So big Gav from work has finally succumbed to the cycling bug and in my wisdom I recommended that he needed to get rid of all of the plastic bits that bike shops are duty bound to adorn new bikes with such as reflectors and the nasty chain guard. About 10.30 this morning I get a call from him and a picture message. The silly sod slipped off his pedals at the local woods on his first off road ride and has taken a huge section of his ankle away on the big chain ring. I would post the picture but I’m no good with phones and such. He is still in A&E last I heard and will almost certainly require a skin graft unless he accepts a pretty hideous scar. He blames me anyway…..says that I told him to take off the chain guard. It’s ok though he’s only 18 stone and 6ft7. 😐

If it was’nt that it would have been something else.
He’s cut his teeth with a knarly stack.

Also, if he’s good humoured enough to send a picture message i suspect he’ll get over it.

Also, if he’s good humoured enough to send a picture message i suspect he’ll get over it.

Depends, he might have also written death threats above the wound in his own blood.

You did get him to remove the pie plate right?

should have got him some SPD’s nothing would have gone wrong then.

He’s had a bad week already as Wednesday some girl sideswiped him off his bike they both came round a corner. He bust a spoke, bent the rotor, punctured the tyre and the back brake was damaged a tad and needed to be re-bled….were supposed to be going to wales in a few weeks..

ahhh… shit happens.

my ‘best’ advice was to tell a friend to drop a bit of oil onto his rotors to stop the constant squealing.

when we got home he got out the oil, oiled his chain and then, unbeknown to me, his rotors!!! he then got on his bike and rode the drive and stacked it when he hit the curb opposite.

he said it that i should pay for new pads as it was my fault. i argued that it was his fault for being so gullible. we met half-way.

why wouldn’t he want a scar?

I think an awful thing to have happen to you (not that you’d care at that stage), would be to be on a slab in a morgue while some morticians looked over your pristine body with nary a blemish on it and have them say
‘well, he didn’t use that much did he?’

Our friend did the same thing a few weeks back on a ride in Sherwood forest with my hubby. Our friend is a little clumsy and I had told him lots of times to get some gripper pedals (offered to give him some) and take of his outer ring and pop on a bash (offered him one of those as well).

“I told you so” did spring to mind, but I did feel sorry for him, 9 stitches!

Bless him, he only just bought a hard rock to get into mtb’ing, he may now stick to road….(single speed, he is too clumsy to work gears lol).

Simone

Show your mate this thread, where we all agree that:
1)You weren’t a complete tool offering him that advice: the plastic trouserguard has no place on a mountain bike. It’s a mud trap as well as looking daft.
2) we have all hurt our right ankles on outer chainrings, it’s a rite of passage.
3) ..but his ‘rite of passage’ is really quite something!
4) This is why I try and remember to shift into the big ring whenever I am about to do anything fally-offy or bumpy. (chain less likely to fall off on rattly stuff too).

Hope he heals up whether he goes for the big scar or little scar option. (If it didn’t affect mobility of the ankle joint, I would go for big scar by the way. Skin graft means you have an ‘owie’ somewhere else on your body too, they have to borrow it from somewhere…)

i forgot…

i did this back in December. stepped off the bike onto a rock which wasn’t stable. i went tumblng ad the bike fell on top of me.

didn’t hurt until the nurse pinched the flap of skin, pulled it back and began cleaning the wound with what felt like a wire wool brush. “aarrrgggh!”

now got a marzocchi scar.

(right click and ‘view image’ for all the gory detail)

Alpin-looks more like Harry Potters forehead mate!

Just remember chicks dig scars 😉

This is why I have a dual ring/bash. 🙂

grum – Member
This is why I have a dual ring/bash.

Still too dangerous.

Single ring, carefully adjusted Plasma and bash.

Shame all that still doesn’t stop your pedals smashing into your shins…

slainte 😆 rob