Commuting - RR Track = Pinch Flat + Ouch!

I was on my saturday ride cruising near downtown Olympia. I crossed a set of tracks that was a bit above the roadway surface. Because I was going a bit to fast, it jarred me a bit & apparently caused a pinch flat on my front tire. This would have been no big deal if I hadn't turned about 20 feet later. Halfway into the turn, I realized the tire was flat about 1/1000th second before I went down. Got some road rash on my knee & foolishly put my right hand out & managed to fall full onto it, jamming back all four fingers badly. I had a spare tube along but it was quite a challenge to change the tire with my disabled right hand. When I had the new tube installed & got the tire back on the rim, I discovered my mini pump wouldn't produce more than 30 pounds. Just enough to limp back home. My hand looks really bad today, all black & blue with lots of swelling. I expect it will be a while before I heal up. Be careful out there.

Black and blue w/ swelling??? I would get that checked out. One of my friends "jammed a few fingers" and 3 days later found out he had broken 2 and fractured 1. Hope you heal up fast though! And tuck and roll next time :D

how should one fall?

Hey Bud! Sorry to hear about the accident! Take care of yourself. Seely has the right idea. See your doctor to get that thing looked at.

Bob

[QUOTE=N7CZinMT]Hey Bud! Sorry to hear about the accident! Take care of yourself. Seely has the right idea. See your doctor to get that thing looked at.


See a doctor YES. I broke my hand two years ago , and waited a week before seeing a doc.
It never really hurt, but it sure was broke good. Waiting makes it much harder to set, and therapy much longer to get it working again.

I had the same thing happen to me a week ago. I have some topeak small pump which is nice design but just cant pump worth crap over 30ish pounds. I should have probably tested the thing out before I really needed it.


When I had the new tube installed & got the tire back on the rim, I discovered my mini pump wouldn't produce more than 30 pounds. there.

Wow, sorry to hear that and I hope you get checked out real soon.

I wonder if that's a weird added benefit of using c02 cartridges instead of a mini pump, you can manage them with one hand if necessary.

Thanks to all your encouragement, my dear wife, co-workers & friends urging, I stopped by Group Health today after I noticed the swelling had spread to my wrist. The X-rays found no fractures anywhere. I just have some severely stretched tendons with a bad bruise on the side of my wrist. My "Popeye" hand should be useful again in a few weeks. Now I just have to fix or replace my Zefal mini pump. For the last few years, it was always able to give me 70 to 90 pounds. Could it be worn out already? I have been considering the CO2 kits so guess I should check them out to.

"How should one fall?"

Usually you DON'T put your open hand out...that's how broken fingers happen.

Same goes for putting out your elbow. You try to land on your forearm. It might make your arm hurt like mad..but which would you rather have...messed up fingers or a sore arm?

how should one fall?

Shoulder roll.....if possible. It also helps to be wearing a full winter coat and jeans. :)


bkr, who's been lucky enough to only crash in the winter so far.

Absolutely right. In previous falls I always managed to take it on my shoulder or forearm. I think the best place for your hand is on the bar near the stem if you have presence of mind to put it there when you know you're going down. The tuck & roll doesn't work well if you go down suddenly & are still clipped in. This time it all happened so fast, I reflexively put out my hand on the way down. Sometimes the brain just doesn't process info quickly enough.