mouse-potato.com> wrote:

> "Ablang" <ron916@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:772e5383-61f7-4a98-ad86-3769b19248bf@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
>
> > What are the reasons you have fallen down? Was it b/c of klutziness in
> > general, tire failing to grip due to lost traction on water or sand,
> > etc?
>
>
> I guess I'm closer to Dane B than Frank K when it comes to frequency of
> falls.
>
> Falls over the last year:
> - Pedestrian on a cell phone stepped in front of me on the I-90 trail
> - Slipped on the Montlake Bridge in the dark and pouring rain - I was tired,
> too, as it was late
> - Rim blew out in the middle of a busy intersection downtown,
> - Misjudged the difficulty of coming down a steepish dirt trail on my road
> bike

I fell last week because a kid rode through the runout area of the dirt
jump ramp I was landing on, and I grabbed too much front brake trying to
avoid him.

Broke a perfectly good helmet, and maybe wondered if mid-30s was a
little old to take up dirt-jumping.

On the other hand, I think I rode through an entire season of cyclocross
without lying on the ground, though there were dabs here and there.
Also, I memorably and violently threw my bicycle to the ground after
carrying it through a sandpit, but again, I didn't fall myself.

Oh, and I nearly dumped getting on my bike at the start of a crit,

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@gmail.com http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."