When will I stop crashing so much???!!!

[4EverOrange]

I just typed a long ride report but got a weird message when posting and lost the entire thing!

Saturday I hit the woods for the first time in 2 years. I totally forgot about the difficulty level. We hit everthing from rutted out, rocky, rooty, uphills. To VW sized bouldery downhills. I fell more times than I can count. Got slammed head first into and embankement, hit a boulder head on, broke my radiator shroud, scratched my headlight, bent my bark busters. I have a total of 6 huge bruises on various parts of my body from various scratches. I can't sleep on my left side, because that is the side that got slamemd into the embankement. And believe it or not I can't wait to get out there again! :)

I just have this feeling that 2 or 3 more rides in the woods and I will 'get it'. I am to the point that in between crashes I resemble an experienced rider! haha It's just every now and then I do stupid things at stupid times, and down I go!

So how long before I quit crashing so much???

 

[squeaky]

I honestly can't tell you when you'll stop crashing...but I can totally sympathize!!!

I guess the fact that I"m still learning helps too...I mean I still have a lot to learn...

But...the woods alwasy make me crash for some reason. For example, this weekend I was off in the woods, my bark buster bounced off a tree and sent my flying into two trees that were side by side. Lucky for me the trees were hurt more than me, I knocked them both over and broke em! :aj:

But seriously...I think that the more you practice the woods the better off you'll be...there's one patch of woods that I can practically ride like an expert but then when I get to a new patch I haven't seen before I'm crashing again!

Patience and practice...that's the only advice I can give you!

 

[dirty~d~]

The day you stop trying is the day you stop crashing. ;)

 

[Y2Z]

ide say go at a slower pace and dont do anything that doesnt feel right, ive never heard of someone whos fallen so much in one ride! what do u do fly through the tight woods going like 40 mph?! basically slow down and get the hang of things

 

[4EverOrange]

what do u do fly through the tight woods going like 40 mph?! basically slow down and get the hang of things

Hahaha!!! You're a funny guy. 95% of my falls are from going too SLOW!!!

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

Originally posted by dirty~d~
The day you stop trying is the day you stop crashing. ;)

I was about to say a similar thing, The day you quit crashing is the day you quit riding.

I haven't had the chance to ride much over the past months but Sun morn I spent 3 hours at the track and burned a tank of gas. About an hour was spent in the woods and I was feeling pretty good by that time. I had been doing this short loop with a buddy and I was on about the 10th time through when I gassed it around a corner like I had done all the previous times. It was then that my rear tire hooked up and I went sailing out of control toward a BIG TREE. Luckily I managed to save it but my point is, you can't always tell when you're gonna go down so enjoy the times between. :thumb:

 

[4EverOrange]

I guess I should have mentioned the stupid things at stupid times are almost always hitting the brakes at the wrong time i.e. when I am just starting to head down a hill, so I completely lose momentum and go over. That was how I got slammed into the embankement. Normally I just would've fallen over, however in this particular case I was on top of one of the aforementioned VW sized boulders.

Rarely are my crashes in any gear higher than 1st or 2nd, and normally result in minor if any aches and pains.

BTW - Y2Z you really know how to break down a woman's ego. :( You must be either young or not married, and I would venture to be it's both.

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

I don't know if it helps or not but I like to practice balance. I love seeing how long I can balance with both feet on the pegs while stopped or close to it. I'd like to think it's saved my butt a time or two.

 

[dirty~d~]

Originally posted by Y2Z
ide say go at a slower pace and dont do anything that doesnt feel right, ive never heard of someone whos fallen so much in one ride! what do u do fly through the tight woods going like 40 mph?! basically slow down and get the hang of things

Constructive criticism is what we prefer in here. Try to remember that for next time, please. :cool:

4EverOrange:

Even the seasoned vets crash doing the littlest things. Don't stress too much about it. Try concentrating on not concentrating on those little things and you'll be amazed at how you improve. Riding through the woods isn't as easy as it may seem to some. You have a lot of things to take into consideration... inconsistant terrain, obstacles, etc. Teaching yourself to 'multitask' mentally again will just take a little seat time. Don't worry chica, it'll come back to you soon enough. :thumb:

 

[4EverOrange]

I know I shouldn't be, but I am feeling a seroius need to defend my riding ability right about now.

I found this description of the riding area on the Oregon OHV website, of the riding area we were at:

The Jordan Creek & Diamond Mill area is characterized by steep, rocky mountains (1500-2700') covered with 30 to 50 year Douglas-fir planted after the Tillamook Burn. The canyons and stream bottoms are covered with alder, maple, and cascara and cut by swift rocky streams. The rainfall average is 90-120" per year and winter riding is strongly discouraged. The trails are difficult and may be steep, narrow, rocky and rutted. This riding area is not suitable for beginning or novice riders.

 

[CJ Rider]

Yeesh, if you ever figure out how to STOP crashing so much, please share the information; I for one could USE this wisdom! I STILL have nightmares of that 40 mph cartwheel in Reno; LOL!

 

[firecracker22]

Originally posted by Y2Z
ide say go at a slower pace and dont do anything that doesnt feel right, ive never heard of someone whos fallen so much in one ride! what do u do fly through the tight woods going like 40 mph?! basically slow down and get the hang of things

Do you ride woods much? I ride both MX and trails and the trails are 10 times more difficult. Not as intense--30 miles in the woods takes less out of me than one 4-lap moto--but difficult in a different way. I fall SOOO much in the woods and I rarely fall on the track, unless I am trying something new or get tangled with someone.

And what others have said is right, most of the time when I crash it is from going too slow. You need momentum to make it over obstacles like rocks or a steep uphill corner.

I think you need to go on one of our Ladies' Trail Rides up here in the northwest, then you might change your mind about falling so often. :p


Oh, and Leann, don't worry about crashing so much! You should have seen me last weekend up in the woods! I crashed in corners, uphills, rock piles, you name it . . . picked myself up, laughed and had a great time. I got pretty frustrated a time or two though.

 

[squeaky]

I've found that a little bit of speed always helps, but maybe I should follow my own advice. I am certainly no expert, but I've had a great teacher. I was practicing my cornering tonight, after watching this instructional video from like 1985, but it helped and I was leaning and taking corners better and faster.

I've found that if you go over and over and over in your head what you wanna do before you do it, it hugely helps! Just keep your speed up as much as you feel comfortable...Most of my falls happen in first or second too, just be careful!! :) Trust me...I burned my leg today taking a corner in first gear, I just hit it wrong and boom down I went... :whiner:

 

[firecracker22]

My old MX pants from when I had my XR have ALL kinds of holes and exhaust burns in them. I don't miss that part of owning a four stroke!

 

[KDXgirl]

I agree, you arent trying hard enough if you dont crash! But I also have days where I crash more times than I can remember, I usually stop counting once I hit 8 or I have concussion lol!

I can ride ok but find that I usually crash when I riding with the boys (something about showing off maybe!) or when I get tired and lose concretration. Just drinks lots of fluids, have lots of nibblies along the way and you might find the silly mistakes slow down more, works for me!!!

 

[MXGirl230]

SqueakyGirl,
At least you can say you burned your leg while practicing...I burned mine after washing my bike!
A couple of years ago after washing my CR, I started it up and did the usual circle the front yard and head for the garage. Well I was wearing shorts, and I know better too...Anyway, I was wearing shorts didn't think it was a big deal, "I was just going to the garage...". Well I turned right and stuck my leg out (out of habit) and laid it right on my FMF pipe. I heard a "ssszzz"..not a sound you want to hear. I finished putting the bike away, and took a look at my leg. I had FMF branded into my leg. It was kind of funny, I had the FMF and the oval, and the "So. Calif." all right there burned into my leg!
The next day at work was hawaiian day, so we could wear shorts. I always participate in these things so I had to do it. Well the next day my burn looked worse! I had people asking me why I would ever get a tattoo that looked like THAT!! I have two real tattoos, so they thought I got another one.
Not to change the original question, though. I just had to share my leg burning story:)

 

[squeaky]

OUCH! That's worse than my burn...I just have the marks from the pants on my leg...:(

 

[LoriKTM]

Hey Leann, if you find the magic pill to stop crashing, you'd better share it with the rest of us! 

I've always had a similar problem.   Most of my "crashes" are slow speed tip-overs.  My husband likes to joke that I ride fine through the difficult terrain, but then end up crashing on the easy stuff. :scream:

But then again, he also says if you're not crashing, you're not learning!

I think riding some trials has helped me this spring, my balance is better and I feel more comfortable going "slow" over gnarly terrain while standing up.   At this point, I don't count the slow speed crashes any more.  And bruises?  I could fill a photo album with pictures of the doozies I've gotten!

Relax, don't worry about the crashing, and have fun!  Relaxing will keep you loose, and you'll be better able to react to the bike moving around.

 

[4EverOrange]

Thanks for all the encouragement!

Lori - My husband said basically the same thing, that in between crashes I looked good. He told me that eventually I will figure out that it's easier to let the bike move underneath me than to fight it every step of the way. He said that I need to ride the bike, not let the bike ride me. There is alot of truth in that! :)

I know I am this close to keeping upright most of the time. I just need to get out there 2 or 3 more times. We are trying to squeeze a ride in this weekend, and we are riding for sure on Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully, 3 weekends in a row will help out!

Again thanks for all the encouragment! I hate to admit this, but it's nice to hear that I am not the only one struggling with keeping the bike upright!

 

[altagirl]

Originally posted by LoriKTM
My husband likes to joke that I ride fine through the difficult terrain, but then end up crashing on the easy stuff. :scream:

Wow does that sound familiar! We mountain bike a lot and I'm the queen of wrecking. Last year we rode Porcupine Rim in Moab and I made it all the way to the singletrack runout without falling (you have no idea what a rare thing that is...)- and then slid out for no apparent reason and landed with my butt/tailbone on a pointy rock right before the end of the trail. It's literally like the only easy section in the entire 14 miles from the trailhead to the road - I just sat there dumbfounded that I could manage to flop over on THAT. :think:

And I totally agree that my worst wrecks are usually the slow speed ones. Momentum is your friend and I know it - I think we all know it - it's just hard to actually believe it when you're looking at a really tough section of trail.

Anyway, if you're riding with the goal being "not falling" you're never going to improve (I don't anyway). I've made it through rides and trips without falling (injured or recovering or something and don't want to add to it so I stick to super easy terrain), but when I'm focusing on NOT falling, I definitely don't feel that I'm learning anything. It's better than sitting on the sofa, but what I really live for is that feeling of accomplishment of doing something I wasn't sure I could do. I think most of us have been in the situation where you think "This is ridiculous, I'm falling nonstop today" but the way I see it, as long as you're not seriously hurting yourself, those days are just part of the game. Don't let other people impose their standards on you and tell you you're falling too much or not enough. You know how much you like to push yourself better than anyone else can.

 

[The Ant]

4EO,
Don't worry about it, if I've only fallen 4 or 5 times in a ride I consider it almost a crash free day, esp. up in the Burn. The more you ride, the better you'll get. I know when I start getting tired or dehydrated I crash more often, so I always bring nutrition bars and "Gu" with me as well as try to keep up on my water consumption. And I know my own riding has improved because I don't come back solid bruises from head to toe - "jeez, how'd I get a bruise there???"
-Susan
BBR230

 

[TIE1ON]

I just started riding for the frist time last weekend. I went out and bought a 2003 TTR225, hopped on that thing and within 2 hours I was feeling really confident. So I took this steep hill in 2nd with an 8' berm and an irrigation pond at the bottom, yeah, I missed the berm, panicked on the front brake and flew my face right into a steel irrigation pipe. THank God I had a helmet on! 3 stitches and a bruised chin and ego later I can't wait to get on that bike and ride again! Its intimidating but I have to say I have a lot more respect for that bike! My boyfriend tells me to take it slow and get used to the bike but its hard to do the boring stuff all day. And I think unless you're challenging yourself you're not going to improve your skills. I'm riding again this weekend. My goal is to get comfortable on some small downhill stuff. Any suggestions on form for downhill? I really liked someone's suggestion on watching a tape of people riding. I think you can learn alot from watching others.

 

[bbbom]

Welcome TIE1ON, for downhill try to work on keeping your weight back, standing on the pegs similar to how you would on a mountain bike (if you've ridden one).

I've been told that you shouldn't ever disengage the clutch completely on downhills because it reduces traction but if the hill is too steep & gnarly I can't help but disengage the clutch & go as slow as I can. I'm working on keeping the clutch slightly engaged but it's tough when my speed starts to pick up on an ugly downhill.

Leann, I'm with Lori & the others, if you find a cure for crashing I want it! Just on a short ride last night with Karl & my son I managed to crash no less than 3 times on the same hill - "The Hill". It had rained hard but quit about the time we got home so Karl HAD to get his new bike out on the trails and of course I couldn't let my son and him go without me. The Hill was slimy and the branches & logs were even slimier. My son was having trouble on the slimy trails but decided to give The Hill one try before taking the road. He made it first try (darn kid). I figured it wouldn't be a problem, until my front end washed out and I tipped over on a steep section just after the first left sweep. Just spun my clutch lever on that one. I readjusted the lever and gave it another try (I was mad now). Made it further but just before the top my rear tire spun and I fell over, breaking my bark buster. Readjusted my lever again, went back down and finally made it up on the 3rd try I think, may have been number 4 because by then I was so mad at myself I had decided that I was making it up The Hill or walking home but I was NOT taking the road!

The trip home after that was quite a bit faster than normal too! :flame:

Sometimes I just feel like giving up completely, last night was one of them. I was tired, my arms were killing me and my wrists started hurting again. But then I consider the alternative and there ain't no way I'm taking up crafts! :thumb:

 

[TIE1ON]

Thanks! I have ridden mountain bikes before and I always get a little skittish on crazy downhill stuff, mainly because I'm afraid of going over my handlebars but I usually stand too so do you guys normally stand on downhill stuff or sit way back on your seat and let it ride?

 

[bbbom]

Standing is the proper form but for me, it depends on the hill. If it is really steep I tend to sit as far back as I can. If it is narrow, rutted or twisty I try to stand as much as I can. I actually switch between the two quite often. I'm sure I should stand more than I do but 30 or 40 miles into a 60 mile ride I'm looking for the seat whenever possible.