Snap, topple and pop

Handlebar broke today on the A20.

http://www.britishschoolofcycling.co...horn/handlebar
http://www.britishschoolofcycling.co...orn/handlebar2

I was stopped at lights in primary position, ahead of a coach that was
parked in the ASL reservoir. As I pulled off the left handlebar
broke, my foot came off the pedal (not using the cleats on my double
sided pedals) and I had a tumble.

And I had been led to believe that my handlebars were carbon. Now I
know they are carbon coated 2014 alloy.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-T...bars-10598.htm

On Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:16:36 +0000, Tom Crispin
wrote:

Handlebar broke today on the A20.

http://www.britishschoolofcycling.co...horn/handlebar
http://www.britishschoolofcycling.co...orn/handlebar2

I was stopped at lights in primary position, ahead of a coach that was
parked in the ASL reservoir. As I pulled off the left handlebar
broke, my foot came off the pedal (not using the cleats on my double
sided pedals) and I had a tumble.

And I had been led to believe that my handlebars were carbon. Now I
know they are carbon coated 2014 alloy.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-T...bars-10598.htm


"I was stopped at lights in primary position, ahead of a coach that
was parked in the ASL reservoir."

Relevance - or were you wanting people to ask if you were in the
middle of the road in front of both stop lines?

Tom Crispin wrote:
Handlebar broke today on the A20.

I was stopped at lights in primary position, ahead of a coach that was
parked in the ASL reservoir. As I pulled off the left handlebar
broke, my foot came off the pedal (not using the cleats on my double
sided pedals) and I had a tumble.

Ha ha ha ha ha!

Thats made my day!

Serves you right for being a ****ing cyclist.

Hope you didn't become a burden to the NHS.


--
Dave - the small piece of 14th century armour used to protect the armpit.

On Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:24:30 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:

Tom Crispin wrote:
Handlebar broke today on the A20.

I was stopped at lights in primary position, ahead of a coach that was
parked in the ASL reservoir. As I pulled off the left handlebar
broke, my foot came off the pedal (not using the cleats on my double
sided pedals) and I had a tumble.

Ha ha ha ha ha!

Thats made my day!

Serves you right for being a ****ing cyclist.

Hope you didn't become a burden to the NHS.

Your humanity and compassion is no more that I would expect.

On Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:23:09 +0000, JMS
wrote:

On Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:16:36 +0000, Tom Crispin
wrote:

Handlebar broke today on the A20.

http://www.britishschoolofcycling.co...horn/handlebar
http://www.britishschoolofcycling.co...orn/handlebar2

I was stopped at lights in primary position, ahead of a coach that was
parked in the ASL reservoir. As I pulled off the left handlebar
broke, my foot came off the pedal (not using the cleats on my double
sided pedals) and I had a tumble.

And I had been led to believe that my handlebars were carbon. Now I
know they are carbon coated 2014 alloy.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-T...bars-10598.htm


"I was stopped at lights in primary position, ahead of a coach that
was parked in the ASL reservoir."

Relevance - or were you wanting people to ask if you were in the
middle of the road in front of both stop lines?

The relevance - for those who missed it - was that there was a large
vehicle tight behind me, almost certainly illegally positioned, as I
toppled.

"Tom Crispin" wrote in message
...

The relevance - for those who missed it - was that there was a large
vehicle tight behind me, almost certainly illegally positioned, as I
toppled.

Bad place to be Tom. For safety's sake you should be behind, or well ahead
of, any large vehicle, even if that means crossing the line illegally.

Many drivers stop in (or beyond) the ASL to block cyclists from getting
ahead and to beat them away from the lights. Let them go, it's better than
ending up dead, (even if that would please Medway).

mileburner wrote:
"Tom Crispin" wrote in message
...
The relevance - for those who missed it - was that there was a large
vehicle tight behind me, almost certainly illegally positioned, as I
toppled.

Bad place to be Tom. For safety's sake you should be behind, or well ahead
of, any large vehicle, even if that means crossing the line illegally.

Many drivers stop in (or beyond) the ASL to block cyclists from getting
ahead and to beat them away from the lights. Let them go, it's better than
ending up dead, (even if that would please Medway).



The coach may have got stuck in that position because the traffic lights
changed from green to red whilst waiting from a vehicle in from to turn
right/left. This has happened to me, your then left stuck in no-mans
land looking like you don't know the rules of the road, egg on face etc
until the lights change again.

But I'm very glad your okay, quite a scary moment for you, I'll bet.
Could of been much worse in you were in moving traffic, say entering a
roundabout for example. Shocking the way those bars have snapped off,
are they made to any laid down standards?
A good example also of why we should ALL give cyclists plenty of room in
which to manoeuvre, and to expect the unexpected.

Polly

Jolly Polly wrote:
mileburner wrote:
"Tom Crispin" wrote in message
...
The relevance - for those who missed it - was that there was a large
vehicle tight behind me, almost certainly illegally positioned, as I
toppled.
Bad place to be Tom. For safety's sake you should be behind, or well ahead
of, any large vehicle, even if that means crossing the line illegally.

Many drivers stop in (or beyond) the ASL to block cyclists from getting
ahead and to beat them away from the lights. Let them go, it's better than
ending up dead, (even if that would please Medway).

The coach may have got stuck in that position because the traffic lights
changed from green to red whilst waiting from a vehicle in from to turn
right/left. This has happened to me, your then left stuck in no-mans
land looking like you don't know the rules of the road, egg on face etc
until the lights change again.

There is nothing in the "rules of the road" against stopping in the ASL
box; indeed you MUST if the lights changed too late to stop before it.

In slowish traffic it is more likely than not that a vehicle will be
legally obliged to stop in the box on each and every cycle of the lights.

--
Matt B

Matt B wrote:
Jolly Polly wrote:
mileburner wrote:
"Tom Crispin" wrote in
message ...
The relevance - for those who missed it - was that there was a large
vehicle tight behind me, almost certainly illegally positioned, as I
toppled.
Bad place to be Tom. For safety's sake you should be behind, or well
ahead of, any large vehicle, even if that means crossing the line
illegally.

Many drivers stop in (or beyond) the ASL to block cyclists from
getting ahead and to beat them away from the lights. Let them go,
it's better than ending up dead, (even if that would please Medway).

The coach may have got stuck in that position because the traffic lights
changed from green to red whilst waiting from a vehicle in from to turn
right/left. This has happened to me, your then left stuck in no-mans
land looking like you don't know the rules of the road, egg on face etc
until the lights change again.

There is nothing in the "rules of the road" against stopping in the ASL
box; indeed you MUST if the lights changed too late to stop before it.

I don't wish to be controversial but there is... in the Highway Code...

Rule 178:
Advanced stop lines. Some signal-controlled junctions have advanced stop
lines to allow cycles to be positioned ahead of other traffic.
Motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the first white line
reached if the lights are amber or red and should avoid blocking the way
or encroaching on the marked area at other times, e.g. if the junction
ahead is blocked. If your vehicle has proceeded over the first white
line at the time that the signal goes red, you MUST stop at the second
white line, even if your vehicle is in the marked area. Allow cyclists
time and space to move off when the green signal shows

"Matt B" wrote in message
...
Jolly Polly wrote:
mileburner wrote:
"Tom Crispin" wrote in message
...
The relevance - for those who missed it - was that there was a large
vehicle tight behind me, almost certainly illegally positioned, as I
toppled.
Bad place to be Tom. For safety's sake you should be behind, or well
ahead of, any large vehicle, even if that means crossing the line
illegally.

Many drivers stop in (or beyond) the ASL to block cyclists from getting
ahead and to beat them away from the lights. Let them go, it's better
than ending up dead, (even if that would please Medway).

The coach may have got stuck in that position because the traffic lights
changed from green to red whilst waiting from a vehicle in from to turn
right/left. This has happened to me, your then left stuck in no-mans
land looking like you don't know the rules of the road, egg on face etc
until the lights change again.

There is nothing in the "rules of the road" against stopping in the ASL
box; indeed you MUST if the lights changed too late to stop before it.

In slowish traffic it is more likely than not that a vehicle will be
legally obliged to stop in the box on each and every cycle of the lights.

This is so, if the traffic is too close to each other.

If you adopt the principle that if you cannot see the second line clear,
don't cross the first line, it us unlikely you will get stuck in the ASL
box. That is unless the lights change to amber after you have crossed the
first line in which case you would be so close to the second line it would
be daft to slam on the brakes for the amber. Most ASL boxes are only a car's
length anyway - if that.