helmet anyone?

Wow, thanks for the grapic info there Deacon My dog is gettin into the french fries that I just made The ketsup was a nice "extra" as I just don't think I'm hungry right now. The bathroom or the front door? which ones closer? Mmmm I always wondered if it would all fit in a brain bucket. It does. Ohhh Tramp

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Damn deacon! "then I took pictures of him"......that was the best belly laugh I've had in a long while! I could somehow just picture the whole scene.

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If it ain't broke, and you mess with it long enough, it will be.

I have to laugh about nobody is going to get hurt at 20-30 mph. I used to race and have crashed many times on just a plain bicycle; generally at these very speeds on a bike that weighs less than a lot of motors and hardware used on M-Bikes. I never went down face first, but that is a real possibility when your front wheel washes out from under you. Your instinct is to get your hands down to break the fall. They take a lot of abuse in a crash and all you need to help is half fingered leather palm gloves. They used to have a knit crotchet back and now are stretch Lycra backed. They are pretty cool as I ride in 115 degree heat here in Phoenix.

Another instinct is to roll your body over the shoulder and arm. This can end up with a broken collar bone. We used to practice falling off the bike at speed on grass. This helps to develop good instincts in a crash, as well as how to ride out of a slide. My worst injuries were road rash from sliding over pavement without enough skin protection. I shaved my legs so the wounds would clean up and heal better.

At 30 miles per hour you will have things go wrong and every now and then will need some healing time. Are you really tough enough to handle missing skin with dirt and oil and pebbles and sand ground into any bare flesh? The crash is ok but the clean up and healing are much worse with feeling back after the shock of initial impact. Abrasions are technically very similar to a burn where you need to regrow the skin that is gone. You have a high incidence of infection to these type of injuries.

Keep riding and you can test these theories of mine out. I will risk those injuries as I love the independence of using my own power to get around. The motor makes it even a little more fun and I think both safer and more dangerous. It is certainly safer to be able to accelerate with traffic and sometimes out of a tight spot. If you go down you have a heavier vehicle that may batter you as you go down. Me I like to use gloves and a helmet but do have to remind myself to use them. Keep riding and do it as safe as seems sane to you.

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LennyHarp of Lenny's Bikes & Things
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The true value of a man is not judged by what he has, but rather by what he can do without.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an action, but a habit." -- Aristotle

Funny that you mentioned roadrashes. I had the front end wash out underneath me today going into a hairpin too fast and hitting a freshly graveled pavement area. I was not going fast (about 25mph). I only suffered minor rasberries BUT my helmet did hit the pavement and scratched up my faceshield and a corner of my helmet. All I know is...It could have been worst if I wasn't wearing my helmet.
The day I pick not to wear my pads happened to be the 2nd time I fell!
LOL

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I like to use some Aloe Vera for road rash....I'm lucky I've got a bunch growing in my yard. I hate it when it's all over your back, then it dries up and when you move and your skin stretches...it breaks open, I hate that.

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It was pretty funny because where I fell, there were a couple of ripped up nice expensive jackets and of course Dean says: Look Kenny: You're not the only fool to go down! Then follows to say: See what happens when you're trying to keep up with me! LOL
It stung a little when it first happened but after taking 800mg of motrin, no pain for the rest of the ride. Dean and I rode from my home to Sunol, had lunch rode to a couple of parks then rode back home. We smoked a few Rice Rockets on the windy stuff on Caleveras. We rode over 70 miles yesterday.

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fairracing31,

You know entirely too much about road rash for your own good. I see the racing part is at least true. From your posts I bet the fair part is too.

I used to figure on a crash a year when I raced. I bet I get one this year yet as I had not seriously ridden in 10-15 years. You really can't overdo maintenance to rule out all but the unavoidable mechanical causes of crash IE brake failure, frame failure & etc. My worst crash was a stem that failed as I raced my wife and kids in the car, and SHE HIT ME as I swerved the way I was leaning.

I am sorry I to would have been doing my best to catch and pass my riding buddy. That is the racer in us right? The rash does not hurt as bad first day as you killed the top layer of sensors. I bet you cannot get enough Motrin in you today and tomorrow to kill the pain as new sensors take over and say, "YOU DUMMY". Come to think of it at 56 I may not want to plan on that crash this year, maybe next.

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LennyHarp of Lenny's Bikes & Things
http://lennyharp.net
The true value of a man is not judged by what he has, but rather by what he can do without.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an action, but a habit." -- Aristotle

What? Are guy's saying I'm the only one here that has had road rash that bad? Geeez, if I knew that I would have kept it to myself, that's embarrassing

But yes, aloe vera is great for road rash....and I'm not talking about the stuff you buy in a tube at walgreens...I'm talking about the actual plant.

You peal it open and slice out the good juicy meat out of it, put it on your rash and wrap it with gauze lightly.

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OK I will stop talking about crashing and I suggest you all do also. I am a bit aggressive on the road as I like to get there in one piece and see mixing it up with multi ton high horse powered vehicles as threatening. Well today I got too close to a turning car and for some reason the driver slammed on their brakes. I slammed on my brakes and found out just how good my XTR brakes are as I watched my bike go back and under me as I went up and over the handlebars. I did a pretty nice flip and I landed on my back and left side, with the bike landing on me and wheel spinning. I thought I am a mess and I hope I am not late for my appointment. I stood up and threw my still running bike out of the road onto the sidewalk and told the person behind me who mercifully did not run me over I was ok. I held my gloved hands up to show no blood. My bike had not stopped running and I glanced at it and said to myself, "Hey I can still ride to work".
I tested it in a small circle at the gas station there on the corner and proceeded to follow the pedestrian who had just witnessed all this, to cross the street and head on down the road. I don't think I even missed the signal. I don't recommend this way of handling a crash but after my class about 12 hours later I was given a clear bill of health with no broken ribs. I had a small tear in the pocket of my new shirt, a scrape on my knee but no tear in the pants a smaller scrape on my elbow and a few nicks out of backs of fingers. Having crashed so much I tend to hold my head up if I can by instinct and true to training did not ding my helmet. I do expect to be sore tomorrow and the next day but did get my yearly crash out of the way. Sorry if this is a rambling mess but the Oxycontin The DR gave must be taking effect.

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LennyHarp of Lenny's Bikes & Things
http://lennyharp.net
The true value of a man is not judged by what he has, but rather by what he can do without.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an action, but a habit." -- Aristotle