First crash...

[Monsieur Remings]

Ouch! It had to happen at some point.

Out on a coast to coast club run today with my local club and travelling along an awful piece of Devon lane, I'm on the front but everyone is scattered about for the moment behind, like I was in front trying to avoid the potholes; another rider then overtakes as I need to dodge one and bam! straight into the back wheel of another rider. I come off at about 10-15 miles an hour and my right side is not so pretty, a very grazed and cut leg and the same with the arm. Not painful enough to stop riding and I finish up with some 80 miles left to do of the 140.

But I'm gutted that, typically, after a new mech hanger was fitted recently and even more recently a rear mech, that the hanger is bent beyond help and my shiny new Force rear mech is now scratched. Aaaargh! The only other damage appears to be a front wheel out of true and superficial scratches to the pedals and saddle. Reckon I got off lightly but after so much time in the LBS recently with this and that it's just...bloody typical!

I'm not usually very philosophical about these things but I am tonight. Perhaps the Crits that have put me off before now for precisely this reason may become a reality next season now..? Just glad that there is no more superficial damage to the frame and I guess it'll be worth checking for anything more structural in the immediate riding time ahead.

But, there could have been a car, another rider as well as myself could have been injured and I'm glad there wasn't. I took the blame partly out of embarrassment but this road was truly atrocious. If I'd have kept my line I'd have gone head over heels in the pothole and taken the rider out whose back wheel was already level with mine by that point. Perhaps some system of communication from riders coming through?

On a more positive note I found out that I could climb hills I'd always used a 39-28 on, with a ridiculously high gear out of necessity. Due to the mech hanger bending as a result of the impact, the rear mech was hitting the spokes on the rear wheel in the lower gears and so I made it home (and over Shipham Hill for those who know it) on a 39-19 - my lowest gear.

Oh well...part of the learning curve I guess... a cold bath and Savlon followed, not to mention the beer next to the keyboard.

 

[slowmotion]

Glad you are OKish MR. It could have been a lot worse. Sorry to hear about the bike damage.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Thanks Slow, much appreciated my friend. Hopefully the mech hanger can be done by midweek.

By the way Cyclechatters, how difficult a job is replacing the mech hanger and then replacing the rear mech? A doddle or is there room for dangerousness (I thought there was)?

 

[Wobblers]

My commiserations on the gear hanger - but at least it's something that's easy to remedy.

It does sound like the guy who overtook you simply didn't leave you enough room.I'm of the opinion that you ought to give people a wide berth (at least 3 feet) when overtaking them. It's amazing how many club riders don't do this. Were you calling and pointing out the potholes - if you weren't them perhaps he just wasn't aware that you'd need to move out to avoid them.

But... your first crash? What, ever? What's your secret??

I hope the road rash heals swiftly.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

By the way Cyclechatters, how difficult a job is replacing the mech hanger and then replacing the rear mech? A doddle or is there room for dangerousness (I thought there was)?

Job is easy peasy. Undo and redo bolts, thats all.

Very glad you are ok. As you said it could have been much worse.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

My commiserations on the gear hanger - but at least it's something that's easy to remedy.

It does sound like the guy who overtook you simply didn't leave you enough room.I'm of the opinion that you ought to give people a wide berth (at least 3 feet) when overtaking them. It's amazing how many club riders don't do this. Were you calling and pointing out the potholes - if you weren't them perhaps he just wasn't aware that you'd need to move out to avoid them.

But... your first crash? What, ever? What's your secret??

I hope the road rash heals swiftly.

Yes, I kind of agree with you here, McWobble. Myself and the guy involved though, with one or two others always tend to do a longer stint on the front and so some sort of rapport has grown between us. We often ride side by side but this road, and I can't emphasize it enough, was appalling; the holes were everywhere and most of the riders were everywhere, not in twos, swerving about trying to miss the holes; a truly chaotic km of lane and I started calling them, but it became so apparent that I couldn't call them all, there were too many and I was thus, too busy avoiding them myself.

After the crash we took turns 'coming through' with no problem and so we must devise a system for such chaotic surfaces and situations.

Yep, okay, not my first but the other two don't count because I was stationary..., one involved cleats not releasing and the other a shoe that decided to lock under the chain stay as I was trying to release.

Glad the crash wasn't anywhere faster and thanks for the comments.

 

[slowmotion]

The hanger is almost impossible to get wrong. Undo two bolts (the one fixing the hanger to the frame, and the one fixing the mech to the hanger), replace the hanger, and put back the two bolts. If the mech is OK, you don't even need to mess about with the gear cable on the mech. Make sure you get the right hanger though. There a thousand and one variants. All cost silly money.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Job is easy peasy. Undo and redo bolts, thats all.

Very glad you are ok. As you said it could have been much worse.

Okay, is it generally a torx you use to unscrew the mech hanger, the screws didn't look 'normal.'

Also, is there a correct or good angle for the rear mech to be situated?

Thanks Slow and Record.

 

[slowmotion]

They are usually screws with a hex socket head. YouTube is your friend. Search for "replacing rear derailleur hanger" and something will probably pop up.

 

[MrJamie]

Ouch! Could have been a lot worse though

When i replaced my hanger it was just a case of unscrew the mech from the old hanger, unscrew the hanger from the frame, then screw the new one onto the frame and screw the mech onto it. If you drop the chain off the front chain rings to the bottom bracket it gives you loads of slack in the rear mech and makes it a lot easier IME.

I changed my friends at the weekend and he needed a little extra tension adding onto the cable after the new hanger was fitted to get into the biggest rear sprocket, when I changed mine it worked fine right away.

 

[Keith Oates]

Sorry to hear about the crash MR but by the sound of it you have got away fairly lightly with the damage to yourself and the bike. Hope the road rash and bruises are soon gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I suppose with hindsight riding on badly pitted roads it would be better to be in single file and anyone wanting to take a pull at the front should let you know they are coming through. That's what we try to do in the group I'm with out here, BUT there are always exceptions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Spartak]

Hope you're back on 2 wheels soon !

 

[xpc316e]

I commiserate with you, and hope that you (and the bike) are soon well.

I must say that plenty of road riders do not leave enough room when passing slower riders. I recently did a charity ride on the tandem and was annoyed by the number of riders who left us no room for manoeuvre in similar circumstances to yours. Their cycling plans are no better than those they have when behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and fail to take any account of what could reasonably be expected to happen. Sadly most of those who think they are good riders/drivers are actually useless.

 

[Cyclopathic]

Glad that you are ok. Wear your road rash with pride.

 

[Peowpeowpeowlasers]

If the pothole caused you to fall off, report it to the council, complete with pictures of the damage caused to you and your bicycle. And send them a bill for the repairs. They may not pay out (usually they'll only do so if the pothole has previously been reported) but if the road is generally in very poor condition I think you may have some luck.