My first wreck...quick question



MCOSR

New Member
Nov 18, 2004
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My back tire started sliding on a turn that I should have been smart enough to slow down for, I over corrected and put the bike (and my body) down when my weight shifted back over the top.

I checked the bike and aside from some scratches it appears to be fine. I had to push my seat and the shifter back into position, but rode another 30 miles and didn't notice anything wrong. However, as my bike knowledge is limited to what I can look up in Zinn's road bike maintenance book, my question is should I have it checked at the LBS for anything I might be missing?

Sorry if it is a stupid question. Thanks for your input.
 
MCOSR said:
My back tire started sliding on a turn that I should have been smart enough to slow down for, I over corrected and put the bike (and my body) down when my weight shifted back over the top.

I checked the bike and aside from some scratches it appears to be fine. I had to push my seat and the shifter back into position, but rode another 30 miles and didn't notice anything wrong. However, as my bike knowledge is limited to what I can look up in Zinn's road bike maintenance book, my question is should I have it checked at the LBS for anything I might be missing?

Sorry if it is a stupid question. Thanks for your input.
Ha. We've all done that, on more than one occasion aswell. Depending on which side you landed, check your rear derailleur hanger to see if it's bent back. Sometimes you'll hear the gears grinding away if it is. Check the pedal on that side aswell. It's unlikely, but that could be bent too. If you want to be really sure, check the frame for alignment. Tie a piece of string to one of the rear drop-outs and wrap around the head-tube then back to the other drop-out on the other side. Check the distance between the seat-tube and the string on either side and if both measurements are the same, you're OK. 1mm either side won't make a huge difference either. Any more than that, get down to your LBS and they might be able to fix it there or send it away to a frame builder. Other than that, I can't think of anything else. Hope all is well.

Bill.
 
From your description, it sounds like you just washed out and didn't hit anything? I wouldn't worry about it too much. If the bike starts feeling flexy, or you start hearing noises that weren't there before have it checked out.
 
MCOSR said:
My back tire started sliding on a turn that I should have been smart enough to slow down for, I over corrected and put the bike (and my body) down when my weight shifted back over the top.

I checked the bike and aside from some scratches it appears to be fine. I had to push my seat and the shifter back into position, but rode another 30 miles and didn't notice anything wrong. However, as my bike knowledge is limited to what I can look up in Zinn's road bike maintenance book, my question is should I have it checked at the LBS for anything I might be missing?

Sorry if it is a stupid question. Thanks for your input.
If you have a carbon fork, I would check the fork blades and steerer tube for any cracks. It's not pretty to snap a fork during a ride...
 
Check for any signs of stress marks. They can look like a simple scrape or could look like the metal is sort of stretched.
 
had almost the same crash.

if your head hit anything, get a new helmet.

check to be sure the wheels are still true.




MCOSR said:
My back tire started sliding on a turn that I should have been smart enough to slow down for, I over corrected and put the bike (and my body) down when my weight shifted back over the top.

I checked the bike and aside from some scratches it appears to be fine. I had to push my seat and the shifter back into position, but rode another 30 miles and didn't notice anything wrong. However, as my bike knowledge is limited to what I can look up in Zinn's road bike maintenance book, my question is should I have it checked at the LBS for anything I might be missing?

Sorry if it is a stupid question. Thanks for your input.