Anyone fall off today?

[Andrew_P]

Luckily yesterday morning I had rear wheel slip under load which prompted me to take it real easy for the rest of the ride. Must have made me real nervous as my hands had pins and needles and elbows really ached where I hand been hanging on to the hoods and brakes for the full commute without changing positon and thus not relaxing at all!

Although colder this am it was much drier, any sign of wet and -3 or -4 and I am hitting the gym as oppsosed to the floor.

Cannot get spike on my bike :-)

 

[Bicycle]

Over the past three days, every surface I've ridden on seems to lose any notional frictional qualities it possesses one the temperature drops below 1C.

Is it middle age? I've been on the fixie (on slick 700C x 20 tyres) as it's the only one with lights at the moment. Frankly, I've been like a pig making a poor attempt at ballet.

A decade or so ago, I was a year-round cyclist in a snowy part of the Balkans, but I was younger.

I haven't hit the deck yet, but yesterday at 21.30 I gave up while riding my youngest home from cadets and suggested we walk. He was on an MTB and quite enjoying it. The young fool, he knows so little and is a stranger yet to pain.

-3.5C at 06.45 today and I walked for the paper. Call me a coward, but I am alive.

 

[VamP]

A decade or so ago, I was a year-round cyclist in a snowy part of the Balkans, but I was younger.

In many ways, countries with proper winters are a lot easier to cope with than the UK in this regard. It's partly the mental adjustment, but also the melt/freeze conditions that are quite frequent in the UK result in more slippiness, and specifically unexpected slippiness, than consitent 24hr below freezing conditions with a good snow cover.

 

[goo_mason]

Nearly came off. Apart from the odd bits of light frost, the roads were just damp on my route. However, on the short length of cycle-path I use to get between Craigleith & Corstorphine Road, there was a nice ice'n'slush puddle stretching the width of the path beneath a bridge. Hit at at a reasonable speed, did a two-wheel slide sideways before the wheels got a bit of grip & I somehow managed to keep it upright. Instant terror followed by hysterical giggling....

Must remember not to do that again on the way home!

 

[fossyant]

Awesome riding across frosty tracks, and flying over ice with a loud crack underneath - Don't think the conditions were bad, but I can't risk another fall on my knackered shoulder. Hope it clouds over tonight so the fixed can come back out to play.

Only issue I had this morning was the rear brake cable freezing during first 10 minutes as I'd washed the bike last night. Soon freed it.

 

[HovR]

Risked taking the road bike on 23's today, as the front suspension on my MTB wastes so much energy when powering up the hills. Despite it being colder than yesterday, everything was fine. Not even a wheel spin!

 

[G-Zero]

"Anyone fall off today?"

So very nearly , I was out on the fells near Waskerley on NCN7 and passed a lovely frozen bit of trail. I had cycled past it on the way in and knew it was there, as I'd stopped for a quick photo of it.
However on the way back down, there were a couple of walkers hogging the grassy bit to the side of it and instead of doing the sensible thing and waiting for them to get through, I rode on through.

I did slow down and had the foresight to unclip my left foot, but still twitched when the back end slid out a bit and had to touch down with my foot. It would have been a most inopportune moment to have gone horizontal.

Just realised I'm still in "COMMUTE" and I won't be commuting again until 5.30am tomorrow.... Oops !

 

[Andrew_P]

Frankly, I've been like a pig making a poor attempt at ballet..

Sounds just like me, I have a few decents and summer I can nail them at 30+

Doing 15 and still feels too fast, sliding off is one thing sliding off in traffic is the one that goes through my head

 

[Thomk]

Having just about recovered from a cracked elbow a couple of weeks before Christmas I am being very cautious and slow and this week has been OK. Although.....yesterday on the way home in the dark I had to stop after a couple of miles to put my balaclava on. Then 2 miles later on an unlit country road one of my front lights failed. I stopped in a safe place, took a glove off, unclipped the light, clipped on a spare light and carried on my way, all fairly tricky in the pitch dark and freezing cold. 100 yards on I realised I only had one glove on and was sure my hand would drop off if I didn't find the other so.....i turned back and found it on the floor, stopped and put it on and then turned round again and headed for home. By the time I got home I was cold

Oh and 3 miles from home a heavily pregnant (I think) woman walked out in front of me without looking only stopping just in time when I shouted at her. She said "sorry", I said "thanks" and we went on our way.

 

[heliphil]

came off Sunday morning - got some nice bruises appearing - I should know how to spot black ice better!!!

 

[briantrumpet]

Having just about recovered from a cracked elbow a couple of weeks before Christmas I am being very cautious and slow and this week has been OK.

I'm also just about recovered from a cracked 'radial head' (in the elbow). The bad news - I came off yesterday morning; the good news - I fell on the other side.

 

[Thomk]

I'm also just about recovered from a cracked 'radial head' (in the elbow). The bad news - I came off yesterday morning; the good news - I fell on the other side.

Yikes! Hope you're ok!

 

[cyberknight]

Only issue I had this morning was the rear brake cable freezing during first 10 minutes as I'd washed the bike last night. Soon freed it.

I had the same problem Monday and Tuesday , i washed the bike sunday and as i am keeping the bike inside atm the back brake has frozen solid in a similar amount of time on the morning commute so it was a case of taking it steady on hills on cycle paths covered in frost .Roads where clear as the gritters have been out .
Nearly had an off today on the cycle path thats only really wide enough for 1 bike , oncoming cyclist and I pass each other slowly and my rear wheel goes into a rut on the edge so i do a slow speed wobble and thankfully stay upright .The ol off i have ever had with the cold was last winter when i hit a spot of black ice on a corner and hit the deck landing on the spot where i had sheared my rib muscles a month before ..... glad i had still got the painkillers the doc had prescribed.

 

[briantrumpet]

Yikes! Hope you're ok!

Thanks - a bit achy in one or two places, but (as far as I'm aware) no more cracked bones. Fortunately the lorry behind me stopped. I'd have been a bit more than achy if he hadn't, I think. More squelchy, probably.

 

[400bhp]

I fell off today.

I took a new route to work - didn't notice the bus lane had stopped and had turned into a kerb. I did a nice somersault over the handlebars. God knows how nothing was damaged/ripped on me, clothes or bike.

This happened at a bus stop full of people.