WestMass

So.... this morning...

I was riding my usual route, and it was raining. I was trying to figure out if the noise I was hearing was coming from my wheel, my drivetrain, my brakes, or my new rain pants. While preoccupied, I looked up at the last minute (just enough time to clutch my brake levers) and crashed into the back of a parked SUV.

I feel like I've always worried I would do this while distracted, but please tell me I'm not the only one this has happened to.

I misdirect blame on the foggy/wet safety goggles, the dark, and the rain.

essiemyra

With a start like that the rest of the day can only go up!!

tarwheel 

This is one of the reasons why I avoid riding in the rain. I need my glasses to see, and I can't see very well when they are covered with rain drops and fogged up. Sometimes I just take them off when it's raining because I can see better without them. That said, this is a lesson to you that you need to stay 100% focused when riding in traffic. It's easy for your mind to wander when you do something regularly, but the one time you zone out could be the day you get run over. There was an article in our local newspaper yesterday about a biker who rode his motorcycle into the back of stopped truck on the highway, killing him. Of course, he was probably going much faster than you, but it's not a good practice in general.

SlimRider

I've done something similar. One day around Easter time, about twenty years ago, I came home from work about an hour early. I was just about a block away from my home, when I saw my wife get out of some late model Pontiac Grand Prix. It looked like the same Pontiac that stopped at the light right next to me, just a couple minutes ago. I remembered this guy wearing a Stetson-looking black cowboy hat, driving this yellow Grand Prix.

I sped up, to get a better look as to what was going on. My concentration was on catching my wife with this guy and not on the fire hydrant, stationed just a couple of houses down from my own. My front wheel hit the hydrant squarely. I then immediately flew over the handlebars and landed in my neighbor's driveway, skinning my hands, arms, and knees up pretty good on the concrete. When I stood up, I discovered that my wife had just gotten out of a female co-worker's car. It was a yellow Grand Prix. Boy! I'll tell ya! ...I've never felt more relieved in all of my life!

SuncoastChad

Dumb ass attack! I have them often - in different areas of life. Trying to find THE root cause is hopeless!!

Beanboy

I did it once...when I was 8 years-old! Glad I learned the lesson early,and that you weren't hurt.

Got a new commuter bike, and I've had to force myself on a few occasions now as I transfer parts/make adjustments not to do what you did. What was that noise? Could those brakes be adjusted a little tighter? Weird how tough it is!

AdamDZ

I gave up on using goggles or even glasses in rain/fog. Even with dual Magic Shines there isn't much hope if goggles get fogged. If you have to wear glasses then you need to exercise max caution while riding. I'm glad you weren't hurt.

WestMass

The noise stopped. I think it was actually both gunk on my rim/brake pads and the swishing of my rain pants.

dynodonn 

OP, a good thing that it wasn't the other way around, with a distracted/fogged windshield SUV driving motorist crashing into you. Dark, raining, fogged windshield/goggles and distracted driving/riding, a bad combo.

WestMass

I don't generally encounter many cars on my commute in at 5:30... maybe between 5 to 10 cars on my 7 mile commute in.

AdamDZ

In my home town, there was train track, very much unused. In the 90s there was ONE cargo train passing that intersection per week. Someone managed to get killed by that 25mph cargo train while driving across the tracks, and no, it wasn't suicide.

njschmidt

Has anybody here tried some of that Rain X anti-fog or water-repellant? I also wear glasses and was just wondering if that could be a possible solution...

Edit: I found this thread while searching for my answer... Interested in hearing about the water-repellant Rain X, though. (https://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in.../t-158156.html)

davasi

I was 13 and hit my neighbors dog while I was pulling out of my driveway. Dog was fine, I however flew over the handlebars and skinned myself up good. I think I broke a couple toes, but they don't do much for those anyways.

gear

Will it cost you much to have the SUV repaired?

a1penguin

Another popular reason for rear ending/crashing is paying too much attention to your GPS. I suspect that many cyclists and cage drivers learn this lesson the hard way. You only have to look away for a couple of seconds before it's too late.

Fog is evil too. I rode home at night in the fog last December. The fog thickened as I rode. I was scared I was going to rear end a parked vehicle. I much have been going under 10 mph by the time I reached home. Glasses were fogged/wet.

ThimbleSmash

A year ago or so ago I was riding late at night down a residential road that has a bike lane, I wasn't really paying attention to what was in front of me and I ran into a trash can. The can took a small tumble and I ended up with a bruised bleeding fingernail from attempting to swerve outta the way. Most of the residents on that road respectfully keep the bike lane clear but a select few feel its their right to use the lane for their trash.

dcrowell

I almost rear-ended a pickup truck in heavy traffic. That would have been amusing (for him).

Surrealdeal

This morning I was on my first commute of the season, by 13 miles in I had become very confident that the trail that I was on was totally clear - About that time I rounded a corner and hit an ice patch and promptly laid the bike down. Fortunately the only thing wounded was my pride. A good reminder to be careful in the dark, especially early season.

Booger1

So your trying to justify running into a parked car? It's the rain alright.........or a loose nut behind the wheel.

unterhausen

I have gotten close to doing this. It's easy to get distracted when in a residential neighborhood that doesn't have a lot of parked cars. Good reason not to hug the gutter.

WestMass

ha I wasn't justifying anything, re-read my initial post!

CptjohnC

If it makes you feel any better, I did something similar to this. While running.

It was late at night, when no cars move (for all practical purposes) in my neighborhood, and I saw a couple of foxes (the red ones, with the bushy tails) in one of the open spaces. I was watching the foxes and not where I was going. I ran smack into the back of a Jeep parked on the street. In my defense, the Jeep was black... :-/

WestMass

ha ha ha. I was hoping for some stories like these. I knew I couldn't be alone in this buffoonary.

genec

Nope... you are the only one to ever do this... how in the world...

Telly

Stationary objects... nope!
Moving objects... hell yes! So far I've bumped into a riding buddy a few times, usually knocking him over and have swiped a number of pedestrians stupid enough to touch the tarmac without looking to see if a car, or a clyde-on-a-bike is coming. I used to use my bell on the silly pedestrians, but after nearly running some over in traffic, I've started to air-horn them... and boy do they learn their lesson good!