Tram tracks finally got me

[beerwolf]

byron27 <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> 4 1/2 years is not bad considering the first time my mate came to
> Melbourne from Perth he lasted all of 100m down the road before coming
> a cropper on the tram tracks. And they werent even wet!

Now I don't feel so bad about only lasting a week or so. Brunswick Street
Fitzroy, I had just turned the corner out of Gertrude Street, and went wide
to avoid a pedestrian. Big mistake. I still have the scar on my face to
remember it by.
Bike was ok though.

--
beerwolf

 

[::dom::]

How freaked out would those goths have been?

Really freaked!!!

As I hit the road there was a collective "Oooooo!" just like the crowd at at a soccer match watching a shot bounce off the post.

I slid right up to where they were standing and my helmet "tapped" the curb as I stopped. Dazed I unclipped and sat up and began to check my limbs. Wiggled toes, flexed knees, and finally raised my elbow above my head to see if I'd broken my collarbone. it was OK. but VERY painful.

A pale waife-like, very stoned, goth in a black trenchcoat and purple streeked hair must have thought I was asking for a hand up and grabbed my bashed arm and tried to pull me out of the gutter. "FAAAAARK!" I got half way up, just to stop him pulling my arm, and still unsteady, cleats on wet tarmac HE started to topple.

This kid would have weighed less than my right thigh and was about 5ft small and totally "out-of-it" and me, 6', a Super-Clyde, and woozy. We did the "try not to topple, Tango" grabbing hold to stop the other falling over. If you had a camcorder you'd win top prize on Funniest Home Vids and have an instant YouTube hit.

Anyway I managed to stay upright...just.. checked the bike, all ok (amazing) and jumped back on and rode away to cheers from the Goths.

 

[Richard Sherratt]

On Thu, 2 Aug 2007 19:53:41 +1000, "Gags"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>After 4 and a half years of riding in Melbourne I finally had a stack on the
>tram tracks tonight.

Ouch!

I was told after my incident that it happens to everyone who rides in
Melbourne, sooner or later. That doesn't stop the pain, though.

Mine was a front wheel on Christmas day about 4 years ago. Double
parked cars in Victoria St Richmond and I was crossing to the middle
of the tram tracks to avoid them and then back again to the LH lane.
Got overconfident after about 3 or 4 times and made the angle too
narrow. Bang. A beautiful young woman in a denim mini came to my
assistance. Thought I'd died and gone to heaven

Lost lots of skin on my left calf/shin, but the bike was OK.

--
Regards.
Richard.

 

[Joel Mayes]

On 2007-08-04, Richard Sherratt
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Thu, 2 Aug 2007 19:53:41 +1000, "Gags"
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>After 4 and a half years of riding in Melbourne I finally had a stack
>>on the tram tracks tonight.
>
> Ouch!
>
> I was told after my incident that it happens to everyone who rides in
> Melbourne, sooner or later. That doesn't stop the pain, though.
>
> Mine was a front wheel on Christmas day about 4 years ago. Double
> parked cars in Victoria St Richmond and I was crossing to the middle
> of the tram tracks to avoid them and then back again to the LH lane.
> Got overconfident after about 3 or 4 times and made the angle too
> narrow. Bang. A beautiful young woman in a denim mini came to my
> assistance. Thought I'd died and gone to heaven
>
> Lost lots of skin on my left calf/shin, but the bike was OK.

Must be the time of year for it! I had two bike in the workshop today
with Tram-track related damage, one included a stuffed fork, front brake
and front axle (amazingly the wheel was still true!)

Cheers

Joel

--
Human Powered Cycles | High quality servicing and repairs
[email protected] | Affordable second hand bikes
(03) 9029 6504 | Bicycle reuse centre
www.humanpowered.com.au | Mechanical and on-road training and instruction

 

[Richard Sherratt]

On 04 Aug 2007 06:55:18 GMT, Joel Mayes <[email protected]>
wrote:

<snip>

>Must be the time of year for it! I had two bike in the workshop today
>with Tram-track related damage, one included a stuffed fork, front brake
>and front axle (amazingly the wheel was still true!)

Actually, there was some bike damage, now I think about it. I almost
managed to save the bike by sacrificing my body. No paint damage, but
the handlebar tape on the LH side got a bit of a scrape and there's a
tiny, partial tear about half way down the drops. This may not seem
like a major tragedy, but the tape's embossed with "Scapin" and it's
the same yellow as the yellow on the frame and my baby likes to look
her best



--
Regards.
Richard.

 

[Joel Mayes]

On 2007-08-04, Richard Sherratt
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On 04 Aug 2007 06:55:18 GMT, Joel Mayes <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
><snip>
>
>>Must be the time of year for it! I had two bike in the workshop today
>>with Tram-track related damage, one included a stuffed fork, front
>>brake and front axle (amazingly the wheel was still true!)
>
> Actually, there was some bike damage, now I think about it. I almost
> managed to save the bike by sacrificing my body. No paint damage, but
> the handlebar tape on the LH side got a bit of a scrape and there's a
> tiny, partial tear about half way down the drops. This may not seem
> like a major tragedy, but the tape's embossed with "Scapin" and it's
> the same yellow as the yellow on the frame and my baby likes to look
> her best


Bummer!

Now you're stuck with the problem of whether to retape or patch with
matching electrical tape



Joel
--
Human Powered Cycles | High quality servicing and repairs
[email protected] | Affordable second hand bikes
(03) 9029 6504 | Bicycle reuse centre
www.humanpowered.com.au | Mechanical and on-road training and instruction

 

[Richard Sherratt]

On 04 Aug 2007 09:22:26 GMT, Joel Mayes <[email protected]>
wrote:

<snnip>

>> Actually, there was some bike damage, now I think about it. I almost
>> managed to save the bike by sacrificing my body. No paint damage, but
>> the handlebar tape on the LH side got a bit of a scrape and there's a
>> tiny, partial tear about half way down the drops. This may not seem
>> like a major tragedy, but the tape's embossed with "Scapin" and it's
>> the same yellow as the yellow on the frame and my baby likes to look
>> her best
>
>
>Bummer!

Indeed!

>Now you're stuck with the problem of whether to retape

If I could find some matching tape :-(

>or patch with
>matching electrical tape
>
>

My baby does not do electrical tape. Shame on you
--
Regards.
Richard.

 

[BT Humble]

Joel Mayes wrote:
> On 2007-08-02, DaveB <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Ok but more importantly, how was the guitar?
>
> Guitar was fine, my pants on the other hand...

Personally, I find that gloves do a better job of protecting one's
hands.... ;-)


BTH

 

[TimC]

On 2007-08-03, dom (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> They got me the day before "Round the Bay" last year. I'd traveled
> 4,000km to ride the ride and the tracks got me at the end of an early
> moning cycle right outside Hungry Jacks in Swanson St, in front of a
> crowd of stoned goths. Skidded 10m and got some pretty nasty road rash
> on my leg and a rainbow coloured arm for weeks... Bike had a little
> skuff on the bar tape as I had the presence of mind to hold it off the
> ground with still clipped in feet while sliding accross the tarmac.
>
> BTW.. too sore to do the ride the next day
>
> Myabe there should be a Tram Track Crash club

There should also be a "got myself injured 1-7 days before the ATB
ride" club.

--
TimC
Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your Microsoft product.
-- Ferenc Mantfeld

 

[TimC]

On 2007-08-03, beerwolf (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> byron27 <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>> 4 1/2 years is not bad considering the first time my mate came to
>> Melbourne from Perth he lasted all of 100m down the road before coming
>> a cropper on the tram tracks. And they werent even wet!
>
> Now I don't feel so bad about only lasting a week or so. Brunswick Street
> Fitzroy, I had just turned the corner out of Gertrude Street, and went wide
> to avoid a pedestrian. Big mistake. I still have the scar on my face to
> remember it by.
> Bike was ok though.

"But the rear wheel flicked up and knocked out the errant pedestrian"?

No? Damn. I'm a *******.

--
TimC
Black holes are where God divided by zero. -- Steven Wright

 

[TimC]

On 2007-08-04, Richard Sherratt (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> On Thu, 2 Aug 2007 19:53:41 +1000, "Gags"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>After 4 and a half years of riding in Melbourne I finally had a stack on the
>>tram tracks tonight.
>
> Ouch!
>
> I was told after my incident that it happens to everyone who rides in
> Melbourne, sooner or later. That doesn't stop the pain, though.

Too right about that. My ribs hurt for 6 weeks. I don't recall
whether cfsmtb's cat and ribs incident also involved tram tracks --
was that the case?

--
TimC
A transistor protected by a fast-acting fuse will protect
the fuse by blowing first. --unknown