Beware braking under trees!

[SteveBM]

hi

Apologies if this is stating the obvious but it wasn't obvious to me until yesterday....

I was just coming out of a fast descent and as I entered the braking area I noticed that the road was very greasy

This was due to a horse chestnut tree overhead which has been dropping conkers and their shells. Cars had been crushing them on to the road surface and this had formed an oily, slippery residue on the road

Just wanted to warn other riders. Luckily I managed to rescue my slide and regain my balance, but i was pretty scared as my front wheel slipped from under me at 20mph!

Keep a careful look out on the road ahead, especially as the leaves begin to fall

Stay safe all

 

[Biscuitfrisky]

My road has a lot of those trees.
I'm more worried a conker is going to drop on my sons head whilst I walk him in the pram!
A lot of cars have pretty dented roofs as well.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

cycling helmets aren't just for when falling off...

 

[Crankarm]

Were you cycling along a trunk root?


IGMC.

 

[ColinJ]

You did well to recover from a front wheel slide! I've got away with the back of a bike fishtailing about under braking, but I've always hit the deck when the front wheel slid from under me.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

These days my Coventry to Nuneaton commute doesn't encounter much in wet leaves or other tree related debris, years ago my commute was from the Earlsdon part of Coventry to Kenilworth, and wet leaves were a regular Autumn hazard over the 8 years I did that route, I never had a fall on tree related debris though, but one warm November morning I had a fall on what must have been the only patch of black ice in Warwickshire that day, the moral of the story is always expect the unexpected.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

You did well to recover from a front wheel slide! I've got away with the back of a bike fishtailing about under braking, but I've always hit the deck when the front wheel slid from under me.

I've managed to save the odd front slide, but as you say normally you just end up looking for a soft spot in the scenery.

 

[ColinJ]

These days my Coventry to Nuneaton commute doesn't encounter much in wet leaves or other tree related debris, years ago my commute was from the Earlsdon part of Coventry to Kenilworth, and wet leaves were a regular Autumn hazard over the 8 years I did that route, I never had a fall on tree related debris though, but one warm November morning I had a fall on what must have been the only patch of black ice in Warwickshire that day, the moral of the story is always expect the unexpected.

One autumn many years ago, a colleague was walking his bike the last few yards to Hebden Bridge station and slipped on wet leaves. He fell heavily and broke a hip (or his pelvis - I forget which, but whichever ... it was a nasty accident).

 

[SteveBM]

Were you cycling along a trunk root?


IGMC.

Oh, well done!!!

 

[Crankarm]

Oh, well done!!!

Not well done enough to get a like though .

 

[Crankarm]

 

[glenn forger]

It's frothy conker paste season, skiddy and horrible.

 

[cyberknight]

It's frothy conker paste season,

You been watching ,masterchef again ?

 

[Globalti]

There doesn't need to be conker debris - normally grippy tarmac can be slippery under trees when wet thanks to slime, moss or even the sugar that aphids excrete.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

There doesn't need to be conker debris - normally grippy tarmac can be slippery under trees when wet thanks to slime, moss or even the sugar that aphids excrete.

And in winter the ice and frost can linger under tree's and bushes, any where the sun can't reach.