Originally Posted by john4789

45/55degrees morning/evening in Chicago today. Perfect weather, not the real story of my commute today, though. While downtown I was accelerating to merge and change lanes and then immediately brake behind a car. Whoops - no brakes!

My front brake housing on the bar had rattled loose leaving no braking power. My back brakes are kept loose to minimize rubbing if wheels go untrue so not the best at breaking fully. I slowed to about 5mph with my back brake before rear ending an SUV. Broke most of the impact by turning at the last second and stiff-arming the back of the car.

First time I've ever had a motorist apologize when I hit them!

Anyways, no damage to the car or my bike just a little bruising on my end. All's well that end's well. Just a reminder that you might be a good commuter and fully confident in your abilities but all it takes to get hurt is a loose screw, misaligned gear slip, or a flat when in traffic. Ride safe!