johentie

haha... we'll see how it pans out.... the worst case is they deny it was their fault cause everything is cleaned up and there is no evidence .. i shoulda take photos with my bike under the car etc.. bahh i was too phased to think.. ; <

Doohickie

Make yourself as visible as possible, then assume they still won't see you. Also, you will develop the street sense to know whether someone is in a "parked" car and whether it is running without thinking too much about it.

Yes, but that's about as much as a car mirror and windshield (we had some vandalism on our street and that's how much damage my son's car took). To an insurance company, that's almost 0.

RaleighSport

very glad you're okay man! Don't take that driver as a sign of your future commutes, as you become more comfortable on the saddle you'll get more in tune with keeping an eye on the idjits... hope the bike is gonna be okay too!

ckaspar

If you got a smart phone you can get Bike Crash Kit. I heard about it on here and downloaded it. Lets you create a "claim" of sorts so you can track all that info in one spot. Also has a recorder feature as well as take photos, a notepad and drawings. Have not had to use it yet but will be ready if I need.

spare_wheel

when riding in a residential area i tend to ride close to the middle of the road/lane. this make you more visible and gives you more time to respond to pull outs. motorists are often very spacey and unpredictable in residential areas. imo, taking the lane on an arterial is often paradoxically safer.

linus

Don't worry. You are okay. That's all it matters.

Let your LBS fix your bike and let the driver pay for it.

Enjoy your bike gaining more mileage than your car.

johentie

thanks again everyone ; >

so everything worked out great... i picked up my bike after work from the driver's home, where his mom helped me out by putting stuff in my car. drove to the bike shop where the guys looked at it.. they said that the two wheels were goners, the pedals were cracked, and the frame that extends out to hold the rear tires and derailer were dented.. they didn't know or they were not going to say it was okay to ride on for liability purposes so unless they send it out to the manufacteurer and get a approval from them to say there was no cracking inside they were not going to approve it.. to do that it cost $300 including the shipping + fixing the rims with the axel and clip for the tire cause that got shredded down to nothing.. which would cost $150 ish..

in the end the cost was about the same as the bike was bought for.. so when the driver showed up at the bike shop i had the guys explain it ... driver made a phone call to his parents probably and explained it and it was decided that they would replace my bike..

he made the payment in full at the cashier and they are going to build my bike for tomorrow...

everything worked out well and the driver was very cooperative .. i guess i was just blessed...he took my damaged bike home so he can sell it for whatever parts he could or he can use it as beater bike.. i won't be able to ride till next monday as i work in another location 2 times a week so wed, thurs i won't be in biking distance and friday is vacation day.. but i am stoked once again to commute to work on my bike and implement what you all have advised me ; >

at least i learnt a lesson without anyone getting hurt.. now i will definitely be more alert ; >

a1penguin

Wow. I'm sorry to hear about your crunch. So glad you came out without any damage! And what stand up, respectable people. The more I ride, the more vigilant I become. I agree with the advice to stay more toward the middle of the road in low traffic, residential areas. I'm always looking for cars in driveways since I know most of them will take a quick glance and probably won't see me.

pcz

I used to ride some of these streets for 10 years without a single accident.

But I'd take a calm, low traffic, residential one anyday

silent_chief

Nice! Are you going to get the same bike again, or a different model? Sorry my prediction came true, but ~400$ just doesn't go that far when a bike tangles with the underside of a car.

The bike I ride is only around ~500 partly for this reason, but I've been lusting over some higher end steel bikes like the Surly Pacer.

nhluhr

You can't be THAT much of a car guy. Replacing stock tires with better performing ones is usually the best thing you can do to improve a car. The stock tires that came on my 2002 WRX (205/55R16 Bridgestone Potenza RE92) were quite horrible. Changing to a better performing tire made it a whole new car. The stock Bridgestone Potenza RE070 tires that came on my 2005 STi and 2006 STI were extremely grippy in dry conditions but suffered badly in heavy rain. Swapping those out for tires that had better siping design proved to not cost much in terms of dry handling but massively improved the car's handling on wet roads.

What I'm saying is that the stock tires on your bike are nothing special and that you shouldn't concern yourself with getting the exact model replaced.

CommuterRun

Just like with a dog bite case.
Step 1: Call cops and get a copy of the police report.
Step 2: Get checked out by a doctor and get a copy of that visit.
Step 3: Take photos of all injuries and damages.
Step 4: Contact an attorney. Many have free initial consultation.
Step 5: If they aren't willing to, or don't, pay up for all injuries, damages and expenses related to the collision: Sue!

Glad you weren't injured and everything worked out for you. Keep all the paperwork; either copies or originals, but hold on to it.

rumrunn6

I recently read the 100 most dangerous days in a teen's life is now through summer, and the leading killer is cars. I'm teaching my 16 yr old to drive and using my intuition and experience I tell him what to do and when to do it. I've noticed he does not yet have the intuition and experience to turn his head to look left right left right and behind often enough and quick enough to avoid potential traffic that appears quickly. Lot's of new drivers out there people and they are not experienced yet! use your strobes front and year day and night!

Doohickie

Overreact much?

CommuterRun

Not at all. Although I realize that the idea of personal responsibly may be foreign to you, I believe in protecting myself. A friend of mine didn't used to. Until he got arrested 16 years after he got himself into some trouble in another county. He had paid his fine, but the county said he didn't. So 16 years later he went to jail and was extradited to jail in that county until he paid the fine a second time. Nobody in government takes care of you. No one on any level. That is your responsibility. When, not if, someone in government loses your paperwork; you had better have copies.

Dog bite case = Free Money. It's on the table. All you have to do is pick it up.
Hit by car case - not that easy. But have your ducks in a row and you have a real good chance of winning.

JayKay3000

Glad it worked out ok in the end.

Just like driving, treat every other road user like an idiot because there are so many people that don't follow the rules of the road and can end up making you almost crash.

On the bike, I've had people pull out infront of me and not to mention pedestrians who miss judge how fast I am going cause me to swerve. I do a lot of mtb trail riding so I'm used to having to avoid things in a hurry. I'm no pro, but having enough bike skills can often get you out of trouble.

Remember to always look into the windows of parked cars and if there is someone in it then try and see if they have seen you. I feel safer on the sidewalk, but then I find that poorly trained dogs can cause problems.

asmac

Yeah, we're all nice except for the cannibalistic dismemberers and mall shooters. Very nice.
I see that it worked out as it should have. My guess was that the repair cost would easily exceed the cost of a new bike -- i.e. in car terms it would be a write-off. In other words, you should have expected a new bike and shouldn't feel bad about it. They should be very happy to get away with paying $700 with no charges, no insurance claim and no living with having killed or maimed someone. Of course they felt bad as they should but that isn't relevant. You had every right to expect to be made whole, nothing to be embarrassed about.
I ride down Danforth in rush hour -- it's been quite manageable except for getting my mirror clipped today! -- just to avoid the issue you encountered on a side street. Distracted people or people with stiff necks backing up are bad news.

asmac

"Overreact much?" -- not

Don't lie and cheat but be damned sure you get what's coming to you. Give them an opportunity to pay up directly if it's simply property damage (a day or two maybe) and then make a police report and insurance claim.

acidfast7

I agree.

"Suing" is not the answer to everything. And, I find it quite refreshing to finally live somewhere where the concept of "suing" someone doesn't really exist (at least not in it's the commonly thrown around context that it does in the US, where "to sue" is commonly used verb.)

johentie

the same bike.. i liked it.. it's nicely weighted ... my other option was the Norco VFR 3.. but i read Rocky Mountain has better components etc..

i know the stock tires are not that great on cars.. but i know nothing about bike tires .. and i'm not that into bikes (for now).. i just wanted it as OEM as possible on my bike and the least amount of cost to the driver.. hence upgrading tires woulda been expensive for him..

on my 2011 STi i had Michelin Pilot Super Sports, which were crazy sticky and tread wear was really good for high performance tires.. it needed it due to the power it was getting.. the dunlop SP600's were just overpriced and the road noise was HORRIBLE.. and it kept slipping when i launched at the track when i didn't wanna change to my slicks.. and it kept skidding on the corners on the road course.

i worked on cars as mechanic when i was younger so i think i'm pretty knowledgeable with cars.. specialized in imports and doing crazy mods for any import car.. especially Japanese ones .. ; >