General Cycling Discussion - New Bike goes down first time

bought a new 2006 Schwinn Fastback LTD 6 weeks ago.. http://www.schwinnbike.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=601

have put about 400 miles on it so far.. but yesterday in a heavy traffic situation.. I decided to make a slow U turn from street up to sidewalk and front tire caught sand and I went down... It put nice little scratches on the RD, pedal, saddle, and front brake lever as well as tearing my bar tape... Well I put some rubber tape around the bar tape.. and the other rough parts are not that bad.. but I know they are there... Piss...
I guess its to be expected.. but I really wanted to keep this bike in perfect condition..

Don't worry about it. I accidently scratched my new bike on the first day when I picked it up at the bike shop! It builds character.

A true battle warrior must have scars. :)

I know the first scratch always sucks. But you gotta accept it as inevitable and relax.

scratches are like the falls from clipless pedals.
it's more a question of "when" that "if"
i know it stinks, but it was going to happen sooner or later.
at least you can put the scratches on your list to justify your next upgrades :)

It had to happen sooner or later. At least you got to put the first scratches on your new bike. The first two scratches on my Giant were put there by other people. My Trek came pre-scratched.:(

I wrote an Essay once about getting the first scratch on my new Giant and compared it to getting a scratch on a new car. The professor did not understand the significance. She must have never owned a
good bike.

You've deflowered your bike. Mazel tov!

I know it sucks. My new Surly just got its wheels destroyed by a red light runner.

bought a new 2006 Schwinn Fastback LTD 6 weeks ago.. http://www.schwinnbike.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=601

have put about 400 miles on it so far.. but yesterday in a heavy traffic situation.. I decided to make a slow U turn from street up to sidewalk and front tire caught sand and I went down... It put nice little scratches on the RD, pedal, saddle, and front brake lever as well as tearing my bar tape... Well I put some rubber tape around the bar tape.. and the other rough parts are not that bad.. but I know they are there... Piss...
I guess its to be expected.. but I really wanted to keep this bike in perfect condition..

Look at it this way. Before your unscheduled dismount it was just a bike, no different to all the other ones of that make/model. Now it is your bike, there isn't another one exactly like it, it's unique. :D

It's called character. Enjoy it.

I mean, ok, I feel for you and all. But it's always best to embrace the inevitable with a smile, eh?

Well, you guys have made me feel a lot better... I guess it was inevitable... I've gone down a few times on my first/other bike that is a specialized sport hybrid, but then I got this one all shiney and new without a blemish, a sleek street machine...assembled right out of the box in front of me...and I've been the only rider. I thought I could keep it that way forever... and to top things off.. I am expecting a new maintenance stand to come via UPS today and the Zinn and Bicycle Maintenance book just arrived in the mail...
It's like my boat when I dinged the gel-coat, or my wife's car when I hit a basketball goal post.. but darn it.. those items don't sit in the middle of my living room like a prized trophy!! I'll get over it.. I just needed some comforting support..

That's ok, I understand. Looks like a scarily pricey bike.

But still, appropriate conflicting emoticons for your situation: :lol::(

scratches are like the falls from clipless pedals.
it's more a question of "when" that "if"
i know it stinks, but it was going to happen sooner or later.

The first real ride with my clipless I toppled over, and then just a few weeks ago, I was standing on a busy road at a stop light, and I slowly toppled over again...

That's ok, I understand. Looks like a scarily pricey bike.

But still, appropriate conflicting emoticons for your situation: :lol::(
it was pricey, but not nearly the MSRP... was had for $2350 plus tax with free blinkies and computer thrown in. Then of course I turned around and bought some pedals, pants, helmet and shoes from the LBS which they knocked a few dollars off the cost..
My wife at the same time bought the Schwinn Fastback pro... a $1400 bike also with with blinkies and computer... Its the bike right below mine with ultegra package.. its Home Depot Orange as I call it...

Did I mention the road rash on my calf? looks kinda cool... .. :)

Now your bike is hardcore. Rock on. :)

I got upset about my first scratch too, but like the guy at the LBS said when I got my warranty tune up, "It just shows you've been riding it"
I feel a little better since the first scratch because I'm not as obsessive about things being near it or touching it. Sure, I'm careful, protective and respectful, but I'm not going to take a bullet for my bike. I feel a sense of relief because I no longer have to worry when the first scratch will come. I spent a lot less on my bike than you did on yours, but I'm sure your budget allowed a bigger purchase than mine. But price isn't the issue here, it's yours, you wanted it and bought it. Scrapes and scratches are part of the deal. Be happy you were the first to scratch it and have a story to tell. 20 years down the road you will still remember where each scratch came from and have a story to tell. I bought a '69 Schwinn Breeze from the original owner that wasn't actually for sale. It was hanging up in her garage during a garage sale and I asked her about it. she got it down and spent an hour telling me about it. She told me where each scratch and dent in the fenders came from, and the marks from the baby seat she used to take her little brother around in. She sold it to me for less than I offered, but the story alone would have been worth the price even if I left without the bike.

On my ride home from the LBS with my brand new Trek 520 '07, the frame got dented with a full beer bottle thrown by a local bogan. (redneck). Heheee, I got him back for it though. Ahem..anyway, I sort-of saw it as a kind of baptism by fire.

oh man... doesn't that just piss you off?

I was riding my old bike about 3 months ago ... in the middle of the day.. I was even on the sidewalk...and some a**wipe threw and hit me in a shoulder with an empty soda can. I felt my adrenaline swell and I became enraged. If I could have caught the turd.. I was praying 'only if he would get caught by the lights".

I can live with something I have done to a new bike.. but as one poster said earlier.. its more upsetting when somebody else does it.

My redneck was caught by the lights, and got that very same beer bottle through his rear window!

When I was 15 (1990) and had my new Schwinn World for about two weeks, I caught some sand in a turn and ended up over the handlebars. I suffered a broken collarbone and some road rash on my head. The bike got all kinds of bends and scratches. We took it in for its free 30-day checkup, and the owner of the shop fixed everything but the foam on the lower right drop bar for free.

My Huffy Jackal got all kinds of scratches on it the first day I had it from the gravel on a trail we rode. I felt kind of funny about it, but then remembered that I didn't buy it to be a museum piece.

I can see how a bike scratch would be like scratching a new car.

Sorry to hear that but good to get the first scratch out of the way ;)

....I put the first scratch on my new car last Friday...boy did that hurt!