So who's been knocked off then?

richrock

Close shaves a plenty, the closest being a woman deciding that cutting a corner whilst on a mobile was a Good Thing To Do. Problem was, I was coming up to said junction, had to swerve to her left (so I'm on the wrong side of the road) to avoid being a bonnet decoration. She had to emergency stop to avoid me.

I wasn't pleased, and she continued to blather on the phone despite me shouting what a muppet she was. Ever seen someone on a mobile try to find first to get away - I found it really funny afterwards, she couldn't get a gear, and wouldn't stop yakking. FWIW - local council worker up the road (who heard me shouting :shock: ) said that I was completely in the right.

Other times, arctics passing a little too close, impatient WVM's (or similar commercial vans typically) overtaking on a blind corner/crest on my run.

No hits though

georgee

Once, WVM on my rightshoulder stationary at a junction turned left without signalling (could not confirm this, but am pretty sure he wasn't). As he turned into me the bike went sideway as I somehow unclipped lept over the cross bar and landed on my feet running out into the road in Look cleats (bloody impressive dismount)

He then had the nerve to try and show me the road markings were left turn only... funily enough they weren't!

mudcow007

totally and utterly my fault, riding on the pavement (i was 15) went straight across a junction chasing one of my mates who was further up the road also on the pavement, as i crossed the junction a car had pulled out from my right, causing me to "T-Bone" the car

driver stopped an checked i was ok. he didnt shout or anything at me either which was nice

i think i was a silly young man back then

Crawler2

Not knocked off, but near as damn it.

Last Thursday evening, Maygrove Road, with plently of speed on having come down the incline from Iverson Road. Elderly motorist coming the other way pulls out wide to pass a parked car on his side of the road. And just keeps on coming.

I think 'I'm not going to fit through that gap', as the car comes right over to my side of the road but there's no way I'm going to stop in time. My right hand smashed into his wing mirror with a bang and shattered the glass and the plastic surround.

Didn't fall off, but did bleed everywhere while we stopped and spoke of the rights and wrongs of each other's road ettiquette. I was unimpressed that he seemed to think that I'd done it on purpose.

ThatBikeGuy

Fortunately i've never been knocked off of my bike, plenty of close calls but then again my commute is but a short one, on rather quiet roads for the most part so that is most definitely why.

phy2sll2

georgee wrote:

As he turned into me the bike went sideway as I somehow unclipped lept over the cross bar and landed on my feet running out into the road in Look cleats (bloody impressive dismount)

I've done this trick twice. Once a WVM changing lane into me on the A2 near New Cross and a second time with a lady with kids in a people carrier on Lower Addiscombe Road.

Both times they stopped to check I was OK which was unexpected.

wgwarburton

WGWarburton wrote:

Hi,
I don't remember... I hesitate to say it's never happened, but if it has I can't recall so.

I certainly haven't had any serious injury since I broke my arm when I missed a corner on a muddy footpath at age 13 or so.

I'm pretty sure I've spent more time cycling than I have on other "activities" -it seems pretty obvious to me that that would be the case, since it's transport, as well as potentially recreation, but apparently the industry and retailers generally don't see it that way!
Despite that, I've had more injuries skiing (split lip, broken handbones), sailing (nasty whack to the head), surfing (broken tooth), and generally being Young-and-Stupid (dislocated finger, broken tooth, sprained wrists).

I'd particularly warn against being Young-and-Stupid. It seems to be a major cause of injury.

I don't recall anything cycling-related worse than occasional gravel-rash in recent decades... Which is to be expected, really: cycling is a very safe activity, at least on-road, anyway.

Cheers,
W.

Another post has just reminded me that I hit a taxi that pulled out from a give-way in front of me on an urban descent a few years back. So I guess that counts a being knocked off (I took out his wing mirror and landed on the bonnet).
The swine never made good his promise to fix my bike- I should have called the police... I think I grazed my knuckles on the car.
Not a big incident... hence didn't come to mind earlier!

Cheers,
W.

Small Fish

Once in 15 years

I was in a cycle lane - filtering inside a LONG line of stationary traffic - when a driver spontaneously decided that rather than wait in the queue he was going to nip up a side road to his left. I was going quicker than I maybe should have been... he didn't look or indicate, and drove off with a big dent in his door and un-attached wing mirror, leaving me on the deck with bruises and gravel rash.

(I've also been hit by other cyclists twice - once side on by a postman and once rear ended when i stopped at a red light!)

il_principe

Twice. Once resulted in stitches, the other in a broken collar bone. Both in London.

rjsterry

WGWarburton wrote:

WGWarburton wrote:

Hi,
I don't remember... I hesitate to say it's never happened, but if it has I can't recall so.

I certainly haven't had any serious injury since I broke my arm when I missed a corner on a muddy footpath at age 13 or so.

I'm pretty sure I've spent more time cycling than I have on other "activities" -it seems pretty obvious to me that that would be the case, since it's transport, as well as potentially recreation, but apparently the industry and retailers generally don't see it that way!
Despite that, I've had more injuries skiing (split lip, broken handbones), sailing (nasty whack to the head), surfing (broken tooth), and generally being Young-and-Stupid (dislocated finger, broken tooth, sprained wrists).

I'd particularly warn against being Young-and-Stupid. It seems to be a major cause of injury.

I don't recall anything cycling-related worse than occasional gravel-rash in recent decades... Which is to be expected, really: cycling is a very safe activity, at least on-road, anyway.

Cheers,
W.

Another post has just reminded me that I hit a taxi that pulled out from a give-way in front of me on an urban descent a few years back. So I guess that counts a being knocked off (I took out his wing mirror and landed on the bonnet).
The swine never made good his promise to fix my bike- I should have called the police... I think I grazed my knuckles on the car.
Not a big incident... hence didn't come to mind earlier!

Cheers,
W.

So your bike was trashed, you ended up on the bonnet of the taxi and were thankfully lucky enough to sustain only a few grazes. Maybe it's just me, but that would merit more than a shrug and an 'Oh well never mind' in my book.

Myself, I've only had two proper cases of being knocked off:

1. c.1995. Coming down a brisk descent in my home village when a car pulled out of a side turning on my left. She pulled out late, then missed a gear or something as she didn't pull away. I braked hard and went up on the front wheel, clipped the rear corner and went down from a near handstand taking the first impact on my right ring finger and forehead - the knuckle is still noticeably larger than the left. The driver made sure I was alright and I rode on to school/6th form (before thinking 'Ow! My wrist is very sore and my palm is seeping rather a lot.' Thankfully my lid saved me from a broken nose, and the bike was fine bar some scuffed tape.

2. just before Christmas 2010. Very slowly (half track-standing) crossing the Finsbury Pavement/Ropemaker St junction by M&S, waiting for a bus in front to pull forward, when a taxi rammed me from behind. Not hurt, and just scuffed and twisted the bars again, but completely lost the plot and was ranting and raving at the driver for a couple of minutes, more out of shock and dismay at how he'd obviously not been looking where he was going than anything else I think.

notsoblue

I've had a few close calls, but haven't been offed by a car yet. My worst accidents have been caused by pedestrians randomly stepping out into the road, or slipping on ice/oil. :S

dilemna

3 times in 8 years. All commuting.

First moton drove into back of me on a roundabout sending me flying.
Second moton rammed me into the gutter trying to drive me off the road.
Third moton, a chav, didn't stop at a stop sign and drove straight into me as I passed by.

Numerous other near death experiences daily. Generally most drivers are c**ts.

When I lived and cycled in London in 1990s knocked down twice.

Once hit from side - boof!
Another occasion a dosy tw*t pulled out from side road stopped dead and I went flying over the bonnet of their car.

Even riding with the club has it's scary moments in a group of 15-20 riders. This weekend a c**t in a silver jag decided to left hook the whole group at a roundabout. We were going straight on.

I say burn 'em!

wgwarburton

rjsterry wrote:

WGWarburton wrote:

... The swine never made good his promise to fix my bike- ...

Not a big incident... hence didn't come to mind earlier....

So your bike was trashed, you ended up on the bonnet of the taxi and were thankfully lucky enough to sustain only a few grazes. Maybe it's just me, but that would merit more than a shrug and an 'Oh well never mind' in my book...

The bike wasn't "trashed".. it was a very cheap fixed-gear commuter and the only significant damage was an out-of-true rear wheel. I asked him to refund the price of the repair (£35 or so?) and didn't hear back from him. Irritating but not disastrous.
I should probably have insisted on calling the police, getting an incident report, prosecution, insurance claim etc... just to make the point that he'd been daft but I thought it wouldn't be necessary. I was wrong. Hey, ho... maybe if it happens again I'll do it differently but TBH that's pretty unlikely.

I don't think I was "lucky enough to sustain only a few grazes"... I think I would have been very unlucky to have been seriously injured. Serious injuries are rarely sustained by cyclists.. that's why they are noteworthy.

Cheers,
W.

edit: quoting fail

rjsterry

WGWarburton wrote:

The bike wasn't "trashed".. it was a very cheap fixed-gear commuter and the only significant damage was an out-of-true rear wheel. I asked him to refund the price of the repair (£35 or so?) and didn't hear back from him. Irritating but not disastrous.
I should probably have insisted on calling the police, getting an incident report, prosecution, insurance claim etc... just to make the point that he'd been daft but I thought it wouldn't be necessary. I was wrong. Hey, ho... maybe if it happens again I'll do it differently but TBH that's pretty unlikely.

I don't think I was "lucky enough to sustain only a few grazes"... I think I would have been very unlucky to have been seriously injured. Serious injuries are rarely sustained by cyclists.. that's why they are noteworthy.

Cheers,
W.

edit: quoting fail

I've obviously got the wrong end of the stick from the original post. I'd agree that serious injuries are relatively unusual for cyclists. The conclusion I'd draw from the posts above is that the difference between grazed knuckles and a scuffed bar tape or a near miss on the one hand, and multiple fractures and stitches on the other seems to be mostly down to chance rather than anything else. The 'if he'd been an inch to the left...' argument.

wgwarburton

rjsterry wrote:

...I'd agree that serious injuries are relatively unusual for cyclists. The conclusion I'd draw from the posts above is that the difference between grazed knuckles and a scuffed bar tape or a near miss on the one hand, and multiple fractures and stitches on the other seems to be mostly down to chance rather than anything else. The 'if he'd been an inch to the left...' argument.

That's probably true... I guess the underlying point behind my post is that this 'matter of chance' is weighted heavily away from serious injuries.
There's a lot of hyperbole about being inches from death, motorists almost killing cyclists, helmets saving lives etc. but most of it is bullshit- There are rare, unfortunate cases where cyclists are KSI'd but cycling is really a safe, routine, everyday activity and posturing otherwise is unhelpful, to say the least.
I've apparantly acquired a reputation hereabouts as a risk-denier and anti-helmet nutcase... Often by people who appear to me to be ill informed and closed in their outlook but nevertheless insist on repeating the same misinformation. Fair enough... My opinion carries no more weight than theirs, after all. It's up to the reader, should there be one, to make up their own mind.
Cheers,
W.

Initialised

About ten years ago, got taken to casualty with a suspected broken arm but was OK. The car in front of me pulled up without warning. It put me off cycling for a long time. But now that I'm back into it (third summer back in the saddle) I feel like a better person.