The sound of me not putting enough glue on my rim/tubular tires (@Wildwood;, remember me applying some more glue on that tire last year? Not enough!)... or the corollary sound of a tubular tire pealing off during a 90deg corner taken too fast.

I emerged with mild road rash (the wool took the brunt of it, especially my old Cino jersey ), a torn valve stem and that's about it. I think my body protected the bike - it seems unharmed. The scary thing is I had just descended a section of road and hit 50mph - slight curves kept me in the mid 40's. Perhaps I should have pumped my 34mm tires back up to 35/40 psi instead of leaving them at 25/30 from the gravel I rode.

Back in the days before hardshell helmets, it was cry of the Red-Winged Blackbird. During nesting season, they would swoop down and claw and peck at your head, if you rode too close to their nests. Once you found out where they were nesting, you would avoid those roads, for a month or so.

Dogs barking, at close range, in the dark.

I think the worst sound is pinch flatting your front tire on a steep descent.

Right before heading off, the Wife reminding me of another DRs appointment " so don't be long!"

Reason #2 for carrying a frame pump...

So THAT'S what was going on! My wife didn't believe me when I told her I felt like I was in the " Birds " movie.

34mm tires at 30 psi at 50mph.... I don't think so.

How about a fully loaded dump truck barreling towards you blasting his horn. It happened to me on RAGBRAI while I was in the left lane passed a bunch of people. I had no place to go but heaven or the bad left ditch. I chose the ditch.

My experience in this field is limited (*knocks on wood*), but two weeks ago, during a cycling vacation in the French Dordogne, as I put my - admittedly fairly substantial - weight on the pedals for a steep uphill section, my rear wheel went 'pong' .

I immediately recognized it for what it was (a spoke breaking) and remembered the previous time that had happened: within 10 minutes another three spokes had said 'pong' and I was going nowhere anymore.

This time, however, the results were less disastrous. After visions of ruined vacations I took half an hour to carefully true the wheel, and managed to ride the final three days of the trip with a wheel only slightly out of true.

So yeah, 'pong'.

Bad dogs and an explosion from a pinched tube.

"Nice Bikes esse, Come over here, do you have any water?" This was announced to us as we came out from a downhill trail and emerged next to a correctional facility razor wire fence in the Santa Monica Mountains.

The sound of the front tire hitting the fender of the car that just turned in front of you (Left Hook).

The sound of the wind from a car that just blew through a red light at 60 mph and barely missed hitting you by an inch.

The squall from passenger car brakes as it hits a downhill curve at murderous speed and begins to tumble into a creek at the bottom.

Front Blow-outs.

The crunch of carbon, metal and pavement when a group of guys in front collide and go down. Most sickening sound ever.

The eruption of gunfire between sedans careening along city streets at breakneck speed. ..........(hey, I learned how to ride in downtown Atlanta. I could go on and on with this).

+1

Before reaching this post was going to write - "The sound of a barking & growling dog rapidly overtaking me from behind."

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Apparently it's called "mobbing" and is common in some bird species. The Red-Winged Blackbird will summon other males to assist in warding off larger predators and I have been attacked by small groups of what I think was three or four but never anything like The Birds. Still, it's very scary the first time it happens and you don't realize what is happening. There are several videos of birds mobbing cyclists on Youtube that you can show your wife.

Sounds like an ad for a mirror.

I crossed Wisconsin many years ago on Hiway 8. You could see down the road for miles. If a truck was coming and an oncoming car, that truck driver would hit his horn a 1/2 mile back. Meant "we don't all fit". I would pull off onto the deep gravel and let him pass. Once I stayed on the road, knowing the truck would be past me before the car got to me. The driver was pulling a double trailer. Really, really uncomfortable. I never questioned those drivers again. (They never blew their horn when they could make it.)

Ben

I am new to cycling and fortunately, have not heard the noises you guys describe. I will add that the worst I have heard and hope to never hear again is the sound of my son crashing about 10 yards behind me. He was a little close to the pavement edge and hit a spot that had broken away. Slammed him down before he could do anything. Not a pretty sound or picture when I looked back. It could have been much worse. A fractured elbow and some road rash. Wished it had been me instead.

On a more cheerful note. I do have a local dog that I joust with occasionally. It's almost turned into a game for both of us once I figured out he really didn't want to cause harm. Just chase and bark.

The sound of the guy (or gal) you are drafting in a paceline ripping a big fart and knowing you are riding through their aerisolized poo.

The crunching sound just before the chain goes into the spokes when I have cut the chain too short and shift into the big-big combination for the first time. I've heard this twice, and while it doesn't portend bodily injury like some of the sounds other dread it does mean certain destruction of components and is accompanied by an excruciating delay that's just long enough for you to realize what's about to happen but not long enough for you to be able to do anything to stop it.

That's a good one. Dang near fell out of my chair. Made me think of Shrek.


Hope my link worked.