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Faceplanting, I thought I was above and beyond...


Mono

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This was the best case scenario today: I impressively learned that I still can't do it. I hit a speed bump that I hadn't seen at all (not yet painted, hence black in black, and me focussing somewhere else) at maybe 15km/h and boom, belly on the floor. Nothing serious happened. A small hole in the jacket and I can distinctively feel a bruised elbow and knee, compellingly reminding me that I still can't do it. I have practiced going over this type of speed bump for a while at various speeds, even without looking, but of course always prepared and knowing what was coming. Yet it didn't help (yet).
 
This lesson raises the interesting question: how to train being prepared for the unexpected?
 
Otherwise, any good physical reminder to stay careful is somewhat the best scenario possible.
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Well, Mono, this is a classic edge case that bites you on your ass because the edge case is rarely encountered.

If you take that Dark Lord bump and went over it 1000 times each week, then do you think it would still be hard? Is it reasonable to have that "ready to rumble" body position you use just before bumps be used all time?

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Similarly, I've also gone over a few unseen humps (due to lack of color differentiation) at around 20 kph. Luckily, while my feet were lifted slightly off the footrests and body pitched slightly forward, I've been able to catch the wheel back after that. Hasn't fallen off for past 2 years since getting my V8 & Tesla. So far so lucky. Keeping fingers crossed. Well, I guess the key is (i) to have eyes on tarmac on unfamiliar routes, (ii) to dress sensibly, (iii) to control speed over unfamiliar routes and (iv) to keep oneself agile, fit & strong (through exercise and games) so that if one falls, the injuries can be minimized. For example, in rugby, we get our falling-over drills done right first before going into other skills and full-tackle game. For EUC, tumble drills should help, over and above weight and fitness.

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that exact same ting happened to me a few months back.  Hit a speed bump that I didn't see and wham!  of course I went back and took  the bump without issues.  Its better to know when its coming to be prepared..)

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Same happen to me going over a speed bump at 15mph, got airborne, luckily landed one foot one pedal off center and one toe on the other pedal, wobbles, chest pounding, was miraculously able to bring the wheel under control and reposition my feet.  Would have been bad since that was the year I didn’t wear protection at all.  

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One important lesson I've learned from riding is that you're never too experienced to fall.  It's when you start thinking yeah, I'm a master of this one wheeled wonder that boom something happens out of the blue, humbling you back into your place.  The wheel is a bitter mistress.  She will slap you back to reality one speed bump at a time.  :blink:

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3 hours ago, Mono said:
This lesson raises the interesting question: how to train being prepared for the unexpected?

I'm considering acrobatics classes to train my cerebellum. Do you think it may help?

Also weight loss should help a bit...

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4 hours ago, Mono said:

how to train being prepared for the unexpected?

That happened to me once on the Monster. The Monster did well, moving forward after going over the bump and remaining level after my weight fell back (and forth) on the pedals. It was a frightening experience. In my off balance stance I moved forward in pendulum fashion without the control to brake. I feared I would fall off with contemplative results but eventually slowed it down to return under control to the unpainted speed bump.

On a grocery run last week on trash day my Ninebot pedals clipped the side of a big trash bin on the same sidewalk. The Ninebot surprisingly spun out  from under me in a low speed squeeze by the bins. I stumbled on old legs a few feet before landing on my hands, rolling and jamming two fingers.

In some ways I think my eye glasses incorrectly describe the pedals position to my brain as I also clipped a very close wall while operating a 360 camera (cracking a lens) under similar circumstances months ago. Very low object touch position as seen through the reading glasses part of the seamless bifocal lens.

Fingers last week:

Jammed finger

Had I been riding the Monster I would have been safely in the unobstructed road.

Those two fingers today are looking much better today, about a week later.

 

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4 hours ago, Mono said:
This was the best case scenario today: I impressively learned that I still can't do it. I hit a speed bump that I hadn't seen at all (not yet painted, hence black in black, and me focussing somewhere else) at maybe 15km/h and boom, belly on the floor. Nothing serious happened. A small hole in the jacket and I can distinctively feel a bruised elbow and knee, compellingly reminding me that I still can't do it. I have practiced going over this type of speed bump for a while at various speeds, even without looking, but of course always prepared and knowing what was coming. Yet it didn't help (yet).
 
This lesson raises the interesting question: how to train being prepared for the unexpected?
 
Otherwise, any good physical reminder to stay careful is somewhat the best scenario possible.

I think the problem is the initial response. What do you do when things go wrong? You do not want to end up leaning forward more and you do not want to be rigid. If you hit a speed bump it is like tripping. You will end you leaning forward more. If you are rigid you will likely accelerate. 

I have hit unexpected speed bumps and pot holes. I give at the knees as quickly as I can and try to fall behind the wheel. In doing so I end up regaining control.  It is very difficult to fall behind the wheel when you hit a bump. In the process of trying to do so it puts me in a better position to gain control. 

I have also spent a lot of time jumping over speed bumps and then using speed bumps as ramps to get some air. (because I am stupid like that)

 

 

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2 hours ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

One important lesson I've learned from riding is that you're never too experienced to fall.  It's when you start thinking yeah, I'm a master of this one wheeled wonder that boom something happens out of the blue, humbling you back into your place.  The wheel is a bitter mistress.  She will slap you back to reality one speed bump at a time.  :blink:

Of all the people that could get hurt. Why did it have to be our most liked person? :unsure:  .... cough .... persons , Sorry Rehab1 ! :efeec46606:

   Come to think of it ........ I don't think I want to be well liked! I might get hurt. It is always the old hateful guy that lives for ever. :furious:

 

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Riding with stiff legs is a good way to get you off the pedals on a surprise bump. I always keep my knees bent a bit, partially for this exact reason. So far I haven’t hit a surprise bump big enough to make me fall.

My theory is that a slight backwards angle in the pedal calibration might help as well, as then the gravity would help gain more traction and acceleration while the feet are slipping forward.

And of course a proper 40-grit sanding sheet over the pedals instead of the original finer ”grip” patches.

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40 minutes ago, RockyTop said:

Of all the people that could get hurt. Why did it have to be our most liked person? :unsure:  .... cough .... persons , Sorry Rehab1 ! :efeec46606:

   Come to think of it ........ I don't think I want to be well liked! I might get hurt. It is always the old hateful guy that lives for ever. :furious:

 

Most liked person?  :w00t2:  Aw shucks!  :efefd0f676:  Yeah it sucks to fall, get injured, and ride no more.  I was all geared up too or so I thought!  Loose elbow pads that scoot sideways in a motorcycle jacket sleeve don’t do squat!  I wish I had Marty’s heavy duty elbow gear on as that might have cushioned the impact better to my shoulder.

I don’t think it’s possible to be prepared for every situation.  Fast reflexes might help, but rider fatigue will slow that down after a long ride.  It’s still amazing to see people able to run off some faceplants.  Marty’s a master at them as long as the wheel doesn’t slide laterally.

 

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1 hour ago, RockyTop said:

I think the problem is the initial response. What do you do when things go wrong? You do not want to end up leaning forward more and you do not want to be rigid. If you hit a speed bump it is like tripping. You will end you leaning forward more. If you are rigid you will likely accelerate. 

I have hit unexpected speed bumps and pot holes. I give at the knees as quickly as I can and try to fall behind the wheel. In doing so I end up regaining control.  It is very difficult to fall behind the wheel when you hit a bump. In the process of trying to do so it puts me in a better position to gain control. 

I have also spent a lot of time jumping over speed bumps and then using speed bumps as ramps to get some air. (because I am stupid like that)

My experience is always landing more forward of the pedals if I unexpectedly get air.

For drops, I discovered early on if you just say to yourself "screw it" and lean a bit forward you'll drop some crazy and possibly damaging height but mostly you'll land just fine. It's when you chicken out and lean backwards that the wheel shoots forward and then your crotch comes to hit you in the face.

For speed bumps, I dunno. I've had success in hitting them pretty hard where it feels like your knees are coming towards your chest, but unexpected ones are bad news.

I think one of the more interesting crashes I had was some years ago, when my wheel dropped into a sidewalk crack, actually v-shaped, and ended up being stuck Excalibur-like.

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7 hours ago, RockyTop said:

Of all the people that could get hurt. Why did it have to be our most liked person? :unsure:  .... cough .... persons , Sorry Rehab1 ! 

I appreciate your kind compliment but feel I have not reached that revered status in my life yet. 

@Hunka Hunka Burning Love‘s correct that you can’t prepare for every situation as there are illimitable circumstances that can occur while riding resulting in injury. It is important for forum members to keep sharing details of their accidents so we can all learn. 

I always wonder how many injuries were averted because a member generously shared their story. Yes some details are horrific especially when combined with gory images but those tend to have the most impact on our riding habits and decision making, good or bad. 

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As there's no specialized EUC riding equipment out there, I wonder if @Rehab1, the ortho-fabricating genius :thumbup:, might be able to maybe devise some sort of controlled deceleration padding for elbows and forearms that when landing gives the EUC rider a cushion to minimize the impact up the arm to the shoulder joint.  Would EUC riders benefit from using the thickest, best cushioned elbow and forearm pads available? 

I've seen some heavy duty Lacrosse pads and hockey ones, but the padding under the hard shell wasn't that thick.  I wonder if maybe a double thickness padding would help?  You just want to go from hero to zero in a few more milliseconds to try to slow the force down over time?  This might help?

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10 minutes ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

As there's no specialized EUC riding equipment out there, I wonder if @Rehab1, the ortho-fabricating genius :thumbup:, might be able to maybe devise some sort of controlled deceleration padding for elbows and forearms that when landing gives the EUC rider a cushion to minimize the impact up the arm to the shoulder joint.  Would EUC riders benefit from using the thickest, best cushioned elbow and forearm pads available? 

I've seen some heavy duty Lacrosse pads and hockey ones, but the padding under the hard shell wasn't that thick.  I wonder if maybe a double thickness padding would help?  You just want to go from hero to zero in a few more milliseconds to try to slow the force down over time?  This might help?

Motorcycle protection for the body is idiotic because it's based on looking badass. Notice most body armor is based on defeating penetrating weapons from, oh, the 14th century, and so our collective memory steers us towards articulated hard armor.

Equestrian equipment which is all essentially just a big catcher's mitt does much better and gradually reducing impact forces over a greater area.

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17 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

Equestrian equipment which is all essentially just a big catcher's mitt does much better and gradually reducing impact forces over a greater area.

Good point. But have you seen what the stuff costs? People with horses must be rich, so that's how they decide their prices.

Also, abrasion protection is an important thing in a EUC crash - not sure how well the equestrian equipment would help then.

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21 minutes ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

As there's no specialized EUC riding equipment out there, I wonder if @Rehab1, the ortho-fabricating genius :thumbup:, might be able to maybe devise some sort of controlled deceleration padding for elbows and forearms that when landing gives the EUC rider a cushion to minimize the impact up the arm to the shoulder joint.  Would EUC riders benefit from using the thickest, best cushioned elbow and forearm pads available? 

I did fabricate and attach shock absorbing pads to my Titan elbow protectors. In theory the pads should absorb enough energy from a direct impact to prevent a shoulder injury/fracture. Unfortunately my wife refuses to test them. 

If you were to send me a set of elbow guards I would gladly fabricate a set for you... free of charge. Anything to help you feel confident about riding again. 

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You may want to consider that sliding can be an important factor. If the protector make you get stuck instead of slide out it could make things worse, possibly even much worse.

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8 minutes ago, Mono said:

You may want to consider that sliding can be an important factor. If the protector make you get stuck instead of slide out it could make things worse, possibly even much worse.

You have a point. Like I mentioned my wife has yet to test it. I feel confident enough riding with my jacket that incorporates injection molded protective shells located around injury susceptible regions.  And they will let me slide. 

46059434552_65818917ef_b.jpg

 

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I need to sandwich a couple of memory foam mattresses around my entire body, cut two peeky holes to see though, and then add a bunch of plastic roll-up sled snow slides around me with packing tape!  That ought to do the trick!  :w00t2:

@Rehab1 - thanks for the offer!  :thumbup:  I might have to mend up a bit more before going down that path again.  :cry2:  Does that helmet say "Blind" on the back?  :blink:

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9 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

You have a point. Like I mentioned my wife has yet to test it. I feel confident enough riding with my jacket that incorporates injection molded protective shells located around injury susceptible regions.  And they will let me slide. 

46059434552_65818917ef_b.jpg

 

reminds me of what the walking dead characters wear in the tv show.  LOL

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12 minutes ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

I need to sandwich a couple of memory foam mattresses around my entire body, cut two peeky holes to see though, and then add a bunch of plastic roll-up sled snow slides around me with packing tape!  That ought to do the trick!  :w00t2:

 

Don’t forget the oxygen tank.;)

12 minutes ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

 

@Rehab1 - thanks for the offer!  :thumbup:  I might have to mend up a bit more before going down that path again.  :cry2:  Does that helmet say "Blind" on the back?  :blink:

Your welcome. I fully understand your predicament. Yes ‘Blind’. It’s a subtle reminder of what happened 10 months ago.

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12 minutes ago, eddiemoy said:

reminds me of what the walking dead characters wear in the tv show.  LOL

Funny! Those are my work clothes. Real men wear pink and puffy pants. 

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