Hi all,

Fell of me bike yesterday, I flew a few feet and the bike ended up a couple of metres away in a ditch. I have no idea how the bike impacted the ground, but the stem/fork had rotated so they were no longer aligned. I fell on my front, and although I did bash my cheek a little I don't think my helmet got a significant knock. The crash was fairly high speed (for me).

Couple of Q's:

What should I be looking for when I inspect the bike?
Do I need to go and buy new handlebars, stem, helmet etc. etc.?

I don't really have much spare cash, so it will be annoying to have to buy anything, but I gues safety is more important…

Unless there's any cracks or anything is bent I wouldn't worry about it personally.

take it to a bike shop and ask them to check the frame alignment for you. obviously tell them not to carry out any work without your go ahead.

to be honest it sounds like the stem has just rotated on the steerer tube which is quite common. how did the crash happen? pics of the bike would be good! hope your ok! 😀

Give the bike a through wash and clean and look for any crack / marks / dents.

If your helmet has no physical signs of damage it should be fine – but again check carefully.

The fork / bar alignment thing is nowt to worry about and may have helped to disspiate some of the energy preventing damage.

Just check it over and go for a gentle pootle.

look for any cracks in the frame.

straighten the stem and nip the bolts up.

check the bars saddle and seatpost

make sure gears all still change and brakes work

hold the front brake on and rock the bike backwards and forwards to see if there's excessive movement anywhere – if the headset feels loose it might need adjusting.

other than that you shoudl be fine.

Thanks guys. My feeling was that the stem being able to rotate probably helped mitigate some of the damage. We straightened the bars up and I rode home (slowly).

Got a bit of shock, made a mess of my hand which required a clean, stitch and dressing, but other than that just bruises. Probably won't be able to ride for a week either 😡 On the plus side, I can't do any washing up.

you can do the washing up cinders!

Helmets are only designed to protect for 1 crash. Obviously you know better than us if you landed on it, but even droping a helmet on the floor from a shelf should be enough to warrent its replacement.

The bike's probably fine, I'd be bancrupt if I had to replace stuff every time I over cook it on a corner.

Can i also suggest when you inspect your bike for damage you remove your stem and check the fork steerer for damage since you think it was a impact on the front of the bike. Then go through everything wwaswas put in his first post.

but even droping a helmet on the floor from a shelf should be enough to warrent its replacement.

I really don't think so personally. I dropped my Giro Hex on the floor a few times – it still worked just fine when I landed on my head on it. Obviously I replaced it after that but then it was actually cracked.

This is the time to give the bike a really thorough clean. Wash it in warm soapy water (best not to use washing up liquid, use car shampoo and rinse it off thoroughly – don't jet wash!). Get in all the nooks and crannies and look for ripples, cracks, dents and other problems. If it's a springy bike, check around each pivot and make sure there are no cracks or ripples. Check the forks are straight and the stantions aren't scratched; hold the bike upright and look "through" it from behind to make sure the wheels line up exactly.

Check your levers for bends and cracks and take your seatpost out and check that. Make sure your wheels are still running straight and look carefully at the cranks and the areas around where the pedals attach. Look carefully along your bars and near the point where they enter the stem. If you're feeling really fastidious, take your grips off and check the ends of your bars.

If all of the above is fine, chances are the bike is probably all right. And you've cleaned it, checked it and shown it some love ready for the next time you ride. If there are any problems, head down to your LBS and get it checked over by a _good_ mechanic. (don't just ask on here, amid the good advice you'll get fifteen numpties saying "I rode my Heckler with a cracked frame for eight years and it was all right…" ;))

As for the helmet, again check it carefully for scratches and dents. If in doubt, replace it – some helmet manufacturers have a crash replacement scheme where you send your old helmet back, they use it for R&D and give you a discount on a new one. Unlike motorbike helmets, bicycle helmets can be dropped on the floor and battered a bit and the plastic shell usually prevents the impact-absorbing polystyrene getting damaged too much.

: P