Diesel danger

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colly

Re member eR
Location
Leeds
[QUOTE 5430479, member: 9609"]how can you not have a sense of smell?[/QUOTE]
Yeah well my dog's got no nose...
 
I went recumbent 3 wheels 10yrs ago due to balance issues.

....

Veering OT, I'm considering moving to 3 wheels in the winter as my confidence is waning. However, I don't like recumbents (sorry) so my options are quite limited & I'm still looking/contemplating.

Back on topic. I do seem to see more spillage (diesel & oil) these days when commuting. I suspect its because drivers do & know less maintenance than in years gone by.
 

Slick

Guru
[QUOTE 5430479, member: 9609"]how can you not have a sense of smell?[/QUOTE]

Broke the nose too often over the years.

I'm the same. Broken twice, two operations on nasal polyps and one to reconstruct the nose.

Very little sense of smell left to speak off.
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Trick is to lean away from road as you go down so you don't bang your head.
 

byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
Veering OT, I'm considering moving to 3 wheels in the winter as my confidence is waning. However, I don't like recumbents (sorry) so my options are quite limited & I'm still looking/contemplating.

Back on topic. I do seem to see more spillage (diesel & oil) these days when commuting. I suspect its because drivers do & know less maintenance than in years gone by.

Don't be sorry, however be advised moving to a traditional upright trike isn't straightforward, I fell off twice in a very short trial of an upright trike but took to a recumbent trike in seconds. I haven't done more than lift a wheel a handful of times, without any consequences, in many thousands of recumbent trike miles.
 
Location
Rammy
What's it got to do with the police, unless you saw someone deliberately putting it down? Council surely.

It's a hazard to road users, so phoning 999 is acceptable, it's likely they'll send the fire brigade out who'll chuck some grit down to soak it up then sweep it up.

Re smell. Whilst diesel has a strong smell, I always thought the shiny stuff on tarmac was just engine oil?

Whilst slippery, it doesn't have a strong enough smell from atop a bike.

can be either, oil and diesel both look similar on the road (Diesel is ''heavy oil'' the rainbow pattern in the wet is the biggest give away

2) At roundabouts close to industrial estates or petrol stations, assume there will be diesel spillages. Drivers often indulge in a practice called "brimming", which practically guarantees a steady supply of fresh spillages.

Yup, as soon as they throw it round a bend, especially on a roundabout, it slops out of the vent. They're trying to avoid either having to fill up again during the day, or having to do so away for the depot where it's more expensive. Depends on the vehicle fleet operator on what they're trying to encourage (fit more deliveries in / save money by only fueling at company owned depots etc)

A few years back I slid all over the road on my motorbike outside TNT's head depot due to it being on a tight corner and slick with diesel.
Got into work and phoned our TNT rep as we were, at the time, on their 'major client' list due to the amount we shipped with them. I knew our rep had the same bike as me at the time, not had a spill since :biggrin:
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
[QUOTE 5430447, member: 9609"]a car stuck in the hedge
as a cyclist I think you will smell it first. it's a pretty strong smell



hmmmm, probably on a dry road? but wet roads at night? much easier to spot black ice.[/QUOTE]

On wet roads you can often see the rainbow colours. Scary on two wheels. I recall a trail of rainbow pattert for maybe 20 miles once when I was on a motorcycle.

EDIT: I would add that I see it less often these days now I'm back on the MC, after a twenty year gap. Maybe they are more strict on proper lids on the diesel tanks nowdays?
 

Drago

Legendary Member
3) Don't brake when cornering. Try and make braking and steering separate activities. If you absolutely must, use the front - using the rear while leaning into a corner has a tendency to try and lay the bike down, which is undesirable if the integrity of the surface is in doubt.
 
Location
Rammy
3) Don't brake when cornering. Try and make braking and steering separate activities. If you absolutely must, use the front - using the rear while leaning into a corner has a tendency to try and lay the bike down, which is undesirable if the integrity of the surface is in doubt.

I wouldn't*

#1 cause of crashes in learner motorbike riders is braking with the front while cornering and locking it, and down you go. Easier to control a rear wheel skid / slide than a front. You're told multiple times during basic training (which allows you to ride on an L plate) not to touch the front brake when cornering and that if you must brake in a corner, back brake.

Using the front brake (assuming you don't lock it) makes the bike want to stand upright and can cause you to run wide, running out of road. This effect may not be as prevalent on a cycle compared with a motorcycle

*(wouldn't advise) The reality is that I happily use both brakes on corners on a daily basis as I trail brake, having braked to the approach and gently easing off the brakes as I corner, something I do on both road and mountain bikes.

I've had the front wheel go out from under me on a road bike, still have the scar 10 years later, I hit the ground hard and fast, by the time I'd realised I was sliding I was already on the floor hitting a wall.
 
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