Making my bike safer after falling off

[Tin Pot]

Really wet weather this week.

As I rounded a busy corner in the city centre my bike went completely from under me and, clipped in still, we slid across the road. Luckily no buses in the adjacent lane. Turned out the guy cycling behind me was from sustrans who also slipped and we realised there was quite a lot of diesel on the road which we reported to the friendly and helpful people at the council.

I took a day off from the bike as one of my knees started to make a grinding noise then on my next trip, also in wet weather, a car driver pulled out directly in front of me. I braked hard and my wheels started to slip and nearly went over again.

Getting to my point, I'm quite freaked out and the last couple of days I feel really wobbly on my bike and wondered what I can do to decrease my chances of coming off again. My fear isn't falling so much as going under the wheels of whatever's behind me. I've had a whole season without so much as a wobble but just wondering what I could do in terms of equipment.

My current set up is:

Bike - felt F95 which I have few complaints with

Vittoria 2013 Zaffiro Rigid Tyre 700x23mm - these are cheap - never had any complaints but would a better tyre make a big difference? Some people talk about using 25mm but I'm assuming these wouldn't fit once I want to put my Crudcatchers back on.

Standard unbranded brake calipers that came with my bike with some new, but also cheap pads - assuming that these wouldn't make much difference as I skidded because they were slowing me down fast?

Bike - should I ditch in favour of a mountain bike (I'd need to buy one) on these days - or even for the entire winter? My commute is 6 miles each way but with a big bad hill on the way home. I was looking at some of the entry level felt MTBs at around £300.

Would value any thoughts people have.

In short I don't think there is anything you can do.

Like most of us, I suspect you're shook up after a tumble and want to make sure it never happens again.

It will. But probably not for a very long time.

Take some time off the bike and come back to it fresh, you'll be confident again soon.

 

[Gert Lush]

diesel is oil and sometimes even called diesel oil

I was referring to Engine Oil which I thought was different.

I did not know that though! Learn summat new everyday!

 

[jonny jeez]

Really wet weather this week.

As I rounded a busy corner in the city centre my bike went completely from under me and, clipped in still, we slid across the road. Luckily no buses in the adjacent lane. Turned out the guy cycling behind me was from sustrans who also slipped and we realised there was quite a lot of diesel on the road which we reported to the friendly and helpful people at the council.

I took a day off from the bike as one of my knees started to make a grinding noise then on my next trip, also in wet weather, a car driver pulled out directly in front of me. I braked hard and my wheels started to slip and nearly went over again.

Getting to my point, I'm quite freaked out and the last couple of days I feel really wobbly on my bike and wondered what I can do to decrease my chances of coming off again. My fear isn't falling so much as going under the wheels of whatever's behind me. I've had a whole season without so much as a wobble but just wondering what I could do in terms of equipment.

My current set up is:

Bike - felt F95 which I have few complaints with

Vittoria 2013 Zaffiro Rigid Tyre 700x23mm - these are cheap - never had any complaints but would a better tyre make a big difference? Some people talk about using 25mm but I'm assuming these wouldn't fit once I want to put my Crudcatchers back on.

Standard unbranded brake calipers that came with my bike with some new, but also cheap pads - assuming that these wouldn't make much difference as I skidded because they were slowing me down fast?

Bike - should I ditch in favour of a mountain bike (I'd need to buy one) on these days - or even for the entire winter? My commute is 6 miles each way but with a big bad hill on the way home. I was looking at some of the entry level felt MTBs at around £300.

Would value any thoughts people have.

I really dont think there is anything to be done. its all just experience...some good, some bad but all helpful.

I once heard a quote from a motorcycle rider which went along the lines "its good to have a close shave every year of so, Stops you loosing respect".

the wobblyness will reduce, although may never go away, after loosing it on a bend myself I am always a little less "brave" then some...or perhaps more respectful?

 

[Profpointy]

I was referring to Engine Oil which I thought was different.

I did not know that though! Learn summat new everyday!

engine is of course a lot thicker - oilier even, though I believe big diesels (eg on ships) run on fairly thick oils

 

[MattDB]

Get a car

I let the missus drive it

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Chin up @MattDB it was bad luck, will probably not happen again for a long time.
I once slid in the wet on 2.00 Big Apples, so, really, it can happen on any bike.

 

[fossyant]

Change your tyres. I never compromise on mine.

You want tough and grippy, Schwalbe Durano Plus. Down side is they do wear, but they grip in all weathers. They out braked me this morning - the bike stopped quicker in the damp than my body did. Landed on a bonnet.

 

[MattDB]

Change your tyres. I never compromise on mine.

You want tough and grippy, Schwalbe Durano Plus. Down side is they do wear, but they grip in all weathers. They out braked me this morning - the bike stopped quicker in the damp than my body did. Landed on a bonnet.

Were you OK? Was that because someone pulled out in front of you?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I had some Zaffiro tyres and they didn't feel safe at all. In slight damp the front tyre would sometimes slip sideways on uneven surfaces, particularly ironwork. I swapped them for Vittoria Rubino Pros and the problem went away. Of course, since then I've learned different ways to fall off but that's a subject for another thread.

 

[Simpleton]

I find thst Durano pluses are good for the commuting when it is raining.

Diesel I can usually either smell it or see the bits of brownian motion when it's been raining. If you must ride through diesel do so in a straight line keeping a light touch on the handlebar.

regarding braking,,when you do have to do an emergency stop get up out of the saddle and lean forward putting more weight on the front wheel. Just be careful not to do an endo.

Try and anticipate more what drivers are going to do. Check behind you on the approach to the junction. If there is traffic behind you then it is unlikely that the driver will pull out. But if there is no traffic then they may chance their luck. Likewise in slow moving traffic, be aware of drivers who leave gaps and flash other drivers through. Usually this is done without and mirror checks to check for filtering cyclists.

 

[rualexander]

Is it diesel that makes the rainbow-colours on the road? I've always been under the (probably mistaken) impression that diesel is not visible. I see a fair amount of rainbow patterns.

Many liquids can result in rainbow colours on the road surface in wet weather. Its known as Thin Film Interference

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin-film_interference
Wider tyres may help but even they can lose grip under the right conditions

 

[steveindenmark]

There is not a lot you can do with diesel except to look out for foam or rainbows on the road if it is wet and try to avoid it.

I have had a recent off and have changed back to flat pedals for a while. Not being clipped in is helping my confidence.

 

[Profpointy]

snipped

regarding braking,,when you do have to do an emergency stop get up out of the saddle and lean forward putting more weight on the front wheel. Just be careful not to do an endo.

snipped
.

That sounds very wrong to me (may have misunderstood) - I suggest you need to get your weight backwards straight arms, bum down, rather than what you suggest. Braking hard, the weigh will go forward right enough - you don't need to make extra effort which is more likely to pitch you over the bars. It is front brakes / front wheel which does all the work though - back brakes hardly at all as the back wheel will be just about lifting when you've got maximum stoppage (technical term)

I agree with the snipped bits by the way.

 

[ChrisEyles]

Ride a little slower, and take it easy on the corners. Its natural that a fall will knock your confidence a little. Let it come back slowly and don't rush back into aggressive riding.

Its a good thing to learn to ride to the conditions... of course this sounds obvious but its also easy to neglect - most of the accidents or near misses I've had have been down to not doing this! I had a very sketchy moment earlier this week where I was forced to take a line over a wet drain cover on a corner at the bottom of a steep hill... how I stayed upright I do not know (I was snaking all over the place) but the sensible thing to have done would have been to have taken into account the rain, and taken the hill slower so I could have waited for the car that pulled out and blocked my usual line.

Don't know if its been mentioned already, but diesel/petrol/oil on the road seems to be worst when there's a bit of rain that carries it around after a dry spell, so watch out especially at these times. After a lot more rain it gets washed away and isn't so bad.

 

[jonny jeez]

Chin up @MattDB it was bad luck, will probably not happen again for a long time.
I once slid in the wet on 2.00 Big Apples, so, really, it can happen on any bike.

That's a very specific number of big apples, are you sure it wasn't 2.03?