Pinging up stones on the road

menthel

Anyone else get this a lot? I think because the roads are in such a state there is a lot of loose gravel around and I often hear stones pinging out from under my back wheel at a good speed. I am quite worried that at some point a ped is going to get hit by one. I am sure one that shot off this morning did some damage to the car it hit, the noise was rather impressive.

Headhuunter

I've had stones ping from under my tyres and hit cars with a resounding crack... I try to pretend it didn't happen "wasn't me guv" style but it's probably just a matter of time before some oik in a car takes umbrage and tries to run me off the road after a stone hits his/her car. There was an article on one of the cycling websites in which a driver was prosecuted for killing or badly injuring a roadie whose bike flicked a stone up which hit his car, the driver then felt the only course of action open to him was to run the guy down apparently...

jonny_trousers

Yeah, getting this a lot this year. Way more than normal.

asprilla

Surrey CC using chip and seal between WoT and Hampton Court has lead to a lot of this.

Oh, well. There are signs warning it could happen.

menthel

Glad its not only me. I was worried that my awesome "Hoy thighs" were physically destroying the road!

Gallywomack

Yep me too. Never been entirely sure of the ethical side of things wrt hitting cars with them, but figure it's so random and uncontrollable that it's not worth stopping. Must be a bit of a shock for the driver though.

UndercoverElephant

Had some idiot in a Pug overtake me far too close a couple of years back, and I heard the beautiful "ping... BANG!" sound as a stone popped out from my tyre and dented his boy-racer's wet-dream of a show car.

Such a shame, I thought, but if he'd been overtaking better, it might not have hit him.

monkimark

I'm sure it happens a lot more with cars and motorbikes and the stones probably ping a lot faster due to the increased speed & weight - I have a big chip in the middle of one of my visor from following a Ducatti Monster that fired a stone chip at me; if I'd been cycling , that chip could have been in my face!

Headhuunter

I would've thought that cycle wheels are more likely to fire stones up than motorcycle or car tyres as the latter have a broader, flatter surface so most stones will just get crushed into the road surface, whereas a 700x23c tyre is more likely to carve a line through stones, flicking them out each side, like a ship's wake through water. Also cycle tyre pressures are a lot higher...

menthel

Headhuunter wrote:

I would've thought that cycle wheels are more likely to fire stones up than motorcycle or car tyres as the latter have a broader, flatter surface so most stones will just get crushed into the road surface, whereas a 700x23c tyre is more likely to carve a line through stones, ******* them out each side, like a ship's wake through water. Also cycle tyre pressures are a lot higher...

Agreed, I am noticing it much more now I am commuting on 25s rather than the old fat 28s, much pingier!

asprilla

I think 25c is the sweet spot. I get more shots away on these than on 23c.

antfly

I don't really care about hitting cars but I got hit on my glasses lens by a stone fired up by one of those road sweepers. It was like a bullet and a good reason to wear cycling glasses.

indyp

antfly wrote:

I don't really care about hitting cars but I got hit on my glasses lens by a stone fired up by one of those road sweepers. It was like a bullet and a good reason to wear cycling glasses.

Think I'll keep wearing glasses after reading that! I've often thought that a stone pinging other way, car to cyclist/bike, would do some damage if hit the right spot, ie shin when just wearing shorts. I try to avoid, or use the pavement with a new road which hasn't been pressed. There's normally a 5mph speed sign when entering, but I rarely see car's slowing down. It could be like a firing range!

sketchley

Asprilla wrote:

I think 25c is the sweet spot. I get more shots away on these than on 23c.

All about pressure, weight and tyre drop I guess. If you pump both up to same pressure you get less tyre drop on the 25s (so less rolling resistance, so 25s should be quicker but that's going OT) I suspect that if the tyre maintains it shape better due to less tyre drop then it's more likely to fire stones off to the side rather than bounce over them. Of course I could be talking bollox.....

Headhuunter

Headhuunter wrote:

I would've thought that cycle wheels are more likely to fire stones up than motorcycle or car tyres as the latter have a broader, flatter surface so most stones will just get crushed into the road surface, whereas a 700x23c tyre is more likely to carve a line through stones, ******* them out each side, like a ship's wake through water. Also cycle tyre pressures are a lot higher...

How bizarre, I got censured... I think I wrote "fl1nging" or "fl1cking", or at least that's what I meant to write but it got starred out...

Headhuunter

Headhuunter wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

I would've thought that cycle wheels are more likely to fire stones up than motorcycle or car tyres as the latter have a broader, flatter surface so most stones will just get crushed into the road surface, whereas a 700x23c tyre is more likely to carve a line through stones, ******* them out each side, like a ship's wake through water. Also cycle tyre pressures are a lot higher...

How bizarre, I got censured... I think I wrote "fl1nging" or "*******", or at least that's what I meant to write but it got starred out...

Again! BR doesn't like the word fl-i- king....!

veronese68

Flicking?

eta: Blimey. So you can't flick anything around here. But you can wite flick without the ing. How odd.

chilling

I've tried a few tyres. I'm sure GP4seasons ping far more than any others I've tried.

slowbike

I've been pinged enough times by cars not to worry if I ping a car in return ...

wrt pedestrians - again, not alot you can do - other than try to avoid stones - which I suppose most of us do anyway. Other than that, if you hear a massive cry of pain then I guess you'd better stop ...

Another good reason for BC or CTC membership & the included 3rd party insurance ...

Origamist

A "pinging stone" tragedy from the end of the 19th century:

Chicago, June 27. -- Earnest, the three year old son of Mrs. Schlickweis, living four miles from Hinsdale, met his death today in a very peculiar manner. With his mother the boy was out walking when the mother missed him and in going back found him lying dead on the path. A jagged stone lying near explained matters. A wheelman passing at full speed passed over a stone which was thrown by the bicycle tire with such force that when the boy was struck on the head death was instant. The wheelman, knowing nothing of the affair, passed on and has not been identified. (Boulder Daily Camera, June 27, 1896. Note the incident occurred in Illinois.)

fat_tail

Cycling home yesterday evening, I "pinged" a stone. Unfortunately, it turned out to be much larger than expected and I ended up with a pinch flat.

meth_tical

Can stones be pinged on to you own frame? New road surfacing going on atm near me and and there is a stretch of road where the pinging of stones is inevitable but I cry a little inside when I hear them bounce off my downtube. Is this from me or the passing cars as I've yet to be hit on the legs etc. just the bike.

menthel

meth_tical wrote:

Can stones be pinged on to you own frame? New road surfacing going on atm near me and and there is a stretch of road where the pinging of stones is inevitable but I cry a little inside when I hear them bounce off my downtube. Is this from me or the passing cars as I've yet to be hit on the legs etc. just the bike.

That is where stone chips come from.

They are the mark of a real cyclist, not one whom cossets their bike and only rides it when the correct planetary alignment means the weather and road conditions are just right for their cherished machine.

meth_tical

Haha that would make sense. I just assumed with the shape of the tires they would fire left or right and not so much directly at the frame.

cookeeemonster

The CS3 newham/barking way is stone ping heaven...seriously its like running over those snap bomp things you had as a kid. Took me a little while to realise what the noise was, on certain sections it's pretty constant.

Wonder if it explains the destruction of a marathon plus with only 1200 miles on the clock the other week. Seriously there is no tyre no matter how heavy or puncture resistant I havent split this year - 3 in the last couple of months already (marathon plus/durano plus/vredstein fortezza tricomp...now on GP4Seasons to add to the list). I'm guessing most stones wont do that but cant help thinking that they bloody well must sometimes with all my luck lately

fossyant

I've been hit by a pinging rock from a car. Fortunately I had cycling glasses on but the rock hit the boney part of my nose and split it open. Ambulance job to A&E to get it stuck together.

The more cars that get pinged is good.

Initialised

I've been pingee and pinger. Quite a loud noise from one today, thought uh-oh what did I hit, think it was a garage door. A while back I took one in the leg and I've had them hit my helmet.