Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.notfred
08-20-05, 03:48 PM
So, I was riding to the bank earlier (which apparently closes at 1:00 on Saturdays) and I got a flat tire on the way there. Unfortunately, I had loaned my frame pump to afriend the other day, and never put it back on my bike, so I had no way to fix the flat. Luckily, I was less than ablock from my LBS, so I went in there and paid them $5 to fix it, so I didn't have to walk 3 miles home to do it myself. After fixing my flat, the tech at the LBS told me my rear wheel was out of true, and I should get it fixed soon.
So I continued on, to the bank that was closed, and then to the grocery store. On my way to the grocery store, I was riding along a big wide straight road witht no traffic, and bike lanes at least 10 feet wide. I felt pretty comfortable riding along and looking down at my rear wheel (to see how out of true it was), and when I looked up, there was a pile of lawn clippings and leaves right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, my back wheel came off the ground, and the whole bike went sideways into the pile of grass. It must have been funny looking - me riding the bike on just the fron wheel, with the frame sticking out to the side, and the running into a pile of grass.
I had slowed considerably from my one-wheeled braking maneuver, and fell sideways into the grass at maybe 5mph. I wasn't hurt (I mean, it was a pile of grass), but I sure felt stupid. Had I been looking at the road instead of my wheel, I could have easily gone around it. Keep in mind that even when the road is straight and there isn't any traffic, you still have to pay attention to where you're going.
So I continued on, to the bank that was closed, and then to the grocery store. On my way to the grocery store, I was riding along a big wide straight road witht no traffic, and bike lanes at least 10 feet wide. I felt pretty comfortable riding along and looking down at my rear wheel (to see how out of true it was), and when I looked up, there was a pile of lawn clippings and leaves right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, my back wheel came off the ground, and the whole bike went sideways into the pile of grass. It must have been funny looking - me riding the bike on just the fron wheel, with the frame sticking out to the side, and the running into a pile of grass.
I had slowed considerably from my one-wheeled braking maneuver, and fell sideways into the grass at maybe 5mph. I wasn't hurt (I mean, it was a pile of grass), but I sure felt stupid. Had I been looking at the road instead of my wheel, I could have easily gone around it. Keep in mind that even when the road is straight and there isn't any traffic, you still have to pay attention to where you're going.