Road Cycling - IF Ti Crown Jewel.......1 1/2 weeks old......crashed!

Well I was out today having a pretty nice ride. I had ridden about 27 miles so far and I was climbing a slight hill on a 1 1/2 lane road. Next thing I knew a black dog, part chow came from the hillside on the right and kept coming right at my right leg. He ended up pushing me off of the road where there was about a 6" drop to gravel. Next thing I knew the bikes tires were the only things on the ground. This wouldn't be so bad but this happened while I was riding my 1 1/2 week old dream bike. Oh yeah, to top everything off the house has a "Beware of Dog" sign on it's trash bin. If the guy knows the dog is dangerous shouldn't it be fenced in?

Anyway, here is a summary of damage. Road rash!!! I have road rash on my thigh, side and back. I also received some scratches to my helmet and my week old Specialized Pro Carbon road shoes. I also received a couple of scratches to the frame but luckily they were to the unpaited sections. Now to the pictures.

This is a ten day old Kestrel Pro EMS SL OS carbon bar.
http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/kestrelbar1a.jpg

This is a ten day old Campy Record carbon rear derailleur.
http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/rearderailleur1z.jpg

This is a ten day old Fizik Aliante saddle.
http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/saddle1z.jpg

This is a ten day old Campy Record shifter.
http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/shifters1z.jpg

This is a ten day old Tyler Hamilton edition Speedplay stainless zero pedal.
http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/speedplaypedalaftercrash.jpg

Granted, I realize that the damage is just cosmetic, with the exception of the bar, it doesn't seem right that a guy can have a dog that crashes riders and doesn't have to do anything about it. The reason I say riders is because my brother and I were riding this route about eight months ago and the dog almost crashed him. He ended up having to kick the dog. So does anyone have opinions on what can be done about this?

Oh yeah.....just for the hell of it here is a pic of the complete bike. As of right now the bike has 268 miles on it.
http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/CompleteIF1z.jpg

Well...you made me feel not as bad about my bike. I have a Colnago (in sig) just a little older than yours. And I found out first hand te paint doesn't "stay on" to good...I dropped my keys while i was taking mail out of my box at the corner...my G in COLNAGO on the one side now has a ding out of it :( (not anywhere near as bad as your damage)

I feel really bad for ya....how bad are your shoes? I learned that my Look pedals unclip faster than my SPD's on my mountain bike *and have a 2" ding in the carbon on my shimano shoes*.

I hope your road rash isn't so bad that it keeps you off the bike for any period of time.

I feel bad for ya :( Not much you can do though,
Chad

I hope you reported this to the appropriate authorities.

I'm also glad you don't have any puncture wounds.

I can't imagine your disappointment in the condition of your beautiful new ride.

When I was young I had a German Shepard wedge himself between my front wheel and downtube while travelling downhill loaded with 60 Sunday Washington post papers. I ended up with a few puncture wounds in my side along with a pulverized face, elbow and knee. You should have seen the face on the lady that answered her doorbell at 8:30 AM.

The Police refused to do anything as the dog belonged to a City Councilman.

Reminds me of a crash I had about 12 years ago on my mountain bike. Pretty much the exact same situation. The dog ran out of a yard and brushed my front wheel. The damage consisted of road rash, ripped shirt, ripped saddle, scraped brake lever, and a dented helmet. The dog just ran to the side of the road and sat down. As far as your accident the owner of the dog should definitely be responsible for the damage to your bike. That is too nice of a bike to just let it blow off.

Hey, why don't we all kick in 25 bucks and go out and buy a $200 car and point it at this jerk's house, put a brick on the gas and do a little return damage?

Granted, I realize that the damage is just cosmetic, with the exception of the bar, it doesn't seem right that a guy can have a dog that crashes riders and doesn't have to do anything about it. The reason I say riders is because my brother and I were riding this route about eight months ago and the dog almost crashed him. He ended up having to kick the dog. So does anyone have opinions on what can be done about this ?[/IMG]
Most jurisdictions have ordinances about dogs running loose.Contact the owner about getting reembursed for the damage.If that doesn't work, file a claim in small claims court. Then carry some 'dog repellent': your choice.

Chows can be very nasty. In most places it's completely illegal to let your dog have free roaming like this. Having said that it's tough to get anything done about it short of taking action yourself (mace the damn thing - just watch the wind).

I can relate I hit a brand new M3 with my then 3 day old Cinelli. I broke one of my carbon levers tore up my Frizik Alanti saddle and broke the passenger mirror on the M3. $600.00 worth of damage to the bike and $980.00 to the BMW....all my fault.

So from experience here is a link to a place that has a great deal on the '03 carbon levers (you can't buy just one) they are the same as the '04.

http://www.texascyclesport.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

If you need a new rear deraileur this place has fair price on that also.

http://store.yahoo.com/glorycycles/campagnolo.html

Sorry to see this it's a pretty ride. Next time do what I do either out sprint the dog or stop and kick the s#@t out it. I'm a dog lover but owners have to be responsible.

I agree as there is leash laws across the union in every state, I would file a police report to substantiate the owners negligence. Follow it up at small claims or a settlement. Good luck and I'm glad you’re alright at least.

having seen this bike pre-crash on another forum, if i was riding along and saw the IF, i'd say, "that's a great looking bike". looking at the pics now, i'd say the exact same thing. lowcel, based on the multiple posts i've seen of this, i know it hurts, but sleep it off...

the handlebar which might need replacing (though probably not), your bike still looks great, and no one on the road would notice these things except you; your butt would be on the scarred saddle, your hands on the slightly scratched brifters, your shoes on the scratched up pedals, all of which would be a blur... at least in my experience it gave me more freedom with my bike. just hop'n it does for you too..if not, well, the headache of any kind of action to "right the wrong" with the owner of the dog probably isn't worth it...

sd

I'm sick about your bike bro. Cosmetic damage?! A dream bike that's all banged up doesn't sound so dreamy to me. It sounds a lot like everyone elses bike. You have to pursue some compensation from the dog's owner. Good luck.

PS My biggest fear about actually buying a new bike is that I'll crash it soon after.

Contact authorities now (they're 24/7). Fill out an accident report and file a formal complaint against the dog owner. Get pictures of your injuries. Tomorrow take your bike back to the shop where you purchased it and get a written quote to return the bike to pre-accident condition.

The dog owner is 100% responsible legally and morally. Once you get your quote contact him and demand he pay damages. If he refuses take him to small claims court. Bring all of your pictures, quotes, and police report to court with you.

I know it's a hassle but in the end you will feel good that you did the right thing.

Shaq-d, it won't keep me awake. The bike is still an amazing bike it just p*sses me off that someone can have a dog, or anything for that matter that can cause someone else pain or money and not be responsible for it. The reason I posted it on different forums is to get as many opinions as possible.

One of the first things I thought about when I got my dog was that I would be responsible for everything that she does.

g'day,

I don't know the law in the states, but in Oz, I would certainly be holding the owner of the dog responsible. Go bang on his door & demand recompense...it may be covered by his third party insurance on his house insurance...I'd be having a go at that, at least you can get some new bits for the gruppo!....If all else fails...sue him in small claims or whatever you have over there....then shoot the dog!,

cheers,

Hitchy

Thanks Hitchy....however it is not the dogs fault, well not completely. The dog should not have been able to access the road.

Thanks Hitchy....however it is not the dogs fault, well not completely. The dog should not have been able to access the road.

g'day,

appears my little attempt at humour failed miserably!......still i was serious about the rest,

cheers,

Hitchy

Phinney is spot on. Do it.

From, knowledge of dogs and attacks, you can contact the police/animal control officer and file a complaint. Note that if you ride by and see the dog unleashed again and he touchs public property call again, the police will not like you but eventually they will go and fine the owner, and eventually the owner will tie up the dog. Also a wonderful note is that in my experience dogs are not registered, in particular dogs that are not leashed, which means a bigger offense, note most places still not enough to make anyone care, but maybe. The dog owners home insurance should cover the full cost of repairing your bike, if you can get them to pay, but definetly go for it, if you are lucky enough to have a good lawyer friend have him write the guy a letter sent it certified mail and see if he comes through with the money. (I recomend a prayer here as to most people it is just a bike you can get one at walyworld for what $150). Good Luck and get pictures of those incuries if you sue. Pain and suffer equals lawyer fees.

This is a dog attack and I would treat it as such. File a police report. Don't let them get away with it. The same thing can happen to another rider or worse to a child just walking or playing nearby. Appeal to the authorities such as the local animal control department to take action to prevent another incident from occurring.

Thanks everyone for the opinions, going to get a police report later today.

Shaq-D.......I was wrong......I did lose sleep over it. It's harder than hell to sleep with road rash. I think I finally found a comfortable position around 2:00 this morning. :o

having seen this bike pre-crash on another forum, if i was riding along and saw the IF, i'd say, "that's a great looking bike". looking at the pics now, i'd say the exact same thing. lowcel, based on the multiple posts i've seen of this, i know it hurts, but sleep it off...

the handlebar which might need replacing (though probably not), your bike still looks great, and no one on the road would notice these things except you; your butt would be on the scarred saddle, your hands on the slightly scratched brifters, your shoes on the scratched up pedals, all of which would be a blur... at least in my experience it gave me more freedom with my bike. just hop'n it does for you too..if not, well, the headache of any kind of action to "right the wrong" with the owner of the dog probably isn't worth it...

sd

Yeah.... You shouldn't do anything. The dog nearly killed you. You shouldn't do anything until he does kill you. If the same dog should kill someone you know, then we'll do something.

As far as the lever goes, if it still works fine, you might try a little clear nail polish on the area that was rashed up. It may bring back the shine and the damage should not be too noticeable.

whew! I started breathing again when I saw the pictures. I remeber there was a guy on here who had a week-old steelman bike (I forget if it was custon or not) who ran it into a car...bent up the downtube, top tube, and fork. I almost cried. I felt so bad for the guy. at least the damage here is just cosmetic for the most part. I'd get new bars, though. those scratches look pretty deep. and a handlebar is not something you want broken.

anyway, I crashed my new lemond in the first month. nothing stays new forever, thats what my dad said when I was freaking out about it.

Thanks everyone for the opinions, going to get a police report later today.

Shaq-D.......I was wrong......I did lose sleep over it. It's harder than hell to sleep with road rash. I think I finally found a comfortable position around 2:00 this morning. :o

lol, been there... you might discover new kinks as the days go by too.. will take a while to heal. actually i crashed in, hm, june, and the scar-thing is still healing.

sd

I spoke with the sheriff's department a few minutes ago. Their response......"sue his ass!". I am planning on having a lawyer draft up a letter, sending it to him via certified mail. It's nice having free access to lawyers. :) Hopefully he will just turn it in on his home owners that way everything is simple. Also hope this makes him aware that his dog is a problem.

They also told me that I could go speak with the guy face to face but they wouldn't recommend it, could get bitten by a dog or shot.

Oh, told me that no police report is necessary. I kept the officer's name. However, just in case I misplace it........Officer Bare. :)

I just about cried when I saw your pics LC. I would have called the cops immediately and filed a report. My next step would have then to approach the owner and demand compensation. If the owner gives you a hard time, start proceeding with small claims court and get re-imbursed for the damage. The incident was not your fault, and was totally the result of the owners negligence (sp?).

also from now on if you feel theres a chance you might encounter a dog carry dog mace works great

Everest, I have thought about the dog mace and I am planning on buying some in the near future. Even if I had it I wouldn't have had a chance to use it this time.

As much as I dislike doing it, a good kick to the chops always settles the dogs down.

Especially with carbon soles and those big arse metal speedplay cleats.

hard to say from that pic, but i'd be wary of the damage to the bar.

carbon does not take well to being scored like that and my bars snapping is not something i want to worry about when descending at 40mph.

the derailleur, i wouldn't sweat.

You were aware of the dog problem, and returned unprepared.

Are you gonna go back for more ?

I hadn't ridden the route for 6 months but since it is one of the best loops around yes I returned. I believe that I have a right to ride my bike don't you?

Do you avoid every route that has a dog?

I try. I ride the same route over and over. Your rights are not in question.

I am very sorry about your beautful bike. I know you are very proud of it.

It could be worse. I am riding a Poprad with nylon brake levers and plastic handlebars, 8 speed Sora.

Which has the better ride, the IF or the Bimmer ?

I had a cuple dogs (dobermanns i think) that used to chase me on my route but i just called the owner and told her my concern and she keeps them inside a fenced area now. On the other hand I know some people who have the idea that "it would be a shame that some dog would end up getting shot if it bit me". But i personally prefer the phone call over an undertaker. lol.

I try. I ride the same route over and over. Your rights are not in question.

I am very sorry about your beautful bike. I know you are very proud of it.

It could be worse. I am riding a Poprad with nylon brake levers and plastic handlebars, 8 speed Sora.

Which has the better ride, the IF or the Bimmer ?

Who knows which has the better ride. I paid for a new bike not a scratched up bike. Had I wanted a scratched up bike I would have bought a used one.

Anyway, I sent the owner a letter via certified mail. I included pictures of both the bike and myself. I also included an estimate from my local bike shop. I had the bike shop match the prices of excel sports to try to give the guy a little break. I also let him know of things that were damaged that I am not asking for reimbursement for, including myself....at least not yet. I am trying to be as reasonable as I can. The total for parts is $1,183.75. Labor is $80. The grand total with labor and tax is $1,339.58 to get the bike back to almost exactly it was before the dog.

If all goes well I will not ask for any reimbursement for the parts that are damaged that I did not mention. If things don't go well I will be asking for reimbursement for everything, including lawyer fees.

If he does not respond or if he responds negatively the next step will be to hand it over to my attorney. We'll see.............

Oh yeah.....check it out. Whether he knows it or not he has already admitted to knowing that the dog is violent.

http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/Dogownershouse1.jpg

Kill the dog! You can blame it on the owner all you want. The bottom line is the dog is a threat to you and anyone else who passes that house. If the owner or the authorities will not take responsibility you should.

Don't hold your breath as far as getting money from this. My general experience is that people will not take responsibility for their actions. Unfortunately, this will likely be the case for your situation as well. They won't respond, you will sue in small claims court and be on the hook for the fees associated with that. They will never show up for the hearing and you will get a decision against them. That will be the last that you hear of it and you will have to take solice in the fact that they have this judgement hanging over them which will likely screw up any credit they have.

<I hope I'm wrong>

-mark

I still don't believe it is the dog's fault. The owner knows that the dog is violent therefore it is his responsibility to keep the dog on his property. Plus......I doubt the dog has insurance. ;)

Don't hold your breath as far as getting money from this. My general experience is that people will not take responsibility for their actions. Unfortunately, this will likely be the case for your situation as well. They won't respond, you will sue in small claims court and be on the hook for the fees associated with that. They will never show up for the hearing and you will get a decision against them. That will be the last that you hear of it and you will have to take solice in the fact that they have this judgement hanging over them which will likely screw up any credit they have.

<I hope I'm wrong>

-mark

They can garnish wages here. ;) However I sincerely hope that it does not come to that and he just does the right thing by going to his insurance.

They can garnish wages here. ;)

I've never understood that phrase ... "garnish wages." What does that mean, they're gonna put a sprig of parsley on them?

Seriously, I've been down this route before. As I said, I hope I'm wrong but just don't get your hopes up. Whatever you do, enjoy that beautiful bike of yours, scratched or not.

-mark

Believe me........I'm not exactly on the phone ordering parts. ;)

I still love the bike it's just lost a little. Can't really describe it. What's really going to suck if I have to pay for another Kestrel carbon bar and Fizik Aliante saddle after just getting new ones less than two weeks ago.

Dude, you crashed your bike instead of a) stopping b) kicking the dog c) outrunning the fücker. Plus, it was a Chow. Gawd. Mate. A CHOW.

I know it's a tragedy your bike is all scratched and sh1t, but to then waste all this time and energy sueing someone who probably doesn't even have a job to 'garnish wages' from, makes no sense. It's bad Karma or whatever all round.

The eventuality is, everyone is going to crash sooner or later, and to be that precious about your bike - especially in light of the fact that it's all cosmetic damage - is a bit punce-ey. Call those scratches 'battle scars' or whatever. Live with it.

Also, I don't think this is exactly the arena for 'high morality'. Sure, the owner is accountable for the dog, but then asking him for that much money in damages smacks of eliteism. All your parts still work, and have only cosmetic scratches, and they have these scratches largely because of your chosen, err, evasive action. You want to bill him for new parts?

Hey, I'm just being the devils advocate here. Take that for what it's worth :rolleyes: :)

Hey, I'm just being the devils advocate here. Take that for what it's worth :rolleyes: :)

what i was trying to say, but better stated. ditto.

sd

Take it to your LBS and get a quote to fix it back like new
also inclued any clothing that was damaged
and any medical bills
then get a copy and take it to the owner of the Dog
and if they wont take care of it then file a court case should cost ya about $20 to file a small claims case

If someone sent that bill to me I wouldn't do squat unless they could prove it was my dog. Bloody weirdos trying to bleed me of money I'd be thinking. Have you got proof their dog was responsible?

They also told me that I could go speak with the guy face to face but they wouldn't recommend it, could get bitten by a dog or shot.


Absolutely. Stay far away from the house. That would just be asking for trouble, unless you know somebody who knows this person well and could vouch for them not being an arsehole. If the police won't do something about it you're left deciding whether it's worth bringing to the courts and maybe lawyers. You're in the hole any way you look at it, but maybe you can keep it from happening again. Take lots of pictures first. Especially of the dog loose and any "B eware of Dog" signs. (smoking guns)

Plus, it was a Chow. Gawd. Mate. A CHOW.


...and apparently if you had it your way it would be a "Chow" that was left free to attack anyone who happened by....

bkr

See the part where I say "Sure, the owner is accountable for the dog..."? :rolleyes:

It's okay, I understand....it's an emotional time for us all....

See the part where I say "Sure, the owner is accountable for the dog..."? :rolleyes:


How is the owner going to be held "accountable" if he's just supposed to "live with it" and take no action? You can't have it both ways.

Furthermore, it was not the cyclist's actions that caused the crash. Your suggested alternative a,b,c things are lame and patronizing.