How many crashes does it take . . . ?

[The Ouzo]

3 minutes ago, MudLark said:

How old are  you now?

47, so I've still got 40 years. Which is awesome.

My dad is 76 next week and still riding his bike.

[NotSoBigBen]

My neuro surgeon told my wife that despite the risks associated with riding I am still better off, mentally and physically,  riding than not riding.

[PhilipV]

4 minutes ago, NotSoBigBen said:

My neuro surgeon told my wife that despite the risks associated with riding I am still better off, mentally and physically,  riding than not riding.

Make sure his bill is settled quickly. Worth every cent.

[NotSoBigBen]

1 hour ago, PhilipV said:

Make sure his bill is settled quickly. Worth every cent.

For sure! I have seen a few specialists in the passed few months and he was the one with the most empathy and really tried to understand what it was that was bothering me

The rest were just fixing my broken bones and other injuries ...

But I'm also old and grumpy 😜

[ChrisF]

3 hours ago, Robbie Stewart said:

I'm pleased to hear that there are guys on their fifties and sixties still sending it in their own way.

I was afraid that maybe I'm reaching the plateau where I need to start wearing lycra and needing to worry about whether I've charged my lights for that early morning outride before work instead of pushing the boundaries on the weekends.  

 

Even when you need an e-bike to get to the top .... you CAN still get PB's on the way down ..... 

 

Mid-50's is but a number ...... just take a lot longer to bounce back ....

[ChrisF]

2 hours ago, The Ouzo said:

47, so I've still got 40 years. Which is awesome.

My dad is 76 next week and still riding his bike.

 

Look at @Prince Albert Cycles almost your dads age .... few of us can hang with him on multi day rides, never mind up Swartberg pass.

 

 

Age is just a number.

 

 

Last year at Trans Augrabies a gent of 72 did all three days.  Couple of times he went cycling past youngsters walking steep sections.

[mrcg]

10 hours ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Spez Camber Comp 29. It's the middle point between being a Stumpy and a Epic. I ride it like it wants to be a Status. This is why I know that I shall never be so dumb to think I can ride it down the Plumber.

That bike has done it's dues, but it has now reached the upper limits of what I am allowed to do on it. You can see in my avatar pic what I am asking of it and my size for reference. I believe the Status is the next logical step. I won't go for anything burlier than that, as I am fully intending to dial down the ratchet from about 9/10 to maybe a 7/10.

I do not intend to stop riding after all the responses. I used to surf for many years at Vicbay, and one Saturday afternoon I paddled out into a solid 6 - 8 foot swell, endured a 3 wave hold down and nearly drowned despite having live saving skill. I made my way back to the beach and decided I'm done surfing. That was in 2009. I still regret stopping, and I am considering a mini-mal to start again.

There we have the problem: you stopped surfing. Biggest mistake! 🧐

[Robbie Stewart]

7 minutes ago, mrcg said:

There we have the problem: you stopped surfing. Biggest mistake! 🧐

I knew it! That HAS to be it. No longer being able to "know the feeling" has led to all life's misery. 🤙 😉

[mazambaan]

15 hours ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

My worst falls have all been while going fairly slowly, both on my bicycle and motorcycle... moral of the story... SEND IT 🤙🙄

I have a silly theory that when you fall at a slow speed you biff directly downward into mother earth's unyielding arms; snap crackle, pop. At speed you merely skid along the surface unless an obstacle stops you, hence roasties and scars. Of course the theory is not really held up by facts. I too have come off inordinately sore from a simple "forgot to uncleat" whack yet survived an OTB with just a few nicks and missing bark.

[Robbie Stewart]

43 minutes ago, mazambaan said:

I have a silly theory that when you fall at a slow speed you biff directly downward into mother earth's unyielding arms; snap crackle, pop. At speed you merely skid along the surface unless an obstacle stops you, hence roasties and scars. Of course the theory is not really held up by facts. I too have come off inordinately sore from a simple "forgot to uncleat" whack yet survived an OTB with just a few nicks and missing bark.

I think there's some science to your assessment with which I agree. Watching Moto GP riders slide compared to say Isle of Man riders slamming into pavements at speed. The difference between living and not. The common thread is speed, but the uncommon thread is sudden deceleration after striking an impediment.

In my case, two weeks ago I offed on the Rhinos at Contermanskloof into a berm. Some knee grazing for my efforts. This time round i offed straight into a pile of rocks. Much more painful as the stop was sudden. On the Rhino I slid a bit after hitting the deck resulting in less overall hurt.

[dasilvarsa]

33 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

I think there's some science to your assessment with which I agree. Watching Moto GP riders slide compared to say Isle of Man riders slamming into pavements at speed. The difference between living and not. The common thread is speed, but the uncommon thread is sudden deceleration after striking an impediment.

In my case, two weeks ago I offed on the Rhinos at Contermanskloof into a berm. Some knee grazing for my efforts. This time round i offed straight into a pile of rocks. Much more painful as the stop was sudden. On the Rhino I slid a bit after hitting the deck resulting in less overall hurt.

When You Crash Are you riding with Others or are You Riding Alone. ?

 

[Robbie Stewart]

2 hours ago, dasilvarsa said:

When You Crash Are you riding with Others or are You Riding Alone. ?

 

never alone. I ride in a group for this exact reason.

[dasilvarsa]

1 hour ago, Robbie Stewart said:

never alone. I ride in a group for this exact reason.

Maybe That's Why You Crash

Watching Someones Back Wheel Instead of Watching 7 to 10 Meters Ahead.

Some People Can't Ride in Groups. Including Myself.

Also Talking Sh*t all the Time Causes one to Lose Focus and Concentration.

Been There Done That, Ate the Sandwich.

I stay back 20 to 30 Meters, Enjoy my Ride  and then talk sh*t at the Stops.

Alternatively If you are the Strongest you can Lead the Group in Front.

 

[Robbie Stewart]

1 hour ago, dasilvarsa said:

Maybe That's Why You Crash

Watching Someones Back Wheel Instead of Watching 7 to 10 Meters Ahead.

Some People Can't Ride in Groups. Including Myself.

Also Talking Sh*t all the Time Causes one to Lose Focus and Concentration.

Been There Done That, Ate the Sandwich.

I stay back 20 to 30 Meters, Enjoy my Ride  and then talk sh*t at the Stops.

Alternatively If you are the Strongest you can Lead the Group in Front.

 

No, my crash was because of going very fast and pedaling to accelerate to have enough speed to hit a drop at speed when I should have already been set-up ready for the drop. Pedal strike onto a protruding rock whipped me hard to the right and into the pile of rocks.

I ride in a group yes, but we talk smack on the way up. On the descents we are focused and at speed. No one is talking then. Also, on a typical descent of the type of riding we do, there is no way you can chat as you're typically going fast and aiming to hit the best line. When we get to the bottom we will first catch our breath and then banter about the line, before dropping into the next one. There is also way too much risk in wheel-sucking in a descent as that can cause some big crashes

I used to ride solo. That was until a crash put me in hospital after severe injury. But then, we don't do the typical group ride where everyone is able to chat because of the nature of the trail. We ascend as a group with the focus of the ride being the descent. If we could have a shuttle every ride we would probably not pedal up either. We ride for the descent only if I have to be completely forthright. 

 

[TyronLab]

Look, guy, I'm not going to pretend to know you or know your story, but I followed a similar trajectory. I had a starter XC bike  and started cultivating my skills. That meant going faster and trying more technical riding, up to the point where the XC bike "wasn't cutting it". What that actually means (and what we oftentimes don't want to admit) is that it wasn't giving me a sufficient buffer to compensate for the gap between my skillset and the gnar/speed I was riding at.

So I upgraded to a more trail focused hardtail that was way more capable, but now it gave me too much buffer. That meant I went looking for increasingly technical things to ride as I, as I assume most do, have the most fun in that sweet spot where you're pushing, but still within your limits. With the extra capability the bike gave, easy trails were now boring. After a bit I again reached that point where I was running out of the buffer the bike was giving me when I pushed it, but now I was riding things (and at speeds) that meant the consequences of getting it wrong were starting to get pretty big. And I was only really having fun in those specific situations which, looking back, was actually a tiny fraction of the riding I was doing and what our trails in GP offered.

What I did (and the point behind the background schpiel) is go the complete opposite direction and buy a gravel bike. Now I ride comparatively easy trails at sane speeds, or ride more technical things at a crawl, but still get that on-the-limit rush and fun factor because I'm mostly under-biked. The consequence of coming down while doing so is vastly reduced (unless there's some unfortunate freak occurrence) due to the reduced speed, and riding rigids with skinny tires at warp speed down proper chunk is so not-fun that I don't even attempt it, effectively cock-blocking my own stupid man brain.

Oh, and riding to-and-from the trail is infinitely more fun when you're not dragging a lot of bike with you unnecessarily.

Edited February 28, 2023 by TyronLab

[dasilvarsa]

9 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

No, my crash was because of going very fast and pedaling to accelerate to have enough speed to hit a drop at speed when I should have already been set-up ready for the drop. Pedal strike onto a protruding rock whipped me hard to the right and into the pile of rocks.

I ride in a group yes, but we talk smack on the way up. On the descents we are focused and at speed. No one is talking then. Also, on a typical descent of the type of riding we do, there is no way you can chat as you're typically going fast and aiming to hit the best line. When we get to the bottom we will first catch our breath and then banter about the line, before dropping into the next one. There is also way too much risk in wheel-sucking in a descent as that can cause some big crashes

I used to ride solo. That was until a crash put me in hospital after severe injury. But then, we don't do the typical group ride where everyone is able to chat because of the nature of the trail. We ascend as a group with the focus of the ride being the descent. If we could have a shuttle every ride we would probably not pedal up either. We ride for the descent only if I have to be completely forthright. 

 

By the Bike U have I thought U were riding Cross Country. Downhill is another Story.