misslady77

I fell off my bike this morning on my way to work. I've only been commuting since March this year. The weather lady lied last night and said it was not going to rain this morning. I left home it was clear and half way through its really raining. So, I was upset because I had no rain gear. I don't ride in the rain; I usually drive if the forecast calls for rain. I ride half trail and half street. The trees on the trail protected me from the rain. However, when it came to riding in the street I talked myself out of it. I was afraid of a car sliding or etc., etc., so, to make a long story short.... I ventured out into the street and tried to make my way onto the sidewalk and fell. My rear wheel came loose and my chain came halfway off. Now, I'm sitting at my desk at work and my hand is half numb, elbow scraped pretty bad and knee slightly scraped. With all that said, I did fix everything up and finished my commute. I will be leaving at lunchtime...but right now I am not a happy commuter. I don't even want to look at my bike.

GP

Look at the bright side - you have feeling in half your hand and you get a half day off!

MichaelW

1. When it comes to weather forecasters, the question to ask is "Why are these lying b*stards lying to me"
2. Always carry raingear if you are not 100% sure.
3 Wet roads have reduced traction, ride with more care. Dont try to dodge and weave, ride smoothe.
4. Gloves reduce injury to hands.
5. Your wheel shuldnt come loose from a simple spill. Is it a quick-release type? Learn how to close it correctly.
6. Dont attempt any bike repair whilst you are feeling hurt or grumpy. The bike can tell.
7. Chocholate.

misslady77

true...lol...thanks!

tjspiel

If it's any consolation I fell over a couple days ago for no good reason at all. I was waiting for a car to go through an intersection, they hesitated, I waved to them to go through, they slowly crept forward. All the while I'm track-standing, -which I'm not so good at. Then this embarrassingly small puff of breeze hits me and knocks me over.

Completely avoidable by putting my foot down but I didn't want to do it.

I also fall now and then just walking down the sidewalk, - usually in the winter.

All we can do is exactly what you did. Pick ourselves up, and carry on. Maybe laugh at ourselves at some point in the future after the scrapes and our pride heal.

FWIW I also got poured on yesterday. After awhile you get more comfortable with the idea of riding in less than ideal conditions. It's too bad that happened to you on your first ride in the rain, but it's perfectly safe with a little extra caution, - no hairpin turns and hard stops. Also be careful on wet leaves and any metal surface

I manage to fall over in dry weather every couple of years but I've never had any problems in the rain (knock on wood).

Congrats for getting your bike back together. Make sure everything is on tight. Your next ride will be a better one.

misslady77

@MichaelW I was thinking the same thing about the rear wheel. I cleaned my bike last weekend. I must not have closed it properly. It is the quick-release type.

mikeybikes

Just ride in the rain. Get some rain gear so you have no problems. You can't ever expect the weather person to get it right all the time. We occasionally have rainstorms that were never forecast.

Don't try to hop onto sidewalks.

If your rear wheel came loose from this, you're closing the QR wrong.

Carry a pair of lights with you to help motorists see your bike in the rain.

Get back on the horse, you'll be fine.

FunkyStickman

Consider it a lesson learned, and get some chocolate, as suggested.

o0adam0o

Dont stop commuting! The benefits outweigh any minor problems. Keep at it and learn from any mistakes.

Surrealdeal

Hey there tjspiel, I am also a Twin Cities area commuter and I got poured on when that whole deluge started in the evening on 06/14. At last the garbage bag liners in my panniers were put to a real test, and happily they passed with flying colors.

Misslady try to be like a boy scout and "Be prepared."

rumrunn6

thanks for sharing. you sound like you have "grit" and that's an admirable trait. I wish we worked in the same office cuz I'd buy you lunch. I especially like that you pulled yourself up by your bootstraps "so to speak" and kept on going. it reminds me of my flats and also my frozen shifter cables in freezing darkness.

these are the trials of bike commuting that make us a tough unique breed of cyclist.

you're one tough cookie and you make me proud to have been a bike commuter. KUDOS!

Bud Bent

Glad you weren't hurt, and I'll echo what others said about riding smoothly with no sudden movements in the rain.

Oh, and we don't call it falling off the bike. We call it an unplanned dismount.

RLMJr

New member... wish I were in your shoes. I'm giving up riding altogether. Not my choice. I miss the breeze in my face, the crazy pain after a log hard ride, and the honest to God good feeling that I really did do something great after every ride. One fall is not a show stopper, it is simply a step up to the next better ride. Buy a beer and a cheap cigar, ( I smoke one or two cheap cigars with a shot of good scotch every two years or so, pick your own celebration dance) Heal quick, fix your bike, and let me know about your next ride. I hope its the best ever.

EKW in DC

"Unplanned dismount"

Chin up there. You made it to work in the end! And you've got a fall under your belt now, too. I fell several months ago for the first time since I was a little kid and was oddly relieved. I realized it didn't really hurt nearly as bad as I'd feared.

one_beatnik

When it's warm, I enjoy riding in the rain, but if the temp is marginal, it's miserable. I live in rural America so it's a little different for me. In a couple days and enough chocolate and/or coffee, you will laugh about this. My best friend says "Live and learn and hope you can afford your mistakes." Yep! Thanks for you transparency in this.

I like that unplanned dismount concept too!! Good stuff!

Seanholio

misslady, you've got The Right Stuff! You put your bike back together and got to the office after a spill! There's a lot of people who would have been totally thrown by that.

Keep up the good work!

BassNotBass

One's frame of mind is what makes or breaks experiences... how they will be perceived and remembered.

I love the experience of riding in the hot humid summer sun. It reminds me of the wonderful times I had racing motorcycles on the tracks in the South wearing full leathers and a helmet... days when I would drink 3 gallons of water and not have to pee. I could also swear I detect the scent of the salty ocean air mingling with coconut oil wafting off of the bronzed skin of my high school girlfriend while we lay on Plymouth Beach on days like that.

I love getting stuck in cold rain storms while riding my bike. It reminds me of walks through the countryside I used to take with my grand daughter when she was 3 or 4 years old, awkwardly and ineffectively holding the lady bug umbrella I got her just for our walks. Sometimes riding in the rain reminds me of being back on the Isle of Skye riding a bike to Fairie Glen... staring back at black faced sheep who seemed to be sizing me up while I navigate the land minds they left scattered all over the dirt road.

Riding during the freezing winters takes me back to my days as a student in Boston when I would commute along the Esplanade. The cold wind that whipped off of the Charles and lashed at my face as a young idealistic pink feels familiar but is now coming off the Ohio to greet me as an older and more jaded grey.

Every experience can be viewed as either a positive or negative one and I see no sense in making it something I wouldn't want to remember, especially if chocolate is involved.

FWIW, I've fallen plenty of times and each time I was able to get back up and ride on. I knew people not as fortunate as I.

tjspiel

I've been sleep deprived for the last 5 or 6 days so I can barely remember yesterday let alone Tuesday. Did it rain ?


Glad the garbage bags worked out. I have this waterproof pack I use everyday so if it rains out of the blue at least my stuff will be dry even if I'm not.

SactoDoug

That is a bummer what happened to you. Some days are just bad days.

I would recommend that you use weather web sites for your weather forecasts. Look for sites that give hourly weather. I use https://www.wunderground.com/ myself.

Also, always wear gloves, even in hot weather. They will save your hands in a crash.

Everyone falls down. You just have to get up one more time than you fall.

colleen c

Twice I crashed while hopping onto the sidewalk from the street. Both time I knocked my wheel out of True. Haven't happen again since I stay on the street.

Invest in some good equipment for riding on the street when it rains. Get yourself some high visible clothing or vest, bright rear light and front light, and a mirror. These will help you gain confident to ride the street during fowl weather. Try to keep some light weight rain gear on your bike at all times whenever the weather is questionable.

The two times I untrue my wheels, I had to get the bike shop to fix it. Not anymore. I learned how to true a wheel and fixed minor damage on a bike. Research the Internet and learn how to do minor repair and you will be a happy commuter.

canyoneagle

A fall while riding can be a really unnerving thing.
If you are open to natural remedies, Bach's "rescue remedy" is a floral essence tincture that has demonstrable benefit for helping with trauma, and even the slightest jolt can cause a shock reaction. Just a thought.

Riding in the rain can be enjoyable - much of it is mindset. Learning to embrace the rain rather than resisting it can transform the experience from miserable to joyful.
I don't bother with rain gear in the warmer months, but you may find it preferable (or not).
It is a good idea to take greater care in the rain - smooth and steady - keep an eye out for puddles in the road that may be hiding potholes. Breathe easy and enjoy the ride.

Just about everything in life has risks, and cycling has its own set of risks. Things can and do happen, but taking appropriate precautions can help offset the risks - just as with anything.

A good guideline for the Quick Release is to adjust the non-lever side (by twisting the nut) so the lever requires a pretty firm push to close.

So, for the afternoon, focus on YOU. Take a long bath. Relax. Nap.

When the time is right, you can get your bike ready to roll and get back out on the road.

DogBoy

ifyp.

osephjey

I've wrecked twice since starting to bike last spring. Fortunately neither was while commuting . I realized that wrecking isn't as bad as you think it's gonna be. Be that as it may, it still sucks to slide across the ground with nothing to stop you but you. I don't know why I'm typing this because as I re-read it it's not very encouraging... Oh maybe just get back up and keep at it . Oh yeah, don't take corners too fast, both of my spills were due to excessive speed. I was lucky on this last one (two weeks ago) because I went over the handlebars and I'm pretty much fine. Although I am going into the doctor's office tomorrow because my forearm broke my fall and it still hurts . I've ridden almost two hundred miles since then though and it doesn't bother it so we'll see.

zoltani

I've wrecked more in the past year than ever. Once on ice, and one bad crash when I threw a chain and locked up the rear wheel. After that second one I was hesitant, taking it slow, and keep my chain way too taught. Best thing is to heal up and get back out there. I was riding again as soon as it the pain from my clothing rubbing my road rash went away.

billyymc

As SactoDoug said, check the weather on Wunderground.com. Go right to the Wundermap and look at where the rain is, then put Storm Tracks on and see where it's headed. After you do that fora w hile you'll get a really good sense of when/if you'll get wet.

Getting rained on is part of commuting. Some wear raingear to deal with it, some don't. If you don't sweat a lot, breathable raingear might work. If you sweat a lot even the breathable stuff will leave you soaked inside the shell. So personally, I don't use raingear, just choose to get wet instead.

Try riding in the rain in some easier environments until you get used to it.