Plastic Bag Kills Bike

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delb0y

Legendary Member
Location
Quedgeley, Glos
First post here, so hello!

Been trying to get a few (a very few) miles into the legs this month in order that by the summer I'll be able to manage a few decent rides. So there I was this morning riding along into a ferocious wind with flurries of snow hitting my face when I noticed a plastic supermarket carrier bag blowing along the road towards me.

I paid the bag no heed.

Alas, the wind blew the bag into my rear derailleur. Next thing I know the rear wheel's locking up, there are bits of exploded jockey wheel filling the air, a horrible grinding sound, and a rapid de-acceleration. Turns out the derailleur is bent, one jockey wheel's disintegrated, the others almost split in two, a couple of spokes are loose, the gear-hanger is bent...

Bang goes my mileage for a week or two.

I think the government ought to ban plastic bags!

Cheers,
Del
 

andygates

New Member
Death by bag! But that's not death... that's just heavy petting. You'll be back on the road again in no time.

This is of course why we have more than one bike. It's all the fault of plastic bags...;)
 

domtyler

Über Member
Yeah I managed to suck a plastic bag into my rear once, I tried desperately to avoid the damn thing but the wind kept blowing it toward me no matter which way I swerved.

It didn't break anything but I was still picking bits out for months afterwards.
 

Keith Oates

Janner
Location
Penarth, Wales
I also have had plastic bag problems in the past but I was lucky not to get the damage mentioned by, delb0y. I now watch out for them very carefully, they are a complete menace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
funny how they zero in on you, I usually cath them on the front wheel though

sounds like a shitter, hard luck fella
 
andygates said:
Death by bag! But that's not death... that's just heavy petting. You'll be back on the road again in no time.

This is of course why we have more than one bike. It's all the fault of plastic bags...;)


Perfect! Just read out the scenario and the response to SWMBO. She laughed, which I thought was a good response as my sixth bike has been in the front room all weekend.

Welcome to the forum, by the way, delboy.
 

buggi

Bird Saviour
Location
Solihull
well none of us will have the problem soon when they get banned and we all have to use string shopping bags.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
buggi said:
well none of us will have the problem soon when they get banned and we all have to use string shopping bags.

I've got a lovely canvas shopping bag I bought in a tourist shop at Schipol Airport. It has pictures of bicycles on it - all sorts, BMX, MTB, sit-up-and-beg, tourer... No recumbents alas.
 

02GF74

Über Member
simial thing happened to my friend's bike but by a twig. the teeniest twig you can imagine but getting stuck in the wrong place caused mayhem galore.!!
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I saw that happen in the Tour de France once with similar results!

Another thing to watch out for - empty Coca Cola (or other drink) cans! I heard of someone running over an empty Coke can causing it to wrap round his front wheel and jam between fork and wheel with catastrophic results :ohmy:.
 
I had the same happen to me - but with a wooden lolly stick. I went over it with my back wheel, it jumped up and lodged itself in my derailleur, jammed the jocky wheels and I ripped the derailleur off the drop out.

But will this government do anything about them? NO!!!
 
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