Recreational & Family - Road bike - handling in rain or mud
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Fell and really tore myself and brand new Specialized Sequoia Expert road bike up hitting a muddy spot on our local bike trail.
Saw it coming and had no alternative but to ride through. Tried to coast through and wheels just literally flew out from under me.
Thank goodness it was mud cause when I slid I could have even done more damage if surface was not muddy!
Any advise on how to better handle a situation like this?
OregonBound
09-11-03, 11:57 AM
Sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you and your bike will heal soon.
My first inclination is to suggest avoiding bike trails. They are often much more dangerous than streets. Other than getting off and walking it, slowly coasting through a patch like that is about all you can do. Sounds like this was a huge, muddy spot.
Paul
MichaelW
09-11-03, 12:02 PM
You need to be in a fairly low gear, spinning freely, but beware, you can apply more power than the tyres are capable of transmitting, so the rear tyre breaks free. Learn to modulate your power and back off if you feel the rear sliding.
Pick your line with care. Mud will act as a brake on one wheel, so chose the least muddy course.
Dont try to steer, dont try to jig around on the bike. take a straight even course, just like you would on ice.
Clipless pedals can casue a problem if the rear breaks free, you cant unclip during the fall. I keep my toe-clips loose and can remove my feet the instant I feel myself going down, usually into a deep rut caused by an off-road 4x4.
I ride a lot of trails on my road bike using a fairly slick 28/32mm tyre, and dont have a problem. It is more technically challenging to ride trails on a road bike than on an MTB, and therein lies the fun.
Yep clipless pedals..could not get out of them! Second thought tells me I should have unclipped to coast through. Did not have time to brake and walk as I came around a blind corner and only had enough time to see the spot ( 4' =4"Thats why I slid so far! It was really wet (about the consistency of latex paint).
Good advice on use of the lower gear. I am not that experienced and expect a few falls, but this one really caught me off guard. I think you are right about losing the traction on the back wheel.
Do love the challenge, but do not like the falls. I do not bounce nor slide well.