Originally Posted by
khutch
I think it is a reference to a military expression, to shots fired in anger (in an armed conflict) as opposed to in training.
ok, now I understand.
The suggestion is to test the brakes while shopping for the bike and then practice with them to become confident with them before you need to use them in a situation such as you describe. Seems to me that you got a little too close to the black hole on one of your first outings and passed through the event horizon!
How fast were you going? How steep was the descent? Were you on a road or off road? Was the surface smooth or rough? Your bike may have a problem, but maybe you just need more experience with the type of terrain you were on or the speed you were going. When you get back on the road approach similar conditions with more caution until you are confident you can handle them. And use your brakes!
Ken
It seemed faster than the other descents that I attempted on that bike path. And that particular descent was longer than the others though not much steeper. There were no turns so I could have managed if the bicycle hadn't started shimmying. It was completely on road and smooth pavement. Here is the exact spot:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.273...,0.000936&z=20
can you post your current measured front and rear tyre pressures?
I haven't ridden the bicycle in the last week because I am recovering from my injuries and need to take the bicycle to the LBS for a checkup before riding it again.
At the time of the crash, I had just got the bicycle from the LBS. The LBS person had checked the bicycle by riding it and checking it in the store. They had adjusted the bicycle for my height, inseam, etc. The LBS person told me that I should inflate to 100psi and that he had inflated it to that level.
I had ridden the bicycle in fairly level roads for several hours before purchasing it. I would be very happy if this is an operator (i.e., my) error. If the bicycle can be fixed (it has sustained some scrapes), I can then learn how to ride if better. However, if there is some inherent problem with the geometry (Jobst Brandt says that shimmy is largely dependent on geometry and tube elasticity
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/shimmy.html), then I may experience this again in the future. That makes me less confident.