Fettling on the move

[TheJDog]

This is from a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend, so sorry if someone knows someone closer to the person involved - I hadn't seen anything about this, so here goes:

"Met a friend of mine commuting in Richmond Park this morning.
He lives just outside Ladderstile Gate (for those familiar with the Park).
He was finishing his commute one day last week when he heard someone crash behind him.
He looked back and a guy was in the road wandering round a bit dazed.
Went back to see if he was ok.

Whats up? Ok? – I’m looking for my finger!! Holding up hand - middle finger was missing, p*ssing blood..
Malcolm found it hanging attached by a piece of skin down the back of the guys hand.
They rang for an ambulance (Malcolm dialling J )
25 minutes later after 3 calls and two ambulances have passed on the third call to emergency services, they were asked if they could make their own way to Kingston Hospital – 600 yards away. Finger sewn back on.

Anyway the guy had reached down to trim his brake whilst riding and the finger went into the spokes – it wasn’t the tip but quite far down….

Never again – you have been warned…"

 

[Teuchter]

I've found myself doing things like that before, feeling for the rattling bit of the front mudguard for instance (my reasoning being it was only rattling while I was riding) and stopping myself with the thought, "that's how you lose fingers".

Thanks for the reminder!

 

[YahudaMoon]

Nothing wrong with fettling on the move

As kids we'de use our feet for brakes all day long as we had no brakes on our bikes (we couldn't afford brakes)

My mum said 'why don't you use your head, are you stupid'

Tried using my head, could never get the hang of it

 

[Kookas]

I think I'll be stopping to pull my rear mudguard off my back tyre in future.

Actually, is there a tool which can punch holes in plastic? I could zip-tie the mudguard to the chainstay to hold it off the tyre.

 

[roadrash]

I think I'll be stopping to pull my rear mudguard off my back tyre in future.

Actually, is there a tool which can punch holes in plastic? I could zip-tie the mudguard to the chainstay to hold it off the tyre.

its called a drill

 

[Kookas]

its called a drill

Didn't think of that one, lol. Thanks.

 

[roadrash]

happy to help

 

[gaz]

Thanks for that, I was eating my dinner.

 

[BimblingBee]

They called an ambulance to get to a hospital 600 yards away for a broken finger??!

 

[Deleted member 1258]

On a slightly lighter note, when I was a lad I had a Triumph 500 speed twin, the choke was operated by a lever on top of the carburettor, I got into the habit of flicking the choke off after I had moved away and got about a hundred yards down the road, that was until the day I reached down under the tank and got a handful of HT cable.

 

[Biker Joe]

I don't think I've ever done any fettling on the move. Not that I can remember anyway.
But I did badly gash a finger once whilst whilst putting a slipped chain back onto the chain ring. Caught my finger in between the chain and ring. Lesson learnt!
Your story is a good reminder.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I don't think I've ever done any fettling on the move. Not that I can remember anyway.
But I did badly gash a finger once whilst whilst putting a slipped chain back onto the chain ring. Caught my finger in between the chain and ring. Lesson learnt!
Your story is a good reminder.

I did something simular some years ago whilst checking the chain tension on my fixed, someone spoke to me and I looked away for a second, cue much cursing, much claret and much running about trying to stop the claret and get a plaster on it, fortunetly it looked worse than it was, people have lost finger tips like that.

 

[Kookas]

...people have lost finger tips like that.

Saw a nasty pic of that on Reddit's /r/bicycling/ . Finger got caught in the chain and left a finger tip behind.

 

[TheJDog]

On a slightly lighter note, when I was a lad I had a Triumph 500 speed twin, the choke was operated by a lever on top of the carburettor, I got into the habit of flicking the choke off after I had moved away and got about a hundred yards down the road, that was until the day I reached down under the tank and got a handful of HT cable.

Shocking story

 

[oldroadman]

I think I'll be stopping to pull my rear mudguard off my back tyre in future.

Actually, is there a tool which can punch holes in plastic? I could zip-tie the mudguard to the chainstay to hold it off the tyre.

Thought about trying a hollow punch, like the ones you can get for making extra holes in belts (as you lose weight, naturally)?