Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Bad mistake = Horrible Break

Last Friday I finished my first fixed gear ever. It was my firtst build.

I had never ridden fixed before so I decided to hold off on putting the cages/straps on the pedels while I tried it out.

On my fifth or so lap around the block my right foot got pulled off the pedel by the front tire and jammed itself between the tire and the frame. I flew over the handlebars and landed on my left arm. It resulted in a really bad break just below the shoulder. I'm in a sling for at least six weeks. They can't even cast it becasue of where it is.

The wheel I was using was a 27" that I borrowed from a friend until I could buy a new 700c. The tire was warn and sticky. Also, I have fairly long crank arms.

Has this ever happened to anyone else? Is this mistake common or am I a total fool?

http://www.wryrobot.org/arm/images/Arm-5.jpg

For more pics of my rotting arm go here (http://www.wryrobot.org/arm)

whoa, i'm having trouble even imagining doing that... sucks about the break!

well - I am sorry to hear that this happened, but securing one's feet to the pedals in a manner fitting your style (toe clips or clipless engagement systems) could have prevented this from happening.
Next time, throw the clips-n-straps on or get a clipless shoe/pedal set-up.

in the mean time, take care and heal fast

i hear thats somewhat common on turns for first timers

Sorry to hear about your mishap but I'm having a hard time imagining how that can happen. Toe overlap can only occur during very slow speed sharp turns.

the question is: will you get back in the saddle once you've healed up?

Sorry to hear about your mishap but I'm having a hard time imagining how that can happen. Toe overlap can only occur during very slow speed sharp turns.

Or if you have hideously long cranks... like maybe 300mm...

Most of us live with some amount of toe overlap. Mine is pretty bad, but I've ridden with worse. Toe up or toe down as you turn and you can usually wiggle enough room to miss the wheel, or at least just graze it a bit. Shorter cranks will help and usually eliminate the problem on road conversions, but on track bikes you'll often still have overlap even with 165s. Usually striking the pedal on the ground as you turn is a more real and dangerous problem. Good luck in your recovery. Throw those straps on and ride with a sling.

Kick ass dude! That beats my finger, I think!

Err... I mean, that's terrible. Or maybe I mean both. Anyhow, heal fast, think good thoughts. Be slow to get back on the bike and think about gearing down when you do. Look at what happened to Matt Chester recently.

How big is that frame and what style? That kind of severe overlap is pretty uncommon except on smaller frames or really tight geometry. My bikes all have it to some degree: my 55cm Fuji Track has the least, actually even though it has a wicked tight wheel base. My 57cm (I think) Fuji Tivoli which I believe was meant to be a tri-bike back in the day has a little more. I just picked up a 54cm Panasonic DX-4000 which is the only bike on which I can actually strike the tire at speed. It's got a very tight WB.

you seem hardcore enough... just keep riding with your sling ;]. Hope you get better!

Dear Brensan,

Sorry about that wheel.
m.

the question is: will you get back in the saddle once you've healed up?

Of course. But not sooner like some are suggesting.


Dear Brensan, Sorry about that wheel. m.

No need to apalogize. It was a total fluke. I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced the same. Also, it's fun to show off nasty injuries.

I have the wheel all trued in my hall. I will drop by soon to get it back to you.

Maybe I'll put the wheel back on and take a pic so people can see what it looked like.

I still really don't understand how it happened bacause my crank arms really aren't that long.

Edit:
Okay, here's the bike with the crank turned to show how close to the wheel it goes.
http://www.wryrobot.org/bike/fixie.jpg

You were probably having waaAAAAaaay too much fun and it had to stop.

Of course. But not sooner like some are suggesting.



No need to apalogize. It was a total fluke. I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced the same. Also, it's fun to show off nasty injuries.

I have the wheel all trued in my hall. I will drop by soon to get it back to you.

Maybe I'll put the wheel back on and take a pic so people can see what it looked like.

I still really don't understand how it happened bacause my crank arms really aren't that long.

Edit:
Okay, here's the bike with the crank turned to show how close to the wheel it goes.
http://www.wryrobot.org/bike/fixie.jpg

If you're riding platforms you can place your feet as far out as you'd like, the farther out, the bigger chance you can jam your foot into the tire, especially if you have longer cranks. But with clipless or toes clips they prevent you from going out that far, hence reducing the possibility, unless you have some huge overlap and are doing some slow sharp turns. Now that i look at that photo i'm imagining the pedal flipped horizontally and your foot on there and i can imagine how it all happened. that sucks, i'm sorry. throw some clips on there when you get back on it.

Of course. But not sooner like some are suggesting.



No need to apalogize. It was a total fluke. I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced the same. Also, it's fun to show off nasty injuries.

I have the wheel all trued in my hall. I will drop by soon to get it back to you.

Maybe I'll put the wheel back on and take a pic so people can see what it looked like.

I still really don't understand how it happened bacause my crank arms really aren't that long.

Edit:
Okay, here's the bike with the crank turned to show how close to the wheel it goes.
http://www.wryrobot.org/bike/fixie.jpg

that looks like a pretty large bike. what kind of bike is that? large bikes usually have more compact geometry but that doesn't look like it has super bad toe overlap.

Yeah, that doesn't seem to have significant overlap. I bet your foot slipped a little or was in a bad position to begin with.

edit: PS, it looks badass. Nice.

that looks like a pretty large bike. what kind of bike is that? large bikes usually have more compact geometry but that doesn't look like it has super bad toe overlap.

Ya, it's pretty big. Like 61cm from bottom bracket to seat tube and like 57.5cm top tube.

It all happened so fast really anything could have happened. Most likely my foot just slipped and happened to catch the tire.



edit: PS, it looks badass. Nice.

Thanks. The frame was one of the Titans discussed here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=74040&page=1&pp=25).

I've got an extra set of Shimano 105 pedals & clips kicking around at Team Willow. You're welcome to borrow them. Heck, I can bring them to the seahorse tonight if you want.

This should really be a PM. I'm just so excited that there's another Haligonian here. Weeeee.

m.

Since you're not used to a fix when you entered the curve you may have subconciously tried to coast. When you did this you stopped your foot but the pedal kept going. Without the pedal to guide it your foot swung forward and got caught between the tire and the frame.

Or maybe not.

I've got an extra set of Shimano 105 pedals & clips kicking around at Team Willow. You're welcome to borrow them. Heck, I can bring them to the seahorse tonight if you want.

This should really be a PM. I'm just so excited that there's another Haligonian here. Weeeee.

m.

Thanks for the offer but I'm good for now. The pedals I have our fine I just need to put on the straps and cages before I ride next.


Since you're not used to a fix when you entered the curve you may have subconciously tried to coast. When you did this you stopped your foot but the pedal kept going. Without the pedal to guide it your foot swung forward and got caught between the tire and the frame.

Or maybe not.

This is very possible.

natural selection, hard at work...

That's scary, I rode my first fixed gear for about a month with track pedals without clips/straps. It's embarassing when you're going real fast in traffic and you see you're going to hit some rough spot in the road so then you try to coast over it since that's what comes naturally from riding other bikes for so long, the pedals keep going and your foot gets confused so now the cranks are going to fast to put the foot back down and you ride for a few blocks with one leg out to the side..

natural selection, hard at work...

Whatever Pricky McSnobberson!


That's scary, I rode my first fixed gear for about a month with track pedals without clips/straps. It's embarassing when you're going real fast in traffic and you see you're going to hit some rough spot in the road so then you try to coast over it since that's what comes naturally from riding other bikes for so long, the pedals keep going and your foot gets confused so now the cranks are going to fast to put the foot back down and you ride for a few blocks with one leg out to the side..

Good to know others have trouble at first too.We all start somewhere.