Crash when cycling in town / advice

Bandeira

I've moved to Oxford about a year ago and I've always quite liked to approach of everyone around here towards cycling, but today I think I changed my mind a bit...
Being new to the UK, I believe I was right and the car was wrong, please give me a heads up if I am mistaken.

I was cycling in middle of the city on the bike lane and wanted to turn right on a crossing...
Waved my right hand, went to the middle of the car lane , then between the lanes and was slowing down to wait for traffic. When I was about to stop (already unclipped to put my foot on the ground) out of a sudden a car takes corner too sharp and hits my front wheel. The impact was VERY LOW speed as the guy managed to brake a lot before he hit me...

I've got a very small bruise on my right calf (its fine, just from impact) but the bike carried most of the impact...
Front wheel broken into pieces...
I inspected the fork and its got NO signs of damage whatsoever, both fork and Aluminium steerer...
Rear wheel out of true (maybe from the weight shifting rearward when it happened.)
What you guys think its worth checking as well?

I disassembled most of the front end. Without the wheel, when turning the fork on the headset, you could feel the bearing a bit funny (sorry, English not my first language, so....) Like it if had some dirt in the bearing... this feeling was very very subtle (could have been there before and I didnt notice) You guys think its just a matter of changing the bearings? I checked the bearing race and there is no sign of damage whatsoever, not even a scratch!

as for wheels, I think my rear wheel is salvageable, but Id be tempted to get a new set all around (specially if I can buy better stuff). The bike had fulcrum 7s, so I can either buy a new front one and true the rear or buy a new set... What you guys think its is better? and how much would be wheels slightly better than the fulcrum 7s and which one would you recommend me? Keeping in mind that I am a fairly heavy bloke (92kg now but going down)

Apart from that, I just feel glad that I am alright and that the guy was a proper idiot!

ctc

Warlands Bikes on the Botley Road will check your bike for a small fee. They're very good, and I always use them for repairs. When I was hit by a car at Christmas they checked over my bike
I bought the RC38 wheels from cycle division recently for £200 and have been very impressed with them. They look like they might be very similar to the Fulcrum Racing Quattros

Bandeira

actually I live 5 minutes from Warlands... I went there once, and they were not particularly friendly.. lol they looked quite impatient with my questions and queries...
I am myself and engineer and fairly experiences car/kart mechanic to a certain point... I just don't have much experience with bikes as I've taken road cycling seriously about a year ago...

houndlegs

Didn't the driver stop? Did you get any details? If it was his fault,I'd be looking for him to pay for the damages.

Ec0

I'd probably go down the route of pursuing the driver to pay for the repair and check, sound's as though they were at fault here by not driving with due care and attention.

If they left the scene without stopping it becomes a matter for the police as they are then leaving the scene of an accident.

Bandeira

Yeah, He did stop, got details, but not sure if I want to take this further... he claimed it was my fault (it's very easy for him to say that, isnt it?) and I am not sure I want to be have this issue going around for months...

houndlegs

At the end of the day it's up to you,but I'd be definately looking for the driver or his insurance to pay for it.
Personally speaking, I know if I let it go it would eat away at me for ages, so for that reason alone I'd have to pursue it.
I also don't see why you should be out of pocket for someone else's mistake(assuming they are in the wrong as you seem to think).
Whatever you decide though, the main thing is that you are OK,a bike can always be fixed or replaced.

veronese68

You were stationary (practically) and he hit you. How can it not be his fault? Claim off the fool.
Also, hard to tell from the picture but the bearings don't look great so could well feel a bit gritty. You could try to clean and regrease, or just put new balls in.

karlth

Veronese68 wrote:

You were stationary (practically) and he hit you.

Doesn't necessarily follow; the twonk who had a lass of her moped the other day round our way was barely moving - he was edging out of a side road trying to see round a badly parked car - but it was still him at fault. I didn't understand enough detail of this case to be able to make a definitive judgement.

StillGoing

It's always going to be his fault. He's emerging from a side road onto a main road and should give way to all traffic already on the main road. However, the definition of an RTC is "owing to the presence of a motor vehicle on a road, an accident occurs etc", therefore a proportion of the blame is passed on to the owner/driver of the parked car that caused the obstructed view forcing the driver to nose out into traffic.

KukroGrockle

I'm intrigued by the OP statement "I was cycling in middle of the city on the bike lane and wanted to turn right on a crossing... Waved my right hand, went to the middle of the car lane , then between the lanes and was slowing down to wait for traffic."

Were you turning across a pedestrian crossing or a road junction? Was your front wheel over the central road marking?

No idea who was as fault as too little information, just intigued by the use of "crossing"

veronese68

karlth wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

You were stationary (practically) and he hit you.

Doesn't necessarily follow; the twonk who had a lass of her moped the other day round our way was barely moving - he was edging out of a side road trying to see round a badly parked car - but it was still him at fault. I didn't understand enough detail of this case to be able to make a definitive judgement.

Yes, of course you're right there. I was alluding to the fact that the op was stopping and had already unclipped to put his foot down, but trying to keep it concise. So he would have been moving at next to no speed and coming to a stop. The driver should have travelling at a speed that he could stop in the distance he can see.

slowondefy2

Might a company of this type be of any use to the OP? http://www.cycle-claims.co.uk/

cougie

Thats a fair old impact to do that to a wheel. I'd go down the cycle friendly solicitor route - especially as the driver is blaming you. The solicitor will advise - but it will take a while to settle the claim.

FWIW I think its just a new front wheel that I'd replace at the moment. Maybe ask for a fork thru the insurance, but I think I'd risk riding around with it if theres no sign it was hit.

Good luck.

hstiles

This is one of those scenarios where if it were a clear cut insurance claim, a bike shop would raise concerns over the possible stress inflicted on the steerer tube.

Once you factor in wheel, tyre, forks and possibly frame (although unlikely) the costs start to fly up. So, I would contact a solicitor so that you at least have it on record. Also, did you report the incident to the police? Minor bruise or not, you were injured as a result of the collision, so the driver had an obligation to inform his insurance company.

Bandeira

KukroGrockle: I was stopping on the ped crossing and and there was no central road marking on the place. but I would be right in the middle where the central marking would be...

I didn't report because I don't see this going anywhere and I am moving from the UK in the next couple of months, and the last thing I want is to have to come back to settle anything related to this.

cheers guys for all the input...
The Fork looks alright, there is no sign of cracks, or misalignment... I think the wheels took all the impact, but being carbon forks is tricky to be sure that there was no internal damage... I am documenting everything with photos and keeping all the receipts of everything I buy just in case, but atm Im not looking at using them....

t4tomo

Bandeira wrote:

KukroGrockle: I was stopping on the ped crossing and and there was no central road marking on the place. but I would be right in the middle where the central marking would be...

I didn't report because I don't see this going anywhere and I am moving from the UK in the next couple of months, and the last thing I want is to have to come back to settle anything related to this.

cheers guys for all the input...
The Fork looks alright, there is no sign of cracks, or misalignment... I think the wheels took all the impact, but being carbon forks is tricky to be sure that there was no internal damage... I am documenting everything with photos and keeping all the receipts of everything I buy just in case, but atm Im not looking at using them....

If he cam e aound teh corner and hit you whilst you were on a pedestian crossing I'm pretty sure he would be at fault - regardless that you should have been pussing it over the crossing rather than cycling over it.

Was it a Zebra (black and white lines crossing) or a pelican (traffic lights) if pelican were the lights on red for him?