Pitching Stones
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317
Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times
in
313 Posts
Pitching Stones
I knew it. Someday it was going to happen and today was the day. I had just turned in a good time on a 16mi course and thought I'd turn down the main drag into town for a cool-down. Riding past a side street that was torn up for repaving I hit a stray small stone with my rear tire. I heard that telltale ***BOINK!!*** that we all know. What surprised me was the velocity at which said stone struck the drivers door of a passing pickup in the opposite lane. I was like, "what the...." and the man driving looked down (open window) with the "what the...." look on his face. Now, being there was heavy equipment to his exact left, he most likely assumed that shot to his door was from the most obvious source. Or maybe my Cannondale "Black Lightning" really has a stealth factor.
Last edited by OldsCOOL; 08-28-14 at 04:07 PM. Reason: Forgot which way was left
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Oahu, HI
Posts: 1,396
Bikes: 89 Paramount OS 84 Fuji Touring Series III New! 2013 Focus Izalco Ergoride
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 285 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 74 Times
in
54 Posts
I've nailed a couple cars. Don't know any way to avoid it.
scott s.
.
scott s.
.
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Posts: 7,048
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 509 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 9 Times
in
8 Posts
For a couple decades I lived in a city that had walnut trees lining many of the old county roads (legend has it they were planted by/for the women's auxiliary so that their grand-daughters would have shade on their Sunday carriage rides). Many cyclists, myself included, made a habit of purposely launching the walnuts at our fellow riders. We actually got pretty skilled at bouncing them back and forth off the front spokes. Of course that would be a lot harder to do in these days of minimally-spoked wheels.
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317
Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times
in
313 Posts
For a couple decades I lived in a city that had walnut trees lining many of the old county roads (legend has it they were planted by/for the women's auxiliary so that their grand-daughters would have shade on their Sunday carriage rides). Many cyclists, myself included, made a habit of purposely launching the walnuts at our fellow riders. We actually got pretty skilled at bouncing them back and forth off the front spokes. Of course that would be a lot harder to do in these days of minimally-spoked wheels.
#5
Senior Member
Whew. I thought this would be a sordid tale involving urologists and lithotripsy.
__________________
Momento mori, amor fati.
Momento mori, amor fati.
#7
Senior Member
It is amazing how those stones shoot out from under one's tires. A few of the ones I've launched have sounded like gunshots when they take off. I'm afraid that one day, I'll crack some poor driver's windshield...
#8
feros ferio
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us
Posts: 21,793
Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;
Mentioned: 44 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1390 Post(s)
Liked 1,322 Times
in
835 Posts
Been there ... done that, as well, fortunately with small projectiles only.
__________________
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
#9
It's MY mountain
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mt.Diablo
Posts: 10,001
Bikes: Klein, Merckx, Trek
Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4335 Post(s)
Liked 2,977 Times
in
1,614 Posts
I took out a squirrel once with a deftly executed wrist flip to the handlebars and a little English sidespin on the stone. He survived but probably had some sore ribs.
#10
enthusiast
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Southern Mississippi for the time being.
Posts: 509
Bikes: 2010 BMC SL 01 Roadracer, 2012 Davidson Tandem
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My rear tire once pitched a stone all the way across the road into the guard rail. The stone then ricocheted back across the road into the left thigh of the guy on my wheel. That million to one shot raised a little welt - who knew there was that much energy in a pitched pebble?
#11
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317
Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times
in
313 Posts
My rear tire once pitched a stone all the way across the road into the guard rail. The stone then ricocheted back across the road into the left thigh of the guy on my wheel. That million to one shot raised a little welt - who knew there was that much energy in a pitched pebble?
#13
Semper Fi
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 12,942
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1172 Post(s)
Liked 358 Times
in
241 Posts
Darn rocks hurt like the dickens when you shoot one off your front wheel into your own knee, too...
Bill
Bill
__________________
Semper Fi, USMC, 1975-1977
I Can Do All Things Through Him, Who Gives Me Strength. Philippians 4:13
Semper Fi, USMC, 1975-1977
I Can Do All Things Through Him, Who Gives Me Strength. Philippians 4:13
#15
Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Western NY
Posts: 38
Bikes: Cannondale Caad8 7,Giant ATX760 , Nishiki Prestige Upgrade
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
TrojanHorse
Southern California
24
05-05-14 12:51 PM