Newly started riding, mainly Lee Quarry and have no ride buddies yet.
As I came a cropper on my own yesterday, dismounted onto boulder, cracked rib and badly cut knee, made me think is there a “help me” signal other than shouting used out there?
Fortunately after a minute of checking spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch I was ok.
However there was no-one around and if I was badly hurt I had no way of calling for help (phone signal poor).
I’m thinking maybe carry a whistle, 3 short blasts kind of thing.

Thoughts anyone?

Good luck with blasting a whistle when you’ve got cracked ribs or are seriously injured. Normal behaviour, I hate the word etiquette with a passion, is to ride within your abilities and minimise the risk of spackering yourself.

Wot he said. Isn’t it 6 short blasts every minute for an emergency?

6 short blasts repeated at 1 minute intervals.

Some packs have (rather crappy) whistle built into the chest buckle.

Im not going to start carrying a flare gun that’s for sure!
Daft thing was it was on an easy section well within my new found ability.

If it was well within your ability why did you crash?

Even when there is limited phone signal, its mu understanding that 999 calls pick up any signal to get through (I may be wrong about this) I always carry enough first aid kit to stop bleeding and I ALWAYS have my ice id with me. Whistles are good but remember that you need to be in a state to use it… I generally ride on my own and i always tell mrs vader the route and how long I should be and call when im finished. I do appreciate tho that this isnt always possible…

I’m never out without one of these loud as heck, but as stated no good if your unconscious or have injuries that stop you from blowing (oh er)

Join a local MTB club… then you have buddies and safety in numbers 🙂

Keng, where you based?

Front wheel strayed off the stone path I was riding and sank deep into grass on a left hand bend.
Bike stopped, I didn’t. I Wasn’t even going that fast and been down that part lots of times before.

Based in Weir Phil

wanmankylung – Member
If it was well within your ability why did you crash?

I take it you don’t ride due to making smart arse comments in here. Don’t worry Karma is coming.

For the OP
Phone, tell someone where you are going, make friends or an EPIRB.

ride within your abilities and minimise the risk of spackering yourself.

The most effective method of achieving this is to hide behind a keyboard and just give advice to to others on how to ride

The most effective method of achieving this is to hide behind a keyboard and just give advice to to others on how to ride

Is that not a given oh here?

You just have to deal with it! I’ve done tons of riding on my own over the last 15 years, some in remote places in the UK with nobody knowing where I was.

Years ago I wiped out and hurt myself. Checked the bike over and got back on despite the pain. Five days later I was in A & E with a broken collar bone.

Mental attitude is what counts. 🙂

wanmankylung is my hero this lunchtime.

cinnamon_girl – Member
Mental attitude is what counts

“mental” indeed in your case!

Love you too al. 😉

It’s always a tricky one biking, walking, windsurfing, kayaking whatever.

Firstly you just need to accept that what you doing has a little extra risk factor, then hopefully live with it. As CG says above usually you are the going to be in charge of your own rescue which might involve a bit of gritting of teeth (though hopefully not ‘touching the void’/’127 hours’ levels of gritting of teeth!).

Then a little modifying of behaviour. As a young adult I got myself in all sorts of bother with a solo winter ice climbing/ walking day. I grew up quickly that day!

I think I’m prepared to push it a bit more when I know the likelihood of someone coming by is bigger at trail centres and the like than deep in the highlands where it might be days before someone bothers to travel the same route. The usual sensible precautions too – leave your route with friends/family, put your route & details on your dashboard if going there by car.

Curiously I think I’m probably more likely to hurt myself where riding with friends as they are more gnar than me so I’m more likely to try stuff I wouldn’t otherwise (peer pressure as a 40 odd year old!) and push it to keep up when I’d otherwise back off.

The international MTB signal of “I’ve hurt myself” is either

1) Curl into a ball and moan gently

or

2) Check your GO-PRO captured the incident properly

Keng, a few of the lads on this group ride Lee Quarry and other trails near there. Good bunch of riders and the banter is good.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/244482482392531/?fref=ts

1 – Pause Strava instantly.
2 – Check bike, calculate cost of the crash, swear a lot.
3 – Order an Ambulance for one.

https://icedot.org/site/crash-sensor/

Rape alarm to attract attention… will also come in useful if Hora is chasing you with a handful of margarine lube

Apple and Android both have an app called Ride ID. You pop in your details and then set it as the desktop/wallpaper/screensaver on your phone so that if you’re unconscious/dead then people at least know who you are (or they will know once they get around to checking your phone). Don’t even need the unlock code (which is what scuppers the “search through the phonebook to find the I.C.E contact” idea).

Other than that – I’ve done loads of fairly remote riding on my own, sometimes with no-one having any idea where I was. You just have to accept that occasionally things will happen but ride within yourself as much as possible to minimise the risk of that “thing” actually happening at that time. I never really think about it that much to be honest, I just go riding!

If I find a fallen rider when I’m out, I usually just grab any nice parts off their bike and any bits of kit I like and then eff off sharpish before they regain consciousness

(EDIT: ah, didn’t pay attention after the thread title – nothing to see here, move along quietly please 😳 )

Watch 127 Hours before you go out. That might slow you down a bit 🙂

A whistle can’t hurt. Mobile phone too. And a pen knife, just in case you need to cut your arm off.

Joina mtb club?

He wants to ride not be part of petty bureacracy and people with no social skills.

LOL expecting help from other mountain bikers that’s a good one. Head down I don’t see you it’s not my problem I’ve got gnar to shred etc….

I carry a small first aid kit in my hydration pack, one I put together myself, not just one with a few plasters. As a bare minimum I always carry one of these. If you fell and had a a large cut from anything and were losing some blood these could literally be a lifesaver… for a few quid
http://www.kitmonster.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/1033

And as a back up always say to someone you know/speak to regularly/other half etc where you’re going and how long you should be. That way at least if you fail to return someone can send a search party. Or a note on your dashboard if you park at a trail head or a layby somewhere. Might sound extreme but if even you’re riding a quieter trail centre and it’s getting to the end of the day and you come off and break a leg, it’d be a long crawl home or a long wait until some ride past the next day.

Life is too short …

A previous girlfriend of mine used to follow my progress ‘live’ on Endomondo, when I first started long road rides. Not only would it have shown roughly where to come searching if the signal stalled in one place for an uncomfortably long time and any subsequent text/phone call went unanswered, but it was also useful for her to judge when to start getting ready to go out as I neared my return. 🙂

Is that what she told you?

She was also riding