Fall Off a Mountain Bike Safely
For the novice mountain bike rider, learning to fall off the bike safely can help to prevent injury and keep you feeling more confident about riding over varying terrain. Knowing how to fall properly can assist in those times when you feel yourself going around a corner too quickly or you've just slipped on gravel on the road, helping you to avoid serious injury and stay safe.
Steps
- Unclip the drive side foot and bring it out. Take the non drive side hand of your handle bars and put it about 2 to 3 feet away from your foot.
- Stay low. When you start to feel your body going towards your hand and leg, remember to keep your hands and feet against the ground. This will help to stop the bike and will prevent major damage to your drive train components. As your hand and leg start to scrape against the floor, try to get the bike away from you and the ground more towards your side and shoulder. This will stop major damage to your head, as long as you don't go up a curb.
- Try to keep your hands, arms and legs as straight as they can be without locking out. You are trying to make it so that if your legs hit something they can compact and take the energy out of it. If they were locked, they may break or jar them.
- Try not to fall over in the first place. You can practice the motions by going about ~5 mph on grass. Then you push the bike away from you. Make sure that there are no objects in front of you that can hurt you.
- This is better done on flat grass that is a little bit wet so that you don't get burned as easily.
Tips
- Always wear gloves.
- Always ride in your skill level.
- Try not to fall over in the first place.
Warnings
- Broken bones, bruises and cuts can occur from falling.
- You may suffer a concussion. If you do fall, it is vital to immediately consult a physician or family doctor to check out whether you are okay.
