[MudGrrl]

Has anyone ever had the following conversation?

Me: Everyone crashes ... it's not like anyone is gonna make fun
Other person: I never crash. I refuse to.
Me:

The point was brought up that the other person was probably not pushing their abilities.
The other person took offense to that insinuation.

Is it a pride thing?
Is it a ... worried about getting hurt thing?

What's your take?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Maybe just a postitive thinking thing.

I mean, *everyone* crashes occasionally.

But if you take the stance that "I don't crash" maybe you're less likely to crash.

 

[hooples3]

saying your not gonna crash means one of two things to me

either:

1) all you do is ride on a perfectly paved bike path with no other traffic

2) you just commited yourself to a huge crash in the very near future

 

[ncrider]

saying your not gonna crash means one of two things to me

either:

2) you just commited yourself to a huge crash in the very near future

You say that and you'd better find some wood to knock on and quick.

 

[MudGrrl]

1) all you do is ride on a perfectly paved bike path with no other traffic

I can even manage to crash on perfectly flat and paved......
had a wonderful spill on a bike in the rain...
I was just skidding across the pavement on my front.

 

[Konabumm]

Mine was a little more like this....
Me-We have been riding this trail sooo much this year... I know every inch... Hell I haven't crashed in 6 months..

Buddy-You in for it now

30min later......... Separated my shoulder

 

[Five]

2) you just commited yourself to a huge crash in the very near future

Jinxed!

I crash a lot...I guess that explains some of the broken bones, etc. Crashing is just part of biking. It'll happen eventually.

 

[hooples3]

I can even manage to crash on perfectly flat and paved......
had a wonderful spill on a bike in the rain...
I was just skidding across the pavement on my front.

I hate when that happens!!!

i was thinking of some over weight lady on her cruiser bike.... rolling along at 5 mph and padded walls.. i should have been more specific

 

[Ciaran]

Whatever you do, never say "last run..." last time I said that I ended up inthe hospital with a broken leg. "Last run before lunch..." Yeah, more like last run for a few months!

 

[MudGrrl]

A crash is when your friends go, "OH, damn, are you alright *while running to you carcass*.

you forgot the part where they are stifling giggles after seeing you attempt some sort of mid air acrobatic move that would rival the chinese circus team....and you would have pulled it off if it weren't for that dmn tree...


seriously...
some people believe that you truly are not pushing your abilities if you never crash..

would you agree with that?

 

[N8 v2.0]

Read my sig quote..

 

[binary visions]

Mine was a little more like this....

WTF? MancilG? Why the change?

 

[Five]

seriously...
some people believe that you truly are not pushing your abilities if you never crash..

would you agree with that?

I would agree...although, sometimes you crash just because. Root was wet, corner was washed out, some fool crashed in front of you. There's this step-up at the BMX track that I help build and have jumped countless times - well one time (at band camp) I over jumped it and broke my collarbone...again. I wasn't pushing - it just happens.

 

[Ciaran]

Read my sig quote..

Yeah, but that guy doesn't need a helmet.

 

[chicodude]

you forgot the part where they are stifling giggles after seeing you attempt some sort of mid air acrobatic move that would rival the chinese circus team....and you would have pulled it off if it weren't for that dmn tree...


seriously...
some people believe that you truly are not pushing your abilities if you never crash..

would you agree with that?

I would agree to a certain extent. If you wash out in a berm because you were pushing it, that works.


But if you are a hack, I.E bender....

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I ride with a friend who's road-oriented. He wastes a lot of energy scrupulously avoiding crashes, hence misses out on a lot of the joy and excitement of finding out where the edge is. I think the average penalty's higher on pavement.

 

[douglas]

does a crash involve falling? I have been getting more hurt when I dont crash,I'll hit my knee on a tree, or my handlebar, or bang my ankle on my pedal..........but most times I just keep riding....but slower

 

[Westy]

I passed a friend during a race on a fast corner he wasn't taking very fast. I tried encouraging him to go a little quicker by yelling "just ride like you can't crash". Moments later my front tire washed out and I crashed hard. I went down about 5 more times that race.

 

[I Are Baboon]

does a crash involve falling? I have been getting more hurt when I dont crash,I'll hit my knee on a tree, or my handlebar, or bang my ankle on my pedal..........but most times I just keep riding....but slower

My shoulder hit a tree Saturday and it hurt (my shoulder, not the tree). I called the tree an asshole. Guess I got the last laugh, eh?

 

[Matt H]

I rarely ever crash, but I fall alot.

A fall is when you, fall over. Most people fall once every few rides.
A crash is when your friends go, "OH, damn, are you alright *while running to you carcass*. Is he moving?"

Falls are funny, Crashes HURT,

^^same with me, and I agree w/ your definitions of crashing vs falling, especially on slower technical trails...hell yeah, I'm not afraid to lowside off the bike and roll a little bit while the bike tumbles on it's own...but I laugh while I do it.

Crashes are when you go down HARD...and you don't get up for a few minutes. I like my body, and I'm told that I'm stuck with it for the rest of my life, so I do use some energy and precaution to avoid those crashes.

Plus my co-pays for ER visits are too high!

 

[pixelninja]

some people believe that you truly are not pushing your abilities if you never crash..

would you agree with that?

I'm with others in that I agree...to an extent.

I rarely crash, but that's because I tend to ride within my abilities. The other weekend while cruising down some sweet singletrack at a fast (yet safe) speed, I came millimeters away from clipping my handlebars on a tree, which would have resulted in a spectacular crash. I was definitely riding within my abilities, but when those damn trees just jump out at you, there's really nothing you can do about it.

 

[boostindoubles]

usually when i crash its because the fun factor takes over the common sense factor........ like jump/whipping a muddy sidehill i've never ridden before straight into my rear tire skidding off the sidehill and throwing me into the uphill. my shoulder still doesnt feel the same 6 weeks later. but i was having fun!

baboon, maybe its better to think that the tree hit your shoulder... whered that come from?

 

[blt2ride]

Whatever you do, never say "last run..." last time I said that I ended up inthe hospital with a broken leg. "Last run before lunch..." Yeah, more like last run for a few months!

I agree with that! I never say one more run, that's always the run where something happens. Don't forget about the, "let's get one more before it gets dark." Riiiiiiiiiiiiip, you know what that is, me taking off my knee pads.

 

[OGRipper]

If we're talking DH/freeride/jumping I tend to agree that people who never crash aren't really pushing themselves. But there are other kinds of riding where I don't think it applies. I know a lot of people who are constantly pushing the limits of their endurance who never crash - mostly roadies and xc guys. They don't care about launching a big gap or riding some sketchy skinny, they push themselves in different ways and expand their limits without ending up in a heap every other ride. But if a bonk is a crash, then they crash often!

I agree with what Stoney said, there are your ordinary get-offs and there are much more serious crashes. I tend to wreck when doing stupid, relatively easy things, usually from just not paying attention or whatever.

 

[Skookum]

My shoulder hit a tree Saturday and it hurt (my shoulder, not the tree). I called the tree an asshole. Guess I got the last laugh, eh?

Haha that'll learn that damn tree......

 

[Skookum]

Crashing is part of the deal. i can ride a gnarl trail without crashing too but then i don't have any fun and it would probably take alot longer to finish too. Both aspects increase your chances of crashing, technical and fatigue. Even with riding in your own ability there are intangibles...
i know people who are really really really really good riders, and once in a great while, they crash too......
i think crashing is in itself, an art form. seriously.

 

[lovebunny]

You say that and you'd better find some wood to knock on and quick.

yeah remember that one time at fontana? "one more run before we go to the hotel" helooooo ground

 

[splat]

My shoulder hit a tree Saturday and it hurt (my shoulder, not the tree). I called the tree an asshole. Guess I got the last laugh, eh?

I don't know about that ! I was behind you when you did that , and it got my shoulder too!

 

[GumbaFish]

if you ride enough you crash...i think thats it. Heck I crash on trails that I ride all the time and on ones i've never ridden. Its easy to clip a pedal on a stump you don't see or slip on a wet rock or root or grab too much front brake..yadda yadda yadda. I guess there is a difference between a crash and a fall though, i consider a fall like when i have the slow motion i forgot to unclip tumble. Falls I know I am falling , whereas a crash I suddenly find myself on the ground and have to figure out how it happened.

 

[TreeSaw]

My shoulder hit a tree Saturday and it hurt (my shoulder, not the tree). I called the tree an asshole. Guess I got the last laugh, eh?

Yeah, but did you kick it? That always seems to help

 

[TreeSaw]

I crash and fall often enough to never let those words escape my lips. I have found that I take it easy and I have more little slow-speed crashes that end up hurting worse than the bigger ones used to If you aren't crashing or falling then you probably aren't riding hard enough right :devil:

 

[Slugman]

I don't understand how you can not crash - even when I was just doing XC stuff I'd take spill b/c of some root, or loose section. One of my worst early crashes was after a burner of a ride, we were just spinning heading out on a fire road... wasn't concentrating and BAM - down I go.

Eventually everyone crashes... and eventually everyone gets hurt (http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127993)

 

[Rockland]

Recently is def been those little things that have hurt me. My ankles esp. To save myself from going down, I end up stomping a foot down. It feels like something inside the ankle is squished bad. Prob not far from the truth.

 

[bballboy388]

Read my sig quote..

well i agree with it but i might not anymore cause bush said it lol

 

[Clark Kent]

I have a friend who "never crashes" of course he will only take a line he is absolutely sure to clean, won't ride in any kind of inclement weather, cant track stand for his life ..... The best thing is that if a chick comes up to him and starts up a conversation, when the question comes up "so what do you do" my bud the bartender says. "oh, I race mountain bikes" YAH...Thats going to impress the gals.....


Just talking about this gives me the willies....Tempting fate is never good...

I crash all the time...Hopefully not today though......

Hopefully that will apease the gods and I wont bif on the way home tonight!

 

[Flakey Jake]

If you don't crash every once in a while, ur not riding very hard.

 

[sanjuro]

Has anyone ever had the following conversation?

Me: Everyone crashes ... it's not like anyone is gonna make fun
Other person: I never crash. I refuse to.
Me:

The point was brought up that the other person was probably not pushing their abilities.
The other person took offense to that insinuation.

Is it a pride thing?
Is it a ... worried about getting hurt thing?

What's your take?

Who likes to crash? When I ride XC, I instinctually take the easier line. But I also ride FR and I will try to go over stuff I won't do on my XC bike.

I think what bugs you is the attitude. Acting arrogant about crash avoidance makes anyone else's crashes look bad.

 

[altagirl]

My former boss rode dirt bikes - but said that if he fell more than once a decade, he was selling his bike. So he wouldn't ride anything rocky, sandy, techincal.... Why waste your time?? Just freaking drive your car.

And I know a guy who says that about skiing - he's insistent that there's no reason you should ever fall unless you're being reckless. Come on... the way I see it the only way you could NEVER fall would be if you're so conservative you're never having any fun either.


I WOULD understand if you're using it as a positive thinking technique - tell yourself you never fall and you're less likely to. But unfortunately, the people I've met who say it are trying to make themselves sound like they're so advanced they're just better than the rest of us, when really they're just using it as a rationalization for why they won't try anything even a little bit risky.