zeeway

...a few days ago on a narrow, metal grate bridge. It was wet, and the bike slid out. Her head hit a metal pole, and her helmet gave a loud crack...we are pretty sure that helmet saved her from a concussion and worse. She wound up with a black eye and a few other wounds, but that expensive helmet from the Trek store paid for itself.

So today we went to the Trek store to replace the helmet, and they gave us FULL credit for the old one. Thank you, Trek.

NormanF

Slick leaves, wet metal grates and loose gravel can lead your bike to slide out from beneath you.

Your wife is lucky she didn't shatter her tibia in that fall.

No matter how careful, sometimes you can't see where the bike will go and you lose control.

Carbonfiberboy 

So sorry! I hope you weren't watching that.

BlazingPedals

Wet steel of any type is bad ju-ju. That means manhole covers, grates, and railroad tracks, too. With metal grating, there's also the wonderful possibility of deep lacerations. Your wife got lucky.

zeeway

I was about two bike lengths behind her. When I pulled up, she was down and a bit dazed with some blood on her face. After a couple of minutes, she got up and rode her bike for the final mile back to the car.

She did have her doctor check her later that day. By the way, she is 70.

NormanF

Wow. On the plus side, exercise does add years to your life and at 70, your wife can do many things a lot of women her age can't do.

otg 

I'm so glad to hear your wife is doing OK. She sounds pretty awesome.

usedbutnotup

Wow down hard at 70 and up and road a mile. Good for both of you. They don't build em like they used too. Glad you all are ok.

zeeway

She is awesome. She says it is hard to be an old jock...

h2oxtc

Wow, from the vivid description I could visualize the fall and I shuddered. I'm glad that she wasn't hurt more than she was. The helmet, bike, and everything else is replaceable. The consequence of injuries are sometimes not.

canklecat

Glad her injuries were no worse. Those head blows can be tricky - concussions aren't always readily detectable and even emergency responders can underestimate the potential damage and overlook the symptoms.

Regarding slick surfaces, since I've only recently begun riding again after a long break, I've deliberately sought out some tricky routes and surfaces to practice riding and recovery techniques. When I replaced my tires last week I started over again, trying out some wet and dry surfaces, paved and unpaved, sharp gravel and smooth stones, loose sandy patches on curves, entering/exiting driveways at oblique angles, veering on and off pavement and grass roadsides, metal road covers, etc. So far the only surface that caused me to slip a bit was fairly extreme - I rode down into a concrete storm drainage channel and through a slimy puddle. I slipped a bit on the ride back up the concrete ramp, but caught myself with one foot down. My fault for underestimating the slimy wet stuff and trying to take the ramp at a weird angle. But I'm getting a better feel for the limits of the tire adhesion, and what it feels like to have the bike slip around a bit without overreacting.

decosse

So glad she came out of it ok, and the helmet did it's job!

Wheever

Ow! What a tough lady! She's A veritable warrior princess!

Sorry she crashed, and so so glad she wasn't badly hurt. You give her a hug from all of us! (Not too hard, cuz, you know, she just crashed her bike.)

rms13

Glad she's ok. I sunderstand understand why some people choose not to where a helmet.

volosong

Great thing Trek did. Next time I need a helmet, I'll look at them first.

And, glad your wife is okay. What a tough cookie. Does she have a younger sister? Maybe four or five years younger?

BobbyG

Your story made me smile for many reasons! Thanks for sharing it!

fietsbob

Thank the retail dealer , Your LBS, that was not a Trek corporate HQ decision..

[unless you have a document saying that policy decreed is down from on high]

gregf83 

Yes, it's a Trek crash replacement policy for helmets under 1 yr old. Retailer is the one who reports age of the helmet so they would have some flexibility in what they report to Trek.

fietsbob

local gets helmets from other sources than Trek (though a Trek dealer) , the locals appreciate the low prices..

qcpmsame 

Sorry for her crash, and the minor bangs, but you are spot on, its great that she had on a good helmet, and kudos to the shop for full credit. I crashed heavily January 2, 2015, pretty bruised up and tore up the jersey and tights, and the helmet was cracked like an egg. It took the force that would have been put on my skull, right frontal area. I was knocked cold for a few minutes and managed to stand up and walk off of the road. It was well worth the expense for the helmet (Specialized Prospero) and a new one is now on my noggin.

My best to your wife, hope she is back riding when she feels like it.

Bill

Jim from Boston

Dittoes to the above comments and well-wishes. I would add watch out for enameled painted lines when wet; and leaves can also obscure holes in the road.

zeeway

My wife and I thank you for all the kind words of support. The crash happened last Tuesday at the end of a 22 mile ride. Then on Thursday, she joined me (carefully) for an 18 mile ride. She said it was something like getting back on the horse that threw her...

Tony Marley

I am sorry to read about your wife's accident, but glad that she was not more seriously injured. I am highly impressed that she went to the bike store to get a new helmet, demonstrating a firm resolve to continue riding.

icyclist 

Glad your wife's OK.

I've gone down twice on concrete street gutters in Los Angeles while turning right at a less than 90 degree angle. Both times I discovered slippery algae beneath the thin layer of water.

Gnosis

Ditto.