Interesting crash

[Michael Klontza]

In article <Pine.LNX.4.44.0304021300550.30642- [email protected]>, dated Wed, 2 Apr 2003
13:05:46 +0100, Daniel Auger <[email protected]> says...
>Such occurences are fortunately rare, but I imagine they will happen once in a while. How do more
>experienced people than myself prepare for and deal with similar hazards?

Similarly, suppose you are riding downhill when you realise you have no breaks. There is no need for
an emergency stop but you are accelerating rather than slowing down and there is a busy junction
further down. What do you do? Pressing the front mudguard against the tread of the front tyre used
to work 20 years ago

--
Michael Klontzas 'If everything seems to be coming your way, you're probably in the wrong lane'
(Borstelmann's Rule)

 

[Michael Klontza]

In article <[email protected]>, dated 3 Apr 2003 07:53:03 -0800, Murk
<[email protected]> says...
>Ian Walker <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>> Here's a question about crashes: over the last three winters I've had several spills - ice
>> patches, wet leaves, etc. I've noticed that every single time I've fallen, I've falled to the
>> left. That is, my wheels have slipped out to the right and I've fallen on my left side. Is this
>> just co- incidence (a priori probability of 5 successive crashes in this direction is less than 1
>> in 30), or is there something non-obvious about bikes that would make this direction of fall more
>> likely to happen?

It can't be a coincidence but there is nothing natural about falling specifically to the left. There
must be something to do with the operator. I fall to the right (and I ride in the UK) -- yes, that's
into the path of other traffic! Actually, as you say, the pattern is so persistent that I carry
fragile stuff (mobile phone etc) in my left pockets now! In my case I think it has something to do
with the fact that in an emergency I tend to push the right-hand side pedal down hard (I don't use
SPDs that often).

>I'm not sure if this is related or not, but I've found that whenever I need to do a sharp u-turn, I
>feel much more comfortable moving across to the other side of the road and turning to my left
>rather than the more obvious turn to the right from my present position.
>
>Is it just me? Do we have a natural bias in our balance like left/right handedness?

same here. Must be the left/right handedness thingy but I try to fight
it.

--
Michael Klontzas 'If everything seems to be coming your way, you're probably in the wrong lane'
(Borstelmann's Rule)

 

[Call Me Bob]

On Fri, 4 Apr 2003 17:05:33 +0100, Michael Klontzas <[email protected]> wrote:

>It can't be a coincidence but there is nothing natural about falling specifically to the left.
>There must be something to do with the operator. I fall to the right (and I ride in the UK) -- yes,
>that's into the path of other traffic! Actually, as you say, the pattern is so persistent that I
>carry fragile stuff (mobile phone etc) in my left pockets now! In my case I think it has something
>to do with the fact that in an emergency I tend to push the right-hand side pedal down hard (I
>don't use SPDs that often).

I really don't understand this at all. Whenever I've come off my bike it's been a more or less
instantaneous happening, I've never had the time to choose where I land. Left side, right side, head
or ****, it depends solely on the nature of the crash, not on any input I have in the preceding
milliseconds.

If I've ever had time to exert some influence or control over the situation, it's usually been
converted into a "Christ, that was close!" moment, instead of a wipeout.

I had a really dumb fall a week or two ago in fact - evening ride, dark and wet, was waiting to pull
out at a T junction. The traffic was quite busy so I'd been waiting an unusually long time for a
safe gap, so long that I completely forgot my rear wheel was sitting on a metal manhole cover. When
the gap arrived I stood on my pedal and gave it some oomph to pull out quickly, the wheel just spun
on the spot and right out from under me. I was on the tarmac faster than my brain could realise what
was happening.

Silly bugger.

Bob
--
Mail address is spam trapped To reply by email remove the beverage

 

[Ian Walker]

On Fri, 04 Apr 2003 18:53:45 +0100, Call me Bob <[email protected]> wrote:

> I really don't understand this at all. Whenever I've come off my bike it's been a more or less
> instantaneous happening, I've never had the time to choose where I land. Left side, right side,
> head or ****, it depends solely on the nature of the crash, not on any input I have in the
> preceding milliseconds.
>

This is exactly my experience, which is why I was wondering if anyone had any insight.

--
Ian Walker Remove the yummy paste in my address to reply. Homepage: http://www.drianwalker.com