borgagain

Unfortunately, the rest of the bike was totaled:

https://backroom.hardsdisk.net/technium.html

Scroll to the update at bottom.

It'll probably be a couple of weeks before I've recovered enough to get back on the road. I'm doing some roller riding to fend off atrophy but I still can't turn my head comfortably or lift my arms all of the way. Still, I think I got off easy when you look at the bike.

I'm going to miss that bike. It felt perfect on the road.

mapleleafs-13 

sorry to hear, i hope everything heals up soon, here i am complaining about my knee in an earlier thread, it coulda been much worse looking at your bike, at least nothing is broken.

is the dude gonna replace your bike? what happened in this case, insurance?

borgagain

The driver's insurance company gave me $300 for the bike and $200 for the jersey, shorts, gloves and helmet that were all damaged. I'll be able to get a decent replacement with that from craigslist if I decide to go that way. I have other bikes.

They didn't take the bike. Except for the brake levers and left crank arm, which is bent, the other Shimano 105 components are still good and the original 105 rear derailer wasn't on the bike at the time.

SteveSGP

Glad to hear you came through relatively well, could have been much worse.

Sad to see the bike go out that way but as you mentioned it does give the Technium some serious points for strength. Makes me think I should keep my eyes out for one since they seem to go for pretty reasonable prices.

XR2

Hate to see a favored ride go out that way. Heal well and find a replacement.

BluesDaddy

Oh man, sorry you had to do that to your body and your bike in the name of science... glad your joints held up as well as the frame's. Hope you feel better soon.

poprad

I'd fight his insurance on that if you haven't signed anything. If you have auto insurance in many states your auto coverage also covers you being hit by another car on your bike. You carrier will likely fight to get you a better payout for your bike, kit, and pain and suffering. Their first offer is always going to be lowball, and they actually expect you to balk and ask for more.

Free advice, and worth every penny.

mapleleafs-13 

lol maybe you can turn that raleigh technum into a de rose primato?!? worth a try...

frenchbikefan

I have a technium frame I have no intention of ever building. LMK if you are interested it isn't as pretty as yours was but I would let it go cheap.

bloom87

sorry to hear about this.

pretty much have the same technium as yours, but a cross version with a different seat cluster. got into a crash about 1 year ago, not as bad as yours but enough to bend a replacement alu fork and a mavic heavy-duty touring rim (i had just built the wheel!) the bike itself was OK. got absolutely nothing from the driver, who « didn't see me » when he swerved right on me (could have killed me, as I did an air flip with a lucky landing)

my technium's still going strong but i'm concerned about rust in the bb shell. i'll be stripping the paint on the alloy tubes bare and repainting the cr-mo joints before winter.

RIP technium !

cudak888 

If I'm not mistaken, that rear triangle is steel - and therefore can be cold-set back into alignment. Unfortunately, chances are there will be some sort of fatigue on the aluminum.

-Kurt

Alan Edwards

Don't care about the bike, glad to hear your alive. Bikes are just toys to pass the time, you could have been killed. The insurance company should take care of every ouch and ough, plus pay for a new bike.

custermustache

If you have Personal injury protection on your policy you can claim it -$2500 for lost wages, etc. I am a Texas insurance agent and know a thing or two if you need some advice. I also know some lawyers. Make this dude learn that he should stop texting and pay attention.

my company site

Justin (at) thephoenixinsurance.com

borgagain

Thanks for all of the advice. I know it's meant to be helpful but I'm not looking to profit from this incident. I expect to fully recover from the injuries and since I'm not currently employed, I haven't lost any wages. The pain has been minimal and except for not being able to ride, it hasn't impacted my life much.

I don't want to turn this into an A&S thread but personally, I feel that if you ride a bike on roadways shared with cars, you have to accept the idea that there's a good chance you can get hurt, maybe seriously, maybe killed.

The driver clearly wasn't paying attention but he was very apologetic about it and I have no desire to make him suffer.

In 1979, I was riding next to some parallel parked cars on a bike I had built from a Raleigh Record frame, far enough away not to get doored but a car pulled out a little, paused and then accelerated into me. The driver hadn't looked over her shoulder to check for traffic. I don't know if she even looked in her mirror. She paused again to look at me, lying in the street before speeding away. Then later, I guess because she had been parked in front of her own house, decided to call the police. She told them I was drunk and ran into her from the opposite direction I was traveling.

The multiple compound fracture that resulted from that incident cost me a year of my life in 3 hospitals and you bet I sued and won a pretty decent settlement.

I just don't think the current situation warrants that reaction.

custermustache

You may not have lost wages, but take my advice; if you have PIP coverage on your policy go ahead and claim it. It's $2500 that you can use if you are in any accident with an auto, and if you pay for it, you should take advantage of the coverage you pay for.

Or not - but I carry PIP because it will cover my body on my bike if a car hits me.

Giacomo 1 

I'm a fan of bonded aluminum frames.

As you explained, they are light, responsive and ride very nicely. The flex seems minimul too. I ride a Miyata, 1400A and it sounds alot like your Technium and they were built around the same time to. Even has the full Shimano 105 gruppo as yours did. If their advertising is to be believed, the bonded connections on the frame are the strongest part of the frame. I think the bonding failure stories have been overblown and have reached urban myth status, which unfortunately have tarnished what is a very nice frame to ride and to look at. They are still good looking 20+ years later....

Get well! (and find another Technium!!!)

WNG

Ouch, glad you didn't sustain far worse injuries. The incidents similar down in my neck of the woods have resulted in untimely death of the riders.
You sound like you're trying to be fair and upstanding. Just remember, a vehicle operator is supposed to uphold their end of being a road user and sharer. Fault is clear and evident here. Get rightfully compensated.

As for the Technium, I have an identical Pro frameset that I couldn't figure out what year it was until I found your website. It's not as nice as yours, mine has scratches and such. I have no immediate plans for it (a tad big). I used yours as reference, so it's a sad end to a nice example.

+1 to the advice given on how to deal with the his insurance. Don't sign any waivers, injuries should be examined and assessed by medical professionals, initial offer is always the lowball one. You are not going to get the driver in any more trouble than he is already in, the deed is done. You are the victim here, and he paid for the services of an insurer. I don't think it'll go down well with him too, that you were only given $500 compensation for an incident that could have potentially taken your life. If he has a deductible on his policy, the insurance co. isn't paying out at all, it's coming out of his pocket, and they walk away from any liability.
Not telling you to milk this like a fat cat. Just do right for yourself.

And heal well and quick.