Add the above to the benefits of riding a folding bike. This morning I took a tumble over some black ice. I went around this little puddle, which I could see was glazed at the top. Turns out that the radius of ice surrounding the pond was greater than I thought. I went around it and my Brompton fishtailed from under me. I landed on my hands ok. My only scrape was my back heel, which was probably caught under one of pedals. Did not tear any of my clothing and my gloves didn’t even get wet.
I was not going that fast so that probably helped. I’m thinking that the small dimensions of my bike allowed me to straddle over it enough to land on my hands. Also, the small wheels probably keep you closer to the ground. I keep thinking that if I was on my full size bike, it would have been a bad fall. I think I could have ended up on my side with a bruised shoulder or maybe even a broken collarbone.
Anyway, I’m glad I’m ok and will give such puddles plenty of clearance in the future. Be safe out there.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Falling on your shoulder can break your collarbone, but landing on your outstretched hands like you did is the common way to bust up a collarbone.
Your Brompton saddle height is likely about the same as your full size bike, and the shorter wheelbase and smaller wheels also results in less stable handling under iffy conditions. On a longer wheelbase bike, you're less likely to lose control under those marginal conditions, recovery can be much easier.
Falling from a bike (folder or not) almost always results in minor scrapes at the very most. In my younger days I've hit the ground at speed after sliding on sand, gravel or ice with just a little road rash to show for it.
Bikes with full-size wheels (and yes, even folding bikes have full-size wheels)are more stable - you're less apt to take a fall from hitting an obstacle/pothole in the road.
But I'm glad you were ok!
Post a Comment