digibud

In the clyde forum there was a recent post about a fellow falling when rolling over rr tracks at a 90deg angle because they were wet. I was going to reply there but wanted more feedback. I'm a clyde over 60 with two torn rotator cuffs that I've had injections in (once each) to avoid an operation that would take me out for a prolonged period. Both torn shoulders were due to falls on the bike that were pretty much unavoidable. I am very much hoping to not fall again for a very long time...but never thought of rr tracks as any problem whatsoever, even wet, if crossed at 90. I bike in the winter on studs and have even rolled on ice without studs in spring when I switch over my tires. I'm cautious to some degree but it doesn't come easily as I'm definitely a risk taker by nature. I'd be curious to hear from others with regard to the danger of rolling across rr tracks at a 90deg angle when it's wet. I can't conceive of needing to get off and walk my bike. comments?

RobertHurst

It'll probably be no problem but it's best not to put your front tire on a wet railroad track at any angle. Your bike isn't likely to be perfectly upright and the track itself is curved in such a way to promote slippage.

Just lift your wheel over it. Problem solved.

noisebeam

It may not be the metal rails that are the issue when wet, but the potentially slick material between them that makes up the rail bed where it crosses the road.

SactoDoug

My advice would be to go over the tracks at a "normal" pace at 90 deg. Do not slow down. Slowing down and creeping over the tracks is just asking to fall.

If you are clipped in, then you can jump the tracks pretty easily. I would recommend practicing a number of times before you try.

On a slightly different note, I would recommend the OP switch to a low racer recumbent or a trike. If you do wreck on a recumbent, you will be going feet first instead of head/arms first. You will be closer to the ground and should take less damage when it happens. While we don't plan to fall, it will eventually happen. I just think you would take less damage if you are closer to the ground and feet first.

mprelaw

If they're active tracks, train wheels constantly wear the metal. Leaves fine shavings behind. Road oils, ground down rubber from tires, a lot of contaminants are loosened from road surfaces when it rains. It runs onto tracks. I've almost cracked my skull by stepping on a wet rail when crossing tracks on foot. You can feel the slide starting even before you put your full weight on it. Plus the rails themselves tend to be very smooth. If there's a lot of rolling resistance, a 100+ car freight isn't going to be easy for the locomotives to pull very far or for very long.

TNDave

Worst wreck of my cycling life was on wet RR tracks that cross the street at an odd angle that makes it VERY hard to get to a 90deg angle to cross. The wet track started my wheel to slide, but when the wheel slid into the gap of the second track was when it got me.

rekmeyata

Smooth metal rails are very slick when wet, then add to that oil that may have accumulated since the last rain and you have an ice like condition. You have to cross tracks at 90 degree angles, or in other words cross them dead on or horizontally, or as darn close as you can. If the track is impossible to cross at anywhere near 90 degrees, which I've never see a track like that except for trolly car tracks which their are very few left anymore, you not only have the potential slick rail situation but your wheel could fall into the grove that's between the rail and the street then you'll crash and destroy a front wheel and maybe the fork too.

Sometimes you can bunny hop, problem with that is you can't bunny hop over an entire track, and bunny hopping is not something modern road bike forks, frames and wheels are designed to be doing, so you take a risk of breaking something.

So if you see a track your unsure of, play it safe and dismount and walk across, much less hassle doing that then to unexpectedly crash and burn.

noisebeam

I think you missed my point. Of course the rails are the most slick, that is fairly common knowledge.

But the material between the rails, the rail bed itself where it crosses road, is sometimes a slick material when wet also. That can add to the hazard of crossing and could make the difference between a successful 90deg crossing or not.

Mos6502

I've never had a problem with rails. I think as long you head straight over them perpendicularly without braking or trying to turn, you probably will not have a problem - unless maybe there is grease present on the crossing the hump of some crossings seems to shake crud off of cars, so some crossings will probably be worse than others when it's wet out.

RobertHurst

No need to bunny hop. Just lift the front wheel over it. Sliding the rear wheel could make you wreck, but it is much more unlikely, and the fall would be of a much less dangerous variety.

ModeratedUser150120149

My experience is that there is no substitute for local knowledge. I have several railroad crossings on my routes. Some can be crossed while riding. Some can't. I know which is which. Best thing to do is walk the bike if there is any doubt. Why risk a serious injury that can so easily be avoided?

mprelaw

I know you're talking about that composite material at most modern crossings. I probably shouldn't have quoted you when I was replying to the OP as to why tracks are slick when wet. Most of the crossings around me still have wood between the rails.

dnuzzomueller

You should be fine going over the tracks at 90 degrees even when wet, simple answer

Whoever fell probably fell due to other variables (Change in speed, rail bed wasn't smooth, user error, etc).

Don't overthink the thing. Best advice is to just relax and act as if they are not there one you have committed to what you think is a good path.

david58

I started to make a comment, but if I do the tracks they will get me.....and here in Oregon, they be wet way more than dry.

unterhausen

The time I went down on wet railroad tracks, it was fast and hard. It's not uncommon for cyclists to suffer broken hips from falls due to RR tracks. My experience says that you are unlikely to have time to extend your arm fast enough to get a torn rotator cuff. I'm not sure you can break a collarbone that way or not. I go slower over tracks than most people I know. If you really take them at 90 degrees, it is pretty hard to fall, but I suppose anything is possible.

Jamesw2

I was about 13 or 14 when i fell at a RR crossing. Landed right on my knee cap. Just about made me sick right then and there.
Lesson was ,while crossing tracks , 90 degrees for less time your tire is in contact with the rail and speed. When i fell i was starting out from a full stop.

Drago1010

I cross rr tracks every day in 2 industrial areas that split, curve fork etc. In some areas I have to ride parallel to the tracks and then cross over. Had my two scariest falls over this area when I started riding it. Now when I approach tracks to cross while I prefer a 90 deg angle though it's not always possible. I try to have at least a 30 (45 is better)deg angle for the cross, and stop pedaling to coast across the tracks and I don't change direction or move the front wheel untill I'm sure the rear wheel is across. Haven't fallen or come close to falling since I adopted this method.

njkayaker

There are two distinct risks with rail-road tracks.

One is catching the wheel in a gap. That's what running at 90 degrees avoids. Note that it doesn't have to be exactly 90 degrees (it just can't be a shallow angle).

The other is the "slippery when wet" issue. Wet smooth metal is like ice. This is much harder to avoid issues with. Keep in mind that they could be wet due to condensation.

If you ride over wet tracks, you want to be perfectly upright. Any leaning might cause the wheel to slip sideways.

Passing over at 90 degrees when wet might keep the wheel from being rotated causing a lean that would then cause the wheel to slide.

You might be able to reduce this risk by getting off of the seat as you go over the tracks and also having a bit of momentum.

CrazyWally

I'm always careful when rolling over (new - or first time over) RR tracks at any time, wet or not. The main problem I run into is when the track part is sticking up past the tar. If it's at the right height they can be treacherous even when dry.

JoeyBike

I have been car free in New Orleans since 1989, ride rain or shine, think I know everything about cycling, especially RR and trolley tracks. I ride over hundreds every month. About once every two years or so I get taken down for no apparently good reason by wet tracks, always at low speeds, ALWAYS my REAR tire follows the track - not the front like you would expect.

I have no solution. Goes with the territory.

sm1960

The rails I cross are diagonal across the road. I slow and change my angle to hit them at a 90. If you are cautious about RR crossings, slow down.

irwin7638

.

There is a composite material being used to replace the asphalt surface at crossings which can be slippery under the right conditions. I can't see it causing much of a problem unless you're using high pressure tires at a high speed, but it doesn't deteriorate and create uneven surfaces and big potholes in the crossing.

Marc

Mos6502

Were you pedalling when you fell? If you were applying power to the rear wheel, that'd be a possible reason for it to break traction

iconicflux

I think the issue with wet tracks is that like false flats people often can't easily tell that the track is at an angle. If you have something providing lubrication and the track is at an angle then the sheer force required to relieve the friction and cause lateral movement is much lower.

Hopping the front wheel over may be a good idea but the type of surface on the other side of the track should be noted prior to it being done. I've seen some tracks in which the tracks were slightly embedded and there was a metal plate with a diamond pattern that seemed like it was supposed to help alleviate problems like that. I'm not sure how well it would work in real life scenarios simply because the grooves for the diamond patterns don't seem deep enough and would be prone to filling with dust and debris which may make the problem worse instead of better.

If it's raining or wet, I'll sometimes get off and walk over the tracks. It's simply not worth a fall.

SteveSGP

I hit a patch of ice back in January and landed on my shoulder, nothing torn but it's no where near 100% four months later.

Any fall from a bike sucks.