Falls on 'bent bikes...

[[XAP]Bob]

Who's managed what?

Has anyone managed to highside off a 'bent?
I've lowsided, once, on grass - on video...

[pjclinch]

Aside from the traditional SPuD Fiascos the only one I've managed was on my first one, an Orbit Crystal (a clone of the Speed Ross, not designed for leisurely hanging about). It cornered very well indeed, and I was soon managing stuff I'd never dreamed of on my drop bar tourer.

On my local patch is an interesting 90+ degree bend with a hill to run in, and excellent sight lines in all directions. First game was reduce the amount of braking needed before swinging in after free-wheeling down the hill... and eventually I was doing it with no braking. Next up was seeing if I could get around it with no braking and staying on the left hand side of the road. And that proved to be a step too far. I was of course wearing shorts when I eventually got it wrong, though the seat took the worst of it.

Pete.

[[XAP]Bob]

Did you fall "into" the corner, or "out" of it?

[mark aldridge]

Highsided, not yet. Lowsided, a few times on my Toxy ZR due to losing front wheel traction on wet corners (luckily due to the ride height this can often be caught with vigorous arm thrust (motorcycling gloves advised)).

I also rolled my trike on ice back in January. Luckily HP Velotechnik build robust machines and with a little roadside fettling I was on my way. All I can say is that adrenaline is wonderful, next day at A&E I was diagnosed as having three broken ribs.

SPuD's ! All I can do is apologise to all the drivers who's cars I used as props and thank the Mini driver in Croydon for not driving off when I draped myself across her bonnet. Ah ! The confidence of youth when you have Butlers in Croydon fit your first clipless pedals and think you will try them out by riding to Waterloo to get the train home.

Hey, Ho, such is life. Never boring and long may it remain so.

[bobc]

When I first got my KMX, I let a mate at work have a go. It turns out the front brakes had been very badly adjusted by previous owner.... so the thing swung round to the left when he tried to stand it on its nose & dumped him in the car park.
An unexpected novelty from my new toy! Rather him than me though......
I wonder if that's why previous owner sold it; it took almost a minute to adjust correctly!!
Bob

[pjclinch]

Did you fall "into" the corner, or "out" of it?

"In", wheels slid out from underneath me.

Pete.

[[XAP]Bob]

that seems fairly typical from what I see/hear

[mjr]

Today's high winds may offer a few more opportunities to create examples

[[XAP]Bob]

I'll go and see shall I...

[alant82]

Only one fall so far: low speed wipeout on gravel, my elbow and thigh took the brunt of it. During an icy spell this winter I also managed to eject myself from my trike but that's not a bike so won't go into how I managed that one...

[Geoff.D]

I've not fallen at speed on my 'bent (although I've been sent down the road by a car swiping me from behind with her wing mirror at 40 mph !!) and I've got my fingers crossed that I'll continue to avoid it.

I did have the usual low speed falls when I was new to it - hill starts, heel strikes up steep banks, etc - which resulted in graceful (?) slow-motion collapses onto the verge or road. But the most embarrassing was the occasion when I rolled slowly to a crossroads on the main street in Bourton-on-the-Water, and stopped with one foot down. Whilst looking both ways for a gap, I found myself just overbalancing onto the wrong side. I couldn't get my foot out of the clip quick enough and I went down (still clipped in) into a puddle. A group of seniors from a bus tour rushed over to me, and fussed around me, with one of them asking if I was safe to be out if I suffered from such dizziness.

Rescued and patronised - all in one !!

[kingrollo]

OK who kidnapped XAPbob ? - and who is this cheap imposter - who spreading rumours that there might possibly be times when riding a bent isn't fun ?

[[XAP]Bob]

OK who kidnapped XAPbob ? - and who is this cheap imposter - who spreading rumours that there might possibly be times when riding a bent isn't fun ?

Who said crashing wasn't fun?

I've not come off the rapto since I bought it, but I am wondering *how* I might manage it when I do

[Cunobelin]

Aside from the traditional SPuD Fiascos the only one I've managed was on my first one, an Orbit Crystal (a clone of the Speed Ross, not designed for leisurely hanging about). It cornered very well indeed, and I was soon managing stuff I'd never dreamed of on my drop bar tourer.

On my local patch is an interesting 90+ degree bend with a hill to run in, and excellent sight lines in all directions. First game was reduce the amount of braking needed before swinging in after free-wheeling down the hill... and eventually I was doing it with no braking. Next up was seeing if I could get around it with no braking and staying on the left hand side of the road. And that proved to be a step too far. I was of course wearing shorts when I eventually got it wrong, though the seat took the worst of it.

Pete.

The Orbit Crystal was the Speed Ross produced under License rather than a clone, the jigs and designs I believe are now owned by Ben at Kinetics

[Stradageek]

I've always slidden to a graceful halt with the seat taking all the punishment. However on one occasion my leg was trapped beneath the boom and I erased quite a lot of skin from my ankle bone! Bad evening that one, I was OK to continue home then met another cyclist on a dark wet bend on a cycle path and ended up sliding into a bed of nettles.

Not come off since (that was a few years ago) but after loosing the front wheel 6 times on one journey home on a dark wet autumnal evening (but not actually falling) I do tend to use the Kett if the roads look too dodgy!