I pranged! Always check your QR levers...

craker
craker Posts: 1,739
edited May 2013 in Commuting general
Thought I'd share this with you.

This morning I collided with this
Severn.jpg

Causing this
hat.jpg

this

bike.jpg

and this

face.jpg

Trundling down the slope towards Bristol I picked the bike up to bunny hop over a concrete lip. Next thing I know I've hit my head hard on the deck and I'm sitting upright staring at several bits of bike. My front wheel has come to a rest next to the barrier, the rest of the bike is on the ground with the fork badly bent (raceblade smashed, shifter & tape scuffed but oh well).

I guess when I lifted the front of the bike the front wheel simply (?) came out of the dropouts while the fork landed hard on the ground. Apart from a sore neck and the road rash I'm remarkably unscathed. Lessons for the day - Check your QR before each ride. Wear a helmet. Crikey that would have hurt without a helmet.

Thumbs up to the maintenance gang on the bridge who carried me and my bike home afterwards. Cheers guys!

Comments

  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    Oof... I went through a phase of lifting my bike up and bouncing it up and down on the ground before riding off anywhere, particularly after it had been locked in a public place, just to check if some clever b@stard had decided to loosen anything/make sure that nothing was about to drop off... Looks like you used your right cheek as the brake!
    Do not write below this line. Office use only.
  • craker
    craker Posts: 1,739
    Well here's something. I got a new set of wheels in the post today (< 24 hours from the ebay seller absolute cycles) and stripped tyres tubes and QR levers off the old ones. The axle of the front quick release is rusted tight, so that when it's clamped closed it's only clamped against one side of the fork.

    New maintenance regime - strip and grease the quick release axle or face the consequences.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Bolt through skewers, why fit anything else on a commuter?
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • philwi
    philwi Posts: 19
    I can't see any "lawyer lugs" on those forks. Personally I file them off as they seem to defeat the object of having quick release, but you could leave them on I guess. Sounds like there was a mechanical issue though, which you can get with track nuts too.

    I'm sure the helmet took the damage better than your head would, but was the foam actually compressed?
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    When changing a tyre is going to cost you 5 minutes, I can't see an extra 20 seconds on undoing/doing up a bolt through skewer causes any harm, more secure (riding and anti-theft, though the latter depends very much on the situation) and lighter than most QR's for very little outlay, I use Halo.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • craker
    craker Posts: 1,739
    philwi wrote:
    I can't see any "lawyer lugs" on those forks. Personally I file them off as they seem to defeat the object of having quick release, but you could leave them on I guess. Sounds like there was a mechanical issue though, which you can get with track nuts too.

    I tend to grind them off too (though I didn't in this case, looks like they predate whichever ruling led to them being put on new bikes). I'll probably not in future.
    philwi wrote:
    I'm sure the helmet took the damage better than your head would, but was the foam actually compressed?

    The helmet is intact and slightly compressed on the outside.

    I had a slightly comedy moment on Thursday when resuming my daily commute. I got my spare commuter out of the shed, trundled off down the road and nothing happened when I put the brakes on. Seeing as the path was descending rapidly towards a steel fence, I ditched the bike in the verge and ran alongside it on my spds for a moment before ending up on my back in the grass. I then had to explain to a passing ped. that the scars on my face were due to a different bike accident and that, yes I was OK. I then fixed the brakes by closing the levers on the dual calipers and went on my way rather slowly.

    Note to self #2. Always check the bike's brakes before setting off.
  • philwi
    philwi Posts: 19
    ;-)

    Yeah, I'm starting to have more complicated thoughts about those lugs. I just got a track bike which has (duh) track nuts, and it has lawyer lugs, but as you have fart around to get the wheel off I left the lugs on this one. Not sure what I'll do with my next road bike though. I'm not sure what happens if you open the lever on a bike with lugs; I think bad stuff would likely still happen.

    Helmet: I do use them, but I'm interested in what they do and don't do. If the foam isn't compressed then it no doubt stopped scraping and blood but probably didn't absorb much energy (ie, you probably didn't actually risk serious head injury).

    The ability to dump a bike is probably a useful skill to have, if acquired without too much damage to self or ego. And if you were already smashed up then.. .;-)

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