Accident

[BrynCP]

I had my worst accident today as I fell off at a mini roundabout. I have no idea what caused it, other than perhaps some grease on the road or slippery paint and I just lost my front wheel.

The visible result (to the bike) was:

• Both shifters bent out of place (I hit the road falling to my right, I am a little bemused how both left and right shifters suffered such trauma)

• Brake pad rubbing rubbing wheel

• Handlebars bent about 20degrees (when the wheel is pointing forward, the handlebars are to the left)

I have looked up and down the forks with a light and can see no damage (they're carbon). The shifters moved back in place and the brakes just needed adjusting - the wheel runs true and spokes all seem tense.

I haven't done the handlebars yet - my intention was to just loosen the stem bolts and straighten them - but is there anything I should be looking for that could suggest further damage here to stem/headset/forks? Never had the handlebars actually do this before. I did manage to ride a very slow mile on a cycle path without any obvious issues (other than handlebars pointing wrong way) to get me home.

Unfortunately I have visible damage to myself, in the form of a black eye and broken glasses. However, I'd like to get bike fixed and a short ride tomorrow so I don't dwell on the whys and what ifs.

 

[Spinney]

Can't advise on the bike... but GWS!

 

[Rooster1]

Bad luck, same happened to me a few weeks back. Get on a/the bike as soon as you can.

 

[Zeffer]

Glad you are OK, hope you make a full recovery very soon. Get straight back on that bike or it just gets harder and harder. Good luck!

 

[Racing roadkill]

Straighten everything up, centre the brake calipers ( just push the whole thing away from the side of the rim which it's contacting), tighten the bolt holding the calliper to the forks up, then tighten everything you can up ( including QR Skewers if you have them) then check the headset for front to back play. Ride it carefully, and check it again for loose / broken bits.

 

[fossyant]

Easy fix fortunately. Just loosen the stem bolts but not the top cap. If lucky you won't need to adjust the preloaded on the headset.

 

[cosmicbike]

Bike should be OK, as others have said, straighten things up and give it a good once over. Carbon is a very resilient material, unlike us humans, so I hope your injures heal quickly.

 

[mjr]

Look at the forks from the side and make sure the blades still look parallel to each other, but I expect carbon would crack rather than bend.

Does anyone think it's worth dropping the fork out and checking the top of the crown and the bits at each end of the head tube for cracks?

 

[Glow worm]

All the best for a speedy recovery. I had an off too today, not as bad as yours by the sound of it but I think the damp surface/ grease played a part in my off too .
Anyway GWS!.

 

[Wobblers]

Sounds suspiciously like diesel - tight corners such as mini roundabouts are the natural habitat of diesel spills, and there's plenty of them around, unfortunately. The only remedy is to take such corners with care - especially if you see spills elsewhere on your journey.

Does anyone think it's worth dropping the fork out and checking the top of the crown and the bits at each end of the head tube for cracks?

Definitely worth checking the steerer tube. Look for cracks, indents or score marks. It's not likely that you'll find anything, but if you do, get it checked out at a good LBS. Check the carbon forks for any cracks or scrapes that go through the lacquer finish. Again, if you find anything suspicious, take it to the LBS (possibly best not to ride it there!).

Hopefully you won't find anything untoward, and GWS!

 

[Mrs M]

Ouch, wishing you a good recovery, hope the bike's ok too

 

[raleighnut]

Ouch, GWS

 

[dim]

yikes! .... glad that you are ok though

take the bike to an LBS and have it properly checked over (especially the carbon bits)

 

[BrynCP]

Thanks all. I have checked and can see no damage to the forks, steerer or bars at all. Cosmetic damage to the right shifter (and left, which still baffles me, it's impossible that it hit the road)

I'll adjust the stem tomorrow and give it a slow ride.

I wish I had looked for oil/diesel instead of just walking off as I would be happier knowing why I came off! I did inflate the tyre this morning, so that could have been a contributing factor, it would have been around 95psi and perhaps it would have been better off a bit lighter with the wet roads.

 

[Ian193]

Check under the rubber grip on the shifter for damage I had an off similar to yours and the casing under the rubber had cracked and needed replacing I ended up with a £100 bill to get the bike back to how it was before the off