Loss of confidence

DEL 707

DEL 707

DEL 707

Soldato
Joined
20 Mar 2004
Posts
4,574
About 3 weeks back, I had a tumble off the bike.
Rather cold, wet morning and I had a car right up my ****, so I was cycling a bit faster then usual and as I was taking a right turn, the back wheel slid and down I went.
Thankfully I was wearing my helmet as always, because my bloody head bounced of that road, all in all I didn't come off too badly, little bit of road rash on my right arm and leg. Did something to my ribs, but thankfully after 3 weeks the pains getting better.

Been avoiding the bike because of the rib pain, but I'm getting back on it in bits and bobs, but damn I just feel all over the place, balance just feels off, I don't feel sturdy and corners are now the bain of my life. Litterally seizing up when I come to one, especially a right hand turn, going round so slow I might as well be walking.

I know the answer is to "Get back up on that horse", but has anyone else suffered a loss of confidence after an accident/tumble? Any advice on how to get back on form?
 
yup did crash 3 times in a space of 2 weeks, all on wet roads :o now that was something that killed my confidence and even to this day(1 year or so after) I'm still TOO careful.. but really, you just gotta get back to it and it'll go back to normal soon
 
Nothing to it but to get back up there, I've had a few nasty knocks, not anything serious, but the only way is to get riding and slowly build it up. I've only had one fall where it knocked my confidence so significantly I thought about things a bit more when I barreled into a corner. Once you have a second or third fall and realise you're not going to die even if you do come off, then you just go on regardless. :P
 
Are you using good tyres? I know nothing of road tyres but the tyres that come on mountain bikes are generally where corners get cut to keep price down.

I had a similar incident on the road a few years back.. Back end just broke away on a corner with no warning.. I run premium tyres now, and no bother.. Obviously there can be scenarios where it can't be helped, diesel spills etc.

Bit like car tyres.. People spend the absolute minimum and wonder why they can't go round corners.

Not saying that's the case with you, but worth a thought?

Also you can't go round sharp bends as fast as you want.. There comes a point where physics come into play and of your going too quick you will have bother.. So it may be a technique /experience thing.. Or just bad luck.
 
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I lost the front wheel on some black ice at the start of last winter on a straight flat road and ended up with a knackered shoulder for three months. That knocks the confidence as there's no way to predict it. I rode the rest of the winter much more cautiously. Thankfully commuting on the bike means you have to get back on with it. You do get over/forget about it after a while, though ive been far too focused on cross winds this winter to think about ice!

It did inspire me to buy a turbo trainer though so I can hammer out some hard efforts without worrying about the weather.
 
mattyfez said:
Are you using good tyres? I know nothing of road tyres but the tyres that come on mountain bikes are generally where corners get cut to keep price down.
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My bikes as cheap as can be, but after a string of punctures a friend recommended me to get some Schwalbe Marathon Original tires.
Had them since December, they are smaller then the original though, new 1's are 38c, believe the originals were 45.
 
I had my front wheel go away from me a few weeks ago on a wet roundabout and I've been cornering at snails pace ever since. Over time your confidence will start to come back.

Funnily enough when riding off road I'm far less concerned and incidents barely even register in my mind.
 
OP, did you get yourself checked over at A&E?

As someone who had an alternative Xmas followed by specialist physio a couple of years back after an accident on my bike, the sooner you get cycling again after being given the all clear to do so, the better.

It might take time to build up confidence again, it certainly did with me, to begin with my eyes were out on stalks at every potential incident. But with time, cycling has become fun again.
 
I had an off where I was going downhill down a single track and my pedal dug into a grass/mud mound and it absolutely launched me, my side/hip/leg were multi-coloured for about 2 weeks.

I now keep well clear of anything that can "grab" my pedals, completely paranoid now, anything that looks dodgy I give a wide berth, I've not slowed down at all - I'm just super conscious and pay a bit more attention to verges/overhanging clumps of earth etc.
 
DEL 707 said:
I know the answer is to "Get back up on that horse", but has anyone else suffered a loss of confidence after an accident/tumble? Any advice on how to get back on form?
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I had a bad one 3 years ago in virtually the same circumstances but was knocked out (with helmet) and dislocated left arm which I'm still suffering with.
I got back on my road bike a week later but also went through the same experience so I bought a hybrid with thicker tyres and straight handlebars and immediately felt 1000% safer.
On my road bike I felt like I was tightrope walking on a 1" wide rope with no help but on my hybrid it felt like I was on a 3" wide rope with a pole to balance me.
 
I came off under the exact same circumstances in December 2013. Yeah it hurts!

It takes quite a while to get your confidence back - months. I'm nowhere near as wreckless a rider now, mind, and tend to take corners at a much more sensible speed.
 
Another 'victim' of a wet-weather corner slide here. Landed very hard on my shoulder and tore the ligaments in my AC joint. After a year the shoulder is still weak, my clavicle sticks out a bit, and the joint is 'clicky' - probably will be for life :( Thankfully I had my helmet on as I could have done some serious damage (given the big dent which I made in the side of it!).

I could only get back in the saddle after 4 months due to the shoulder injury, and I'm much more cautious now - definitely on corners and especially in the wet.

I'd second the comments above about making sure your tyres are good. After my incident I looked at some reviews of the stock tyres which came on my Cannondale, and there were lots which commented about how slippy they were. I upgraded to some much better ones (can't remember which at the moment :o ) and I feel much more stable now.
 
Mr-White said:
If you can't maintain the flow of traffic you're going to need to be more considerate to other road users. Unfortunately cyclists will always come off worst and the amount of comments already have proved that.

MW
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You made your initial statement with no real idea of what the situation was. It could well be as you suggested or in fact the car drive could have been acting like an arse. Either way, pre-judging without the facts is not productive.
 
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