Lucky escape tonight.

ademort
ademort Posts: 1,924
edited April 2008 in Commuting chat
As i was cycling home from work this evening, tail wind and really bombing along, i felt the saddle suddenly give way under me with an almighty crack at the same time. I managed to keep the bike on the road and stopped as soon as i could. As i looked at the seat pin it was easy to see that the seat pin cradle and bolts had just snapped off, and of course the saddle had come off. I could not find either the cradle or bolts to inspect them, but am so surprised that this could happen.It was an alloy seatpin, not carbon, and in nearly thirty years of cycling i have never heard of anything like this. A colleague broke his seatpin once on crashing in a race but the seatpin was carbon. Has anyone else had anything like this happen to them, i am curious? Greetings Ademort
ademort
Chinarello, record and Mavic Cosmic Sl
Gazelle Vuelta , veloce
Giant Defy 4
Mirage Columbus SL
Batavus Ventura

Comments

  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    Could have been very painful ! Heard of saddles failing, but not seatpins !
  • dirk_van_gently
    dirk_van_gently Posts: 826
    At least you are safe, which is the important thing.

    I have had a seat pin snap off, 5 miles into a 25 mile ride home. Only bike shop near, back the 5 miles I had just ridden, or the prospect of 20miles riding with no saddle, not a comfortable option either way.
    I have also had a seat rail break, but it was an old saddle that had taken a hell of a beating.
    If you see the candle as flame, the meal is already cooked.
    Photography, Google Earth, Route 30
  • Adamskii
    Adamskii Posts: 267
    Consider yourself lucky to have kept control of the bike otherwise it could have been rather nasty!
    It's all good.
  • cupofteacp
    cupofteacp Posts: 578
    Years ago during an MTB race at Eastway I went over a jump and landed hard on the saddle on the first lap and the aluminium seat snapped leave nasty jagged post.

    Luckly I didn’t impale myself on it. Have to say it still play on my mind.
    15 * 2 * 5
    * 46 = Happiness
  • ademort
    ademort Posts: 1,924
    Please believe me i count myself very lucky, did,nt get much sleep last night. I sometimes cycle home with three colleagues, but yesterday i started an hour earlier so of course left an hour earlier, bloody lucky for me. Am on a long weekend now, so am off to the bike shop with seatpin, but of course without the top half of the cradle or the bolts to show then i don,t hold much hope. I don,t know what broke, the bolts or the cradle, probably the bolts. greetings Ademort
    ademort
    Chinarello, record and Mavic Cosmic Sl
    Gazelle Vuelta , veloce
    Giant Defy 4
    Mirage Columbus SL
    Batavus Ventura
  • BentMikey
    BentMikey Posts: 4,895
    Oops! Glad you're OK mate, looks like you came off a lot better than the chap on cyclechat who's just posted about unexpectedly unclipping his right SPD on a fixed wheel, doing some breakdance, and then crashing.
  • bracestower
    bracestower Posts: 113
    Likely to be the bolt. I've two snap on me in the last few years.

    The first time I just had to complete the 10 or so miles back home without a saddle, as it was in the evening. It wasn't too bad, i just stuck it in a big gear and freewheeled a lot.

    The second time it happened, I was on fixed, so freewheeling in a big gear wasn't an option. However it happened about 10 metres from a bike shop. I had to wait half an hour for the shop to open and they didn't have a spare bolt, so I had to buy another seatpost.
  • mailmannz
    mailmannz Posts: 173
    ademort wrote:
    and in nearly thirty years of cycling i have never heard of anything like this.

    Well, seeing as the bolt was 30 years old...you have had a good run with it ;)

    Mailman
  • hamboman
    hamboman Posts: 512
    happened to me just 2 weeks ago on my mountain bike. It's metal fatigue so eventually it'll happen if you use it enough.

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