Metal-Strip/Wet=CRASH (warning long)
As in anything that you do and you like it, the learning curve moves fast. Well, my learning curve just shot straight up yesterday with a HARD CRASH!! Luckly, I am okay, the cheap Wal Mart helmet was worth its weight in GOLD!
I am commuting in traffic, on a decline and it had just finish raining, with the street being wet and very damp. A metal strip is in my lane, and for some reason I am on the other side of it. I come this way all the time, and usually I am toward the curve the other side of the metal strip. Okay, I know traffic is coming and I need to get closer to the curve. I looked at the metal strip, a caution sign hits me. Shucks, the strip is no more then 5 inches wide, I can cross it in a snap.. After about 3 runarounds in my brain to cross it, I do.. Wham/Bang I hit the ground so fast and so hard, it must have been a millisecond!! Now, I am sliding and then BANG again, that was my head hitting curve HARD and that stopped me from moving! I am up very quickly, and just like any bike nut, the first thing I looked at was the condition of my bike!! :)Okay, bike doesn't seem to be messed up. Front brake lever bent in, I needed new hoods anyway. Oops, got a flat tire too. Bike okay. Now back to me. Skinned elbow, on my right side a pink bruises. Could have been worse. Can't give enough praise to the Wal Mart Schwinn Helmet. I think I paid $20 to $25 for it.. When I came off my body slapped the ground and contiuned to slid. My head banged into the curve is what stopped me. I don't even want to think of what condition I would be in if I was stupid enough not to have on a helmet. :o The crossing of the metal strip while wet was one of the dummest moves I have ever made. I thought about it 3 times before I did it, and the forth time, I said what the h*ll. I paid for that learning bit big time. Just wanted to share this tale of "stupidity"..;) |
I had much the same happen a few years back, except it was slick pavement with a little morning mist to make it slick. It was in a right turn lane at the bottom of a slope, I had the light, so I set up to carve the turn. My front wheel hit that spot and I was down faster than you can say "Oh, sh....!". Luckily I had the light, because I skidded on my knee, elbow and hip across a lane-and-a-half. Picked myself up, walked to the curb, shook the cobwebs out of my head. A driver who had seen my slide stopped to check on me- I assured him I was all right and I completed my ride to work.
Still have the scar on my knee. |
Yikes, glad you are ok.
Not trying to start the helmet debate, but the off chance that things like this happen is reason enough to put up with the mild inconvenience of wearing one. I'm just confused about the metal strip. What is it for? I don't think I've ever seen just a metal strip in the road. |
I almost fell on a double rail road track last weekend during a light rain. My front wheel just made it to the pavement and gave me enough traction to avoid slipping sideways.
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Originally Posted by Jeff Wills
(Post 11240465)
I had much the same happen a few years back, except it was slick pavement with a little morning mist to make it slick. It was in a right turn lane at the bottom of a slope, I had the light, so I set up to carve the turn. My front wheel hit that spot and I was down faster than you can say "Oh, sh....!". Luckily I had the light, because I skidded on my knee, elbow and hip across a lane-and-a-half. Picked myself up, walked to the curb, shook the cobwebs out of my head. A driver who had seen my slide stopped to check on me- I assured him I was all right and I completed my ride to work.
Still have the scar on my knee. |
Originally Posted by walnutz
(Post 11242763)
Yikes, glad you are ok.
Not trying to start the helmet debate, but the off chance that things like this happen is reason enough to put up with the mild inconvenience of wearing one. I'm just confused about the metal strip. What is it for? I don't think I've ever seen just a metal strip in the road. When I hit the ground, all that speed was still there, and I was sliding HEAD FIRST! On the metal strip, since that area will be inbedded in my memory from here on out, I am going to take a picture of it tomorrow and post it up. |
You should replace your helmet since there was an impact, it is the recommended procedure.
I'm just confused about the metal strip. What is it for? I don't think I've ever seen just a metal strip in the road. |
Metal does not have to be wet to cause problems. On a 50 mile training ride I had been doing 5 days a week in 2007 preparing to attempt the Furnace Creek 508, I came to a diagonal RR track that I had always moved out, and came back (to get closer to 90 degrees) to cross. I saw a truck coming up behind me and thought I might 'freak him out' by going out, and back, so I figured I could go straight--WRONG! My front tire made it, but the rail snatched my rear tire out from under me, and I hit the pavement about 20mph. That smarted! I will also always be grateful for my Giro Atmos (now deceased), which saved the left side of my head/face from some serious injury. In my opinion, cheap insurance, indeed!
The moral of the story: Beware the diagonal RR crossing, and ALWAYS wear a helmet.:thumb: |
Also watch out for paint stripes, wood bridge decks and wet leaves.
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Like I said in the beginning of this thread, this was a BIG LEARNING CURVE FOR ME. I am glad it happened, because if it didn't, I would still be thinking the move I made was okay, and the out come could have been much, much worse. Here is a picture of the metal strip, it is really bridge reinforcements.
Also, take a look at the MASSIVE CURB, that my head slammed into and stopped me. The curb was not going to move either!! http://www.cehoward.net/metal00.jpg http://www.cehoward.net/metal95.jpg http://www.cehoward.net/metal96.jpg |
Originally Posted by badamsjr
(Post 11247781)
Metal does not have to be wet to cause problems. On a 50 mile training ride I had been doing 5 days a week in 2007 preparing to attempt the Furnace Creek 508, I came to a diagonal RR track that I had always moved out, and came back (to get closer to 90 degrees) to cross. I saw a truck coming up behind me and thought I might 'freak him out' by going out, and back, so I figured I could go straight--WRONG! My front tire made it, but the rail snatched my rear tire out from under me, and I hit the pavement about 20mph. That smarted! I will also always be grateful for my Giro Atmos (now deceased), which saved the left side of my head/face from some serious injury. In my opinion, cheap insurance, indeed!
The moral of the story: Beware the diagonal RR crossing, and ALWAYS wear a helmet.:thumb: IMO, we both learned a lot, the crash has made us smarter, and I hope some newbies reading this, make them smarter too. |
Originally Posted by dedhed
(Post 11248802)
Also watch out for paint stripes, wood bridge decks and wet leaves.
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Another thing I learned is that if I had gone to the extreme of stopping, getting off the bike and walking it over the tracks, the time I 'lost' would have been more than made up for by the absence of pain and suffering the broken collarbone cost me!:(
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Originally Posted by badamsjr
(Post 11249151)
Another thing I learned is that if I had gone to the extreme of stopping, getting off the bike and walking it over the tracks, the time I 'lost' would have been more than made up for by the absence of pain and suffering the broken collarbone cost me!:(
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