shipwreck

First off, not 100% car free. Just put 60 dollars of gas into my van, but at least it was the first fill up since April third. Fuel stabilizer plays a big part in my life Van gets started twice a week as maintance, and driven to buy a ton of clay or to deliver several hundred pounds of pottery every once in a while, got to admit the bike can't do that.

Anyway, I live eight ozark hilly miles from town, am self employed, and have to go to the post office almost every day to mail things I make all around the world(I am a dollhouse miniature maker and a potter). Since the packages are pretty small, even on a day when I ship ten or more boxes all I need are a couple pannier. I consider it my commute. Its fun, I do a little grocery shopping on the way home, or if it was a one package day and I am on a light bike, I take a nice twenty or so miler. Perfect life.

Anyway, exactly two weeks ago tommorrow I was run off the road by a guy on a motorcycle. Hit and run. Broke my collar bone badly and messed up some ribs, bruises, all that. And thats fine, we all know that its not if, but when. And anyway, I do own a car, as well as have friends and family who are willing to help. And if I only get the mail out twice a week its no real big deal, my customers understand.

But it just struck me today, I really want to ride. I am feeling fat, worried that I am loseing what leg muscle I might have, and just in general feel like crap(some of which might be the scabs and bruising, as well as the torn muscles and bone healing).

Almost every day, my thinking goes automaticaly to "I can ride out tommorow and get some olive oil, or buy a couple bolts, or mail something. Then I remember and it all goes crappy.

And it really got driven home this afternoon when the altenator shorted out on the way home, long weekend, theres not much chance I can get the parts much less pull the thing apart with a bum arm. Add to that, my first thought, illogicaly enough, was which bike I would need to take to carry a new altenator home, and how cool it would be to ride somewhere!

This will all pass, the shoulder will heal, the van will get fixed(it better, I just increased its value to over 60 bucks when I gassed it up!)and many people would love to have my small problems. But it struck me as funny that I am so reliant on my bicycles, and using the car as backup.

Roody

I feel so bad for you. It'll probably only be another 4 weeks or so until you're completely healed, but I know it will seem like a long 4 weeks--especially since this is one of the nicest seasons of the year coming up.

Artkansas 

Despite the current setbacks, you are doing impressively well. Hope you heel soon. Muscle tone will return.

I'm surprised it was a motorcycle that did you. Usually they are friendly. Was the rider just riding wide and in poor control or was this intentional?

cale

Motorcycles don't run people off the road, motorcycle riders run people off the road.

OP, take care and heal up well before you attempt to ride. Last thing you need is to have a small mishap on the bike set your healing back. If you have an indoor trainer, or could borrow/trade for one, you could "ride" to strengthen your leg muscles. The van repairs sound like a good idea and most friends enjoy lending a hand. It feels good to be needed. I'm generally around when my neighbor could use a hand and he for me. Good luck.

wahoonc

That totally sucks!

I know the feeling of not being able to ride. If I don't get in regular rides I get real grumpy. Eventually it gets to the point my wife will TELL me to go ride.

Good luck with the recovery and I bet you will recover faster than a couch potato would.

Aaron

shipwreck

THanks guys for the moral support.

Yes, I do have both a trainer, and a spin bike(purchased years ago while very very drunk. Better than a tattoo, right?) Just got so that I can sit the spin bike, while playing road rash, an old sega game that has motorcycles racing and beating on each other.

The guy that swerved into me was passing on a blind turn, a car came around, and he dove back into me. Its a tourist town, and we get lots of midlife crises harley riders here. Lots of bikes getting trailered in. Its easy to get a realy bad impression of motorcycle riders here, because there is nothing like seeing a bike get tailered in behind a 60,000 dollar suv, the owner go into the hotel and put on their biker togs, and then wobble 3/4 mile down to one of the many bars that cater to them. My doctor told me that he has cut off a lot a Harley jackets that were under three months old. I was taking the lane, as I have hundreds of times at that spot, it was just my time. He started to pass so fast i had barely begun to slow and move over. I was doiing probably 25 when I hit the ground.

Got some new alt parts for the van today, and my father will probably put it in for me. Just not used to asking people for help. Ever. Getting a ride back from the accident was embarrassing, after carrying my bike a mile from the wreck to the emergency room myself with one arm hanging useless I think I was in shock.

But at the doctor, heart rate of 55 bbm, and only slightly higher blood pressure, my doc told me to get back on a bike and keep riding!

Artkansas 

Yeah, I've seen them when I go up northwest and visit places like Eureka Springs. It's kind of sad. Though it sounds like your accident was not malice, but incompetence on their part. I'm glad you're healing and that fortuitously you have a trainer to maintain your legs while you heal.

Roody

Actually, your doctor might tell you it's OK to ride a real bike. Mine did, when I had a broken wrist and numerous other injuries. He said riding a bike is fine, but avoid falling off. It's worth asking at your next appointment.

shipwreck

Bingo, thats where I live and ride. We have some great hills here, and after a visit a friend never gave me grief over my 26x32 granny gears again(I like the old half step cranks for my road bikes). Northwest Arkansas has some really nice roads to ride on in general. I was hoping to do a short tour including Nebo, Magazine, and Petit Jean, spending a night on top of each to celebrate my 40th. Doc said I should put that off a bit. Till then I am trying to hone the ultra light rig. Ever do the Jasper ride? Coming out of boxely canyon makes me see stars.

Dahon.Steve

If you do get back on a bike and I'm not suggesting you do, please use a rear view mirror. You need to see what is coming up from behind at all times and how close! Please.

telkanuru

This seems easily accomplished by the relatively simple task of looking behind you, but that's a pretty good idea too.

shipwreck

Yeah, I had just looked at the guy in my mirror mounted on my glasses. Everything was cool till he gunned it right on the blind curve. You can be very aware of and ok with what someone is doing behind you right up to the point they do something really stupid.
Actualy I am curious, what the hell did my mirror do here? here is a guy, idles up slow till he is right behind me, acted like he was going to stay there till after the curve. And then as soon as I heard him start to go over I began my own move over to the right , while slowing. It was under three to four seconds from when he decided to pass untill he dove back over to the right to avoid the car that appeared at that exact moment he passed.
All cars here follow right on your ass. A mirror can help when a car is drifting over the line, or when you see a large group of motorcyclists coming, that lets you know to watch for spit and or beer bottles(happened once, but man, that was enough! I make it a point now to never to ride when there is a bikes blues and barbeque event.)
Interestingly, while every bike has a mirror on it, I just got the mirror that mounts on the glasses three weeks ago, and I really like them. They are very usefull when wide load equipment comes buy, because I have noticed that they don't seem to have escort cars all the time anymore. A month ago a mirror might have saved my life when I went into a ditch to avoid a tractor trailer moving a house. They never even blipped the horn.

Thought I would add, that reading A&S, and to much crap on the internet here is pretty depressing. I know that there is a lot of crap out there, but always kind of brushed it off. Knowing that its fairly widespread sucks, so I think I will give the bike forums a rest for a while, get some work done till I can start riding again and feel better.

wahoonc

I quit reading A&S a long time ago. Too damned depressing. I live in an area where they have basically gutted the budget for anything pedestrian related, if it isn't for cars you don't get it.

Aaron

shipwreck

Right after my wreck I read the entire helmet debate thread. All of it. On painkillers it was pretty entertaining. At any rate, that is one forum that I need to stay away from, it seems to be a morbid place filled with pictures that make me want to buy a new car. So I guess that I will just avoid that instead of the whole internets

Oh well, I have decided to use this downtime to finish sewing the new bags for my rackless touring bike, and possibly finaly strip and repaint my old aluminium road bike, rebuild my Utility bike that has been run into the ground, organize my huge collection of spare and vintage parts, and build up some frames I have for flipping, to add to my new bike fund.

gerv 

Yep... nothing like reading Bike Forums when you are incapacitated. I used to lurk in A&S a bit, but quite often had no idea what anyone was talking about.

wphamilton

I can sympathize with you shipwreck. I broke mine two weeks ago from Monday. I can't even blame it on the driver who was crowding me from behind - my own fault in the final analysis.

I did some spinning at the gym, some treadmill and lots of walking but it's not the same when all you really want is to get out and ride. Hang in there.

shipwreck

Hope you get better soon. I was just feeling really whiny when I first posted. Now that I can almost pick my nose with the left again, things are looking up!

My shoulder is a little complicated from the fact that 11 years ago I snapped the clavicle tendon. As a dirt poor graduate student I could not afford the surgery to reconnect it. I actualy place my left brake levers 5mm higher than the right to compensate for the strain that shoulder has to take. So my doc said it might take a little more care untill all the torn muscles can heal up. After it does, I might have to readjust all my left hand brake levers, a real job as I have about eleven of them to do

One thing to kill some of this down time, I finaly stripped the really beat up paint on my 1989 Schwinn 974. Was worried that there would be all sorts of body filler in there that did not match the aluminium, but it is georgeous. Gave the metal a light sanding with 600(took a really long time gimping with the one arm), then reasembled it after buffing all the alloy a bit and putting some SR quills with black leather straps on. Looks great waxed, and cannot wait till I can take it out.