Bike crash - any opinions?

mickydcork

Cycling my regular commute to work yesterday morning.

Coming down Dundrum road (towards Milltown) and turning right onto beaver road. Usually a busy junction.

No traffic coming towards me, so I simply leaned over and took the right turn at the junction without slowing down. I was not going especially fast. Took the turn at a speed I would have assumed would handle the turn no problem. Not wet, no ice.

Back wheel lost it's grip and slid out from underneath me. I landed very hard on my elbow and hip.

I was very lucky not to get hit as I lay spawled on the ground by the car which was taking the turn behind me. His bumber ended up inches from my head.

I can take the pain of the fall (it's not the first) but I am shaken by the situation. Sliding like that in the middle of the road with traffic behind me.

Did I do something wrong in this situation?

I think the road at that junction has been repaired recently and might have had fresh tarmac put down. I presume this would make it slippery right?

Or do I need to adjust my cycling behaviour?

Another thing I worry about cycling down Dundrum road is passing all the stationary traffic on the inside. I afraid that someone will open a door in front of me one day and do serious damage.

Sagi

hard to say if you did something wrong, maybe it was slippery tarmac, maybe a little oil spill or dog poo.

Perhaps you did not apply enogh pressure to the pedal on the outside of the bend.

Sometimes you cycle along a track that you know very well, and you have propably taken this bend 1000times, maybe you just got careless and well it does not take much to land on the ground.

don't think about it tooo much, the next few times you will be more alert when you come to this junction but that should be it

Chips Lovell

Fresh tarmac is supposed to be less grippy alright.

Had a similar crash myself a few years ago. Low enough speed and the bike just went out from underneath me on a corner. Broke my shoulder. I think there was diesel on the road, as it's used by a lot of trucks. Took a while to get the confidence back after that one because you stop trusting everything you've learned about cornering.

mickydcork

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

Fresh tarmac is supposed to be less grippy alright.

Had a similar crash myself a few years ago. Low enough speed and the bike just went out from underneath me on a corner. Broke my shoulder. I think there was diesel on the road, as it's used by a lot of trucks. Took a while to get the confidence back after that one because you stop trusting everything you've learned about cornering.

That's it alright. Definitely shaken my confidence.

It could have been oil on the road.

Coronal

Happened to me before Christmas on a small bridge, broke my cheekbone. I'm still a bit nervous on the bike, but I don't think there's anything I could have done in the situation; same as yourself. Sometimes you just get unlucky. Chin up

check_six

Had to be something on the road alright. The roads in Dublin these past few days have been weirdly grey because of the absence of rain. Strange to see dust on the roads, but all things being equal you would have better grip now than normally. There must have been something else there to cause the spill.

Word of warning to all. If it ever rains again (!) the roads will be very slippy until the dust is cleared. I had a nasty spill one time after a dry spell. Roads were dusty, then instantly wet and very greasy. Very slidey!

n-dawg

You could also have ridden over some oil or diesel early on the ride that was still on your tire...

Its just one of those things, keep ridding you'll be sore and nervous for a few day but it'll pass

cdaly_

mickydcork wrote: »

Another thing I worry about cycling down Dundrum road is passing all the stationary traffic on the inside. I afraid that someone will open a door in front of me one day and do serious damage.

Depending on space available, I'll either overtake a tailback on the left or the right. If there's an empty cycle lane with enough space, I'll use the left. Otherwise, I'll overtake on the right where the drivers are more likely to expect me (though you do have to watch out for somebody deciding to U-turn and try a different route).

Lawr

did some hill-climbing last Sunday. I was surprised, given the dry conditions, that my rear wheel was spinning out on steeper sections. When it's wet, I don't even consider these hills. They're too steep to climb sitting down, and you have to sit down if you are to keep the rear wheel from spinning out. It was the dust/grit on the road last Sunday. There's no moisture to keep the dirt from blowing all over the road.

Woody_FX

That really sucks op. Could it have been a small stone kicking you rear wheel out?

On the bright side you live to fight another day

davidsatelle100

Theres deffo something in the way the Corpo\Council are finishing the roads lately. I have been taking the same corner in Ballyfermot for 20+ years with no bother and came off twice last year in the exact same spot which has been re-finished over the summer.

*also not happy about having to replace two week old bar tape

Konkers

check_six wrote: »

Had to be something on the road alright. The roads in Dublin these past few days have been weirdly grey because of the absence of rain. ...................

Is it the salt content in the grit that hjas been spread over the last month or so.



OP, just take it handy and give plenty of clearance to cars parked at the side of the raod, even if it means you are in the middle of the road and may be holding up traffic.

deandean

My car gets dirty everytime I drive around dublin at the moment there is a very large amount of salt and grit on the roads. Sometimes you get a large deposit of gritt at junctions where the truck is stationary for a few seconds and keeps spreading on the 1 spot. So maybe you hit loose grit. Hope the road rash isn't too bad!

Shedite27

Vladimir Kurtains wrote: »

Took a while to get the confidence back after that one because you stop trusting everything you've learned about cornering.

Ditto, had a fall going around a routine corner (was a little fast admittedly), but have since been cornering very very slow. Next Tri planned in June and hoping it doesn't affect me too badly.

deandean wrote: »

My car gets dirty everytime I drive around dublin at the moment there is a very large amount of salt and grit on the roads.

I've noticed that myself too - was wondering what it was.

Canis Lupus

I'd take a guess at oil. You'll get your confidence back in a couple more weeks. No one likes falling but it doesn't happen often

monkeypants

New tar also has oil rising through it when it gets damp. It'll be a while and a good couple of downpours before it becomes a trustworthy surface.

trad

Could be road camber. You leaning to the right, road sloping off to the left moves the point of contact of the tyre away from centre. Less rubber = less grip and down you go.

Did it on a motorbike and broke a wrist.

QueensGael

mickydcork wrote: »

Another thing I worry about cycling down Dundrum road is passing all the stationary traffic on the inside. I afraid that someone will open a door in front of me one day and do serious damage.

Happened me recently, some eejit opened a cab door (in stationary traffic, the cab hadn't pulled over) on me while I was on the on-road cycle path alongside. Went smashing into the door, bike was a bit banged up and I've a few choice bruises to show for it too. I'll admit, I've been a bit nervous in stationary traffic since, but the confidence is coming slowly coming back.

Hope your fall hasn't shaken you too much. Just take it handy and trust yourself

Tar.Aldarion

Always slow down at turns a lot, you will probably be ok most of the time at speeds you think are reasonable, but you just never know when you are going to lose a bit of grip and go flying. Could have been anything, I nearly went flying on a tiny twig or just a small road bump that you wouldn't see etc.

Lumen

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Always slow down at turns a lot, you will probably be ok most of the time at speeds you think are reasonable, but you just never know when you are going to lose a bit of grip and go flying. Could have been anything, I nearly went flying on a tiny twig or just a small road bump that you wouldn't see etc.

Small amounts of gravel are very difficult to see in the dark.

I think there is merit in slow in then fast out, pedalling reasonably hard through the corner. That way you lose grip at the back and get to do a heroic save, rather than losing grip as the front hits the slippery bit and ending up on the deck.

seamus

South Dublin roads have been very slippy for the last 48 hours. Dry weather followed by a very light mist creates this very slick coating on the surface. It's something to be aware of anytime we get two or 3 days of good dry weather followed by a very light drizzle or mist.

manwithaplan

I hadn't had any sort of a spill in years and recently went down three times in a couple of weeks, the last one leaving me with a fractured hip. The last one was the result of my front wheel sliding on a wet metal grate. I couldn't avoid the grate because it runs the whole length of the entrance to a garage and you filter across it at a dangerous angle (think typical accident involving the Luas tracks). The second one was black ice (my mate and I fell independently but more or less simultaneously) and the first one was similar to the OP's accident - front wheel slid out on a corner I had taken 100 times before. Just one of those things. I landed on the same hip all three times. I should have just taken a hammer to it to save Fate the bother.

I imagine I will be nervous when I get back in the saddle but I suspect my innate kamikaze will re-emerge soon enough.