Kerbs

[Mrs Bear]

Hello,

I am completley new to cycling and my lovely husband has just bought me a Specialzied Vita Sport which has 700 x 28c on it.

He says that I shouldn't bump up and down kerbs on it, is he right?

 

[gbb]

Its really better you dont Mrs Bear...but you can with care on the right kerbs...but you really shouldnt if you know what i mean

If you are going to, approach the kerb from a soft angle and bunny hop the wheels (or lighten the front of the bike, then the rear as you go up the kerb).
Avoid sharp edged kerbs anyway, some are chamfered so are easier on the wheels.

Right speed, right kerb, right angle, take the weight off each wheel as you do...i get away with it with 23c tyres. I shouldnt...but i do

Looks a nice bike BTW...

 

[HLaB]

He's right, its best avoided. In the short term the bump may sqeeze the tube between the tyre and rim causing a snakebite p'ture; in the longer term the roundness of the rim will be effected.

PS welcome to the forum Mrs Bear

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

I don't encounter many kerbs when riding on the road....

As has been said before, it's not the best thing to do, but with practise can be done with minimum damage. If you are going on the pavement though I'd suggest getting off and walking would save your wheels better.


Welcome to the Forum, btw!!

 

[Mrs Bear]

I was hoping my husband was wrong, I hate it when he is right

Not sure about the bunny hop thing though, I am having enough trouble staying on the bike as it is. As soon as I hit about 15mph I start having a panic attack and see my life flash before my eyes, I think I will save the bunny hopping for when I have a bit more expierence under my belt and am feeling a bit braver!

Thanks everyone.

 

[jimboalee]

If I spent five hundred notes on a brand spanking new bike for my wife and she rode it up a curb, the thing would go straight back to the shop.

And also, a marriage is built on "Trust". Trust him when he gives you advice on cycling.
If he gets to read this thread, he will wonder why you have to go to a cycling forum to get confirmation he is perfectly correct.

"Is anything I say worth a jack?"

I was married to a woman who went to seek a 'second opinion' on advice concerning mechanical devices. It wasn't good enough I was a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, her best friend's husband ( a fitted kitchen salesman ) knew better.

 

[arallsopp]

Welcome. You can roll down kerbs a fair whack easier than climbing them. Just remember to 'unweight' the wheels as they drop. Weight over the back when the front goes off, onto the front for the back to follow.

Up is another matter entirely. Time it wrong and its awful.

But yep, agree with the husband. Not so much about whether you'll damage the wheels or not, but more the increased demands you put on other road users when you pop in or out of their path. If you project the view that cycles can use the pavements, we can hardly be annoyed when a car driver spouts the same opinion.

All of which is intended to read far less harsh than it probably does. Kerbs. Don't do it. Welcome

 

[Mrs Bear]

Jimboalee,

It was a genuine question, I am completely new to cycling, this is my first proper bike and I know nothing about them. Yes a marriage is built on trust and I trust my husband completley but he has no knowledge of bikes (like myself) and wasn't 100% percent sure about the kerb thing. It was his suggestion that I double check on a nice friendly cycling forum. I am beginning to think from your reply that this forum is not so nice and friendly.

BTW, it was £404 notes, not £500.

 

[jimboalee]

Jimboalee,

It was a genuine question, I am completely new to cycling, this is my first proper bike and I know nothing about them. Yes a marriage is built on trust and I trust my husband completley but he has no knowledge of bikes (like myself) and wasn't 100% percent sure about the kerb thing. It was his suggestion that I double check on a nice friendly cycling forum. I am beginning to think from your reply that this forum is not so nice and friendly.

BTW, it was £404 notes, not £500.

Sorry about that.
I got flashbacks of the argument before my divorce.

Bumping up and down curbs on a bike is of course, a bad thing.

My youngest son bumped up a curb on my Ancient Mini Moulton. 14" Alloy rims as rare as Rocking horse doings. There was a deformation on both sides, which I had to gently tease out in the vice with a small hammer.

My ex-wife didn't understand the severve telling-off my son got for doing something I told him specifically NOT to do.
She let him ride it in the school holidays while I was at work,, without my knowledge.

 

[Moodyman]

Welcome Mrs Bear and don't worry about Jimbo.

He's meticulous about his cycling and that's where the passion comes from. Wait til he gets into his energy-output calculations.

You've found the right place for friendly advice, believe me.

By the way, don't hop on kerbs. To put into a girly context, it'll be like using your best handbag for gym duties or worse.

 

[ianrauk]

Hi Mrs Bear and welcome to the forum. Despite Jimboalee's post (though I see he has since apologised) Cycle Chat is a very friendly place. Have no worries and keep asking any questions or queries you may have.

 

[2Loose]

May I be the latest to say Welcome & nice bike! - as the others say, to keep it nice, don't run up kerbs unless , down is less harsh on the wheels so you can get away with it more often.

Impacts against the corner of a kerbstone can bend your wheels and when they get a bit out of shape, make your brakes rub and therefore your riding will not be as pleasant. Not to mention give you p*nctures.

Be gentle with her and she'll last you a long time and give you many happy times in the saddle.

 

[bauldbairn]

....don't worry about Jimbo.

You've found the right place for friendly advice, believe me.

+1. -

Hello and Welcome to the CC forums Mrs Bear.

 

[Arch]

Jimboalee,

It was a genuine question, I am completely new to cycling, this is my first proper bike and I know nothing about them. Yes a marriage is built on trust and I trust my husband completley but he has no knowledge of bikes (like myself) and wasn't 100% percent sure about the kerb thing. It was his suggestion that I double check on a nice friendly cycling forum. I am beginning to think from your reply that this forum is not so nice and friendly.

BTW, it was £404 notes, not £500.

Ignore Jimbo, we mostly do....

And avoid kerbs. As others have said, apart from any damage, you shouldn't really ever need to mount one - if you're moving from road to pavement, you need to be dismounting anyway, and most (although sadly not all!) bikepath transitions will have drop kerbs.

Also, if you get it wrong, and do it at too shallow an angle, you'll go over - even on quite low kerbs, the sort that are supposed to count as dropped...

Bunny hopping is overated (IE, I can't do it, like wheelies...)

 

[dan_bo]

Sorry Jimbo but that post was the funniest thing i've read on here for a bit.

Not that i would ever draw amusement from your presonal circumstances, but you could just see the red mist descending as you typed.......