I've recently been bragging about my amazing skill on a bike, so I suppose it was inevitable that I was then going to come off.
I was on my1980's steel racer, leaving work where I have to go up a hill. I changed down on the back mech and think the chain probably didn't engage properly on the sprocket. I was then turning left and as a car was coming out of the junction I was entering I sat up and indicated left.
It happened so fast I'm not sure of the exact sequence of events, but I was peddling quite enthusiastically and felt the chain begin to slip, but then before I could do anything the chain came off. My feet slipped off the flats - I think I still just had one hand on the bars from signalling- the bike whipped across the road and I remember being worried I was going to go under the car which had now started emerging from the junction - I managed somehow to get the bike back towards my side of the road but it went down with my left leg stuck underneath it.
I don't have any serious injuries, a bit of roadrash to my knee and ankles, some bruising and chain ring markings on my left calf.
I was fairly shaken, got home, then went to take out my bike for a meeting only to discover the back wheel is bent, which I hadn't noticed in the 2 miles home.
I recently saw a post by someone who had an accident when his crank snapped and he veered into a lorry, and I've been thinking about just how much we control our bikes with our legs. Sudden freeing up of the drivetrain, with his crank going, and my chain coming off under power, unbalances the whole thing quite a bit and makes control difficult.
I was on my1980's steel racer, leaving work where I have to go up a hill. I changed down on the back mech and think the chain probably didn't engage properly on the sprocket. I was then turning left and as a car was coming out of the junction I was entering I sat up and indicated left.
It happened so fast I'm not sure of the exact sequence of events, but I was peddling quite enthusiastically and felt the chain begin to slip, but then before I could do anything the chain came off. My feet slipped off the flats - I think I still just had one hand on the bars from signalling- the bike whipped across the road and I remember being worried I was going to go under the car which had now started emerging from the junction - I managed somehow to get the bike back towards my side of the road but it went down with my left leg stuck underneath it.
I don't have any serious injuries, a bit of roadrash to my knee and ankles, some bruising and chain ring markings on my left calf.
I was fairly shaken, got home, then went to take out my bike for a meeting only to discover the back wheel is bent, which I hadn't noticed in the 2 miles home.
I recently saw a post by someone who had an accident when his crank snapped and he veered into a lorry, and I've been thinking about just how much we control our bikes with our legs. Sudden freeing up of the drivetrain, with his crank going, and my chain coming off under power, unbalances the whole thing quite a bit and makes control difficult.
