General Cycling Discussion - Shortest Ride Ever

So I take off today on the Katy Trail for a long ride. Get about 1/4 mile and KAPOW! Front tire explodes. Haven't looked at it yet to see what the problem is. It's on my new Bianchi so I'm wondering if maybe they pinched the tube when they installed it. Can't find anything externally wrong with the tire.
So this led me wonder, what's your shortest ride ever and why?

So Dirtgrinder, where are you now did you walk back to your house

Yep! Getting ready to fix a tire. Probably going to need a new tube. Some people running about 1/8 mile down the trail even heard it. Plus the sidewall was blown over the rim, which leads me to believe the tube was pinched.

100 yards from the youth hostel in Ardgroom, Ireland, my tyre exploded (I had to push it for 2 miles the day before because the valve and pump were different).
Instead of riding, I had to climb the mountain to the road over the pass, and hitch into town to pick up a new tyre and tube, then hitch back. The rain was torrential and the whole mountainside was a stream, but it was the kind of day you dont forget.

Now, when I hire a bike, I check it properly.

I once drove 25 miles to a group ride, only to forget my shoes at home...

On the bike, my shortest ride was under 30 feet. I got on the bike, road down the driveway, and hoped off the curb. Only to have my front wheel taco. It was very odd. the drop was less then 6", but the front wheel totaly bent off to the left. Im just glad it didnt happen at speed.

Took the tire off a little while ago. 15" rip in the tube. The way it's wrinkled about the center of the rip I do think it was pinched in the bead when it was installed. There also a weird looking mark on the tire bead. I'm just glad I wasn't flying down the road when it happened.

15" rip in the tube.

Wow!

Hope warranites cover that!

ok, once I was just going a few blocks away to go to the store to pick up dinner. I got about ten feet from the garage, hit the sand on an angle, and was pedaling rather vigorously, when the tire spun out, and I found myself horizontal very suddenly. I didn't bother to have a helmet on, so I cracked my head pretty good, plus bruised my right hip considerably. Needless to say, I didn't eat that night, and didn't want to do anything for a few days. Bike seemed fine, I guess I broke it's fall.

Hey,
I was on my second ride after getting my new (and first) bike. About 10 minutes into it, i wheelied off a 13" drop, and came down on my front shock. The upper bearing blew out on my shock, squirting oil all over my leg, the frame, and the rims. It was pretty nasty. Fortunately, it was covered under warranty, and i was riding again a week later. No troubles since.

John

Once when heading out for a ride I got about 1/2 block from the house and heard

psss.....pssss.....pssss.....pssss

and walked the bike home.
Disgusting!!!! :mad:

Originally posted by JohnBoston
Hey,
I was on my second ride after getting my new (and first) bike. About 10 minutes into it, i wheelied off a 13" drop, and came down on my front shock. The upper bearing blew out on my shock, squirting oil all over my leg, the frame, and the rims. It was pretty nasty. Fortunately, it was covered under warranty, and i was riding again a week later. No troubles since.

John
It's no wonder Rock Shox went bust.

My shortest ride----------2 feet. My foot slipped off the pedal, my jewels hit the top bar and I wound up on the ground. No worries though, I was 12 at the time and have since sired and raised three children.

:( :( :( :(

Ouch! :eek:

My shortest ride was probably the about the same distance as yours, dirtgrinder. The same thing happened to me a couple of months ago. The tube was squeezed inbetween the rim & the tire, and POW! There it when shortly after I rolled off.

5 houses down to my cousins house?? yeah doesnt' make for a good story, but its my shortest ride to date.

My shortest ride would have to be when i still lived at home before moving away to school. I rode down the driveway(200m) to get the mail.

3/4 mi. down the road my chain fell apart. Had to coast/walk home.

My shortest ride ever has to be calculating the circumference of my wheels for my bike computer--exactly 2088 millimeters.

But, aside from that, it was probably the time at age 14 when I left a friend's house in a rage (he was being an Arschloch). I was so mad, I stood up on the pedals about 2 houses down to sprint away as fast as I could. My knee hit the handlebars and I did some acrobatics which would have impressed most olympic gymnasts. I was pretty beat up. Fortunately, another friend lived a few houses away. He let me call my mom, who picked me up in the car.

After that experience, no one was going to keep me away from racing with stories of road rash.

Cheers,
Jamie

Shortest and most embarrassing non-ride ever was on the boardwalk at sunrise mounting my bike. My leg caught the seat and me and the bike went down onto the cobblestone. Yes, there were people looking and yes it was tough to get up gracefully with dignity.

Kathy

So much gear, so little $$

Ha ha, these stories are funny! I guess I'm pretty lucky, I've never had alot of during ride mechanical problems. One time I got a flat about six miles into the trail and didn't have a tool to my name at the time. Six miles is a loooooong walk..Well, it seems that way when a few seconds ago you were cruising along at 15 mph, now 3 mph is a good pace.

My shortest ride, of recent history is about two- three blocks. I was out for a winter ride, and the chain snapped. Never had happened before.

about 5 metres.
straight down the drive from my parents house, colliding with my mothers car parked at the bottom of it.

Took the tire off a little while ago. 15" rip in the tube. The way it's wrinkled about the center of the rip I do think it was pinched in the bead when it was installed. There also a weird looking mark on the tire bead.

I think that your tire come un-cinched from the wheel in one spot, causing the tube to bulge out from the tire and pop. It happened to me 2 times recently. The bang sounded like a gun shot and the tubes had rips about 5 inches ling.

My theory is that the first time it happened I didn’t have the tire bead seated properly into the wheel. The second time was because the bead was damaged by the first blow out I have since replaced the tire.

Before I started biking for real (last year) I toyed with the idea for a couple of summers. The first time I was toying with the idea, I got an old X-brand bile out of the cellar, pumped up (over inflated) the old brittle tires and started the ride (no gloves or helmet). I just got going fast when the tire gave out. The tube bulged out from the front tire but didn’t pop. Instead it jammed in the forks which caused the front wheel to stop instantly. Naturally, the bike sent me right over the handlebars. The bike went into the trash (with al the curses I could think of) and that was it for my biking that summer.

Now that I think of it, it’s surprising that I ever tried cycling again. Bit I’m glad I did!