Commuting - oh dam... first time commuting to work and i hit a telephone pole... ow

so, i been thinking about commuting to work for a while now... but, finally decided to try today. i was up a little earlier than normal and left around 7:15. its about 7 miles to work and I was expecting a good 30-35 minute ride. well, i was making great time, about 26 minutes into it and about 1/2 mile from work. well, i had been riding on the sidewalks as there are no birms (or whatever those are called on the sides of the roads) and the people are crazy drivers... so, anyways, i crossed this pretty big intersection and was traveling pretty good (~13mph) and had to weave towards the right to get onto the sidewalk and then turn left sharply to go around the curve... well, i was going a little fast to make that turn so i went through a little grass and was going to just jump back on the sidewalk... well, im not really sure exactly what happened... but, i was in the grass... and went to get on the sidewalk... and my tire hit the side of the sidewalk and next thing you know i bashed my head into a metal street light pole... i remember sitting there on the ground with the bike laying beside me and i was stunned... i couldn't hear or anything outta my right ear for a few seconds and then i could hear again... i remember my butt stinging really bad, but, i was able to stand up and pick up my bike. i didn't see any blood dripping down and i could feel all my teeth... my ear wasn't ripped off... and i could stand up and walk... guess, i made out pretty good! i seen the front reflector laying a few feet away... and my chain was off... i walked the rest of the way to work and everyone happily greeted me "hey, how was the ride?"... ha... if they only knew. i was sweating like a stuck pig and i'm starting to ache now. i've since noticed that my elbow is bleeding a little under my dress shirt and my right hand is very sore... but, i've been having some problems with it since i broke it last summer... if it keeps acting up, this might be some motivation to have that surgery done to fix it...

i put the chain back on the front gear... my seat is a little scuffed... but, otherwise, eveything 'looks' alright on the bike...

yeah, i know... i should have had a helmet... but, i didnt... im thinking im pretty lucky...

i just want to go back to bed...

Let me make sure I understood you correctly: you hit your head against a light pole at 13mph or thereabouts, with no helmet? You are not lucky, you are a (barely) walking miracle. I suggest you get a medical checkup asap.

(at least you checked your bike first, that tells us your priorities are still ok :D)

--J

You need to get checked out by a doctor.

Several years ago I convinced my wife to get back on a bike after 20 years. We picked up a nice C-dale comfort bike and then went for her first ride. 20 minutes in, at low speed she clipped a curb and off the bike she went. She hit the grass shoulder first but also hit her head. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the emergency room of the local hospital. She was OK, just scraped and bruised.

She then refused to ride the bike again, stating how dangerous it was. I told her she was looking at it the wrong way. While true she had fallen off the bike and also true that she had injured herself, I pointed out that she had missed landing in the dog crap that was there by a good six inches. Using the inescapable logic that it could of been much worse I coaxed her back onto the bike. It only took me five years.

supadupamikey, if you ride on the side walk, hitting a light pole is the least of your worries.

Getting hit by a car (or truck, or bus, or dumpster, ...) making a right while you're crossing the street is your biggest problem. The driver is looking left while the car is moving right, right into your path or you into his.

Next on the list is getting hit by a car leaving a driveway and going into the street. Here in Miami nobody pauses on the sidewalk they all go straight to the street to check for cars not bikes or pedestrians on the sidewalk.

The sidewalk is probably in rougher conditions than the street and you also have to watch out for pedestrians.

Do yourself a favor and ride in the street. Try it early one Saturday when there's no traffic to break yourself in. Thats how I started way back in Dec 2003 (I actually started on the sidewalk and rode for all of 1/4 mi. before I figured out it was way too dangerous).

Jesus, son! wear a helmet!!!!! ride on the streets! remember, a telephone pole won't swerve around you, even if it does see you coming! Just don't give up the ride to work...

When you want to ride over a curb, approach from a perpendicular (90 degree) angle, and bunny hop the front wheel.
It is really common for newbies to fall when they dislodge their front wheel on angled curbs/railway lines etc.

Getting bloodied up is bad for the image of cyclists, it makes us appear dangerous. Its not big, its not clever, dont do it again.

Supadupamikey, now is the time to use your sick leave, or to take unpaid leave if you have to. See a doctor. Hopefully, it will be a wasted trip, but you never know. On your way home, pick up a helmet.

I learned the importance of wearing a helmet, using a head lamp, and sticking to the roads about 10 years ago. I was careening across a dark parking lot when WHAM!!!, I ran straight into a steel cable strung across the lot. I was flat on my back in no time.

The good news is that the cable hit me in the chest and I was wearing multiple layers of sweatshirts. The really, really, really good news is that I was wearing a helmet, so when my head slammed back onto the pavement, the helmet took the impact. I probably wouldn't be making this post if it weren't for my helmet.

And the others are right, don't give up on biking. Just don't be an idiot again.

Exactly. Too many people expect not to get hurt on at least one screw up in their life. Don't fear pain, but take steps to avoid death, such as a helmet and some brains, maybe some knowledge of riding your bike, "trust" in drivers(its a stretch, but its all i can do to keep moving). DO NOT be like a lot of other sissies who have one bad experience and give up on it. JUST KEEP TRUCKIN!!

I learned the importance of wearing a helmet, using a head lamp, and sticking to the roads about 10 years ago. I was careening across a dark parking lot when WHAM!!!, I ran straight into a steel cable strung across the lot. I was flat on my back in no time.

The good news is that the cable hit me in the chest and I was wearing multiple layers of sweatshirts. The really, really, really good news is that I was wearing a helmet, so when my head slammed back onto the pavement, the helmet took the impact. I probably wouldn't be making this post if it weren't for my helmet.

I had a similar experience about a decade ago. I was out riding on a dirt road with this girl I knew from work (first date). I had one of those cheesy 3W Cateye handlebar mounted lights and was going too fast for its light output. The girl said something about how pretty the stars were. I glanced up, heard a "look out!" and got my eyes level enough in time to see a big steel roadblock/barrier appear just at handlebar height. I grabbed the brake levers and slammed into the barrier. The bike stopped... I didn't and went sailing head first over the barrier and onto gravel.

Luckily I was wearing a helmet which nobly sacrificed itself in favour of my noggin. It was a total garage sale. We spent the next hour looking for all my gear. My bike computer took the brunt of the impact (the Cateye ATC CC-8000 were built like a tank!) nicely got ejected off into the bushes but came out with hardly a scratch on the housing.

In hindsight, I probably should have gone to the hospital and gotten checked out. Head injuries no matter how slight they seem are nothing to be taken lightly.

1) First of all, follow everyone's suggestions and get a helmet
2) Ride in the street - start off on some low traffic roads to get used to traffic and the feeling of riding along with them. By now I can usually hear cars before I can see them. It is weird, but you will develop a certain sense and awareness of cars and where they are in relation to you and your bike.
3) After you get used to cars, you need speed, plenty of speed. I find it more dangerous riding slowly, getting passed by cars and having them cut in front of you than if I am riding as fast as they are. It gives you more time and space to maneuver in, believe it or not. It also makes you pay more attention than if you have a liesurely pace. It helps that I commute in the city with stops signs and lights so cars can't pick up that much speed.
4) Pick a word of the day/week/month - mine usually start with a 3-4 letter word and end in -hole, haha. It is very therapeutic.
5) Have fun!

Holy crap, allow me to jump in and also tell you, as an experienced crasher, GET A HELMET!!

That said, ride a little faster on the street so the cars don't close in on you as fast, find a safer route, and get a small mirror so you know when cars are coming up behind you. I'm actually surprised your dress shirt wasn't completely torn up. You should wear something else while biking and keep the work clothes in a bag.

Way to make an impression on a first date khuon :p

One more thing - if you are riding in city traffic beware of gaps in traffic. For example, if you are biking along your lane and you are coming up on a green light (in your direction) but you notice that there is a gap in traffic at the intersection, slow down. It could be pedestrians crossing, some bonehead in a car making a dumbe maneuver etc. Gaps can mean all kinds of things, besides pedestrians, it can be people in parked cars opening doors or trying to pull out into traffic, also it is a prime spot for boneheads travelling in the opposite direction to suddenly make a U turn IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET!!!! - sorry, I was actually sideswiped by one of these knuckleheads. The word of the month was pretty helpful there :D

Hey, we all commit acts of dufosity, even as grownups.
So, what hurt more, your head or your pride?

One more thing - if you are riding in city traffic beware of gaps in traffic.

I was descending this one steep long hill (I live on a plateau) on a 4-lane road with no shoulders where the speed limit was 35MPH. Traffic was relatively light and I had taken the lane. I noticed a gap in traffic up ahead and managed to get into it without much trouble. I knew there were no driveways or turnoffs until the bottom. I was probably close to 40MPH when I hit the opening. I then tucked in low and spun out my 53/12. Pretty soon I was close to 50MPH. It was then that I heard the siren. Evidently everyone was pacing behind the cop and that was the reason for the gap. He gave me a warning after I told him it would have been more dangerous for me to have ridden my brakes all the way down and risked brake-fade rather than take it down at speed and braked near the bottom.

Hehe, that's cool. I have never been pulled over for speeding on a bike.


I was descending this one steep long hill (I live on a plateau) on a 4-lane road with no shoulders where the speed limit was 35MPH. Traffic was relatively light and I had taken the lane. I noticed a gap in traffic up ahead and managed to get into it without much trouble. I knew there were no driveways or turnoffs until the bottom. I was probably close to 40MPH when I hit the opening. I then tucked in low and spun out my 53/12. Pretty soon I was close to 50MPH. It was then that I heard the siren. Evidently everyone was pacing behind the cop and that was the reason for the gap. He gave me a warning after I told him it would have been more dangerous for me to have ridden my brakes all the way down and risked brake-fade rather than take it down at speed and braked near the bottom.

hey guys, sorry for leaving you hanging...

long story short, i ended up going to the ER and they said i was gonna live...

my hand got hit pretty hard and im going to see another orthopedic surgeon next week... its the same hand i broke like 7 months ago and it never healed right anyways, and now i may have fractured something in it again... i'll find out next tuesday.

my poor bike... well i dont know much about it yet, except that when we came back to pick it up, the rear derailleur was bent and its rubbing the spokes on the rear wheel... my seat got some nice scuffs, my water bottle cage is all bent up... and my front deflector was busted... its due for its 60day tune-up... haha... so, i'll have them check it out when it goes in for that.

its looking like i might have to have that hand surgery soon, so, i'll probably be taking a little time-off from cycling, lifting, etc... but, this little accident did not kill my desire to cycle.. !! I will be back!! ;) and I'm going to pick up a helmet for myself and my girlfriend... on a related note, I also started wearing my seatbelt when I drive...

and boy do i feel sore... i feel like i got ran over by a truck... they gave me some 800mg ibruprofens in the ER, but, dang, im still sore... im getting too old for this... hehe ;)

the rear derailleur was bent and its rubbing the spokes on the rear wheel...

Another reason not to use 'em!! ;)

Another reason not to use 'em!! ;)

Yes... although a wheel without spokes might make for interesting ride characteristics. ;)

Yes... although a wheel without spokes might make for interesting ride characteristics. ;)


Thanks... been all day since I laughed that hard!

-chris

Where can I buy one of those front deflectors? :p

Until 4 years ago I'd always ridden without a helmet (expcept when required at a bmx race or something). Twice now, on exiting the parking garage at work, I've hit my head on low-hanging fire sprinkler heads. I did it again yesterday at only 5 or so mph, but it was a direct hit hard enough to leave a nice spider web indentation on the helmet. Just when I thought too that I wouldn't really need it on my 7 mile commute. I'd hate to leave it at home, get into an accident of some kind where I sustain a head injury, and regret my choice not to have worn my helmet. I can't imagine what your hit must have felt like, you should follow others' advice and see a doc. And oh yeah, wear your helmet.

Yes... although a wheel without spokes might make for interesting ride characteristics. ;)

the derailluer...wise ass! :D

the derailluer...wise ass! :D

Better a smart ass than a dumb ass I always say :)

Better a smart ass than a dumb ass I always say :)

in the words of Raul Duke; anything worth doing is worth doing right!