Anything I need to check

[Paul]

I'm pretty new to cycling (and loving it) and had my first major spill today, not bad but at a fair
speed. I was riding along and it felt as if the rear wheel just slid away under me. I've checked the
bike over and there's no major damage (just scraping to the left pedal and the left side of the
bars), the frame is fine although me knee is a bit manky!

Being some way from home I re-mounted and off I went. Strangely whilst I was riding back I kept
feeling as if the rear wheel was 'pulling' slightly to the left. On getting home I checked that both
wheels are secure and aligned correctly (they are) and have no play in them. The hubs were checked
out recently during the bike's last service. The tires are also fine, the tread and sidewalls are in
good condition.

My gut feeling is that I was probably just a little shaken up by the spill and that I was imagining
this (feeling that the rear wheel was 'moving' as it had before I went down) I had not noticed
anything before. In fact if I think about thing now I can still 'feel' the bike sliding away under
me even though I'm on a chair.

However, I thought that I'd just check with people here whether there is anything else I should
check out or is it just my imagination and I should just get on and ride.

The road I was on was a fairly rough one with some surface muck about.

Thanks for any thoughts,

Paul.

 

[GearóId Ó Laoi]

Just check that your frame isn't cracked. Check chainstays etc. Also rear dropouts can crack.

Why did you crash? Was it on a bend? Was it oil or something else?

 

[Paul]

Thanks, the frame looks fine, it's alloy (although pretty new) so I check it over regularly. I came
off sideways so most of the impact to the bike was glancing and taken by the left pedal and bars (a
pannier also cushioned the rear of the bike).

I'm not sure why I came off, I suddenly felt the rear wheel slip away under
me. It was a long, flat country road so I was going fairly fast but the road was also fairly bumpy
so I may have caught a bump with the rear wheel. It was also muddy as most roads in the area are
so I may have skidded on mud or manure. I'm currently looking for a new set of tyres that would
be better for ridding on muddy tarmac. The semi-slicks I use have a smooth centre tread which is
great on road and a knobbled outer edge with is ok off road. The problem with the country road
is a thin layer of mud on tarmac on which the centre tread skids and which is not deep enough
for the outer knobs to play a part.

Thanks, Paul