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Two minor crashes in one week and lessons learned

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Two minor crashes in one week and lessons learned

Old 03-29-16, 12:34 AM
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Me duelen las nalgas
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Two minor crashes in one week and lessons learned

Last week I had two seemingly inexplicable slo-mo flopsies. Very publicly on the local MUP where I seldom ride at all. No serious harm either time, just some sore spots and a scraped elbow. I tote my own first aid kit and was fine.

In both cases there were families with kids or dogs, or slowpoke cyclists parked in the middle of the paved path.

I'm not fast so I don't sweat it. When approaching families and couples meandering around on the busiest parts of the path, I've noticed it does almost no good to call "On your left/right/up the middle". If they notice at all, they tend to veer toward where I'm passing. So I slow down, go around and give folks plenty of room before I rejoin the path.

I've done this several times before without any problems. Veer off the pavement onto the grass or gravel, back onto the pavement. No fuss.

Yet twice last week my front tire rebounded off the lip of the pavement like a Wham-O SuperBall, tossing me onto my back before I could react. Even at only 3-5 mph, I couldn't react quickly enough to catch myself.

Yeah, I know, at 58 my reflexes ain't what they used to be. But this just made no sense. I wasn't tired. I'd safely ridden much tougher routes without falling. What the actual heck was going on here?

Monday it finally occurred to me what was different.

My Michelin Protek Cross Max 700x40 tires have great all terrain grip but the manufacturer's recommended pressure feels wrong to me. They suggest approx. 75 psi for my weight. That feels too stiff, uncomfortable and jittery for rough or mixed terrain. So I usually keep the rear tire at around 65 psi, the front 60, sometimes lower on rougher stuff. Worked fine for me for months.

Then I realized I'd inflated the tires to around 75 psi last week after buying a small air pressure gauge, which matched the results I get from my floor pump gauge. I'd intended to adjust the pressure downward at intervals as I rode about 30 miles along the local MUP, testing the feel on various parts of the path which includes smooth pavement, hardpacked fine gravel, and a few washboard ruts and sandy patches.

Intended to. But I totally forgot.

So with the tires inflated to higher pressure than I was accustomed to, especially the front, small transitions such as from the paved path to the gravel or grass and back again suddenly threw me for a smackdown. Glancing an inch-high pavement lip at a shallow angle felt like someone had kicked the front wheel out from under me.

Monday I tested this theory by deliberately skirting along neighborhood sidewalks, between the grass and pavement, and sure enough... same reaction again. Even when I was prepared and riding very slowly I nearly lost my balance twice.

I reduced the front pressure to 50 psi and rear to 60 psi, repeated the same test, and everything felt normal again. Sure, some transitions between a rut in the grass and sharp pavement edge an inch or more high felt a bit twitchy. But the bike managed those shallow angle transitions without the SuperBall type rebound.

Yeah, the bike feels very slightly slower on smooth pavement with lower pressure. But it's worthwhile for the improved handling. I don't want to worry about swooping off a busy street onto a driveway with a higher than average lip and rebounding under a truck.

One more thing... my front braking technique needs work. The way I fell the second time -- the fall with the slightly more painful bumps and scrapes -- I suspected I'd locked up the front brake. When I did a controlled test to deliberately reproduce the incident Monday, sure 'nuff, I locked up the front brake and lifted the rear end, even when I was expecting the bike to lose control. The spring suspension fork contributed to the overreaction, like a pogo stick. So I need to work on that muscle memory and stick with one finger on the left brake (I tend to use two).

Oh, yeah... several folks asked if I was okay. Nice of 'em. I suppose there are advantages to being a grizzled semi-oldish graybeard, even if I don't feel that old.
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Old 03-29-16, 01:08 AM
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I hop the front wheel when going up a pavement lip like that. You don't need to get the bike airborne. Just lift the front tire an inch. Helps reduce impact on the tire and rim, and pinch flats.
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Old 03-29-16, 01:39 AM
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Going down is usually easy. Getting back up over the lip, try to hit it at a much greater angle. 30 or 45 degrees? Greater?

Or, just stop and put your bike back on the pavement.

Also, are you using toeclips or clipless pedals? Practice getting your feet free quicker.
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Old 03-29-16, 02:44 AM
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Originally Posted by jyl
I hop the front wheel when going up a pavement lip like that. You don't need to get the bike airborne. Just lift the front tire an inch. Helps reduce impact on the tire and rim, and pinch flats.
This^
Just before you hit the lip jump the front wheel up over the lip. Practice coming into a lip at right angles and jumping the front wheel over the lip. Then slowly come in at a more oblique angle each time.
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Old 03-29-16, 04:11 AM
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At 58 you are not old. But if you think you are old, you'll become old.

What type of pedals are on your bike?
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Old 03-29-16, 10:58 AM
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Me duelen las nalgas
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Platform pedals. I rode toe clips years ago on a road bike, but prefer platforms for the comfort/hybrid I'm riding now. If I add a road bike I'll consider toe clips or clipless. I know from experience years ago it's usually safer to be restrained in high speed crashes. Tends to confine lower body injuries to road rash and bruised hips.

It was a very slow motion thing as I was riding only 3-5 mph and was able to catch myself with my left leg and minimize the impact. It was more embarrassing than painful.

I suppose what surprised me was that it happened at all. Twice. I'd ridden exactly the same way many times without incident. I was just surprised to discover how much difference tire pressure made. The lower pressure was much more forgiving of my indiscretions in approaching those paved edges at recklessly shallow angles.

I do the front end lift/hop thing when I'm anticipating the need. I just didn't anticipate the need over such a small thing.

And I definitely don't feel old. I still don't quite recognize the gray fellow in the mirror. In my mind, I'm just a few months away from being in the same shape I was in 30 years ago.

It was mostly amusing to see how deferentially folks treated me both times I flopped on the path. But very kind of them too, and I thanked them sincerely for stopping to be sure I was okay. Had a nice conversation with another fellow closer to my age who admitted to a similar kerfluffle awhile back.
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