Protip: Always watch where you are going! Also, wrist guards are pretty neat and knee guards might be nice to have too...

[meepmeepmayer]

Had a little crash today. Nothing big, but still it happened and could easily have been worse.

Was riding my ACM on a nice, wide, straight bike path and fixing my jacket's annoying hood (to help against the wind) aka not looking where I was going for a few moments (and especially not checking the ground ahead). What can happen on such a neat open path, right?

Boom, a rock in the middle of the road! Most likely from a guy mowing the grass with a vehicle there a few moments earlier, and kicking the mower-endangering thing from the grass out of the way (= onto the middle of the paved path). And I went right across it. Here's the asshole rock from the inconsiderate mowing guy. Not that big, but unfortunately big enough. Took it home on the way back from the doctor, it was right along the way, that's why there are pictures.

Not sure how exactly the crash happened, but I felt neither a big bump nor the pedals of my ACM dipping, nor any sideways tumbling. I believe the wheel simply stopped going as fast as I did (25km/h), so I was thrown forward, landed on my hands (wrist guards, thankfully, but that was all the protection I had) and slid to a stop. Basically like driving against a surprise curb.

Results:

• Bloody knee with a deep-ish wound. But nothing worse than that.
• The road grated through my jeans (knee and pocket), as well as through my wind jacket, two layers of sweater and a tiny bit of my arm's skin (thankfully it was so cold today, this would have been an unpleasantly bloody matter in summer without the layers, now the arm is good). My clothing, decimated! Actually, much more than decimated, really have to go shopping now.
• Bruised (a little) shoulder. Again, not bad at all, but can take some weeks to heal (aka not feel it a little).
• Some bruising on my leg where my phone was.

In the end, basically nothing happened injury-wise (though I went to a doctor just to be sure), and I got my apparently overdue tetanus immunization up to date this way

Lessons learned:

• Look where you are going, really! EUC safety tip #1!
  Just because there's a nice wide track before you, does not mean it's safe, even if someone is riding/driving in front of you quite fast.
• Damn, wrist guards are really the most important safety gear everyone should wear! Without them cushioning the fall and the hard plastic preventing grating my hand, I might very well have the same kind of horrible hand injury @Jason McNeil was showing photos of a few years ago (don't look them up if you don't like injury photos). Now my hands are fine. No bruise, no nothing.
• Don't have ANY hard stuff in your pants pockets. That's in a place where your body lands on the ground, and anything hard will ram right into your leg muscles and give you a nice bruise in the shape of the very thing, or worse (keys would probably ram right into the flesh). No going up stairs for 2 weeks then (I had this earier, this time it was almost nothing).
  Same applies to any other pockets. Hard stuff in your jacket inside pocket would probably break your ribs (!), jacket outside pocket is right above the hip bone, etc. Don't have anyhing hard in your pockets when riding! Maybe back pockets are fine, unless you fall on your behind. The only other hole in my jeans except the knee is where I had hard stuff in my pant pocket.
• Knee guards are more or less the second most likely piece of protection you'll ever be glad about. Had two smaller crashes now (the first one, a low speed uphill cut-out, convinced me to get wrist guards), and it was wrists and knees under attack both times.
• Guess I should get a helmet before I have a third crash with "minor" injuries on the head making me wear one
• I never expected EUCs to be fast enough (when around 25-30 km/h) so that the pavement (potentially) ripping your skin away would be an issue (like it is for motorbikers). But in a crash where you don't hit anything, this may be a more considerable thing than impact protection!
  I don't like elbow guards or crazy full body armor, but I'm seriously thinking about some abrasion-resistant jacket, ideally padded (most of all on the shoulder, maybe elbow too). Easy and fast to take on and off. Maybe a motorcycle jacket? Again, if this had happened in summer, no idea how my arm would look now.
  Also, never expected to ever think about shoulder protection, but you'll always fall a bit sideways and then that's where you hit the ground, too.

[These are in imho order of importance]

TLDR: Look where you are going and always check the ground before you, also protective clothing works (you wouldn't believe it), and consider abrasion, not just absolute worst cases (cut-out, rammed by car) when thinking about protection.

Hoping this helps someone, or at least offers some entertainment.

(Any ideas what to do with the rock?)

[WARPed1701D]

Glad you are OK. Good tips! 

Place the rock next to your EUC so you see it every time you get ready to ride. On those times you tell yourself you don't need protection for the short  ride to the shop the rock will remind you otherwise... If not then you can bash yourself on the head with it to knock the sense into you. 

[LanghamP]

One goes from a skateboard helmet, to the Bell 3R, to a full on sportbike helmet just because EUCs are sketchy as hell, and I find myself slowly getting up to motorcycle levels of protection.

Good that you're fine. While a great number of people here are going to bitch about you not wearing a helmet, I would like to point out how minor your injuries are especially compared to sportbike crashes.

[meepmeepmayer]

@WARPed1701D Not a bad idea. But this inanimate object must also be punished somehow

@LanghamP You're right. It wasn't such a bad crash, surprisingly unproblematic actually. But if you don't have a cut-out or hit anything, just crashing on a wide open space without obstacles like this probably isn't that bad unless you hit your head (which definitely can happen).

What's keeping me from getting a helmet is, deep down I know I should get one with a chin guard/full face protection, but eugh...

[WARPed1701D]

17 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

@WARPed1701D Not a bad idea. But this inanimate object must also be punished somehow

Ahhh. It's not the rocks fault. He doesn't have legs to move out the way. He was quite happy in the grass looking to damage some mower blades. He didn't want to hurt you. The nasty mower man put him there. Punish the mower man! Maybe he did you a favor by convincing you to get more gear without hurting you badly.

Regarding the full face helmet...I actually prefer wearing my full face to my standard road bike helmet. It is much more comfortable. If I lived in cooler climates I would wear it instead of my road helmet on my bicycle. Try some and you might be surprised.

[Circuitmage]

 

GOOD POST. Glad you survived this opportunity for learning!

I happened to hit 2 cars this morning. My first "vehicular" incidents since I started riding in June. No injuries, just a couple typical situations. 1) was trying to go around a truck parked on a sidewalk, did not make it. 2) car pulled out of parking garage as I was at full speed.

Personally, from my experiences in falling (just a few), I think armor importance is rated as follows;

1) Gloves (I'm not using wrist guards)

2) Knee pads

3) Elbow pads

4) Helmet

I have found I always put my hands out first, so they have to be protected. IF I fall and hit the ground, my knees hit first. I have not yet hit my head, but will be upgrading my helmet soon.

I also have not hit my elbows, but hope I never do. 

 

And, I am still recovering from my dog pulling me down. Had knee pads on but hit/twisted my knee. Still able to walk, and only off EUC for 2 days, but looks like full recovery will be several weeks. Only slight pain after 10 days now.

 

Be safe!

[meepmeepmayer]

@Circuitmage 2 car-related falls in one ride??!!  That really might one make stop riding.

The other thing doesn't sound too pleasant, either. Ouch!

Your order is very similar to mine. What I like about wrist guards vs. gloves is the initial cushioning the hard parts on wrist guards provide, it isn't really about the wrists so much.

22 minutes ago, WARPed1701D said:

Regarding the full face helmet...I actually prefer wearing my full face to my standard road bike helmet.

It would be nice to have a place to try out different variants, but even in Munich the big sports stores are atrocious. Clothing + some distantly sports-related gear in a corner. Will have to find some better places.

Full face is hot (in the summer) and, most of all, I hate the idea of it restricting the hearing, big part of traffic awareness for me. But I'll guess I should try if that's actually true

[WARPed1701D]

1 minute ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Full face is hot (in the summer) and, most of all, I hate the idea of it restricting the hearing, big part of traffic awareness for me. But I'll guess I should try if that's actually true

Living in Florida I am an authority on hot. Surprisingly my helmet has not felt hot even when riding through the worst of the summer heat. The breeze from our own movement vents most the heat out well. Of course a helmet without vents would be a different story.

@Scatcat does seem to notice some hearing loss with his helmet. I however notice no reduction of sound and just a small amount of wind noise. We both have the Switchblade. It would seem we are all built differently and even the same helmet can have mixed results on different people.  Finding a store where you can try some on is without doubt the best option, otherwise order several brands on Amazon with a credit card and try them all at the same time. Return them before the credit card payment is due and you will likely not have had to pay anything beyond some return shipping costs. I did this with the Bell 3R and the Giro.

[US69]

2 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

on't have ANY hard stuff in your pants pockets. That's in a place where your body lands on the ground, and anything hard will ram right into your leg muscles and give you a nice bruise in the shape of the very thing, or worse (keys would probably ram right into the flesh). No going up stairs for 2 weeks then (I had this earier, this time it was almost nothing).
Same applies to any other pockets. Hard stuff in your jacket inside pocket would probably break your ribs (!), jacket outside pocket is right above the hip bone, etc. Don't have anyhing hard in your pockets when riding! Maybe back pockets are fine, unless you fall on your behind. The only other hole in my jeans except the knee is where I had hard stuff in my pant pocket.

Very good advice!

On my falls i suffered from stuff in my jeans pocket, also!

Actually on my 2 bad falls, i did not have anything in my jacket....but as on both falls i have fallen onto my left arm, my arm/ellbow broke some of my ribs :-( After hand and knees in my view ribs are also the most vulnerable bodyparts...and the hardest to protect. 

And yip...and it can be that in one moment you are gliding like a superhero...and in the next you smash on the ground!

But no risk...no fun?!

[LanghamP]

1 hour ago, meepmeepmayer said:

@WARPed1701D Not a bad idea. But this inanimate object must also be punished somehow

@LanghamP You're right. It wasn't such a bad crash, surprisingly unproblematic actually. But if you don't have a cut-out or hit anything, just crashing on a wide open space without obstacles like this probably isn't that bad unless you hit your head (which definitely can happen).

What's keeping me from getting a helmet is, deep down I know I should get one with a chin guard/full face protection, but eugh...

I bought this yesterday. It should fit since I've used HJC helmets for nearly two decades.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/hjc/fg-17/review.htm

They sell between 85-120 dollars, and for the winter you'd need a visor and front protection anyway.

Being able to hear is overrated; if something evil is close enough to hear then it's probably too late to do anything on your part. Best to depend on sight, and make a reasonable effort to stay away from vehicles.

[Circuitmage]

I still have my nice motorcycle helmet, but I do prefer having a bit more viewing angle,mobility and less weight.

 

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

  Glad to hear that you're okay meep, and thanks for sharing that cautionary tale.  These wheels feel so stable once you get riding, but they can turn on a dime and bite you in the butt on a moment's notice.  I've got two motorcycle/BMX style jackets I use.  One mesh for the summer, and one semi-rainproof for fall.  They have the inserts for elbows, back, shoulders, and they look pretty cool.    I have a basic set of knee pads and full glove wrist guards which make you feel safe.  Whenever I see people without gloves I fear what would happen if they faceplant.  Skidding on bare skin is not good.  Not good.

[dbfrese]

8 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

But this inanimate object must also be punished somehow

Tie the rock to a bigger rock and throw it in the river. 

Glad you're not very seriously injured. What type of wrist guards were you wearing? I thought you'd been considering Flexmeters, but I don't think you've pulled the trigger on that purchase yet, right?

 

[Steven D Wheeler]

Hey Meep, sorry to hear about your fall.

That's a pretty big rock to hit.

When you said you injured your shoulder, I remembered a fall I took in July where I landed on my left shoulder.

It was way bruised and messed up for two weeks.

So I decided after that pain that I would NOT go through that again.

My solution: https://www.ebay.com/itm/CCM-Tacks-3092-Classic-II-Senior-Hockey-SMU-Shoulder-Pads-NEW-List-70/192250854221?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I wear these when I go out on long trail rides, I look a bit beefy but I enjoy being protected.

[mezzanine]

I very much agree about the importance of hand protection.  I have used the palm-sliders on my wrist guards a couple of times already.  Avoiding injury is the most important part, but it sucks to ruin expensive clothing in a crash, too.  We're heading into winter in Canada and I am going to have to wear an expensive down jacket to be able to stay warm, but I know I'm going to be annoyed when I inevitably damage it. 

My hip took the brunt of my first crash.  Still hurts a bit and it's got to be a couple of weeks now.  I saw @WARPed1701D is rocking the g-form hip protectors and will eventually get their whole line.  I'm going to get a full-faced helmet, too, but I've been holding out on that one. 

[steve454]

10 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Had a little crash today. Nothing big, but still it happened and could easily have been worse.

Was riding my ACM on a nice, wide, straight bike path and fixing my jacket's annoying hood (to help against the wind) aka not looking where I was going for a few moments (and especially not checking the ground ahead). What can happen on such a neat open path, right?

Boom, a rock in the middle of the road! Most likely from a guy mowing the grass with a vehicle there a few moments earlier, and kicking the mower-endangering thing from the grass out of the way (= onto the middle of the paved path). And I went right across it. Here's the asshole rock from the inconsiderate mowing guy. Not that big, but unfortunately big enough. Took it home on the way back from the doctor, it was right along the way, that's why there are pictures.

Not sure how exactly the crash happened, but I felt neither a big bump nor the pedals of my ACM dipping, nor any sideways tumbling. I believe the wheel simply stopped going as fast as I did (25km/h), so I was thrown forward, landed on my hands (wrist guards, thankfully, but that was all the protection I had) and slid to a stop. Basically like driving against a surprise curb.

Results:

• Bloody knee with a deep-ish wound. But nothing worse than that.
• The road grated through my jeans (knee and pocket), as well as through my wind jacket, two layers of sweater and a tiny bit of my arm's skin (thankfully it was so cold today, this would have been an unpleasantly bloody matter in summer without the layers, now the arm is good). My clothing, decimated! Actually, much more than decimated, really have to go shopping now.
• Bruised (a little) shoulder. Again, not bad at all, but can take some weeks to heal (aka not feel it a little).
• Some bruising on my leg where my phone was.

In the end, basically nothing happened injury-wise (though I went to a doctor just to be sure), and I got my apparently overdue tetanus immunization up to date this way

Lessons learned:

• Look where you are going, really! EUC safety tip #1!
  Just because there's a nice wide track before you, does not mean it's safe, even if someone is riding/driving in front of you quite fast.
• Damn, wrist guards are really the most important safety gear everyone should wear! Without them cushioning the fall and the hard plastic preventing grating my hand, I might very well have the same kind of horrible hand injury @Jason McNeil was showing photos of a few years ago (don't look them up if you don't like injury photos). Now my hands are fine. No bruise, no nothing.
• Don't have ANY hard stuff in your pants pockets. That's in a place where your body lands on the ground, and anything hard will ram right into your leg muscles and give you a nice bruise in the shape of the very thing, or worse (keys would probably ram right into the flesh). No going up stairs for 2 weeks then (I had this earier, this time it was almost nothing).
  Same applies to any other pockets. Hard stuff in your jacket inside pocket would probably break your ribs (!), jacket outside pocket is right above the hip bone, etc. Don't have anyhing hard in your pockets when riding! Maybe back pockets are fine, unless you fall on your behind. The only other hole in my jeans except the knee is where I had hard stuff in my pant pocket.
• Knee guards are more or less the second most likely piece of protection you'll ever be glad about. Had two smaller crashes now (the first one, a low speed uphill cut-out, convinced me to get wrist guards), and it was wrists and knees under attack both times.
• Guess I should get a helmet before I have a third crash with "minor" injuries on the head making me wear one
• I never expected EUCs to be fast enough (when around 25-30 km/h) so that the pavement (potentially) ripping your skin away would be an issue (like it is for motorbikers). But in a crash where you don't hit anything, this may be a more considerable thing than impact protection!
  I don't like elbow guards or crazy full body armor, but I'm seriously thinking about some abrasion-resistant jacket, ideally padded (most of all on the shoulder, maybe elbow too). Easy and fast to take on and off. Maybe a motorcycle jacket? Again, if this had happened in summer, no idea how my arm would look now.
  Also, never expected to ever think about shoulder protection, but you'll always fall a bit sideways and then that's where you hit the ground, too.

[These are in imho order of importance]

TLDR: Look where you are going and always check the ground before you, also protective clothing works (you wouldn't believe it), and consider abrasion, not just absolute worst cases (cut-out, rammed by car) when thinking about protection.

Hoping this helps someone, or at least offers some entertainment.

Glad you are okay, good that you got checked at the doctors office.  Good tips about protective clothing.  Blue jeans would seem to be good, but I fell once and the jeans didn't tear but still abraded my knee.  Pads would be better.

That's a nice rock, looks like it would be good to put in a garden, or on top of the fireplace mantel.  It has a story you can tell your children and grandchildren, of the time this rock made you crash.  I say keep it.

 

 

[WARPed1701D]

1 hour ago, mezzanine said:

I saw @WARPed1701D is rocking the g-form hip protectors 

I promise to review this gear soon but so far very happy with it all. I've not crashed yet though so any option is based on comfort and perceived protection. With the full set I have protection for shoulders, collar bone, sternum, ribs, hips, sit bones, tail bone, partial thigh, knee, and elbow. I just wish it had something in the spine area. For that I have a POC Spine 2.0 back protector but I'd prefer and integrated option. 

[Steven D Wheeler]

11 minutes ago, WARPed1701D said:

With the full set I have protection for shoulders, collar bone, sternum, ribs, hips, sit bones, tail bone, partial thigh, knee, and elbow. I just wish it had something in the spine area. For that I have a POC Spine 2.0 back protector but I'd prefer and integrated option.

This is what I use for my spine & rib protection.

I wear this right above my hips below my hockey pads.

https://www.amazon.com/Douglas-Adult-Football-Rib-Protector/dp/B00584XKJ6

Pads for me are a must have when I ride fast.

I bought these after bruising 3 ribs in July when I fell.

I've fallen with these since and have never been hurt, they work well.

[LanghamP]

1 hour ago, WARPed1701D said:

I promise to review this gear soon but so far very happy with it all. I've not crashed yet though so any option is based on comfort and perceived protection. With the full set I have protection for shoulders, collar bone, sternum, ribs, hips, sit bones, tail bone, partial thigh, knee, and elbow. I just wish it had something in the spine area. For that I have a POC Spine 2.0 back protector but I'd prefer and integrated option. 

These riding (equestrian) vests are on a whole different level, probably cause only rich people ride horses.

www.doversaddlery.com/protective-vests/c/1202/

Some of those self deploying vests remind me of the air helmet being sold in Europe.

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

The more we ride, the more we become Rollerball extras.    They should remake that movie with EUCs instead of rollerskates!   There was a remake in 2002, but I never saw it.  @Stan Onymous I got a movie proposal for ya!  

[Scatcat]

16 hours ago, WARPed1701D said:

Living in Florida I am an authority on hot. Surprisingly my helmet has not felt hot even when riding through the worst of the summer heat. The breeze from our own movement vents most the heat out well. Of course a helmet without vents would be a different story.

@Scatcat does seem to notice some hearing loss with his helmet. I however notice no reduction of sound and just a small amount of wind noise. We both have the Switchblade. It would seem we are all built differently and even the same helmet can have mixed results on different people.  Finding a store where you can try some on is without doubt the best option, otherwise order several brands on Amazon with a credit card and try them all at the same time. Return them before the credit card payment is due and you will likely not have had to pay anything beyond some return shipping costs. I did this with the Bell 3R and the Giro.

We must be built differently, because I notice both hearing loss and higher wind-noise with the switchblade. I suppose it may be how the ears sit in respect to the holes on the sides...

For the rest, my priority of protective gear is:

• Wrist guards with skid protection - if you can't roll, these are the difference between broken radius and skinned hands and no damage at all.
• Knee pads - if you can't roll, you really really don't want to use your knee caps as braking calipers...
• Helmet - while hitting your head is actually not that common with a EUC, unless you get a cut out, even once may ruin your whole day... I like my brain the way it is please, and plastic reconstructive surgery holds no temptation.
• Elbow pads - same consideration as knee pads. While the elbows don't hit as immediately as the knees, the knowledge you have them mean you take some of the impact on them rather than on the wrists.
• Shoulder pads - to make sure your roll doesn't end up with a broken collar-bone or fractured shoulder.
• Back pad - again, like with the helmet, actually hitting your back is not that likely. But again, if you do, it can fuck up your life totally.

The last three are part of my MC-jacket, so I hardly notice using them.

[meepmeepmayer]

12 hours ago, dbfrese said:

What type of wrist guards were you wearing? I thought you'd been considering Flexmeters, but I don't think you've pulled the trigger on that purchase yet, right?

Rollerskate wrist guards from a cheapo 25€ set (wrist, elbow, knee). They did their part perfectly well, my hands are completely unhurt and I felt the impact and its cushioning when the plastic hit the ground. Actually the first thing I thought when lying on the ground (or even right after the hand impact) was "Damn these things really exactly as they should!" before I even realized I had a crash or why it happened or that my head was still in one piece.

I bought these initially as I had no other idea what to get, and if the wrist guards weren't starting to fall apart, no real reason to replace them. But since they're in the process of disintegrating after 6 months and so I need new ones anyway, might as well go for the best (also concerning longevity) and get the Demons, that is the idea. So will order some when as I can be assed to do it. Also thinking about the Flexmeter gloves as soon as I know how they are built in comparison the the regular Flexmeters (I really want the impact protection most of all).

12 hours ago, mezzanine said:

Avoiding injury is the most important part, but it sucks to ruin expensive clothing in a crash, too.

Hehe, my wardrobe was already marginal, but this crash killed a major part of the upper body stuff I had (due to the cold weather layering). At least they were (except one piece) really old and this forces me to get new stuff.

9 hours ago, LanghamP said:

These riding (equestrian) vests are on a whole different level, probably cause only rich people ride horses.

Thanks for the link. I think you posted this some time earlier already. They really seem to be on another level, certainly the prices which approach new wheels.

Not sure what exactly horse vests are supposed to primarily protect against, probably hard falls from horse height? Or speedy falls? Upper-body-first impacts? Kicking horses?

[meepmeepmayer]

11 hours ago, WARPed1701D said:

I've not crashed yet though so any option is based on comfort and perceived protection

Time to get a faster wheel, ideally a Gotway, for this purpose

20 hours ago, WARPed1701D said:

Living in Florida I am an authority on hot. Surprisingly my helmet has not felt hot even when riding through the worst of the summer heat. The breeze from our own movement vents most the heat out well. Of course a helmet without vents would be a different story.

The problem starts when you stop for a moment. I absolutely, positively hate being still somewhere and sweating (I'm a guy who would rather freeze for an hour than be too hot for 5 minutes). Any unnecessary skin contact is  It's already a thing when stopping during cold weather riding (or having to stop riding and excercise, like pushing or carrying the wheel for a while). Gah!

But you're right, for winter, a helmet would actually be pleasant. And I guess in summer you have to live with it.

19 hours ago, LanghamP said:

Being able to hear is overrated; if something evil is close enough to hear then it's probably too late to do anything on your part. Best to depend on sight, and make a reasonable effort to stay away from vehicles.

About hearing, it's not just before a possible crash when you want it, but to generally assess what's going on around you. Very important for me. Though, to be honest, with the wind noise this might be moot anyways. Been surprised by stuff I expected to hear too often.

3 hours ago, Scatcat said:

The last three are part of my MC-jacket, so I hardly notice using them.

That's the great part about it, no lengthy process of getting the stuff on, just put on the jacket and you're good!

[LanghamP]

I also have the Road crafter one piece suit. If you want motorcycle levels of protection, with armor in all the places except the chest, and a thick foam spine protector, then this is the suit to get.

I can easily get in to this suit in under 8 seconds, and much faster getting out.

https://lanesplitter.jalopnik.com/an-ode-to-the-most-amazing-riding-suit-ever-made-1722151934

Edit: however, my observation is the chest is the most important part to protect along with the head, specifically front collisions into something that you can't roll or slide out. So in my opinion the equestrian vests would protect you better from collisions than this suit. Much better; this suit has NO chest protection.

[novazeus]

On 11/9/2017 at 10:56 AM, WARPed1701D said:

Living in Florida I am an authority on hot.

yes, this was an especially hot and humid summer, worse over here inland than st pete. at least u get a gulf breeze. and people wonder why i waited for cooler weather to start this new adventure. @meepmeepmayer hope u heal quickly and don’t have residual pain. starting to think women are actually smarter than men, seeing how there doesn’t seem to be too many female wheelers. starting to think doctors invented eucs. definitely good for bizness.

don’t know what u would attach this to, but starting to think these are needed. if i was still riding motorcycles, i’d probably have one. i still have cop buddies out riding with no helmets.