Fifty Plus (50+) - Fenders at fault???

I do short commutes most everywhere I go these days. :) Finally decided to add fenders to my old Schwinn ATB to keep the slush off my back.
Headed out yesterday to meet the light of my life for breakfast, 100 feet from the house the front tire found a really really slick bit of iced pavement. :eek:
Now I just know it couldn't have been my lack of handling skills or a lack of sense in riding on a 9 degree morning on unplowed heavily driven roads. But as the fates would have it I turned right and the front tire went left Managed to catch most of it on my right kneecap, but still did a "gentle" face plant, bent the devil out of my glasses, tore my left triceps and made the kneecap a misery. :(
Now this wasn't our first snowfall, and I rode this same bike all last winter without to many issues ;) so it just had to be the fenders, RIGHT??? :o

That would explain why I'm haveing so much trouble ...yeh, that must be it.
Thanks dorosz for explaining that for me....now if the ibuprofin would just kick in
on my left knee......yup, spun out a few times already this year.

Happy Trails

Thanks for the warning. I was thinking about adding fenders to the mountain bike:rolleyes:

Hope everything heals quickly and I'm glad you weren't too seriously hurt.

Thanks for the warning. I was thinking about adding fenders to the mountain bike:rolleyes:

Hope everything heals quickly and I'm glad you weren't too seriously hurt.

Fenders on mountain bikes need plenty of clearance for Mud and I have never really fancied having fenders close to a tyre on road going bikes. See Attachment for clearance.

Main problem on MTB's is not so much around the tyres but on the chain and seat stays and the forks. Mud, and I presume snow, will built up between the stays and the tyres and act as a brake. + adds a lot of weight to the bike.

Hope the Hurts heal quick but start looking for better tyres to give a bit better grip- Or Stdded tyres if you have a lot of Ice.

Obviously the fenders blocked the sunlight from warming up the tires. If you'd refilled your tires with warm air before going out, there wouldn't have been a problem..... Cars slid off into the ditch on snowy days for the same reason, plus windchill factors.

There's nothing like a bicycle on a patch of ice to demonstrate how quickly vertical can become horizontal.

Fenders have their real problems. I sucked something up after I popped off the road to circle & let a car come up the blind hill at rally speeds. Folded up the front fender and disturbed my very slow speed on leaves balance sufficiently for me to fall over. Fortunately I'm highly experienced, if not professional, at slow speed surprise falls on things I shouldn't be riding on in the first place and suffered no injury. The fender (Planet Bike ABS) straightened out pretty well with a tug, well enough to get home, and recovered with some hot water & metal resetting in the mounts.

Clearly the fender! And surprise, without even reading this thread I increased the clearances to the maximum feasible!!

I once took a piece of wood through the rear spokes (fortunately not the front!), and it came up and around and tangled with the mudguard struts. Unless the wood would have fall out of the wheel before reaching the seat stays, I cannot really blame the fender. Fortunately, I was able to keep the bike upright through the abrupt rear wheel skid, but it got pretty exciting.

Thanks for the warning. I was thinking about adding fenders to the mountain bike:rolleyes:

Hope everything heals quickly and I'm glad you weren't too seriously hurt.

Thanks I got really lucky in part due to having a compression layer on that day, the compression kept the swelling down to a level I could handle on the knee and basically I'm to stupid to let a thing like this keep me down so I went to my Yoga and spinning classes that night and logged a full work out, didn't manage my normal sprint levels or anything heroicly stupid like that but I did get my miles in for the day. So the knee is sore but doable. :)

The darn triceps is going to end up being a bigger issue. I have nerve damage in my neck that already weakens that particular muscle. It really has impacted my Yoga practice this week, and probably will for the next month or so. :(

There's nothing like a bicycle on a patch of ice to demonstrate how quickly vertical can become horizontal.
Just once I'd like a video camera on one of these kersplats so I could see what happened! All I ever get to see is the aftermath of my clumsyness. How could I possibly learn just from that? :)

I do short commutes most everywhere I go these days. :) Finally decided to add fenders to my old Schwinn ATB to keep the slush off my back.
Headed out yesterday to meet the light of my life for breakfast, 100 feet from the house the front tire found a really really slick bit of iced pavement. :eek:
Now I just know it couldn't have been my lack of handling skills or a lack of sense in riding on a 9 degree morning on unplowed heavily driven roads. But as the fates would have it I turned right and the front tire went left Managed to catch most of it on my right kneecap, but still did a "gentle" face plant, bent the devil out of my glasses, tore my left triceps and made the kneecap a misery. :(
Now this wasn't our first snowfall, and I rode this same bike all last winter without to many issues ;) so it just had to be the fenders, RIGHT??? :o

Yes it to be!:rolleyes:

Hope your injuries heal quickly. You know it may have been the fenders. Yeah, yeah, that's right. You see without the fenders you would have had the slush and muck tossed up onto your back. This cold intrusion would have kept you more alert, and, hence, better prepared to handle the difficult road conditions. It was the comfort and complacency caused by those fenders that did you in. ;)

Just once I'd like a video camera on one of these kersplats so I could see what happened! All I ever get to see is the aftermath of my clumsyness. How could I possibly learn just from that? :)

Fenders and clumsiness have nothing to do with it. Get studded snow tires for your bike. Use them. Don't gripe about the cost, weight or inconvenience. They are cheaper, lighter and more convenient than wearing a cast for six weeks. I ride hundreds of miles every winter with mine.

Alternatively, stay off the bike below 32°F.