Re: Please explain, “tucking the front end”! (oneilmd)
Back to the original question:
CRASHING 101
"Tucking the front end" is indeed a form of the Lowside crash.
There are two basic types of crashes, the Lowside and the Highside, with variations of both.
A lowside essentially is when you fall "into" the corner, landing on the same side on which you were leaning in the first place. Generally the result of simply losing traction from one or both tires - or contacting hard parts - and having the bike "slide out" from under you. Usually a pretty mild crash.
When you "tuck the front", it means that the front tire loses traction rapidly, and you immediately slam down on your shoulder/arm/head, which is apparently what happened to you. This is why collarbone and rib injuries are common in this type of crash. It's usually caused by too much braking while leaned over, or chopping the throttle mid-turn, both actions resulting in overloading the front tire. Very hard kind of crash to save, because it happens so instantly.
The other common type of crash is the Highside, which is usually pretty vicious. It occurs when a tire loses traction - almost always the rear upon acceleration - and starts to slide outward, but suddenly regains its grip. This causes a "catapult" effect, and can launch the rider right over the top of the bike. This hurts. Trust me.
You can also be thrown back toward the inside of the corner, but it's still a high side because of the way it happens originally...
(Oh, BTW, get well soon!)
