Matt Damon Breaks Collar Bone Mountain Biking, Talks About it with Jay Leno on ‘Tonight Show’
Updated: Jan 18, 2014 by Francis Cebedo
Most mountain bikers are wondering what kind of bike Matt Damon was riding at the time of the accident. With some research, we noticed that Matt was spotted riding a 2014 Felt Nine 2 on December, 2013. This is most likely the bike he was riding the time he went over the bars. The Felt Nine 2 is a carbon fiber 29er hardtail with 100mm of front travel and about a 110mm stem. It is a very capable cross country racing bike and is a sign that Matt was getting serious about mountain biking. A photo of Matt riding this bike is available here.
So the question is “Would he have been saved by a full suspension All Mountain bike?” We think yes. With a 140mm travel full suspension bike, a 70mm stem and a dropper post, Matt would would have been able to pull out some Jason Bourne moves. With a lower center of gravity, a more rearward position and 140mm of rock absorbing travel, it is much harder to get launched over the bars.
Of course, there’s no replacement for skill and experience, but a great bike with all the new tools and some bike lessons can help Matt stay injury free. We really hope Matt keeps on riding.
Jan 17, 2014 by Don Palermini
No word yet on whether the actor who played The Talented Mr. Ripley was riding an Ibis Ripley when he went down, but earlier this week Matt Damon told Jay Leno his broken collarbone was the result of a recent mountain bike crash.
The 43-year-old star of the blockbuster Bourne thriller movies began his appearance on “The Tonight Show” Tuesday explaining the broken bone occured when he was thrown from his bike after hitting some rocks hidden by leaves. With some prodding from Leno, Damon, who was riding in front of a friend, admitted he may have been showing off.
“”I was probably showing off,” explained Damon with a laugh. “Like ‘watch this move in these turns,’ and ‘watch me hit these rocks.’”
What happened next, Damon explained, was that his bike stopped, but he did not, instead sailing over the handlebars and into the ground.
Video: Scrub forward to the 17:20 mark to see Damon describe his mountain bike crash.
Fractured clavicles typically take six-to-10 weeks to heal and Damon said his happened about three or four weeks ago. The entire Mtbr staff wishes Mr. Damon a speedy recovery and hope he’s back on two wheel soon.
Actor Matt Damon uses his good arm to illustrate his mountain bike crash on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” Tuesday.
Editors note: He probably wasn’t riding an Ibis Ripley–we tested one extensively this week and it’s just too damn good!
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