I swear as I get older wrecks are more damaging…and more painful. BTW, this was a mountain bike wreck, I’m 80% mtn bikers 20% mUni (don’t tell anyone)
So anyway I freakin’ ate it on a downhill at a local trail tonight, I still don’t know what the hell happened. I think my grip was too relaxed and the bars got out of my hand going through some bumps. I was about to the bottom and I was letting it go! I guess I was doing about 35MPH and this section of the trail is super rocky and rooty. Next thing I know I’m doing ninja rolls on big rocks. My left arm from the shoulder to the wrist is pretty beat up. I also grazed my cheek/jaw bone (minor bruising and swelling) and cracked my brand new Giro helmet… I think that pissed me off more than getting beat down by the trail Gods
The crack is very minor so I think I can still run the helmet.
My shoulder took the worse of the fall, I’ve got a straight shallow cut line stright across it so I must have come down into a large rock with an edge on it…I’m sure my whole shoulder will be black by morning, yee haw.
My wife is gonna be pissed when she gets home, she completely freaks out when I sustain trail damage
Luckily I have full range of motion in my arm so the collar bone is intact but all that said it is still pretty sore. Plus I lifted my bike (40+ lbs)out of the back of the truck tonight and it wasn’t painful so I can’t be too messed up. Really sucks, I was supposed to do an epic ride up in the Appalachians this weekend…Maybe I’ll feel surprisingly good in the morning.
Luckily I’m a small dude so I tend to never get hurt too bad in wrecks…there are advantages to being 5’7"
Oh well, I’m off to the shower to wash off the dirt bath and then it’s ice time…
See, if you had been doing that on a Uni you wouldn’t have been hurt so badly. . I’m glad to hear you are(basically) ok. But that sucks about the helmet cause those cost a ton. Just make sure you use alot of Iodine on that cut of yours and I am sure it’ll be fine.
Dude, Ive been there. Not fun. You sure you want to risk your brain for $100. Just by another helmet. Consider it $100 well spent. Your not sluring, you can type, no stitches, you remembered how to get home. I am looking for a new helmet now, I just need to get somewhere that has some options to choose from. Nothing worse than having 2-3 choices.
By the way, wher in NC are you? I have a friend who flies out of Charlotte that I gave an old torker to. He is still learning, but it might be good for him to see some riding that is a little more advanced. Also don’t forget South East Muni Weekend Sept 10,11 and 12th.
it must be almost morning as i type this
i hope u do feel surprisingly good
won’t the crack in the helmet compromise it’s structural integrity?
will this get the missus to give u a decent back-rub in the name of a therapautic massage?
I feel pretty dang good this morning…all things considered, my shoulders a little tight but other than that and some minor discomfort I really can’t complain…
No martial arts Borges, but I did used to skydive so I know a little bit about falling
i’m suddenly wondering
have they ever actually manufactured a ‘wearable airbag’ for this kind of sport?
i know u’ll look like the michelin man when u get up, but it still strikes me as a marketable idea
more like a suit that expands in critical places to deflect landing impact and make ‘rolling out’ a bit easier
something jackie chan would use in a stunt
They do make Body Armour. Something that should be worn when riding like a maniac on single track over rocks at 35MPH. My business partner looks like a Samuri when he rides.
Take your pick… I am sure there are more. Beats the heck out of 2 weeks of healing.
That’s a lot of crap to wear in the heat of summer and nobody wears all that stuff when riding XC which is what I was doing when I biffed. I’m not a DH’er but if I was I’d defintly wear body armor.
In the winter I wear 661 2x4’s when it’s chilly…they’d a saved my arm but wouldn’t have helped my shoulder.
the important question is, how’s that shoulder and the rest of the body feeling this morning?
(he says, half an hour before going home for the weekend:p )
That may be true, but not a lot of old men do XC. They leave that to the invincible younguns. When you loose your invincibility, and get tired of spending hours in the emergency room, you start wearing armor. You don’t bounce like you used to. Consider yourself avant garde, a trend setter, and ride proudly in your Michelin Man suite.
I feel good, I am even considering still making the epic that I had planned on doing this Saturday up in the Appalachians on some very raunchy trails!!!
Glad you’re feeling better. About that helmet, Giro used to have a crash replacement policy where you paid $35 and traded in your damaged helmet on a new one (I think they use the olds ones for R&D) Check Giro’s website for warranty info
. I’m glad to hear you are(basically) ok. But that sucks about the helmet cause those cost a ton. Just make sure you use alot of Iodine on that cut of yours and I am sure it’ll be fine.
That may be true, but not a lot of old men do XC. They leave that to the invincible younguns. When you loose your invincibility, and get tired of spending hours in the emergency room, you start wearing armor. You don’t bounce like you used to. Consider yourself avant garde, a trend setter, and ride proudly in your Michelin Man suite.