not getting busted again

i57dwun4yb1pt8

can move me arms a bit now ,
and im missing the bike alot .

I dont want to break bones - so is there any elbow protection , and possibly shoulder protection you can get to save yourself from fractures if you come off ?

if so , can you get it in dublin

i dont feel good about cycling again unless i can at least attempt to protect
myself from fractures if it ever happens again .

or

would this be considered a bit namby pamby ?
( ie wearing a helmet = yes fine , wearing elbow protection - no , its unmanly )

psycholist

down hill gear...
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=24906

yes, it would make you unmanly

Running Bing

psycholist wrote: »

down hill gear...
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=24906

yes, it would make you unmanly

I dont believe any amount of broken bones would possibly hurt as much as the damage to my ego:P

Lumen

Did you crash on-road or off-road?

DeepBlue

Lumen wrote: »

Did you crash on-road or off-road?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055612108

i57dwun4yb1pt8

christ - youd be laffed off the road with that get up .

maybe not that extreme !

although i could wear that and speak like an american ?

Lumen

DeepBlue wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055612108

Ah right. Bit of a freak accident by the sounds of it, IMO doesn't justify dressing like Darth Vader every day for the rest of your cycling life.

Maybe you'd have been less injured if you'd have hit him. :eek:

Junior

Ah man, grow a pair.

Morgan

You can buy various types of body armour - mostly designed for downhill mountainbiking. None of it will prevent broken bones - they're mostly to prevent soft-tissue injuries.

If you want to avoid injuries on the bike your best option is to be aware of what's going on around you at all times and cycle accordingly. Learn to brake/stop safely and quickly - no reason to be going over the bars.

I didn't read all the other thread but if someone jumps in front of you and appears to want you to collide with them, then the least you should do is oblige them. Try and land on them to avoid damage.

petethedrummer

Just cycle awful slowly. That's what I tend to do in the city centre.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

Junior wrote: »

Ah man, grow a pair.

why dont you suck my balls , you dickhead

Vélo

DaDumTish wrote: »

why dont you suck my balls , you dickhead

hehe

Gavin

hahah nice

i57dwun4yb1pt8

sorry bout the language above , but ive been cycling for 35 years , and im not having some chicken sh1t internet keyboard coward insult me when im looking for genuine advice .

i play a few differnet musical instruments , and at the moment with two busted elbows - i cant play any of them - and this really freaks me - this is why i think some protection might allow me to cycle again without breaking stuff if there was another accident.

if not , then the bike is history .

Vélo

By all means wear the body armour. If it gives you the extra protection you need then why not. I presume with the body armour you can wear it under a top so no-one will know you have it on anyway.

I see someone else said you'd only be laughed at, we're cyclists half the country are already laughing at us especially when we're out cycling in the rain, so who cares if a handful more are laughing too?

Morgan

DaDumTish wrote: »

this is why i think some protection might allow me to cycle again without breaking stuff if there was another accident

Well, something like this will provide a bit of protection in the event of a crash. But like the warning labels say, armour will only protect the parts they're actually covering, so there is still the chance of injury.

Rather than looking back at your bike-related crashes and thinking "how could I have avoided breaking X" just consider how you could have avoided crashing at all.

scottreynolds

TBH, I'd probably just give up riding in the City. I think your crashes may leave you thinking about when the next one will come. It sounds like you've had a crap time of it on the bike -- one bad crash a year is pretty awful. Get the bus -- you'll probably enjoy it more.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

no, not every year
its been one broken limb crash about every 8 years .

1993 - car ran into me , broke collar bone no fault of mine.
2001 - hit a clear bottle on cycle path , thrown onto right elbow - again, no fault
2009 - nut job walks out in front of me , ribs and elbows - no fault of mine .

its not like im putting myself out to get busted up,

seems to be plain bad luck , or 'god' is trying to tell me something .

scottreynolds

DaDumTish wrote: »

or 'god' is trying to tell me something

You don't ride a trek do you?

You;ll be fine now till 2017 so just stop before then.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

regards avoiding something or crashing .

how do you brake if you are doing 10 to 15 miles an hour
and someone walks out in front about 15 feet away and you have no where to go ?

how can you avoid going over ?

is there a method ?

front brake ? rear brake ? slide ?

scottreynolds

DaDumTish wrote: »

regards avoiding something or crashing .

how do you brake if you are doing 10 to 15 miles an hour
and someone walks out in front about 15 feet away and you have no where to go ?

how can you avoid going over ?

is there a method ?

front brake ? rear brake ? slide ?

You can't really stop -- there's too many variables. You just need to try and anticipate idiotic behaviour -- which you also can't do effectively cause there's some huge idiots out there. Durng the ROK some old lady started waving her fist at a group of riders and then jumped on the road..... didn't see that one coming

i57dwun4yb1pt8

scottreynolds wrote: »

You don't ride a trek do you?

You;ll be fine now till 2017 so just stop before then.

are treks known for dodginess ?

( ;-) @ the 2017 bit )


surely there must be a standard 'how to brake when faced with an obstacle '
cycling method

Morgan

DaDumTish wrote: »

regards avoiding something or crashing .

how do you brake if you are doing 10 to 15 miles an hour
and someone walks out in front about 15 feet away and you have no where to go ?

how can you avoid going over ?

is there a method ?

front brake ? rear brake ? slide ?

Both brakes. Move your body backwards on the bike to counteract your forward momentum. If you feel the rear end lifting, push yourself back further or ease off the front brake a bit.

You should also try to steer around the obstacle. If impact is inevitable try and turn a bit and shoulder-check the obstruction rather than hitting head-on.

scottreynolds

DaDumTish wrote: »

are treks known for dodginess ?

no after the whole team discovery team mates drug thing I don't think God like treks. God is a conalgo fan... traditionalist I guess

chroma

Sorry to hear that OP.

I had that about a month ago, some scumbag deliberately stepped into the cycle path in crumlin rd. I was doing like 45kmh and sure as hell wasn't stopping. Seeing I didn't even stop pedaling, he pulled out the very last moment. ***hole.

I'd say if you can't avoid them skid, slide and let them have your back wheel.

petethedrummer

DaDumTish wrote: »

and someone walks out in front about 15 feet away and you have no where to go ?

This happens all the time. You have to expect it will happen and reduce your speed accordingly. From my experience its a fairly common occurrence on Dame St, O'Connell St, Wexford St and George's St.

I had to push some dude in the chest who stepped into my path recently. Would have been a disaster had I been going at any speed.

Where did your accident occur? Was it in the city centre?

i57dwun4yb1pt8

yeah , camden street , the narrow ped crossing outside devitts pub .

the guy walked out and just stood there stopped , turned and looked at me , i was about 15 feet away not going fast , just standard , had about 1 second to do anything about it and should have really gone for him instead of pulling hard.

should i have pulled both hard or just rear and try to turn shoulder ?

penexpers

In fairness if he was 15 feet away and you couldn't stop then I think you were probably going too fast.

the_syco

Pull back brake full way, front brakes half way (or not at all), brace your arms for impact, and sit on the saddle. Oh, and shot "GET THE F**K OUT OF MY WAY" if you can. Most people assume you'll serve. If they don't see you serve, they'll get out of your way. The one time they don't, you get a soft landing. If not going too fast, possibly do a 90 degree skid with the back wheel.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

penexpers wrote: »

In fairness if he was 15 feet away and you couldn't stop then I think you were probably going too fast.

yeah , you'd think that , but you are wrong .

Beasty

penexpers wrote: »

In fairness if he was 15 feet away and you couldn't stop then I think you were probably going too fast.

At 15mph, you travel about 22 feet per second. According to the Rules of the Road, normal driver reaction time is 1/4 to 3/4 second, which should not be materially different to that of a cyclist. This means you may travel between 5 and 17 feet before you can react in any way (applying brakes, or swerving). Given each manoeuvre will take additional time to execute, it is difficult to see how anyone could be expected to take appropriate evasive action.

petethedrummer

Beasty wrote: »

At 15mph, you travel about 22 feet per second. According to the Rules of the Road, normal driver reaction time is 1/4 to 3/4 second, which should not be materially different to that of a cyclist. This means you may travel between 5 and 17 feet before you can react in any way (applying brakes, or swerving). Given each manoeuvre will take additional time to execute, it is difficult to see how anyone could be expected to take appropriate evasive action.

maybe if one slowed down as penexpers suggested.

DeepBlue

petethedrummer wrote: »

maybe if one slowed down as penexpers suggested.

If we all slowed down enough to ensure we can react if some nutjob jumps out in front of us then we'd probably be quicker walking.

petethedrummer

you go your speed and i'll go mine.

_sparkie_

are the drummers not good enough for advice?:p

i57dwun4yb1pt8

as one drummer to another ,
i will be taking petes advice and watching speed

IF i get back on it .

but to be honest , elbow injuries are a disaster to anyone playing instruments
and lying on a spinal board frightens the crap out of you .

im a fast healer , and will be back in action shortly .

but I think ive had enough of getting broken bones.

SerialComplaint

DaDumTish wrote: »

i play a few differnet musical instruments , and at the moment with two busted elbows - i cant play any of them - and this really freaks me - this is why i think some protection might allow me to cycle again without breaking stuff if there was another accident.
.

That's your problem then. Cycling while playing musical instruments doesn't work well. Leave the music till you get home. Jeez, and I thought those iPodded cyclists were bad....

Morgan

Just get back on the bike and stop worrying about it. You might find these tips useful.

penexpers

petethedrummer wrote: »

maybe if one slowed down as penexpers suggested.

Well, yeah. 15mph translates to just under 25kph, which is way too fast for city centre cycling IMO. When I cycled in the city centre, I topped about 20kph and I generally cycled slower when I knew I was in an area where pedestrians were likely to be crossing.

dub_skav

penexpers wrote: »

Well, yeah. 15mph translates to just under 25kph, which is way too fast for city centre cycling IMO. When I cycled in the city centre, I topped about 20kph and I generally cycled slower when I knew I was in an area where pedestrians were likely to be crossing.

It is also worth noting that awareness is very important. As pointed out in another thread a pedestrain always comes from somewhere, they do not materialise in your path.
If a pedestrian so much as glances at the road you must be prepared for them to step onto it.
In the case in this thread when we are allowing for reaction times, distances etc you must also factor in any time that may have been gained by anticipating what the ped might do.

Of course if the ped came from behind a van or something this may limit your ability to see them, but in that case taking command of the lane so you have swerving distance to left and right is even more crucial.

Not knowing the exact circumstances of the OP this is all merely speculation but if we all cycle slower, take command of the lane and assume the worst of all peds and cars then we'll all be safer out there.