Riding into a pothole or risk your life?

[knonist]

Scenario – country lane
It is the 3rd time for 2 weeks, I was riding along and saw a (new?) pothole in just meters in front of me with cars behind me. Shall I risk my life and pull away to avoid the potholes, or shall I run into the pothole to avoid the car?
A driver almost got hit by incoming traffic in order to avoiding hitting me a few days ago.

 

[Matty]

Neither. Bunny-hop. Simples.

 

[Biscuit]

I've had similar this week.

Either

1. Glance over shoulder check if safe go round it
2. Stop and wait for traffic to go then go round it.
or as in most cases,

3. It's too late, going too fast and traffic too busy. Bunny hop the damn thing!

Note to self for next time.

 

[redflightuk]

I've had similar this week.

Either

1. Glance over shoulder check if safe go round it
2. Stop and wait for traffic to go then go round it.
or as in most cases,

3. It's too late, going too fast and traffic too busy. Bunny hop the damn thing!

Note to self for next time.

+1. I did hit a new one the other day in the dark and it was tipping down and now have 2 broken spokes.

 

[upsidedown]

Most of the big potholes by me are quite close to the kerb, i'm guessing where HGV wheels go, so keeping a good strong secondary position misses most of them.

 

[knonist]

Neither. Bunny-hop. Simples.

Bunny-hop on road bike / thin tyres?

 

[knonist]

Most of the big potholes by me are quite close to the kerb, i'm guessing where HGV wheels go, so keeping a good strong secondary position misses most of them.

Agree but I do not cycle as fas as a car, so will get beep all the time

 

[upsidedown]

Bunny-hop on road bike / thin tyres?

And a pannier on the back with a laptop in.

 

[BentMikey]

Road positioning definitely helps in avoiding potholes - too close to the kerb and you have nowhere left to dodge. Cyclecraft also describes how to swerve so that your wheels go around the pothole, but your upper body stays mostly in the same place. Not much good for the very largest potholes, but plenty good enough for the average ones.

Better still would be to maintain a good awareness of what's behind you, because then you'll *know* when you can and cannot swerve. Look, or use a mirror.

 

[02GF74]

you've gotto look ahead and slow down and be aware of cars around you.

no simple answer but better trash a inner tube or wheel then get squashed by a car.

You can bury a small child in some of the holes round here !!!

 

[Debian]

If I didn't know what was behind me then I think I'd bail and head for the kerb / verge. Better to fall off onto the verge than under a car.

 

[gaz]

I hit one BIG time this morning..
cycling along a dual lane road, my lane is compleatly covered in water for 10meters. i didn't know there where any pot holes under the puddle. but there was. and it hurt. i just hope there isn't any damage to my wheels

 

[knonist]

If I didn't know what was behind me then I think I'd bail and head for the kerb / verge. Better to fall off onto the verge than under a car.

Sometimes you dont know a car is behind you... (especially if it is fast one)

 

[BentMikey]

Sometimes you dont know a car is behind you... (especially if it is fast one)

This should be *extremely* rare for anyone looking back properly.

 

[Dan B]

Only twice I've hit a pothole hard enough to break a wheel (well, severely dented rim). The first time was down to pure doziness and the second because I was tailgating a car in traffic and didn't see it until too late. Clearly the anser there is "Don't Do That Then"

Bunnyhopping is unlikely to break your laptop unless it causes the pannier to fall off and get squished by a following vehicle. Assuming the machine is powered down and hdd heads parked, anyway