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

[Neil Brooks]

"Peter Cole" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>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.

That's just a sermonette I'm gonna' have to take.

It didn't take long (no shock there) for me to start figuring out what
I could have done differently. The best and only answer was, "Idiot!
You knew better! Stay out of the door zone. If you didn't think the
locals in *that* area would be hospitable toward a cyclist taking the
lane, you should have been cycling elsewhere."

I'm more than happy to have my little episode serve as a painful
reminder to others that the Door Zone is to be avoided like the
plague.

 

[S o r n i]

tcmedara wrote:
> 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"

Yeah, Tom, don't think that Neil didn't mention it, too!

(Just for the record, I was not in Miles' small group when he went
tumbling down the mountainside; I had hung back to help someone without a
good light through the tunnels, so I came upon the "crash scene" about 5 or
10 minutes after the great fall. I did ride out with Miles, though, and
then drove him to the E.R.)

My theory is that, by being old and slow, I let others serve as pet
canaries.

This one, however, was simply a case of (very) unfortunate timing.

Oh, and LEAVE MY CAT OUT OF THIS!



Protective Pete

 

[Neil Brooks]

[email protected] wrote:

>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.
>(_)/ (_) |

I'd ordinarily snip a signature on reply, but yours is COOL!

You're right. That's why the first thing I did (after genuflecting
before, and apologizing profusely to, the Moots) was to reach around
for ye olde cell phone and get John Q. Law to come to the scene (the
officer, incidentally, was just incredible to deal with). I have the
report # and will start the process on Monday.

I think I'll just take the weekend off....

 

[S o r n i]

OK, here's a phenomenon: if my server eats my post and I do a "copy and
paste" thing to re-post, I lose my little /italic/ deals, AND my smiley face
thingy gets converted into an attachment instead of being placed where
intended.

OK, back to your morning paper and coffee...

Bill "another five years and I'll figure this stuff out" S.

 

[Neil Brooks]

Mark Hickey <[email protected]> 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).

Many thanks for that, Mark. It's nice to be able to draw not only on
your frame manufacturing expertise, but your wisdom regarding crashes
;-)

>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.

Also good news. I have /those/ kinds of tools around the house...

>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.

Too true. From my replay of the impact, it seems the right brifter
and I took the lion's share of the blow, meaning that I was away
from-- but not entirely out of--the door zone. Maybe that was the
*worst* of both worlds.

I was timid. I got spanked.

 

[Neil Brooks]

Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:


>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/>.


Ah, the Bunker Buster 'Bent. That's the ticket!

 

[Neil Brooks]

"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote:

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

Thanks, Bob.

Since you probably hear enough people ranting about *their* negative
encounter with people in your line of work, I'll just say that the one
who showed up to help me out was fantastic: calm, cool, compassionate,
professional, and sympathetic.

Not bad looking, either. Something about a Glock in a Sam Brown
belt... ;-)

 

[Neil Brooks]

"Paul Turner" <[email protected]> wrote:

><[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.

Thanks, Paul.

In this particular case, though, it was I who saved the helmet's life.

You see, a well-fitting, comfortable, well-ventilated helmet isn't
that easy to find.

Knowing that the helmet had escaped the initial impact with the car
door, but that it was in danger of hitting the concrete, I cradled it
with both my hands and clung tightly to it as I went over on my right
side.

That helmet has me to thank . . . . ;-)

 

[Neil Brooks]

"tcmedara" <[email protected]> wrote:

>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?

I asked him that very question. His response?

"It's just another advantage of being the slow one on the ride!"

Priceless.

 

[S o r n i]

Neil Brooks wrote:
> "Bob" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> We all feel for you, Neil. Hope you (and the bike) are soon as good
>> as new.
>
> Thanks, Bob.
>
> Since you probably hear enough people ranting about *their* negative
> encounter with people in your line of work, I'll just say that the one
> who showed up to help me out was fantastic: calm, cool, compassionate,
> professional, and sympathetic.
>
> Not bad looking, either. Something about a Glock in a Sam Brown
> belt... ;-)

Hey, she asked for my phone number, too! Do you think...?

My way of adding that the cop was FEMALE, Witness *****

 

[S o r n i]

Neil Brooks wrote:
> Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>> 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/>.
>
>
> Ah, the Bunker Buster 'Bent. That's the ticket!

Let's see a parker see THAT in his/her r-v mirror!

 

[Tom Sherman]

B i l l S o r n s o n wrote:

> Neil Brooks wrote:
>
>>Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>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/>.
>>
>>
>>Ah, the Bunker Buster 'Bent. That's the ticket!
>
>
> Let's see a parker see THAT in his/her r-v mirror!

The point is to rip the car door off the hinges, not to avoid it.

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

 

[[email protected]]

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

>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).

It really sucks when that happens. But sometimes, no matter how
careful you are, things like sun or whatever,can't be avoided. I know
experienced cyclists who've had accidents because of sun in their
eyes.

Hopefully the bike is okay and you will heal and get in the saddle
again!

 

[Neil Brooks]

[email protected] wrote:


>It really sucks when that happens. But sometimes, no matter how
>careful you are, things like sun or whatever,can't be avoided. I know
>experienced cyclists who've had accidents because of sun in their
>eyes.
>
>Hopefully the bike is okay and you will heal and get in the saddle
>again!

Couldn't have said it better myself. It does just suck.

In trying to prepare to do better next time, though, I'm realizing
just how mission critical it is to--as John Forester has always
said--"act and be treated as a driver of a vehicle."

In other words, I was reluctant to "take the lane" because it was a
less-than-bike-friendly area. That was my fault, either for cycling
in such an area in the first place, or for failing to resolve that
reluctance and take the darned lane regardless.

There's no doubt, legally, that the operator of the parked car was at
fault. There's also no doubt that--had I done things differently, as
I intend to going forward--this wouldn't have happened to me.

Cautionary tale . . . .

 

[Rich]

Neil Brooks wrote:

> In trying to prepare to do better next time, though, I'm realizing
> just how mission critical it is to--as John Forester has always
> said--"act and be treated as a driver of a vehicle."

You may have the power to act as a driver of a vehicle, but unfortunatly
it's not within your power to be treated as a driver of a vehicle; that
power lies with those doing the treating. And even drivers of vehicles
are sometimes hit by other drivers.

> In other words, I was reluctant to "take the lane" because it was a
> less-than-bike-friendly area. That was my fault, either for cycling
> in such an area in the first place, or for failing to resolve that
> reluctance and take the darned lane regardless.

While I'm all for learning from bad experiences, it appears to me this
was just a stroke of bad luck. I think you did what you were supposed
to; sometimes things just don't go your way.

When something bad happens, it's easy to second guess your actions. But
maybe if you had "taken the lane" you'd have been mowed down by an 18
wheeler. As it stands, it appears both you and the bike are
repairable. Not a great day, but not a horrible one either.

Rich

 

[Neil Brooks]

Rich <[email protected]> wrote:

>Neil Brooks wrote:
>
>> In trying to prepare to do better next time, though, I'm realizing
>> just how mission critical it is to--as John Forester has always
>> said--"act and be treated as a driver of a vehicle."
>
>You may have the power to act as a driver of a vehicle, but unfortunatly
>it's not within your power to be treated as a driver of a vehicle; that
>power lies with those doing the treating. And even drivers of vehicles
>are sometimes hit by other drivers.
>
>> In other words, I was reluctant to "take the lane" because it was a
>> less-than-bike-friendly area. That was my fault, either for cycling
>> in such an area in the first place, or for failing to resolve that
>> reluctance and take the darned lane regardless.
>
>While I'm all for learning from bad experiences, it appears to me this
>was just a stroke of bad luck. I think you did what you were supposed
>to; sometimes things just don't go your way.
>
>When something bad happens, it's easy to second guess your actions. But
>maybe if you had "taken the lane" you'd have been mowed down by an 18
>wheeler. As it stands, it appears both you and the bike are
>repairable. Not a great day, but not a horrible one either.

Good points, well stated. Thanks, Rich.

 

[Maggie]

S o r n i wrote:
> Neil Brooks wrote:
> > "Bob" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> We all feel for you, Neil. Hope you (and the bike) are soon as
good
> >> as new.
> >
> > Thanks, Bob.
> >
> > Since you probably hear enough people ranting about *their*
negative
> > encounter with people in your line of work, I'll just say that the
one
> > who showed up to help me out was fantastic: calm, cool,
compassionate,
> > professional, and sympathetic.
> >
> > Not bad looking, either. Something about a Glock in a Sam Brown
> > belt... ;-)
>
> Hey, she asked for my phone number, too! Do you think...?
>
> My way of adding that the cop was FEMALE, Witness *****

Sorni, maybe you found the love of your love through Neil's misfortune.
Considering you share your meals with your cat, I am assuming, you are
single.
All Good things,
Maggie

 

[Neil Brooks]

"S o r n i" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Neil Brooks wrote:
>> "Bob" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> We all feel for you, Neil. Hope you (and the bike) are soon as good
>>> as new.
>>
>> Thanks, Bob.
>>
>> Since you probably hear enough people ranting about *their* negative
>> encounter with people in your line of work, I'll just say that the one
>> who showed up to help me out was fantastic: calm, cool, compassionate,
>> professional, and sympathetic.
>>
>> Not bad looking, either. Something about a Glock in a Sam Brown
>> belt... ;-)
>
>Hey, she asked for my phone number, too! Do you think...?
>
>My way of adding that the cop was FEMALE, Witness *****
>

FEMALE?!?

Alright . . . still awfully cute . . . but not the way that I thought.

(It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A . . . .)

 

[tcmedara]

Neil Brooks wrote:
> "tcmedara" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> 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?
>
> I asked him that very question. His response?
>
> "It's just another advantage of being the slow one on the ride!"
>
> Priceless.

Hope your healing well. I thing you guys need to put Bill on probation.
Double Secret Probation, actually. Something that takes the form of horns
and streamers to alert the unsuspecting masses of the hazard on two wheels.

Tom

 

[S o r n i]

(Note: RE friggin' POST again.)

Maggie wrote:
> S o r n i wrote:
>> Neil Brooks wrote:

>>> Not bad looking, either. Something about a Glock in a Sam Brown
>>> belt...
>>
>> Hey, she asked for my phone number, too! Do you think...?
>>
>> My way of adding that the cop was FEMALE, Witness *****
>
> Sorni, maybe you found the love of your love through Neil's
> misfortune. Considering you share your meals with your cat, I am
> assuming, you are single.

An understatement, my dear. (What the hell are you doing posting on a
SATURDAY? Go in to "work"? )

Considering that both of my ex-wives were tall, slender blondes, maybe that
short, round African American policewoman MIGHT change my luck.

Moderately Inspired, BS (mostly yes in this case)