I just had my first high-speed on-concrete wipeout-- IT KICKED ASS. I was riding at Walnut Creek when it started to rain. I'd already been there for about an hour, so I figured "**** it, enough for one day" and took off for home. I was coming up a back street where there's a JC Penney call center, and I was MOVING-- I mean, it was coming down in buckets so I was trying to hurry home. I decided to cut through the parking lot, which is new, slick blacktop-- and it was drenched. So when I hit the rear brake and tried to cut into the lot, the bike just ZOOMED out from under me. My right foot hit the ground, but it was too slick to get a foothold, so I slipped and came down on my back-- hit my head like a mother****er. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet, I wouldn't be writing this now. I mean it WHOMPED, hard core. I came off that bike so fast, it was awesome-- really scary, but as soon as I realized I wasn't hurt, I was like, "DUDE!" You don't realize how fast you're going on a bike until you're going that fast and you're no longer on the bike. Anyway, if you or anyone you know rides without a helmet, you should start wearing one. I'm not a super-experienced rider-- I've only been riding for three or four months now-- and this particular accident could have been avoided if I'd been going slower and maybe hadn't tried to put the gangsta lean on my turn by sliding it. But everyone wipes out sometime, and if you hit your head on concrete or a rock, you're gonna wish you'd had a helmet.
You're a lucky man Kagy. Glad you are alright and YES... ALWAYS WEAR YOUR HELMET... even if you are going around the corner... you never know when you're gonna fall!!!
Ever try the quick, hard brake, foward flip off of your bike, and nail a two point landing? It's hard, but not impossible.
I also recommend wearing a helmet and knee pads when going really fast surfing this BBS. You can take a lot more pounding that way.
Red, you can have my bike when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers. At this rate, that will be approximately two more months, so be prepared. Behad, I figured that my constant honesty would eventually clue people into the fact that I am, in fact, hapless. I just thought they would be too polite to admit they knew it. rockHEAD is right-- you can always have an accident (especially if you're me), so it's a bad idea to forgo the helmet figuring you're just going around the block or whatever. Remember, there are drunken ice cream truck drivers all over America.
btw: mr_oily, I had another near miss going under 5 mph on my bike yesterday. On a one speed with a big basket in front caring my frisbee's for a nice leisurely round of pedestrian golf, I'm in the bike lane (no less) crossing the Hazard 59 overpass headed for Rice and a Suburban at the stop sign (a T intersection, no less) waits and waits and waits, and then right as I start entering the T-Intersection (no less) she and her Surburban decide that all is clear and its time for her to make her left turn.... helmet or not (I was wearing none), there is no way I'm being taken out going 5 mph against a Suburban passenger side door. And I was worried that I forgot how to use those 1-speed brakes (you know, the reverse pedal action).
Here in Iowa they still don't have a helmet law. You see r****ded-ass mofo's riding around without one, bare head to the wind. I shake my head in dismay because I knew a guy when I was in the Navy who went on leave (I was from Texas at the time, he was Iowan). Well, he didn't return from leave. He crashed his motorcycle and was wounded pretty badly, maybe paralyzed (I don't remember now). Also, my brother-in-law's brother wiped out in Houston and would have died, no doubt, if he wasn't wearing his helmet. Glad you're still with us, Kagy. Since you plan on getting yourself killed anyway, could you bequeath your job here on the BBS to me? That's something I'd screw up, but hey, nothing like having my name in bold down on the "lurker's list"....
Glad you're alright....a guy from my school was killed in a motorcycle accident along with his aunt about a month ago.
Nothing feels better than a face full of dirt. Did anyone watch "Maximum Exposure" on Fox? It comes on Saturday mid'days at 5 pm MST.( must be diff. everywhere else) but today they had painful injuries and on TLC they had sport disaster's. Both of them made me sworm in my seat for those 2 hours but i'll never try any of that. I'll stick with basketball. I haven't broken any of my ankles yet
One of my girlfriend's friends used to race motorcycles at the racetrack. If I were expecting on wiping out eventually, more than a helmet, I'd run over and get a good set of racing leathers. I can't imagine the 'rugburn' from your @ss sliding across the pavement @ 50 mph. These racing leathers are basically full-body toughened leather, complete with metal plates in places like the forearms, etc.
BK: Make sure and replace your helmet. I was listening to 610 a couple weeks back and Rich Lord who is an avid cyclist took a significant tumble. One of the listeners told him that after every serious spill, you need to replace the helmet because it won't protect you as well the next time. I don't know much about helmets but most seem pretty flimsy, so get another one before the next tumble.
Don't listen to Jeffff, Kagy. I havve had the sammmkkk kkk same helmmkkkkkk kkkk kkk helmet for 12 kk hkkk kkkk years. I kkkkkk k kkkk kdon't see any akadkkakkkkkk adverse effecckkkkckkkkkckkkkts. kkkkk
yes this is true... especially if your helmet sustained a direct hit... if you can see visible damage on the outer shell, replace it. your brain/head is worth another $30-$50!
Way to go HeyP! Wear da helmet all the time...people don't care about bikes, they always pull out in front of you after waiting at an intersection, even watching you pedal your a$s off for 50 yards or so, THEN they decide they want to cross the intersection directly in front of you...THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS!!!!!!!
Nah, helmet's not damaged, just a nice big scratch patch where it hit the concrete. Bike's a Gary Fisher Wahoo-- believe it's a 2001. Keeley, I look back on my bike riding with greebert. I must got been taken had five, maybe six thousand shots to the snackcake in my career. Like this guy.
once when i was like 10, uh yeah 10 is good for me....... so right... i was riding my bike SUPER HERO fast with my older brother (i think we were playing cops or something) and i sliddddddddddd and fell down and my knee was all skinned off and blood. i thought my arm was broke off... it was great fun. the end.
