crossing rail tracks,
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Western Canada
Posts: 85
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
crossing rail tracks,
I am riding a commuterized mtb with 26" rim, 32 spokes with skinny tires @80PSI. I have to cross a number of fairly uneven rail tracks. Should I slow down (I don't at the moment)? Do I risk breaking or bending my wheels?
Thanks,
Thanks,
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: SW Washington
Posts: 167
Bikes: '10 C'Dale CAAD9 4, '09 S-Works Tricross, Gary Fisher Tassahara
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
are you passing over the rails at 90 degree angle or close to it? In my experience if you shift your weight back so the it is not on your front wheel you will be okay. I cross 2 sets of rails on my CX bike running 32mm tires at 80 PSI at about 15-20mph with no issues.
#3
Older than dirt
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Winchester, VA
Posts: 5,342
Bikes: Too darn many.. latest count is 11
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Depends on how much you like your bike, or your body for that matter if you miscalculate.
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Erie, PA
Posts: 1,771
Bikes: Bacchetta Giro 20, Trek 7000, old Huffy MTB, and a few others
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 21 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I noticed fat tires make me feel better on railroad tracks. I was riding my old mountain bike this winter and for some reason the tracks and potholes don't bother me as much. My summer bike is 700C X 35 (not skinny by any stretch), but for some reason they seem more fragile.. probably just perception though.
#5
Señior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 13,749
Bikes: Windsor Fens, Giant Seek 0 (2014, Alfine 8 + discs)
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 446 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
7 Posts
Cross at right angles or you risk sudden crash syndrome, especially if the rails are wet. The rails can grab your wheel and yank your bike right out from under you.
__________________
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 903
Bikes: 2010 Kona Dr. Dew, Moose Bicycle XXL (fat bike), Yuba Mundo V3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
I think this is an "it depends" question. It depends on how uneven the tracks are, how narrow your tires are, how fast you're going, whether you have any shocks, and in general how comfortable you are going over them at speed. There isn't a universal answer.
#7
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,363
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6219 Post(s)
Liked 4,218 Times
in
2,365 Posts
Long winded answer: It depends If you cross the tracks with your butt planted firmly on the saddle and the bike has no suspension system, the risk of wheel damage is higher...and so is your butt pain Front suspension is going to lessen the pain a little and full suspension is going to make you ask "What railroad tracks?" These guys are doing it wrong
You should, on any bicycle, ride over railroad tracks like you would ride a mountain bike over obstacles:
Notice how the rider is up off the saddle, his feet are parallel to the ground and his legs...specifically his thighs...are supporting his weight and acting like springs. Your legs and arms absorb more road shock than any bicycle suspension possibly can...short of a 9" travel downhiller.
What this position does is allows your bike to move up and down under you while your body follows a relatively flat line. The bike takes less punishment and your legs can handle the bending and flexing.
Riding like the people do in the RAGBRI picture, means walking across the tracks. Riding like the mountain biker does means flying across them at 10, 20, or 30 mph with more control.
are you passing over the rails at 90 degree angle or close to it? In my experience if you shift your weight back so the it is not on your front wheel you will be okay. I cross 2 sets of rails on my CX bike running 32mm tires at 80 PSI at about 15-20mph with no issues.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#8
Bike addict, dreamer
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Queens, New York
Posts: 5,165
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
And if, after reading all of the above, you still have doubts there is nothing wrong with walking your bike over those tracks. Just don't step directly on the rails, in particular is you have cleats
Adam
Adam
#10
Have bike, will travel
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Lake Geneva, WI
Posts: 12,284
Bikes: Ridley Helium SLX, Canyon Endurance SL, De Rosa Professional, Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra, Schwinn Paramount (1 painted, 1 chrome), Peugeot PX10, Serotta Nova X, Simoncini Cyclocross Special, Raleigh Roker, Pedal Force CG2 and CX2
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 910 Post(s)
Liked 288 Times
in
158 Posts
The fall produced from the tire catching the rail at an angle is extra forceful.
It's like the bike is being pulled out from under you. A broken hip is often the outcome.
If I can't ride across a smooth crossing at 90 degrees, I'll walk it.
It's like the bike is being pulled out from under you. A broken hip is often the outcome.
If I can't ride across a smooth crossing at 90 degrees, I'll walk it.
#11
Scan Me
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 771
Bikes: 2009 Trek 2.3, 2010 Specialized Secteur Sport
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Notice how the rider is up off the saddle, his feet are parallel to the ground and his legs...specifically his thighs...are supporting his weight and acting like springs. Your legs and arms absorb more road shock than any bicycle suspension possibly can...short of a 9" travel downhiller.
What this position does is allows your bike to move up and down under you while your body follows a relatively flat line. The bike takes less punishment and your legs can handle the bending and flexing.
What this position does is allows your bike to move up and down under you while your body follows a relatively flat line. The bike takes less punishment and your legs can handle the bending and flexing.
#12
Bike addict, dreamer
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Queens, New York
Posts: 5,165
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#13
Senior Member
This is absolutely true. A dozen years ago, I crossed some wet trolley tracks at an oblique angle. I went down so fast, I didn't know what happened. Broke my 5th metacarpal in 3 places and got a slight concussion. Now I only cross tracks perpendicularly and very carefully if they're wet.
#14
Bike addict, dreamer
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Queens, New York
Posts: 5,165
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
This is absolutely true. A dozen years ago, I crossed some wet trolley tracks at an oblique angle. I went down so fast, I didn't know what happened. Broke my 5th metacarpal in 3 places and got a slight concussion. Now I only cross tracks perpendicularly and very carefully if they're wet.
Adam
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 1,522
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I was lucky. I only sprained my knee. I was on two crutches for a month, one crutch for another month to six weeks, and a full YEAR later, I'm starting to be back at full function. Yes, it was a bad sprain. But a broken femur can kill you, so on the whole I'm awful glad I got lucky. Within 6 months, I was in good enough shape to help my sister-outlaw move. It's been getting the last stages of strength and stability back that were *****y.
In my accident, it wasn't that the tire caught on the rail, or that there were problems with the angle. Wet railroad tracks can be very slippery. You can feel it a little when walking in wet weather. If you crouch down and investigate, it's easy to notice. A bike *must* have traction from the front tire. No ifs, ands or buts. I lost traction due to the tracks being wet, and I lost it on the front. Down I went. A number of bystanders were *sure* I had been hit by a car. Nope. It was all the magic of rain on metal.
I spent a fair bit of time learning to fall as a kid, and that probably saved my femur. I didn't try to fight the fall, so the impact was spread over almost my entire left side. I also had a *healthy* dose of luck.
The bumpy lumpy tracks can be a problem. For the most part tho, even now I don't walk over them if it's dry out. (or rather I do, but only when I don't have my bike with me ) It's a fairly straightforward mountain biking problem, and the only way to learn how to pick a good line is to ride. If you're not sure, walk across. It's easy to miss details at speed. No traction falls suck, but diversion falls (where your tire needed to be at a 90 degree angle with respect to a bump, and it wasn't) are damn near as common. If you walk the bike over and pay attention, you can feel how you have to approach. You do need a certain degree of speed for avoiding diversion falls... slowing down can make a fall *more* likely. It's a game of momentum and balance, which is why my most hated track crossing isn't the one that got me. There's another crossing on the same rail line where I have to cross it immediately after a left turn at a traffic light. And I do mean *immediately*. It's quite probably the bumpiest track crossing I know of within about a 5 mile radius, and the tracks cross the road at a sharp angle. It's... fun. It's doable, but in rainy weather I feel *no* shame about walking it.
In my accident, it wasn't that the tire caught on the rail, or that there were problems with the angle. Wet railroad tracks can be very slippery. You can feel it a little when walking in wet weather. If you crouch down and investigate, it's easy to notice. A bike *must* have traction from the front tire. No ifs, ands or buts. I lost traction due to the tracks being wet, and I lost it on the front. Down I went. A number of bystanders were *sure* I had been hit by a car. Nope. It was all the magic of rain on metal.
I spent a fair bit of time learning to fall as a kid, and that probably saved my femur. I didn't try to fight the fall, so the impact was spread over almost my entire left side. I also had a *healthy* dose of luck.
The bumpy lumpy tracks can be a problem. For the most part tho, even now I don't walk over them if it's dry out. (or rather I do, but only when I don't have my bike with me ) It's a fairly straightforward mountain biking problem, and the only way to learn how to pick a good line is to ride. If you're not sure, walk across. It's easy to miss details at speed. No traction falls suck, but diversion falls (where your tire needed to be at a 90 degree angle with respect to a bump, and it wasn't) are damn near as common. If you walk the bike over and pay attention, you can feel how you have to approach. You do need a certain degree of speed for avoiding diversion falls... slowing down can make a fall *more* likely. It's a game of momentum and balance, which is why my most hated track crossing isn't the one that got me. There's another crossing on the same rail line where I have to cross it immediately after a left turn at a traffic light. And I do mean *immediately*. It's quite probably the bumpiest track crossing I know of within about a 5 mile radius, and the tracks cross the road at a sharp angle. It's... fun. It's doable, but in rainy weather I feel *no* shame about walking it.
#16
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,363
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6219 Post(s)
Liked 4,218 Times
in
2,365 Posts
The first picture shows a track that is perfectly easy to ride across as long as you keep away from the gap in the ties. That just requires you to take the proper line and watch where you are going
The second picture is more problematic but not undoable. It's hardly any rougher than you'd find on just about any 10 feet or so of mountain bike trail. I'd probably pick a line that was to the right or left where the tire is so that I'd wouldn't be riding right across the worst of the hole. I don't think I'd even have a problem riding a fully loaded touring bike over that.
Mountain biking really helps in learning bike handling skills. Once you been down a trail full of baby heads, everything else is easy
The second picture is more problematic but not undoable. It's hardly any rougher than you'd find on just about any 10 feet or so of mountain bike trail. I'd probably pick a line that was to the right or left where the tire is so that I'd wouldn't be riding right across the worst of the hole. I don't think I'd even have a problem riding a fully loaded touring bike over that.
Mountain biking really helps in learning bike handling skills. Once you been down a trail full of baby heads, everything else is easy
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#18
Bike addict, dreamer
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Queens, New York
Posts: 5,165
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Trail riding is different. Although you're more likely to cross something like that on a mountain bike than road bike. I would still probably walk or ride around problems like that. I just rather be careful.
Rocks the size of a baby head I avoided rocky trails, never like them.
Adam
Rocks the size of a baby head I avoided rocky trails, never like them.
Adam
#19
Iconoclast
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: California
Posts: 3,176
Bikes: Colnago Super, Fuji Opus III, Specialized Rockhopper, Specialized Sirrus (road)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Trail riding is different, but the principles can be successfully applied to road riding. I don't think a road bike suffers from as many limitations as people perceive. Much of my riding is on roads with sections that would give the Paris-Roubaix a run for it's money, but I have no hesitation riding 23c slick tires on all my bikes because I use technique to make up the difference. A bmx and mountain bike background has done a lot for the 'riding light' aspect. I've even been known to ride a road bike on single track and bmx trails (FUN!). It can be done.
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Gaseous Cloud around Uranus
Posts: 3,741
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 11 Times
in
7 Posts
You people are joking...right? In the picture,how about crossing where there isn't half the boards missing?
Some of the roads in L.A. are rougher than that....
Some of the roads in L.A. are rougher than that....
#21
Bike addict, dreamer
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Queens, New York
Posts: 5,165
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
The pictures just illustrated the dangers of going through a really bad railroad crossing, it doesn't mean they actually rode like that. As you can see most of that crossing had boards missing. So it's possible that your wheel can get caught in a gap like that, normally you can't recover from this, it's a guaranteed dive. I've seen people fall when their front wheel got caught in a grate or crack in the road. So a rail crossing with gaps like that is better dealt with by walking.
#22
Iconoclast
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: California
Posts: 3,176
Bikes: Colnago Super, Fuji Opus III, Specialized Rockhopper, Specialized Sirrus (road)
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
The pictures just illustrated the dangers of going through a really bad railroad crossing, it doesn't mean they actually rode like that. As you can see most of that crossing had boards missing. So it's possible that your wheel can get caught in a gap like that, normally you can't recover from this, it's a guaranteed dive. I've seen people fall when their front wheel got caught in a grate or crack in the road. So a rail crossing with gaps like that is better dealt with by walking.
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 351
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I was crossing a track perpendicular at about 0.5 mph, intending to stop in about three feet. I had just the tiniest amount of left lean going and as I was going almost no miles per hour the front tire was on the rail(which happened to be wet) for a relatively long amount of time. As Barretscv said, the bike gone from under me in less than a heartbeat as my front tire slipped away down the rail and I fell harder and faster than you would think possible. The only lucky thing was that I landed on my hip, ribs, and shoulder simultaneously, distributing the force over a larger area and not breaking any bones (might have cracked some ribs). It was one of those falls where adrenaline takes over and you jump up lightning fast, get on your bike and evaluate your body condition as you pedal down the road. I ended up with a small bruise on my hip, but it hurt pretty good, a small scrape on the *top* of my shoulder which wasn't too bad, and not a mark on my ribs, but they hurt like hell for a couple weeks. I forgot the old mountain biking addage, "The slower you go, the faster things happen." I also make double-triple sure I'm square and balanced when I go over tracks now. Lesson learned.
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,552
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5224 Post(s)
Liked 3,582 Times
in
2,343 Posts
not sure of your speed so i don't know if you should slow down. I also don't know the angle at which you are crossing them. I also don't know the road condition adjacent to the tracks. cross them perpendicularly if you can. try not to get squeezed all the way to the shoulder. maybe you can take the lane for a short period? weird stuff can happen at RR crossings - use caution, don't act like they aren't there. a bike and bike wheels have the ability to bound over obstacles without getting damaged but RR crossings are special problems and you don't want to lose control and crash. OR GET HIT BY A TRAIN!
#25
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,363
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6219 Post(s)
Liked 4,218 Times
in
2,365 Posts
Trail riding is different, but the principles can be successfully applied to road riding. I don't think a road bike suffers from as many limitations as people perceive. Much of my riding is on roads with sections that would give the Paris-Roubaix a run for it's money, but I have no hesitation riding 23c slick tires on all my bikes because I use technique to make up the difference. A bmx and mountain bike background has done a lot for the 'riding light' aspect. I've even been known to ride a road bike on single track and bmx trails (FUN!). It can be done.
Road bikes will take more abuse than most people think...as long as you know how to weight off the wheels. That's why I said that the guys in the RAGBRI picture were doing it wrong. They are all 'sitting' on the saddles. Riding rough roads like that makes damaging your wheels more likely.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!