I feel that myself and this road biking lark are not going to be happy bedfellows. I’ve just had what felt like a near death experience on a dead-straight piece of tarmac. WTF is that all about? I’ve only had the road bike a few weeks!

Riding downhill at a fair old speed this morning, I noticed a lot of building rubble in the road further up. Bricks and stuff that must have fallen off a skip lorry or summink. As I get closer, the obligatory white-van-man comes absolutely battering past me and just runs straight over all the crap in the road, while right along-side me.

This results in him kicking up a good few big chunks of concrete and house-bricks from under his tyres, right in my direction!!

I absolutely **** myself! (I’ll avoid puns about bricking it). Anyway…. Somehow they managed to miss my head and important bits, but a gert big piece of concrete slams right into the back wheel, gets caught up, then disappears underneath the rim. The result being (bearing in mind I’m doing around 30mph here) the tyre sidewall being ripped wide open! Then as the now tyre-less rim rolls over the whopping big piece of concrete the wheel completely pringles. The now crisp-shaped rim then slams straight into the rear brake caliper, locking the back wheel.

By some miracle I managed to keep it upright. God knows how! It was all over the **** place!!! It goes without saying that the back wheel is completely spangled. Not had chance to inspect for any damage to the frame etc

Road bikes? You can effing keep them! Its on its way when its fixed up. Back to the longer off-road commute for me. At least I’ll stay alive.

hope you brought spare clean underpants today!

If it’s any consolation I’ve ridden tens of thousands of miles on the road and have never:

– had a van pepper me with notable debris
– had a blowout at high speed
– rolled a tyre
– pringled a wheel

To this end, I don’t want to go on a plane, or to a casino with you.

Personally, I blame binners. This is just concrete evidence that I have always been correct in that assumption.

Surely the exact same would’ve happened if you were on a mtb? Or any other sort of bike?

Surely the exact same would’ve happened if you were on a mtb? Or any other sort of bike?

What’s that got to do with anything?

Once again, It’s a fair cop Jamie.

I don’t suppose you had time to take out your notebook & pen and write down his registration whilst trying to keep the bike level ?

Geezus, glad you’re ok though.

Kev

I was once riding along offroad in the Surrey Hills, fanging down that nice descent before turning off onto the bridleway to The Rookery, probably doing around 35km/hr or so, with zero warning something (I think it might’ve been a root or a flint) ripped the sidewall of my front tyre (running tubeless) which resulted in an instantaneous flat followed by the tyre jumping off the rim and me doing a cartwheel (still attached to the bike!). Nett result was a concussion and 12 stitches to my right knee… dangerous thing this bike riding, but I still ride offroad (and on road as well! 😀 )

Wait until you get a front tyre blow out at speed. Thats a brown chamois moment if ever there was.

Sounds quite a laugh, never had anything so exciting happen to me on my roadbike!

I don’t like to do “ooh road biking is really dangerous” as it isn’t on the whole, but last time I was out I had a bit of a brown trouser moment as somebody coming the other way decided to completely ignore the fact I was there and overtake the car in front of them on my bit of road. Either completely blind and deaf as they didn’t spot my arm waving and shouting, or just decided to ignore me once they’d started. No damage done as I had a bit of verge to steer onto.

Who wants a boring uneventful ride on a monday morning though?? At least you’ll remember it. Gets the heart racing and makes you happy to be alive.

Well done for avoiding (luckily)a potential nasty injury, had a front tyre blow on road bike at a good speed but luckily no concrete involved, its a case of hang on for dear life.

I havent had the *beep* aim to swerve into me to scare the shit (or attempt to) for a while on my commute 🙁 I feel left out!

Blimey binners – glad you managed to control your effed up bike.

So the FORT is off then?

This is dong nothing for my road bike confidence BTW 🙁

To be honest mate, it depends how much its going to cost me to fix it. I’m not spending any money on it. The back wheel is completely gone. I’ve not had a proper look over it for more damage. Might be getting stripped and sold for parts yet. So much for my road riding?

That’s a complete freak accident, and not related to the fact you were on a road bike 🙂

Road bike wheels are cheap as chips tho. Shimano Tiagra wheels (R500?) are £90 the pair or something silly and really quite good.

Question for you Molgrips. I’m using a Campagnolo hub, and casette. Aren’t they completely different fitting to the Shimano’s though?

Yes binners the freehub body is different between Campag and Shimano.

Thanks 1freezingpenguin. Thought that might be the case. So I need a back wheel that’s Campag compatible. Somehow I doubt that’s going to come in cheap.

Looks like I’ll have to strip the wheel and have it re-laced to a new rim. Arse! 🙁

Pah !, thats nothing. You stayed on.

Why, the stories I could tell you.

Like the time I was skimming along beside stationary traffic only for a car to turn across the line of cars.

I hit the front, did a 20 metre endo and then bailed.

I’ve got loads like that.

Then another time, my mate. Comes hammering down a hill. Lights change and go to red.
I stop, the car stops. My mate doesn’t stop.
right hand side of his drop bars slide up the rear quarter of the car (saloon car), until the bike stops.
My mate then proceeds to fly the entire length of the car, comes crashing down onto the road, first point of contact being the back of his neck.

Oh, we laughed.

🙂

Edit.

pringled a wheel

I’ve bent a rim out 90 degrees to the frame.

Is that a boomeranged wheel

they might be _slightly_ less common but the price difference isn’t great for a campag freehub. can probably find one listed on here if you give it a week or so.

as for traffic, just think of it like that loose dog when you’re offroad- always be prepared for it to dash out and knock you off.

..except it’s 10 times larger and made of metal.

So I need a back wheel that’s Campag compatible. Somehow I doubt that’s going to come in cheap

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=42069
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Wheels-Factory-Road-Triathlon-Campagnolo-Khamsin-Black-Clincher-Wheels-Pair/CAMPWHFR625

Thanks for the links aracer. I’m ordering a pair of the campagnolo from Ribble. Cheers

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQSp3pinOnM&feature=player_detailpage[/video]

Check this out from Saturdays spin out from MM, a security van just after overtaking the KingofSweden and Sofaking on a crest of a hill, doublewhites and a blind bend squeezes past me, it was closer than it looks as this was taken with a GoPro with a wide angle lens on. I’ve reported the van!

*parp*

had a couple of incidents but nothing that bad!

this is worth a quick read 🙂

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1424100_road-rage-driver-fined-after-cyclist-videos-assault-on-helmet-camera

What bike and how much when it is fixed?

DickBarton – Member

What bike and how much when it is fixed?

Exactly what I was thinking :]