View Full Version : Black Bent Down: Worst Experience on a Bent This Year
jim h
November 26th 03, 10:08 AM
You'r'e looking through the wrong end of the binoculars. Bikes are supposed
to acquire character in this way. You just touch up the scratches on the
frame and immediately your bike acquires value in the form of the stories
behind the dings. Only by repairing or replacing damaged parts do we
actually acquire knowledge and skill as bike mechanics.
Look at it as an "opportunity".
Scott
November 26th 03, 08:56 PM
Just did one of my favorite rides with some bad results. My spankin'
new TE (less than 200mi) and I were headed down a huge, curving grade.
Black bent, meet black ice. Arrrrgh. I must have slid for a good
twenty feet, maybe more. Thank goodness no traffic as I crossed to
the other side of the road completely, just grinding and sliding
along. Is this ever going to stop!? My beautiful fairing looks like
it's been raked by a screaming tiger; the right support is bent; two
wing nuts lost; dr. ground down some; seat cover trashed; five
articles of clothing damaged, a couple beyond reasonable repair. And
me? Mostly a bruised ego. It's a bit hard to sit, and my
elbow/forearm is throbbing, but that's it. I'm really lucky and
thankful...and depressed at the damage to a beautiful bike. The
wheels are true, and she still shifts and brakes fine, i.e. all
crucial systems undamaged and NO frame damage at all. I think the
fairing, my body, and a pannier I had on the rear protected the bike
some--phew. Everything can be replaced--though I'll wait a bit on the
fairing. The scratches don't cause any problems other than aethetic.
Well, I have to crash once on each bike. I hope this is as bad as it
gets!
Ride safely one and all, and watch out for black ice! (I should have
known/predicted, but I wasn't thinking hard enough.)
Scott
harv
November 26th 03, 11:28 PM
I know the feeling. Many moons ago, I was riding with a friend on mtb's. We
were slowly making our way down an icy grade on the local trail. I went down
first, sliding on my ass watching my bike slide past me. Then my buddy went
down, being chased by his bike. Good thing the trail was mostly straight or
we would have been skewered by the trailside brush. No damage except for
frozen buns. Had a lot of laughs over that ride.
"Scott" > wrote in message
om...
> Just did one of my favorite rides with some bad results. My spankin'
> new TE (less than 200mi) and I were headed down a huge, curving grade.
> Black bent, meet black ice. Arrrrgh. I must have slid for a good
> twenty feet, maybe more. Thank goodness no traffic as I crossed to
> the other side of the road completely, just grinding and sliding
> along. Is this ever going to stop!? My beautiful fairing looks like
> it's been raked by a screaming tiger; the right support is bent; two
> wing nuts lost; dr. ground down some; seat cover trashed; five
> articles of clothing damaged, a couple beyond reasonable repair. And
> me? Mostly a bruised ego. It's a bit hard to sit, and my
> elbow/forearm is throbbing, but that's it. I'm really lucky and
> thankful...and depressed at the damage to a beautiful bike. The
> wheels are true, and she still shifts and brakes fine, i.e. all
> crucial systems undamaged and NO frame damage at all. I think the
> fairing, my body, and a pannier I had on the rear protected the bike
> some--phew. Everything can be replaced--though I'll wait a bit on the
> fairing. The scratches don't cause any problems other than aethetic.
>
> Well, I have to crash once on each bike. I hope this is as bad as it
> gets!
>
> Ride safely one and all, and watch out for black ice! (I should have
> known/predicted, but I wasn't thinking hard enough.)
>
> Scott
harv
November 26th 03, 11:49 PM
When I saw the thread's title, I thought it was going to be about the bikes
sold by the Bike Barn
"Scott" > wrote in message
om...
> Just did one of my favorite rides with some bad results. My spankin'
> new TE (less than 200mi) and I were headed down a huge, curving grade.
> Black bent, meet black ice. Arrrrgh. I must have slid for a good
> twenty feet, maybe more. Thank goodness no traffic as I crossed to
> the other side of the road completely, just grinding and sliding
> along. Is this ever going to stop!? My beautiful fairing looks like
> it's been raked by a screaming tiger; the right support is bent; two
> wing nuts lost; dr. ground down some; seat cover trashed; five
> articles of clothing damaged, a couple beyond reasonable repair. And
> me? Mostly a bruised ego. It's a bit hard to sit, and my
> elbow/forearm is throbbing, but that's it. I'm really lucky and
> thankful...and depressed at the damage to a beautiful bike. The
> wheels are true, and she still shifts and brakes fine, i.e. all
> crucial systems undamaged and NO frame damage at all. I think the
> fairing, my body, and a pannier I had on the rear protected the bike
> some--phew. Everything can be replaced--though I'll wait a bit on the
> fairing. The scratches don't cause any problems other than aethetic.
>
> Well, I have to crash once on each bike. I hope this is as bad as it
> gets!
>
> Ride safely one and all, and watch out for black ice! (I should have
> known/predicted, but I wasn't thinking hard enough.)
>
> Scott
bentbiker
November 27th 03, 12:58 AM
that sucks! make sure you do lot's of icing on the tailbone area. I
screwed that up in a crash and it bothered me for 6 months. thankfully,
you didn't screw up the bike! :-)
Scott wrote:
> Just did one of my favorite rides with some bad results. My spankin'
> new TE (less than 200mi) and I were headed down a huge, curving grade.
> Black bent, meet black ice. Arrrrgh. I must have slid for a good
> twenty feet, maybe more. Thank goodness no traffic as I crossed to
> the other side of the road completely, just grinding and sliding
> along. Is this ever going to stop!? My beautiful fairing looks like
> it's been raked by a screaming tiger; the right support is bent; two
> wing nuts lost; dr. ground down some; seat cover trashed; five
> articles of clothing damaged, a couple beyond reasonable repair. And
> me? Mostly a bruised ego. It's a bit hard to sit, and my
> elbow/forearm is throbbing, but that's it. I'm really lucky and
> thankful...and depressed at the damage to a beautiful bike. The
> wheels are true, and she still shifts and brakes fine, i.e. all
> crucial systems undamaged and NO frame damage at all. I think the
> fairing, my body, and a pannier I had on the rear protected the bike
> some--phew. Everything can be replaced--though I'll wait a bit on the
> fairing. The scratches don't cause any problems other than aethetic.
>
> Well, I have to crash once on each bike. I hope this is as bad as it
> gets!
>
> Ride safely one and all, and watch out for black ice! (I should have
> known/predicted, but I wasn't thinking hard enough.)
>
> Scott
Tom Sherman
November 27th 03, 01:48 AM
harv wrote:
>
> When I saw the thread's title, I thought it was going to be about the
> bikes sold by the Bike Barn
The name was "Recumbant Barn". My theory was that the business was
doomed to failure by the incorrect spelling of "Recumbant". The
reportedly atrocious handling and quality of the Blackbent III could not
have helped either.
Tom Sherman - Planet Earth
mike s
November 27th 03, 04:31 AM
"> > Just did one of my favorite rides with some bad results. My
spankin'
> > new TE (less than 200mi) and I were headed down a huge, curving grade.
> > Black bent, meet black ice. Arrrrgh. I must have slid for a good
> > twenty feet, maybe more. Thank goodness no traffic as I crossed to
> > > > Well, I have to crash once on each bike. I hope this is as bad as it
> > gets!
> >
> > Ride safely one and all, and watch out for black ice! (I should have
> > known/predicted, but I wasn't thinking hard enough.)
> >
> > Scott
Scott: Thank goodness you were also riding a recumbent. No endo for
you. Crashes are never fun but the ability to get up and walk away is
a blessing in itself. We were on our Barcroft Columbia tandem last
year when we hit a gravel patch. It was like the whole world suddenly
went into slow motion as the bike swung around and slid with an effort
that would make a major league ball player proud. We walked away with
scraped hips and bruised egos but nothing else. One of the recumbent
advantages.
Mike S.
St. Louis, Mo.
Tom Sherman
November 27th 03, 04:48 AM
mike s wrote:
>
> Scott: Thank goodness you were also riding a recumbent. No endo for
> you. Crashes are never fun but the ability to get up and walk away is
> a blessing in itself. We were on our Barcroft Columbia tandem last
> year when we hit a gravel patch. It was like the whole world suddenly
> went into slow motion as the bike swung around and slid with an effort
> that would make a major league ball player proud. We walked away with
> scraped hips and bruised egos but nothing else. One of the recumbent
> advantages.
Mike,
"We" had bruised egos? Don't you know that everything that goes wrong on
a tandem ride is ALWAYS the captain's fault? ;)
Tom Sherman - Planet Earth
Scott
November 27th 03, 03:46 PM
<snip>
Thanks for the responses. I've thought about the "character issue"
and really the bike is not grossly damaged. The fairing is yucky, but
I don't look through it, especially where it's scratched. I'll
replace it at some point. I've already ordered the necessary
replacement parts. I'll bend back the fairing brace. Next week I'll
saddle up and attempt the 45 mile, 4,000+foot climb back up the hill.
Before long, I want to do the round trip in a day, which would gain
close to 6,000ft.--a lot for me. Anyway, at least I know about THAT
turn and icy conditions. Nowhere else was the road icy. It's
strange; the ice was really just very thick frost. We had not had
rain/snow in a long time, and I could detect no runoff or the like.
I was indeed fortunate to be on a recumbent. I'm pretty sure I would
have broken something had I fallen that hard from the hight of a
wedgie. My last crash was on my commuting wedgie--very slow speed,
sand over pavement. Bam! Down I went: sprained wrist, bleeding
forehead--a very nice job! My wrist STILL bothers me months later.
My bent crashes have all left me with some road rash and a bruised hip
(always the right side for some reason)--that's it, if anything. I
really think that for many crashes, 'bents ARE safer. Just don't post
this over on the other bike groups!
Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving, one and all.
Scott
November 28th 03, 12:58 AM
jim h > wrote:
: behind the dings. Only by repairing or replacing damaged parts do we
: actually acquire knowledge and skill as bike mechanics.
Hmm somehow I feel it doesn't work that way for bents.
You ever:
-Received your bent neatly assembled to its atomic constituents?
-Replaced the rear derailleur just because you don't like to hear "oh,
your chain is hanging very low" from upright riders, 5 times per ride?
--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/hpv/hpv.html
varis at no spam please iki fi
Scott
November 28th 03, 05:28 AM
"DH" > wrote in message >...
> Glad to hear you're OK. You're lucky there was no oncoming traffic. How
> fast were you going just before you hit the oil slick?
My guess was in the 20's, probably on the lower end. I don't have the
cyclometer on yet, but that turn is usually reasonably fast with a
clear view as to on-coming traffic. You're quite right. That would
have been the worst case scenario. The route, however, sees light
traffic at most and almost none in the up hill direction at that time
of day, so the odds of having the road to myself were quite high.
Still and all, the thought of some pick-up grill grinning down at me
gives me the shivers. This bent boy done learned his lesson!
Scott
John Foltz
November 28th 03, 04:17 PM
Sorry to hear of your mishap. Those scratches on the bike look bad
now, but like the others point out, they're *character.* Now I'm going
to say something that may sound counterintuitive at first: Ya shoulda
been riding an upright. I know, that goes against the grain of
everything we know and hold dear, but hear me out!
First, consider the damage to your beeutiful bike. Wouldn't you rather
bang up a worthless upright? Next, consider how you wiped out. You
don't do headers on ice, your wheels slide out from under you and you
go down on your side. Same as on a 'bent. I've fallen this way more
times than I care to count, and never gotten hurt worse than a bit of
rash and a bruise. If you *do* go down, just tuck-and-roll (or
slide...) Finally, I've avoided falls on an upright that would have
been 'for sure' biffs on a recumbent. The ability to use body english
helps, as does the fact that your feet are already almost underneath
you. In case you lose it, (and assuming you're not using some kind of
clip-ins,) you can just put your feet down.
Of course, to counteract these arguments is the biggie: Nobody really
*likes* to ride uprights. At least cold weather makes my rides
shorter, so I get my discomfort in small doses.
Scott
November 29th 03, 05:05 PM
(John Foltz) wrote in message >...
> Sorry to hear of your mishap. Those scratches on the bike look bad
> now, but like the others point out, they're *character.* Now I'm going
> to say something that may sound counterintuitive at first: Ya shoulda
> been riding an upright. I know, that goes against the grain of
> everything we know and hold dear, but hear me out!
>
> First, consider the damage to your beeutiful bike. Wouldn't you rather
> bang up a worthless upright? Next, consider how you wiped out. You
> don't do headers on ice, your wheels slide out from under you and you
> go down on your side. Same as on a 'bent. I've fallen this way more
> times than I care to count, and never gotten hurt worse than a bit of
> rash and a bruise. If you *do* go down, just tuck-and-roll (or
> slide...) Finally, I've avoided falls on an upright that would have
> been 'for sure' biffs on a recumbent. The ability to use body english
> helps, as does the fact that your feet are already almost underneath
> you. In case you lose it, (and assuming you're not using some kind of
> clip-ins,) you can just put your feet down.
>
> Of course, to counteract these arguments is the biggie: Nobody really
> *likes* to ride uprights. At least cold weather makes my rides
> shorter, so I get my discomfort in small doses.
Hi, John: I hear what you're saying, but there's NO WAY I'm going to
do a 45 mile ride down my favorite runs on a wedgie! The whole point
of having a bent is to ride it, of course. The ride in question goes
from my home down, down, down into the Central Valley of Ca. where I
work. The 45 miles involves about 1200 ft. of climbing and maybe
3,500--4,000 ft. of descent. I've rarely had more fun on bicycle. To
do this on a wedgie would just be really uncomfortable. I do ride a
wedgie most days, but it's the 5 mile round trip commute to the bus
stop. That kind of distance I can handle. My particular crash would
have happened regardless of frame design. My gut feeling is that I
would have been MORE injured on a wedgie just because I would have
smacked the pavement much harder--acceleration due to gravity, don't
you know. Perhaps my injuries would not have been much different, but
you'll forgive me, I hope, if I skip the experiment!
Scott
John Foltz
November 30th 03, 02:08 AM
Scott wrote:
> Hi, John: I hear what you're saying, but there's NO WAY I'm going to
> do a 45 mile ride down my favorite runs on a wedgie! The whole point
> of having a bent is to ride it, of course. The ride in question goes
> from my home down, down, down into the Central Valley of Ca. where I
> work. The 45 miles involves about 1200 ft. of climbing and maybe
> 3,500--4,000 ft. of descent. I've rarely had more fun on bicycle. To
> do this on a wedgie would just be really uncomfortable. I do ride a
> wedgie most days, but it's the 5 mile round trip commute to the bus
> stop. That kind of distance I can handle. My particular crash would
> have happened regardless of frame design. My gut feeling is that I
> would have been MORE injured on a wedgie just because I would have
> smacked the pavement much harder--acceleration due to gravity, don't
> you know. Perhaps my injuries would not have been much different, but
> you'll forgive me, I hope, if I skip the experiment!
>
45 miles? wedgies don't go that far!!! Yeah, well I guess the other
solution is to slow down, but I sure hate doing *that* on a nice
downhill!
--
John Foltz --- O _
Baron --- _O _ V-Rex 24 --- _\\/\-%)
_________(_)`=()___________________(_)= (_)_____
Herman Wadler
November 30th 03, 10:58 PM
Last week I had a woman use me as a target for her bumper. She made a left
turn and didn't see me. Sun was in her eyes. I saw her to late to do a quick
turn and yelled loudly. She caught the seat of my Giro and sent me flying.
Bruised hip and ego. Need to replace the seat, rear derailleur, and brake
lever.
I'm glad I wasn't on the wedgie. Would have hit my leg and I may have one
over the hood or down under the car. Thought I had bought it for minute.
Herman
Bacchetta Giro
www.wadler.org
>
> Well, I have to crash once on each bike. I hope this is as bad as it
> gets!
>
> Ride safely one and all, and watch out for black ice! (I should have
> known/predicted, but I wasn't thinking hard enough.)
>
> Scott
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