CRASH! It's not worth $6,000 any more :-(

[Neil Brooks]

Three weeks into Moots ownership. Maybe 300 miles on the odometer.
Riding south in Chula Vista with Bill Sornson (Sorni).

I'm out front in the right lane (of a North-South street with two
lanes going each way and a left turn lane), in the Dreaded Door Zone.
This is not a heavily cycled part of town. I felt like everybody was
better off with me not taking the lane. In retrospect, that was a big
mistake.

I've learned (from decades of motorcycling) to be very vigilant in
watching parked cars for drivers who might unthinkingly open their
doors in your path, but between the early afternoon sun, the
sunglasses, and the deeply tinted rear window on the burgundy Toyota
pickup truck, I didn't see a head in this particular car. And he
didn't bother to look for me.

FLING! The door bursts wide open at the exact moment I enter its
radius . . . at about 18mph. CRASH! I'm down. The front wheel is
tacoed, my helmet is cracked, the right hand brifter is a tweaked,
scraped mess, and my clavicle area has taken the brunt of the edge of
his door.

Police are called. Ambulance is summoned. X-rays and CT's are taken.
All is relatively well.

But the Moots, I'm afraid, is now *far* from new. I've always known
that *things are just things*, but the novelty of this bike had
anything but worn off. It was too young. Our time together too
limited. Our journey not yet begun.

I don't know much about titanium welds and carbon fiber vis-a-vis how
they hold up to accidents. Neither do I know how much the force
sustained by the various bike parts was. All I know is my beautiful
new bike got all banged up today, and me with it. I also know that
Bill Sornson got to watch, and is a darned good guy to have along when
the worst happens.

Be careful out there, kids. Zoot has a lot of very apt epithets for
those car people. They don't think like we do, if at all.

Neil
Forlorn in San Diego

 

[Claire Petersky]

"Neil Brooks" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> but the novelty of this bike had
> anything but worn off. It was too young. Our time together too
> limited. Our journey not yet begun.

Ah shucks! This is terrible! I'm glad you're OK, but it's too bad about the
bike. Get both you and the bike completely checked out for soundness, you
hear?


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

 

[Maggie]

Neil Brooks wrote:
> Three weeks into Moots ownership. Maybe 300 miles on the odometer.
> Riding south in Chula Vista with Bill Sornson (Sorni).
>
> I'm out front in the right lane (of a North-South street with two
> lanes going each way and a left turn lane), in the Dreaded Door Zone.
> This is not a heavily cycled part of town. I felt like everybody was
> better off with me not taking the lane. In retrospect, that was a
big
> mistake.
>
> I've learned (from decades of motorcycling) to be very vigilant in
> watching parked cars for drivers who might unthinkingly open their
> doors in your path, but between the early afternoon sun, the
> sunglasses, and the deeply tinted rear window on the burgundy Toyota
> pickup truck, I didn't see a head in this particular car. And he
> didn't bother to look for me.
>
> FLING! The door bursts wide open at the exact moment I enter its
> radius . . . at about 18mph. CRASH! I'm down. The front wheel is
> tacoed, my helmet is cracked, the right hand brifter is a tweaked,
> scraped mess, and my clavicle area has taken the brunt of the edge of
> his door.
>
> Police are called. Ambulance is summoned. X-rays and CT's are
taken.
> All is relatively well.
>
> But the Moots, I'm afraid, is now *far* from new. I've always known
> that *things are just things*, but the novelty of this bike had
> anything but worn off. It was too young. Our time together too
> limited. Our journey not yet begun.
>
> I don't know much about titanium welds and carbon fiber vis-a-vis how
> they hold up to accidents. Neither do I know how much the force
> sustained by the various bike parts was. All I know is my beautiful
> new bike got all banged up today, and me with it. I also know that
> Bill Sornson got to watch, and is a darned good guy to have along
when
> the worst happens.
>
> Be careful out there, kids. Zoot has a lot of very apt epithets for
> those car people. They don't think like we do, if at all.
>
> Neil
> Forlorn in San Diego


Ahhhh, that is sad. Glad you are ok. That is the important thing. You
are alive to tell the story.
All Good Things,
Don't be Forlorn.
Maggie

 

[S o r n i]

Neil Brooks wrote:
> Three weeks into Moots ownership. Maybe 300 miles on the odometer.
> Riding south in Chula Vista with Bill Sornson (Sorni).
>
> I'm out front in the right lane (of a North-South street with two
> lanes going each way and a left turn lane), in the Dreaded Door Zone.
> This is not a heavily cycled part of town. I felt like everybody was
> better off with me not taking the lane. In retrospect, that was a big
> mistake.
>
> I've learned (from decades of motorcycling) to be very vigilant in
> watching parked cars for drivers who might unthinkingly open their
> doors in your path, but between the early afternoon sun, the
> sunglasses, and the deeply tinted rear window on the burgundy Toyota
> pickup truck, I didn't see a head in this particular car. And he
> didn't bother to look for me.
>
> FLING! The door bursts wide open at the exact moment I enter its
> radius . . . at about 18mph. CRASH! I'm down. The front wheel is
> tacoed, my helmet is cracked, the right hand brifter is a tweaked,
> scraped mess, and my clavicle area has taken the brunt of the edge of
> his door.
>
> Police are called. Ambulance is summoned. X-rays and CT's are taken.
> All is relatively well.
>
> But the Moots, I'm afraid, is now *far* from new. I've always known
> that *things are just things*, but the novelty of this bike had
> anything but worn off. It was too young. Our time together too
> limited. Our journey not yet begun.
>
> I don't know much about titanium welds and carbon fiber vis-a-vis how
> they hold up to accidents. Neither do I know how much the force
> sustained by the various bike parts was. All I know is my beautiful
> new bike got all banged up today, and me with it. I also know that
> Bill Sornson got to watch, and is a darned good guy to have along when
> the worst happens.
>
> Be careful out there, kids. Zoot has a lot of very apt epithets for
> those car people. They don't think like we do, if at all.
>
> Neil
> Forlorn in San Diego

Dude posts even faster than he rides! (I had to share my nuked Creamy
Chicken with White & Wild Rice with my cat. Excitement is my middle name.)

OK, so my version might have been entitled "Not So Good Friday." Of all the
routes we considered, Neil's "hey let's ride down to the border 'n back" won
out. All was going great (good weather, nice pace, etc.), but the roads
were getting more & more rough once we passed downtown and headed toward San
Diego's "South Bay" area. Lots of potholes, and the cars seemed less "cycle
aware" to put it mildly.

Still, we had cleared a quite congested area and were finally back on what
seemed to be a nice clear stretch of road, when BOOM! Neil was down about
10 feet in front of me.

WTF? Then I saw the wide open pickup truck door. The driver (parker?) was,
of course, defensive at first, but he basically admitted to not really
checking his rear view mirror. ("I didn't expect a bicycle to be there.")

Neil had a nice welt on his front right shoulder and was clearly stunned,
but at least he wasn't obviously badly injured. The bike LOOKED OK at
first -- the right shifter was turned in but no broken/bent parts at
least -- but then we tried spinning the wheels. ****. The front wheel was
a Pringle (although not obvious to look at); clearly beyond a roadside fix.

After some back & forth with the cager (the guy was fairly decent, once the
shock wore off), Neil wisely called the police. Ten minutes later --
report, cop calls ambulance (AND FIRE TRUCK), EMTs strap Neil to a board and
give him a plastic collar. I remark that a ride was plenty; could have done
without the floor show.

Hospital 4-5 blocks away; long-ass wait while they X-ray and other stuff;
finally release him and he calls the lovely Mrs. Moots to come get us. (I
had fun walking two bikes around during the 2-3 hours Neil was in the ER,
especially since the gray one wouldn't ROLL very well! Interesting looks
from people at the guy dressed like a...colorful fruit; recognition dawns
that rider of SECOND bike must be why we're at the FREAKIN' HOSPITAL!)

All in all, of course, it could have been much worse. Neil could have
been run over, or cracked his head open, or broken an arm or something. So
that was all quite fortunate. What really SUCKS was that Moots being a
brand spankin' new bike; I know how excited and proud Neil was to have
bought it, and having the "shine" smacked out of it like that just really
bites a big turd burrito.

Oh, well, such is life. At least we were out there riding, and not down
in a nice safe basement spinning away.

Back north of I-8 where he belongs, Bill S.

 

[Zoot Katz]

Sat, 26 Mar 2005 02:15:05 GMT,
<[email protected]>,
Neil Brooks <[email protected]> concluded:

>Be careful out there, kids. Zoot has a lot of very apt epithets for
>those car people. They don't think like we do, if at all.

Scud jockeys and asswipes, all of 'em.

Damn tinted windows.

Heal well, heal whole and remember, they're stunned scum.
--
zk

 

[Mike Latondresse]

Neil Brooks <[email protected]> wrote in
> FLING! The door bursts wide open at the exact moment I enter its
> radius . . . at about 18mph. CRASH! I'm down. The front wheel
> is tacoed, my helmet is cracked, the right hand brifter is a
> tweaked, scraped mess, and my clavicle area has taken the brunt of
> the edge of his door.

Only had one of those and because there was traffic to my left so I
launched to my right when collison appeared to be unavoidable and hit
the guy with my helmet on the side of his head. I rolled over the door
and ended up on his hood. He when down with a broken jaw and cheekbone
and I ended up with a sore neck and shoulder. Main thing was that the
bike was OK and the ambulance was for him. (for Zoot at al this was on
41st West of West Blvd).

 

[Zoot Katz]

Sat, 26 Mar 2005 03:48:37 GMT,
<[email protected]>, "S o r n i"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>****. The front wheel was
>a Pringle (although not obvious to look at); clearly beyond a roadside fix.

You've not seen chopper riders true tacos.

It's brutal and ugly but will get you home. It involves some violence
and generally works reasonably well.
--
zk

 

[Zoot Katz]

Sat, 26 Mar 2005 04:33:45 GMT,
<[email protected]>, Mike Latondresse
<mikelat@no_spam_shaw.ca> wrote:

>Only had one of those and because there was traffic to my left so I
>launched to my right when collison appeared to be unavoidable and hit
>the guy with my helmet on the side of his head. I rolled over the door
>and ended up on his hood. He when down with a broken jaw and cheekbone
>and I ended up with a sore neck and shoulder. Main thing was that the
>bike was OK and the ambulance was for him.

WAY TO GO!
You should've knocked off his fukin' head since he wasn't using it.
--
zk

 

[S o r n i]

Zoot Katz wrote:
> Sat, 26 Mar 2005 03:48:37 GMT,
> <[email protected]>, "S o r n i"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> ****. The front wheel was
>> a Pringle (although not obvious to look at); clearly beyond a
>> roadside fix.
>
> You've not seen chopper riders true tacos.
>
> It's brutal and ugly but will get you home. It involves some violence
> and generally works reasonably well.

Actually, I /do/ know what you're talking about. Have seen it done to mtb
wheels more than once. (The word "THWACK!" comes to mind -- unless you mean
more like STANDING on it?)

(I also left out the end of the sentence: "...beyond a roadside fix FOR A
COUPLE OF KNUCKLEHEADS LIKE US"

If Neil had been totally unhurt, we'd have tried to true the wheel (PITA, as
it involves removing everything including rim strip -- Campy Euros {sp?}
wheels); or even taken the front brake off I guess. Once it was clear I'd
be chasing an ambulance, however, we opted to leave it as is (as much for
the full "LBS assessment" as anything else).

One way or another, it would have hurt to go gorilla on the guy's brand-new
hoops, that's for sure...

Bill S.

 

[Zoot Katz]

Sat, 26 Mar 2005 05:05:51 GMT, <[email protected]>,
"S o r n i" <[email protected]> wrote:

>> It's brutal and ugly but will get you home. It involves some violence
>> and generally works reasonably well.
>
>Actually, I /do/ know what you're talking about. Have seen it done to mtb
>wheels more than once. (The word "THWACK!" comes to mind -- unless you mean
>more like STANDING on it?)

That's the one though I imagine an aching gorilla would do it quicker.
--
zk

 

[Bob]

Neil Brooks wrote:
> Three weeks into Moots ownership. Maybe 300 miles on the odometer.
> Riding south in Chula Vista with Bill Sornson (Sorni).
>
> I'm out front in the right lane (of a North-South street with two
> lanes going each way and a left turn lane), in the Dreaded Door Zone.
> This is not a heavily cycled part of town. I felt like everybody was
> better off with me not taking the lane. In retrospect, that was a
big
> mistake.
>
> I've learned (from decades of motorcycling) to be very vigilant in
> watching parked cars for drivers who might unthinkingly open their
> doors in your path, but between the early afternoon sun, the
> sunglasses, and the deeply tinted rear window on the burgundy Toyota
> pickup truck, I didn't see a head in this particular car. And he
> didn't bother to look for me.
>
> FLING! The door bursts wide open at the exact moment I enter its
> radius . . . at about 18mph. CRASH! I'm down. The front wheel is
> tacoed, my helmet is cracked, the right hand brifter is a tweaked,
> scraped mess, and my clavicle area has taken the brunt of the edge of
> his door.
>
> Police are called. Ambulance is summoned. X-rays and CT's are
taken.
> All is relatively well.
>
> But the Moots, I'm afraid, is now *far* from new. I've always known
> that *things are just things*, but the novelty of this bike had
> anything but worn off. It was too young. Our time together too
> limited. Our journey not yet begun.
>
> I don't know much about titanium welds and carbon fiber vis-a-vis how
> they hold up to accidents. Neither do I know how much the force
> sustained by the various bike parts was. All I know is my beautiful
> new bike got all banged up today, and me with it. I also know that
> Bill Sornson got to watch, and is a darned good guy to have along
when
> the worst happens.
>
> Be careful out there, kids. Zoot has a lot of very apt epithets for
> those car people. They don't think like we do, if at all.
>
> Neil
> Forlorn in San Diego

We all feel for you, Neil. Hope you (and the bike) are soon as good as
new.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

 

[[email protected]]

the helmet saved his life

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
"Bob" <[email protected]> writes:

> We all feel for you, Neil. Hope you (and the bike) are soon as good as
> new.

What Bob said. And I'm glad you came out of it
not too much the worse.


better days,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[Peter Cole]

Neil Brooks wrote:
>
> I've learned (from decades of motorcycling) to be very vigilant in
> watching parked cars for drivers who might unthinkingly open their
> doors in your path, but between the early afternoon sun, the
> sunglasses, and the deeply tinted rear window on the burgundy Toyota
> pickup truck, I didn't see a head in this particular car. And he
> didn't bother to look for me.

Neil, I feel your pain. A Moots is a terrible thing to get dinged. But,
since nobody else has, I guess it's up to me to deliver the sermonette:

Never ride in the frickin door zone. Period. End of story. Say no more.

 

[Mark Hickey]

Neil Brooks <[email protected]> wrote:

>I don't know much about titanium welds and carbon fiber vis-a-vis how
>they hold up to accidents. Neither do I know how much the force
>sustained by the various bike parts was. All I know is my beautiful
>new bike got all banged up today, and me with it. I also know that
>Bill Sornson got to watch, and is a darned good guy to have along when
>the worst happens.

Neil, if it's any comfort, it's very likely your frame wasn't tweaked
at all. Moots and Habanero road frames are very, very similar in
terms of materials and construction - and I've had customers report
really awful impacts that didn't do diddly squat to their frames
(including several "enter garage with roof rack-mounted Habby on
top"). The front wheel likely took enough of the impact to cushion
the blow to the frame. A "string test" would show any misalignment
that would be likely to happen from such an impact (other than the
obvious bent down tube, of course).

The other really good news is that a brushed ti frame can be
"refinished" in just a few minutes (or even seconds for a "touch up")
with a piece of very fine sandpaper or Scotchbrite pad. Any minor
scrapes you got on the frame can be fixed, leaving nary a hint of the
horror they previously portrayed. If you'd been riding a Colnago,
you'd really be sad right now.

Glad to hear that you weren't badly injured - that type of accident
can be quite traumatic, depending on how and what you hit. I normally
avoid the door zone, but every so often I'll find myself in a
situation where I realize that I've left myself open for "an
incident"... it pays to assume that each car contains a very short,
very fat very impatient person who loves the sound of his door
rebounding off the stops.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

 

[Paul Turner]

<[email protected]> wrote:

> the helmet saved his life

You know the tense moment right after the doctor says "This is going to
sting a little bit"? It's a relief when he actually cuts. Thanks for
getting this over with.

Glad you're okay, Neil.

--
Paul Turner

 

[[email protected]]

Bob <[email protected]> wrote:
>> But the Moots, I'm afraid, is now *far* from new. I've always known
>> that *things are just things*, but the novelty of this bike had
>> anything but worn off. It was too young. Our time together too
>> limited. Our journey not yet begun.

> We all feel for you, Neil. Hope you (and the bike) are soon as good as
> new.

Okay, I'll be the one to state the obvious. For The Record, whether
that bike needs repairs or total replacement, the cager is liable. File a
claim with his insurance company ASAP.

Bill

__o | SUVs are the reason gas costs $2 a gallon.
_`\(,_ | Bicycles are the reason it isn?t $3.
(_)/ (_) |

 

[Tom Sherman]

Mark Hickey wrote:
> Neil Brooks <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>I don't know much about titanium welds and carbon fiber vis-a-vis how
>>they hold up to accidents. Neither do I know how much the force
>>sustained by the various bike parts was. All I know is my beautiful
>>new bike got all banged up today, and me with it. I also know that
>>Bill Sornson got to watch, and is a darned good guy to have along when
>>the worst happens.
>
>
> Neil, if it's any comfort, it's very likely your frame wasn't tweaked
> at all. Moots and Habanero road frames are very, very similar in
> terms of materials and construction - and I've had customers report
> really awful impacts that didn't do diddly squat to their frames
> (including several "enter garage with roof rack-mounted Habby on
> top"). The front wheel likely took enough of the impact to cushion
> the blow to the frame. A "string test" would show any misalignment
> that would be likely to happen from such an impact (other than the
> obvious bent down tube, of course).
>
> The other really good news is that a brushed ti frame can be
> "refinished" in just a few minutes (or even seconds for a "touch up")
> with a piece of very fine sandpaper or Scotchbrite pad. Any minor
> scrapes you got on the frame can be fixed, leaving nary a hint of the
> horror they previously portrayed. If you'd been riding a Colnago,
> you'd really be sad right now....

If I were to hit a car door, I would rather be riding a heavy recumbent
with a full fairing made from steel tubing and sheet metal.
See <http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/joe/outtaMyWay_1.mpg>,
<http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/joe/outtaMyWay_2.mpg>,
<http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/joe/>.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth (Downstate Illinois, North of Forgottonia)

 

[Mike Kruger]

Glad you are in good shape.

Keep up up to date on the repair/replacement progress.

 

[tcmedara]

S o r n i wrote:
>
> Oh, well, such is life. At least we were out there riding, and not
> down
> in a nice safe basement spinning away.
>
> Back north of I-8 where he belongs, Bill S.

Miles a year ago, now this. Hmmmm, I'm beginning to see a common thread
here, Bill. Keep beating the snot out of your ride partners and you may
just wind up alone in the basement spinning away. Who's left, your cat?

whispers: "That'll teach ya to avoid that GRS"

Tom