My Bike-To-Work Day Escalator Accident-With It's Unexpected Result
 

I was busy celebrating "Bike-To-Work Day" here in my city just last Thursday. So my faithful Brompton accompanied me everywhere that day as my local transit companies offered free fare if the bike was with me. I was going up an escalator with the bike on the step in front of me. I had my newly sewn front bag with the Front Carrier System's frame attached to it which I was also testing that day in my right hand. My backpack's strap did not line up very well with my shoulder so I was attempting to adjust it back into place. I was a fraction of a second too slow to grasp the Brompton to step onto solid floor and over the bike I went. My front bag with it's frame clattered beside me. My poor Brompton tumbled over too underneath me. I heard the klaxons rang loudly but surprisingly the stairs did not stop right away. I was able to clear the stairs (I am glad to report that the Brompton was able to clear them too by itself as it fell clear of the moving parts) yet the mass of bodies did not. I felt many bodies kept coming. Finally stairs stopped as the people did. (?) I was unhurt. The Brompton except for some scuff marks and one small scratch seem to be fine. Although later that day the chain jumped off the chain ring, cog, and the chain tensioner as I was headed to the new Brompton dealer located closer to my residence to check out the new bikes. I put the bike alongside a brick wall and placed the chain back on track using a shiny paper advertisement out of a newspaper I had on me to limit grease getting all over my hands.. The strangest thing is the shifting was very sluggish and hard to move the shifter before the accident. Afterward when I had to replace the chain back, I can shift better with no resistance and each gear clicks into position as it did when the bike was new. Go figure.

ever since I was a kid I haven't liked stepping onto down escalators

Oh noes! Glad you and the bike are ok though.

Around here carrying large objects like folding bikes on escalators is typically prohibited.

Be careful you could have seriously hurt someone.

http://www.sharoncolon.com/sharon/pics2009/haka6182.jpg
Firs't NZ wa's invaded by rogue apostrophe's now it's FF's's All Capitalized Title's To Her Post's.:innocent:

Actually, I was already lectured by my doctor about possible bone breakage from Osteoporosis, a great danger for a woman of my age, from this incident. Although a side benefit from cycling is my bone density is 110% better than a typical woman of my age seemed to protect me at that time and when I am actually on the bike. As for seriously injuring others, I was able to very quickly untangle myself from the bike and manage to get out of the way very quickly!

I do plan to avoid the escalator now and take the elevator when I have one of the folders or even packages now even it is legal in Southern California.

I do so much work here and on my sites, I guess it really shows! Thank you Jur.

on the bart stations here in the bay area (california), bikes are not allowed. although i am one of the guilty person here as i occasionally will use the escalator. but i always make sure that i am the last person going down. going up is a different story as there is no end for people going up so i can't wait for the last person.

If you get some knobbly tyres perhaps you will be Able To Cycle Down The Escalator.

(How can it be called an 'Escalator' if it goes downwards? Shouldn't they be called Descendalators? )

Not entirely. I did have to take a few days off designing and sewing bags for potential customers. I was a bit sore and stiff but I am please to announce that I resume this important activity today. Even though the chain tensioner issue seems to work itself out, I still have to locate some Brompton touch-up paint to dab on here and there as I never needed this before now after 5 years (it's really hard to locate in the US). But in all I consider myself and the bike to be very lucky. Again, thank you for your concern!

Nail polish is cheap and is durable on bike frames. There is sure to be a shade available for your bike's color.

I will buy a bottle of nail polish and try it out as extra money even for my bikes is a bit tight around here right now. Even if it does not work out for using it on the bike itself, I can always apply it on my own nails!

If you ask the guys on here from the UK they may have a spare bottle someplace from an old bike. What colour is the Brompton?

Thank you very much for your kind and generous thought. I think that just the postage alone would be prohibited in shipping even a tiny tube of paint over here. So I must decline. But that idea sparked a thought that perhaps I can save for & order it at a later date as another option open to me. It is almost summer here and I don't have to worry about bad weather (and rust) for a while now. So the little bike should be fine for a few months at least.

If I ever buy another Brompton, I will order the Raw Lacquer option at extra initial cost . Then paint will never be a problem again!

The other cheap option is a near-match car paint touch up stick from an auto-spares dealer.

I just cover the scratch in a clear coat. But you are absolutely correct about how durable it is. Makes me wonder why polished nails break so often! ;)

FF, I'm going to be ordering a spare brommie part from SJScycles soon, as I broke the handlebar catch (part that keeps the stem locked up so nicely when folded). :o If you want, I can get you a pot of touch-up paint for your red brommie too.

Yeah, this is what I do too, but now the scratches are bothering me so I'm actually gonna get the touch-up paint along with my parts order.

Hello Nekohime,
Before you place your order there, perhaps you should look here at NYCE Wheels over here for your part retailing at 12 US dollars-http://www.nycewheels.com/brompton-handlebar-catch-set.html. I have done business with this company already (I bought my Brompton book through them) and experienced no problems. Although the order did take some time as the publisher in the UK was slow in shipping the books over here.

Thank you for thinking of me. I guess I should be a bit more descriptive in what I am working on for the past year or so. I am in the final steps in finishing my online shop. This month (and into early next month of June) is concluding the final designs and construction of the bags. I cannot say more as I have to protect my designs for now. But I can show you something I have just finished for myself earlier this morning. I designed it for on or off cycle wear. I used the last bit of fabric left over from my Mother's Day present to my own mom for this. In the retail world, I usually found something like this:

Price: 200 dollars
Pant Front: 83% Polyester/17% Polyurethane
Pant back: 95% Polyester/5% Spandex
Liner: 80% Polyester/20% Lycra®
20,000 / 18,000 mm laminate

My pants can be worn on or off the bikes. I always design for cyclists and non-cyclists alike. When I am with one of the bikes, I don't like to advertise I am using them when they are bagged (and my mother doesn't know how the ride bikes anyway). And I never could stand the padding that is placed in-um-certain body part areas where I don't want to call undue attention to as retail stores likes to do. The monthly allowance for myself will be going for the priority of finishing the bags for June. Then the Brompton will have it's paint in July. And you already have a sample of my work-in-progress (it's a final version or you would never have saw it). So, in all, I say everything is going smoothly!:thumb::thumb::thumb: Again, a heartfelt thank you!

I think you mean bikes are not allowed on the escalators. Bikes are definitely OK on the stairs and on the trains (except where specifically prohibited during commute hours). http://www.bart.gov/guide/bikes/

I am also not sure whether there is a rule against FOLDED bikes on the escalators.