samal

so I'm leaving school today (I'm a teacher) and I see a couple of my students hanging out in front of the school. I, always looking to improve student/teacher relations, roll on over to chat, see how everything's going, etc. Of course, I had just tightened my toe straps.
Well, I bust out a trackstand while talking to them, then go one-handed, when old Magician Murphy steps in. You got it, I fell over right in front of them because I couldn't get my foot out in time.
I've been doing decent trackstands for two months now, one handed for two weeks.
Of couse they laugh at me, so i get up, dust myself off, laugh at myself, and throw down a no-handed trackstand (all ten seconds of it) just to show them that I really (sorta) do know what I'm doing.
So, tell us about your first crash/tip over/meltdown in front of people.

PS- I then ran a stop sign in front of a cop for the first time; i figured I was on a roll, so why stop?

samal

oh yeah.. does the fact that I felt I needed to justify myself to a couple of high school students make me insecure, or merely lame?

bigbikerbrian

i just got a ticket for the first time on my bike. stoplight. eighty bucks.

skanking biker

My first big wipe out resulted in a great date. I had just started riding fixed, and at the time had clamped my water bottle holder under my saddle. I was on a long ride and hit a pothole, the bottle fell out. I turned around and saw this amazingly hot girl coming at me on a bike. trying to be swauve, i attempted to do a low speed pickup. Unfortunately, i forgot to take my feet out of my straps and fell flat on my face. The girl came over and aksed if i was ok--i felt so stupid. We road together for the remainder of my ride and went out on a date the next night.

onetwentyeight 

I never fall. I am perfection embodied in human form.

HereNT

+1

Except when I'm drunk. I fall a lot then. But I'm usually not trackstanding when I'm drunk. I know better than to try that.

soyboy

out for a ride one day i threw a chain. i stopped and began to look at it, as a reached into my bag for a wrench a little kid(maybe 5 or so) comes up to me and says "your bike broke, do you want me to get my dad?" i thanked him put the chain back on and i was on my way, not so embarassing as it was adorable

samal

DANG!! I'd better watch myself; I can't afford stuff like that
Have you ever been warned before; was the guy a real jerk about it?
sorry for the questions, but my wife mocked me about the stop sign thing and the first thing I thought about was, "I wonder what it would cost me?"

bigbikerbrian

he wasnt a jerk about it. but he still gave me a ticket. im more careful now, which means i make sure there isnt a cop around.

Moximitre

trackstanding at a light is illegal? or am I missing something

dav

I did something like that was the first time i rode with clips and straps on a bike. I was standing over my bike talking to a group of friends with one foot in the straps and the other on the ground. I started to lose balance and began to tip over, but since i wasnt used to the clips and straps i couldnt get my foot out in time. luckily my my face colliding with my friends head prevented me from falling over so i could get my foot out in time.

spud

i do 0mph falls to get the pirates to stop talking and start playing polo, unfortuneately they havent caught on and just look at me for a second then either keep talking or drinking.

bigbikerbrian

sorry, i was responding to the second part of the OP.

space_robots

Was it in the city or somewhere outside? From what I have seen, a lot of cyclists here seem to wait at red lights with the cars. I guess the police care around here. It's probably a good thing, i guess ...

spud

md cops are dicks and will chase and nearly hit you to yell at you about running lights.

Spor

day before yesterday, i'm hanging out on campus, playing bikes by myself. this guy rides up while i'm trackstanding and asks me 'how do you do that?' with genuine curiosity. i begin to explain how the gear is fixed so you can push forwards and back, and to demonstrate the extreme example thereof i decide to bust a bw circle. of course i miscalculate something or another and spin around and fall inwards landing on my side. oops. i jumped back up and brushed it off, but i really felt like a tool right them.

space_robots

Oops, I forgot to mention, I'm in Seattle for the week. I don't see many bikes in MD/DC waiting at lights if there aren't cars coming. Especially in DC. I guess I've been lucky with the MD cops, while on my bike at least. In the car is another story, too many speed traps.

DoshKel

I was at a light the other day waiting it to turn green while, and some girls were screaming "Hottie" and such when a guy threw a beer bottle at me and knocked me over.

The girls then laughed and both cars peeled out.

: /

space_robots

That's vicious. You should have gotten their plate and filed a police report.

Rodador

Yes. "Hottie" is clearly sexual harrassment. You don't have to put up with that.

space_robots

You're right, two police reports then. Getting hit with a bottle sucks. Was it glass or plastic?

EDIT: nevermind. there aren't any plastic beer bottles that I'm aware of.

Moximitre

well, being hit with a beer bottle is a tad vicious, would you agree?

DoshKel

It happens a lot in Tallahassee actually : /

This is the 5th time in around 4 months. I got the first two letters on his plate, but it was at an intersection and he turned out of my view.

I wish we had a path here. The big trucks are out to kill cyclists I think.

delay

There are a number of plastic bottles. I think Miller Light offers them. I don't know. I don't normally buy these things.

riotboy

well it wasnt in front of anyone i dont think. i was waiting for a bus to take me back home a few towns away and i had just learned to skid that day and i was practicing while i was waiting. i was on the sidewalk...did a small skid and then started to fall over and off the curb and couldnt get out of the toe clips in time. i almost completely fell but finally got one foot out and caught myself before eating gravel. my bar tape has some **** ups in it now.