I took a tumble

DonDaddyD
DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
edited August 2010 in Commuting chat
I had one of the best commutes ever today.

I was low on power but was able to hold a solid 19-20mph for most of my commute, I plunged into corners and all but kissed the kerbs as I roared out in defiance! I loved every moment of it.

For what was essentially a rest ride I got to work in 1hr40mins.

I turned into the path that leads to my building, they're doing some road works and there are some metal sheets on the floor. I dithered between riding over them or bunny hopping them. I did neither and my wheel scraped alongside it and I went tumbling down face first into the metal fence with was also part of the road works.

I did kind of twist my arm ankle and hip. But after such an epic journey to end on such pathetic fall, I could only laugh while wondering if anyone in the office saw!
Food Chain number = 4

A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game

Comments

  • Corporate Camper
    Corporate Camper Posts: 293
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    wondering if anyone in the office saw!

    They did, it's the second rule of falling off.
    '12 CAAD 8 Tiagra
  • Stuey01
    Stuey01 Posts: 1,273
    Ouch!

    Sounds like you have upped your commuting mileage significantly since I was last active on this board, chapeau.

    Did the bike survive unscathed?
    Not climber, not sprinter, not rouleur
  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    I'm starting to feel numb in my right leg...

    Stuey, I now ride about 20miles across London.

    I give the Giant SCR a hard time but the bike is bomb proof.
    Food Chain number = 4

    A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 27,628
    Ooof! I have a paranoia about all ironwork in the road, and those roadplates are the worst.

    You can certainly see why councils don't like contractors using them - they are absolutely lethal when wet. There are a couple on Moorgate atm, but they at least have some sort of gritty topping.

    Hope it's just a few bruises, but get your leg checked if it starts getting worse, and give the bike a really good look over.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    pride before a fall... always happens. When I'm absolutly nailing it in sometimes I'm just waiting for the fail to arrive which of course could be a self fulling etc

    glad the bike's ok and you're mostly alright
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
    Fixed Pista- FCN 5
    Beared Bromptonite - FCN 14
  • baronsouthside
    baronsouthside Posts: 64
    If you were "able to hold a solid 19-20mph" for most of your commute and you ride almost 20 miles then surely your time should be closer to the hour mark.?

    Either you spend almost 40mins sitting waiting at red lights and junctions or your bike computer needs recalibrated.
    If i aint riding it, then im thinking about riding it.
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 27,628
    baronsouthside wrote:
    If you were "able to hold a solid 19-20mph" for most of your commute and you ride almost 20 miles then surely your time should be closer to the hour mark.?

    Either you spend almost 40mins sitting waiting at red lights and junctions or your bike computer needs recalibrated.

    Entirely possible on a London commute - see other threads for full discussion.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • asprilla
    asprilla Posts: 8,440
    rjsterry wrote:
    baronsouthside wrote:
    If you were "able to hold a solid 19-20mph" for most of your commute and you ride almost 20 miles then surely your time should be closer to the hour mark.?

    Either you spend almost 40mins sitting waiting at red lights and junctions or your bike computer needs recalibrated.

    Entirely possible on a London commute - see other threads for full discussion.

    I'd be surprised. Over my 17 miles there is only ever a 5 minute difference between total time and moving time. I don't think we spend as long waiting at junctions and lights as we would like to think.
    Mud - Genesis Vapour CCX
    Race - Fuji Norcom Straight
    Sun - Cervelo R3
    Winter / Commute - Dolan ADX
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    Anyhoo, how's the leg, DDD?
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
    Planet-x Scott
    Rides
  • Wallace1492
    Wallace1492 Posts: 3,707
    We tend to think we hold a "steady" 19-20mph, but that will be for the straight, flat sections. In reality, DDD will really do a steady 14-15mph moving average. Still a decent lick....
    "Encyclopaedia is a fetish for very small bicycles"
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 27,628
    Well, my old commute (Putney Hill to Old Street - just under 10miles) took around 50 minutes. I know from weekend rides, that I can hold an average of around 17-18mph for an hour without busting a gut, so what else was I doing for the other 15-20 minutes? I also had 75 sets of lights on that route - even at 30 seconds every other light, that's nearly 19 minutes.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • baronsouthside
    baronsouthside Posts: 64
    If you were "able to hold a solid 19-20mph" for most of your commute and you ride almost 20 miles then surely your time should be closer to the hour mark.?

    Either you spend almost 40mins sitting waiting at red lights and junctions or your bike computer needs recalibrated.
    If i aint riding it, then im thinking about riding it.
  • baronsouthside
    baronsouthside Posts: 64
    Sorry about the doulbe post. Pressed the back button on my browser and it re posted it for some reason
    If i aint riding it, then im thinking about riding it.
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 27,628
    baronsouthside wrote:
    If you were "able to hold a solid 19-20mph" for most of your commute and you ride almost 20 miles then surely your time should be closer to the hour mark.?

    Either you spend almost 40mins sitting waiting at red lights and junctions or your bike computer needs recalibrated.

    Entirely possible on a ... wait haven't we done this before?
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    Oh for peat sake.

    When I said hold 19-20mph I don't mean average I mean looking down at my cycle computer between lights when I'm up to a comfortable speed that I'm maintaining. If I rode at 20mph along the Milbank that would be holding 20 over a stretch of road between lights. it's not an average. This 19-20mph is often helped by traffic lights. I fully expect my average to be much slower. Outside London I'd slower still.

    Jon, legs fine, developed headache so I had chocolate and got the train. Will be riding back from Liverpool street.
    Food Chain number = 4

    A true scalp is not only overtaking someone but leaving them stopped at a set of lights. As you, who have clearly beaten the lights, pummels nothing but the open air ahead. ~ 'DondaddyD'. Player of the Unspoken Game
  • legin
    legin Posts: 132
    i can remember riding the brecon pass and avoiding the puddles which can be very deep as i was passing some walkers i looked at one particular puddle which looked shallow and thought i would go for it.
    as soon as my front wheel hit it i ended up going over the bars and into the remainder of the pool.it wasnt shallow but about two foot deep.
    the walkers had a right laught and i had to ride a further 17 miles with a soggy and gritty arse.
  • SimonAH
    SimonAH Posts: 3,730
    I VERY narrowly avoided a face full of concrete on Saturday after hitting a wet manhole cover on a turn. Completely lost front end grip only to have it snap back after sliding a foot sideways and hitting tarmac again.

    There is a sprayed metal coating available for manhole covers that makes them very rough and grippy, it's been tested by Devon CC - hopefully it will start to get rolled out over the country.
    FCN 5 belt driven fixie for city bits
    CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
    Litespeed L3 for Strava bits

    Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
  • W1
    W1 Posts: 2,636
    SimonAH wrote:
    I VERY narrowly avoided a face full of concrete on Saturday after hitting a wet manhole cover on a turn. Completely lost front end grip only to have it snap back after sliding a foot sideways and hitting tarmac again.

    There is a sprayed metal coating available for manhole covers that makes them very rough and grippy, it's been tested by Devon CC - hopefully it will start to get rolled out over the country.

    Lets hope so - I did something very similar in the wet yesterday and only my superhuman reflexes allowed me to turn into the slide, drifting the bike gracefully back into control. Not.

    I do wonder why they only seem to put manhole covers on the "racing line" on corners.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    I went over on a metal bridge plate last year - touched the brakes at 5mph and straight over.......

    Tend to be very cautious of manhole covers etc...... and plus one for W1 comment re placement of manhole covers; some corners they seem to put a wall of them up.
    Faster than a tent.......

Categories