Crashed on a xc ride today.how did that happen?

[Mark Walker]

Rode along a old railway line today ,Whitby to Ravenscar and back .
On the way back the front plastic mudguard (I do not know the make ,my local bike shop fit them) ended up bending in between the guard and the tyre throwing me over the bars !!.
I pulled everything back out re set my brake levers and of we went.
I am new to cycling (new giant cc cross bike last week ) and this has shook me a bit.
My feet catch the guard/wheels wheel the wheel is on an angle so i do not know if I have "toed " them on to the tyres and they have jammed up? There was nothing jamming inside the rim ,debris rock twigs etc ,the guard was bent up inside its self.
Not knowing why this happened has worried me slightly for my commutes this week.I climb and drop down some steep roads and i am concerned this might happen at speed .(Luckily I was only going slow today).
Any thought would be very much appreciated.

 

[Ride]

Not certain. Did you get the correct size bike? What size is it and how tall are you? If you are frequently toeing the front wheel then I'd say its either the size of the bike or your position, maybe. Maybe you have extra long feet and you should get shorter crank arms. What size are your feet? How long are the crank arms?

Perhaps someone with more experience should chime in.

Ride

 

[andrew_s]

It's usually something catching between the tyre and mudguard that causes this sort of thing. The fact that it wasn't still there afterwards doesn't mean much.
The usual solution is to have the mudguard stays attached to the fork using break-away fittings - eg SKS Secu Clips.That way, when something does catch, the mudguard comes loose rather than getting dragged onto the tyre and then carried up into the fork crown. It is also better to have the stays attached higher up the fork blades, but fittings in the appropriate place are uncommon.

The wheel is normally only turned far enough for your toes to hit the mudguards when you are going slowly - 5mph or less.

 

[Cyclist33]

As said, could be any number of things. Just ditch the mudguards. Waste of time anyway.

 

[Mark Walker]

Thanks for the input chaps.
Immediate action, I am going 50/50 (after i have written this) into the garage and take the front mudguard off.
I have thought of two pronged attack after I acquire some SKS
(1) cut a bottom section off mudguard off up to the solid piece where the arms fit onto the guard(About 75 mm ish) .therefore stopping the bottom bit folding up.
(2) Fit a pair of them SKS clips.
After reading some posts on different sites,one in particular where a poor guys mudguards snagged up throwing him over the bars , leaving him in a coma ultimately switching the life support off.has left me panicking .
So what are the thoughts ,modification or bin the front guard completely ?
For the record
I am riding a new Giant tcx 2 , am 5ft 10in ,on a small frame ,as advised by my LBS
apparently giant recommend down a size for there cyclo cross bikes my other bike Giant roam hybrid is a medium.
Feels great for length and maneuverability but the catching the foot on the wheel thing is taking some getting used to.

 

[User6179]

Thanks for the input chaps.
Immediate action, I am going 50/50 (after i have written this) into the garage and take the front mudguard off.
I have thought of two pronged attack after I acquire some SKS
(1) cut a bottom section off mudguard off up to the solid piece where the arms fit onto the guard(About 75 mm ish) .therefore stopping the bottom bit folding up.
(2) Fit a pair of them SKS clips.
After reading some posts on different sites,one in particular where a poor guys mudguards snagged up throwing him over the bars , leaving him in a coma ultimately switching the life support off.has left me panicking .
So what are the thoughts ,modification or bin the front guard completely ?
For the record
I am riding a new Giant tcx 2 , am 5ft 10in ,on a small frame ,as advised by my LBS
apparently giant recommend down a size for there cyclo cross bikes my other bike Giant roam hybrid is a medium.
Feels great for length and maneuverability but the catching the foot on the wheel thing is taking some getting used to.

Crud catcher

 

[andrew_s]

To use mudguards on a CX bike, you would want ...
a) mudguards that have 2 pairs of stays (unless the mudguards are steel)
b) mudguards that are wide enough - i.e SKS P45 or equivalent
c) to fit them so there's an inch of clearance between the bottom end and the tyre, a half inch between the side of the tyre and the stay fittings, and as much clearance at the fork crown as you can get.

Trying to avoid toe overlap by reducing clearance is probably a mistake. It's better to try and learn to avoid pedalling when the wheel is at a big angle.

 

[Dave7]

Crud catcher

+1

 

[andrew_s]

Better than nothing for keeping the mud off you, but not much

 

[akb]

Waste of time anyway

You, sir, are clearly a summer only rider!

 

[Mark Walker]

Came home tonight, road and xcountry ,filthy from top to bottom ,(the front of me ) .
But ,and heres the thing, I felt a whole lot safer without the front mudguard.
It looks like is going to be a wet winter !!