[hinkley]

If you're falling a lot you should think about some bike handling exercises. Low speed maneuvers will likely help. And when you hit rough ground, relax. Twitching the bike while in gravel will just make you go down faster. Just relax, hold on and pray for traction to improve before you reach the point of no return. I've avoided my worst accidents that way. One in particular flummoxed the guy I was riding with. He didn't say anything for a full minute after. That was, uh, quite a recovery (If I'd gone down it would have been a five man pile-up, probably with him at the front of it).

I haven't ridden seriously for years but my partner thinks I'm crazy for driving one handed. I had lots of practice doing low-speed maneuvers one-handed (end of the ride, it's hot, I'm thirsty). I could emergency brake one handed (once dual pivot brakes existed) For a brief moment I could do a track stand one handed. Driving one handed I'm more stable than most people are with two (also, grew up driving stick, so one-handed is de facto if not de rigeur).

I don't know if they still do this, but pros used to wear silk shirts under their jerseys to reduce road rash (source: Phil Liggett). I suspect any current gen synthetic sports undershirt (under armor, Kuhl, DSG, etc) would do. Two smooth layers of clothing will spin past each other instead of gouging you.

[falsenapkin]

I'm plenty capable I mean I've had like 4 or 5 unexpected ground falls in 20 years. Hung over rushing to class no hands trying to put a water bottle in my back pocket, someone stepped out from behind an on trail overhead bridge support column, braked hard for someone doing something unexpected and illegal while I was riding downhill on cobblestone. Shit happens, lessons to be learned in every case but protected hands always welcome.

I've never fallen no-handed but it was nice having gloves while developing that skill too ;)

[hinkley]

Man college campuses are a warzone for bicycles.

I watched two guys riding too fast through pedestrians hit so hard one guy lost five spokes. And one day some guy coming the opposite way from me on the bike path suddenly started flipping end over end (I think his chain fell into his front wheel but I, too, was late for class so I checked for concussion and fucked off). I just managed to squeak past him but if it had happened twenty milliseconds earlier I would have been part of his drama.

After those two incidents I decided I was safer in the street. Fuckin college kids man.

[falsenapkin]

I regret to admit I was a bit faster than I should have been and probably caused some heart palpitations. I'm 30+ now and shaking my fist at the local college kids.

Worst crash I had was a header when I was like 15, mechanical failure (I was learning to "fix" my own). Fortunately adolescent invincibility and a chin first impact allowed me to avoid serious harm, but I took helmets seriously after that too!