So I had a bit of a spill on the road last night. Taking a roundabout I’ve ridden hundreds of times & the bike washed out from underneath me.
I was on a new (to me) Trek Madone fitted with Michelin Power Endurance tyres

I’m trying to figure out what went wrong & have noticed that the tyres have direction indicators and the rear tyre is fitted backwards.

Anyone know if this would this make much difference on a dry road?

Cheers.

would this make much difference on a dry road?

no.

this;

new (to me) Trek Madone

however probably did.

Can’t imagine it making any difference at all.

yeah, I wondered that too.

My usual bike is a Cannondale Supersix. Would the geo be that different that it needs riding in a totally different way?

Other option is a spot of oil in the road, but it was too busy (and I was too hurty) to go and check

Unlikely.

Probably a patch of diesel or something like that.

I’m not a Michelin tyre tester, but i’d be amazed if it made a significant difference.
Most likely oil/diesel on the road.
Bit of a bummer when the bike just goes away from you for no obvious reason – had similar last winter myself, took months to get confidence back 🙁

That’s my fear Andy – if I can’t figure out what caused it, I can’t prevent it happening again.

On the positive side, whilst I was waiting to be rescued (bent rear mech meant no riding home), several riders stopped to ask if I needed help. Good to know we’re all looking out for each other.

It won’t make any difference on a dry road, or a wet road for that matter.

Is this you trying to apportion blame for somebody fitting tyres the wrong way round by any chance ?

there’s always oil on roundabouts – only way to avoid it is to assume all roundabouts are death-traps.
rain after a dry spell / leaf detritus – quite easy to be aware of.

That’s my fear Andy – if I can’t figure out what caused it, I can’t prevent it happening again.

In my case, I slid a good 10m down the road, and noticed after the fact that none of my clothing was damaged (indicates surface must have been very slippy) and had faint black/brown residue on gloves. Made me strongly suspect something on the road, but went back next day but couldn’t see anything though.
Might be worth looking over your kit to see if you have any similar signs?

That’s my fear Andy – if I can’t figure out what caused it, I can’t prevent it happening again.

You just got unlucky with a slippy patch. Did the same last winter on a roundabout, got a nice bit of road rash on my hip. Going from summer to autum/winter you do need to recalibrate a fair bit on roundabouts and corners as grip does reduce a lot and you get some very slippy patches.

Which end wiped out?

I had an off two Mondays ago, approaching a wet roundabout, could see it had a nasty coating of mushed leaves and conkers so slowed right down and the front tyre still washed out. No damage except a bruised/cracked rib which has been sheer agony pretty much since then, though I did manage to do a bit of pain-free climbing out of the saddle today so it’s on the mend.

tragically1969:
Is this you trying to apportion blame for somebody fitting tyres the wrong way round by any chance ?

Nope – it’s me trying to understand why it happened, so I can reduce the risk of it happening again – that’s not a difficult concept if you stop & think about it for a moment. Anyway I never said someone else fitted it wrongly, did I?

Thanks for the more constructive responses.

Not sure which end went first, felt like both together.
Not much chance of inspecting the road surface – it’s too busy, but I’ll have a look at my ruined Castelli bibs and see if there’s any sign of oil or diesel.

I guess just chalk it up to experience and take it a bit slower!

Were they brand spanking new tyres? If so, the box for those tyres does (I believe) give a warning of reduced grip for the first 15km or so as there is a production process coating that needs to wear off

Check if you are using high-end pressures for the total weight of you and the bike. Higher pressures reduce contact patch and grip, compared to lower.

I’ve had two “washouts” this year…
~77/83PSI on 700x38c Marathon Crosses on the Wazoo, with max pressure of 85, I now use ~60/75 (total weight typically ~91Kg)
~90/95PSI on 700x25c Grand Sport Races on the Cube, with max pressure of 110 IIRC, I now use ~75/90 (total weight typically ~88Kg)

Nope – it’s me trying to understand why it happened, so I can reduce the risk of it happening again – that’s not a difficult concept if you stop & think about it for a moment. Anyway I never said someone else fitted it wrongly, did I?

Sheesh, it was only a question…..

Sheesh, it was only a question…..

The way you asked it demanded that response, to be fair.