[Simon_MacMichael]

The idea for this thread came over the weekend when I was riding up the outside of a queue of traffic on the Kings Road, vehicles coming the other way, and approaching a zebra crossing foiund I couldn’t unclip my right foot … was so intent on trying to disengage it that it didn’t occur to me to unclip my left foot. 

Luckily managed to zig-zag through a gap in cars to the kerb and a friendly lamp post to hold on to while I sorted it out, but for a few seconds I thought I was going to end up under the area’s apex predator, Chelseaus Tractorus.

Topic

[mark1a]

NOt just me then! I didn’t

Not just me then! I didn’t post it yesterday in case it was just me!

[brooksby]

I had to google “pogie”…

I had to google “pogie”…

[JustTryingToGetFromAtoB]

jaymack wrote:

jaymack wrote:

A number of very large cows each full of bovine malice just loitering in the road. Not a thought for other road users as I whizzed around an Ashdown Forest bend. The solution was of course the best bunny hop I’ve ever done onto the grass verge. Sadly the verge was in fact a sea of mud and, with the wholly predictable but somehow unforseen change in traction, I ended a rather soggy heap. Still no one else was there to bear witness and I don’t think it’s on my Strava stat’s so perhaps it never actually happened despite the indelible grubby mark on the left shoulder of my then days old winter top.

I bet those cows don’t pay road tax

[CyclingInGawler]

Many (many!) years ago

Many (many!) years ago teenage-me took a ride to Hastings, entering the town from the East, at just about terminal velocity down the steep hill towards the sea front, and with an artic on my shoulder for most of the descent. All good. However a few minutes later the front light bracket (ah, Ever Ready lights) decided to detach itself from my front fork and spin into my front wheel, bringing matters to a rather abrupt halt. Luckily I was going slowly through the light-controlled junction in the centre of town at that point, and so no real harm done. But cycling home back up the aforementioned hill, it did occur to me that things would have become, um, messy, if the bracket had let go on my way down! Needless to say, the bracket never went back onto the fork.

[Mungecrundle]

Reading through these
Reading through these colourful anecdotes and trying to think, in 50 years of riding bicycles if I had ever had a truly scarey moment, a proper heart in the mouth fearing for life and limb story that didn’t involve an asshat driving a motor vehicle badly or inconsiderately and I’m genuinely coming up with nothing.

[Anonymous]

I was riding in the leafy
I was riding in the leafy Essex lanes early morning last year, near High Easter, when a gigantic pack of hunting dogs came out of nowhere, headed by a couple of blokes with what looked like cricket bats in their hands incase they got out of hand. I slowed to a stop.
The hounds were covering the narrow lane possibly 6 abreast, rushing round the bend like a canine river.

I was a really concerned that they would attack me; luckily I hadn’t brought any dog biscuits or other food or I might have been a goner!

They passed on, and I continued my journey, admittedly slightly shaken but with another story to tell.

[Anonymous]

Interesting that you noticed
Interesting that you noticed it between your front wheels and bottom bracket. Were you looking down at the time?

[David9694]

Similar sort of thing for me,

Similar sort of thing for me, a dip in a road I usually rode in the other direction, suddenly the bike gathered speed and got away from me; I couldn’t make the curve at the bottom and I crashed into a wire fence, writing off my front wheel. 

[jaymack]

A number of very large cows
A number of very large cows each full of bovine malice just loitering in the road. Not a thought for other road users as I whizzed around an Ashdown Forest bend. The solution was of course the best bunny hop I’ve ever done onto the grass verge. Sadly the verge was in fact a sea of mud and, with the wholly predictable but somehow unforseen change in traction, I ended a rather soggy heap. Still no one else was there to bear witness and I don’t think it’s on my Strava stat’s so perhaps it never actually happened despite the indelible grubby mark on the left shoulder of my then days old winter top.

[geirhe]

Morning ride in Mallorca with

Morning ride in Mallorca with a mate. Riding on a via verde we hit a 2% downhill, going about 30-35km/h. Then a sheep jumps across the road from out of a hedge, had probably gotten out of some paddock somewhere. Luckily it didn’t stop, because we would not have been able to. I managed to grab both brakes and lock the wheels up, but then we were past.

No harm done, but that was too close for comfort.

[SlowOldSteve]

Local  Wednesday evening 10

Local  Wednesday evening 10 mile TT on a closed course, this August,  about 8 miles in when a pheasant flew out, saw me at last moment and flew along seemingly between my front wheel and bottom bracket.  I was on the TT bars and convinced it was going to end in a crash, flew for what seemed an age it did a sharp left turn and disappeared into the bushes, leaving me somewhat flustered but thankfull!

[NOtotheEU]

chrisonatrike wrote:

Does make you start looking at the thickness (or not) of bike parts with more interest though!

Totally. I’ve had to accept I’m a lot fatter now than when I was a teenager and spec my bikes accordingly.

[chrisonabike]

Popped one when a rim went in

Popped one when a rim went in the Pyrenees.  It was the back wheel and at a good moment so it was just startling.  Had it gone at a different point in the day, different story.  Does make you start looking at the thickness (or not) of bike parts with more interest though!

[AlsoSomniloquism]

That reminds me on when I was

That reminds me on when I was about 8 or 9. My first BMX had only a front brake and I had been told that if I pulled it when going too fast, I would lock the bike and go straight over the handle  bars. (No one seemed to be taught how to modulate in the old days). So mainly braked by dragging my feet when needed.  Cycling home from school down a hill and realised I had picked up too much speed, and my shoes at the time had no real grip so wasn’t slowing down with a T- junction at the bottom. I decided I could leap off and run to a stop. Nope, as soon as my feet hit the floor I went head over heels. Bike continued on the wheels before falling over. Neither of us seemed to be damaged luckily.

[matlockmark]

When I used to work in

On my way to work in Chesterfield I was riding down the long hill into the town at about 60 km/h when I went over a bump and the steering on my bike seemed to stiffen up a bit.

I didn’t think much about it until I got to work, when lifting my bike up by the bars to put in the bike rack the forks fell off amongst a shower of small ball bearings – the steerer tube had snapped. On examination it looked as if it had been held together for the rest of the ride by a small strip of metal which had finally given way when I picked the bike up.

[Author]

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