Stone Chip/Flying Debris

[BSA]

I was driving to work today following a car at about 20MPH then bang. A stone was thrown up and was going to hit me straight between the eyes, luckilly it didnt crack my screen.

What has this got to do with cycling? I then started thinking what would have happened if I was on my bike!

I do wear a helmet with a visor and I wear sunglasses to protect my eyes, but I imagine it has got to hurt.

Has anyone ever been hit by debris whilst cycling? Did it hurt?

Do you wear eye protection? Maybe you should.

Just a few thoughts...

 

[fossyant]

That's happened to me on a bike.....

Just left work, down a nice country road (on J4CKO's commute) near Ollerton. Car passes from opposite direction. Thunk....

WTF...Oww...... rock flew up and hit the side of my nose (boney bit)...just missed my eye (no glasses on)....

Next second, pouring blood, all over bike and clothes (and with a HR of 160 plus it was coming out fast)....

Had to stop at a house, they called an ambulance - I went to bathroom to check it - big gash in nose....also had to clean the sink them - blood everywhere.

Ambulance turned up, carted off to Macc General (about 14 miles from home).... Called home - can you come and get me..........

Anyway, stitched, big patch and two black eyes later, I get home, then head straight to the Cycling Club meeting in the pub.....

Explaining it at work was tricky, as I'd not been there long....

Even 15 years later, I can't feel anything where the scar is (i.e. no feeling in the skin)...

Sooo....wear shades.........

 

[Jake]

hmm not thought of that. often get bits of grit in the evening as dont wear my shades then, or flys come in around the side when i do have them on. Could loose an eye. Was shot in the eye by a BB once, and nearly became a cyclops!

 

[Jake]

That's happened to me on a bike.....

Just left work, down a nice country road (on J4CKO's commute) near Ollerton. Car passes from opposite direction. Thunk....

WTF...Oww...... rock flew up and hit the side of my nose (boney bit)...just missed my eye (no glasses on)....

Next second, pouring blood, all over bike and clothes (and with a HR of 160 plus it was coming out fast)....

Had to stop at a house, they called an ambulance - I went to bathroom to check it - big gash in nose....also had to clean the sink them - blood everywhere.

Ambulance turned up, carted off to Macc General (about 14 miles from home).... Called home - can you come and get me..........

Anyway, stitched, big patch and two black eyes later, I get home, then head straight to the Cycling Club meeting in the pub.....

Explaining it at work was tricky, as I'd not been there long....

Even 15 years later, I can't feel anything where the scar is (i.e. no feeling in the skin)...

Sooo....wear shades.........

hmm if had shades on, and it hit them, would they not shatter into your eye causing more damage to it, more shardes and cuts in th eye

 

[XmisterIS]

I tend to wear sunspecs when I ride, it keeps the wind from making my eyes water, and stops bits of grit getting into them.

I don't suppose I worry about it very much ... when I go mountain biking I routinely get whacked by bits of tree, brambles, stinging nettles, etc, and I sometimes pick up gravel rash from falling off! All part of the fun

But on a slightly different topic, how many of you ride motorbikes? Have you ever got dust/gravel thrown up into your helmet and into your eyes when you're booting down the twisties? Now that IS scary!!! (Oh crap, I'm doing 60mph and I can't see ...).

 

[thomas]

Never had anything that nasty fossyant. I usually get a little bit of grit or a fly go in one which leaves me winking at passing drivers for about half an hour .

A friend's Mum had a stone flicked up from a lorry which I damaged one of her windows. This was down a small lane and she managed to remember the companies name. She wrote to the company and they didn't have any problem with paying for the crack to be repaired - I think they were used to it.

 

[upsidedown]

They have just re-surfaced the road near work, and they put up the invisible 20mph warning signs. The road is now covered in pea sized gravel that is like riding on ball bearings while having them fired at you from everyone's rear tyres.

 

[dellzeqq]

Glenfarg 2005. Downhill on a minor road. Three of us out of a group of nine were a little behind the rest. I was at the back. A truck passes in the other direction. All of a sudden Phil, just twenty yards in front of me lets out a terrible howl, and goes from 25mph to zero, teeters on the edge of the road, falls over and rolls desperately from side to side. Ted and I slide to a stop. Phil lies on the ground, groaning horribly, clutching himself. A pebble had been thrown up by the truck and struck him, how shall we put this, head on. Ted and I are dumbstruck. There appears to be no comfort we can offer him (without compounding his pain with embarrasment). The groaning, punctuated by some strongish language, continues for a couple of minutes in which Ted and I practice deep breathing and avoid eye contact. Eventually we do look at each other. And break down, falling over double, laughing until we're crying. Phil took some time to forgive us. And his first few pedal strokes when he remounted his bike were really very odd indeed....

 

[Kestevan]

Last autumn I made the mistake of drafting a bus down the main road just after a wind-storm had dislodged hundreds of acorn/acorn husks from the overhanging trees.

It was like being caught in machine gun fire... only a couple came in at face level, but by the time I slowed down, my legs were covered in small bruises and nicks.

 

[Origamist]

[SIZE=-1]Chicago, June 27. -- Earnest, the three year old son of Mrs. Schlickweis, living four miles from Hinsdale, met his death today in a very peculiar manner. With his mother the boy was out walking when the mother missed him and in going back found him lying dead on the path. A jagged stone lying near explained matters. A wheelman passing at full speed passed over a stone which was thrown by the bicycle tire with such force that when the boy was struck on the head death was instant. The wheelman, knowing nothing of the affair, passed on and has not been identified. (Boulder Daily Camera, June 27, 1896. Note the incident occurred in Illinois.)
rt[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]occurred in Illinois.)[/SIZE]

 

[Panter]

hmm if had shades on, and it hit them, would they not shatter into your eye causing more damage to it, more shardes and cuts in th eye

There's a BS standard for safety specs, I don't know if any sunglasses manufacturers conform to this but I'm fairly sure that at least some Oakleys do.
If not, a cheap pair of safety specs (as long as they conform to the above) are rated to stop objects entering the eyes of a certain weight or size.

Mind you, if I'm going to get clumped in the eye with something hard and sharp enough to shatter polycarbonate, i'd rather that lense was there to at least slow it down a bit!

 

[Panter]

I tend to wear sunspecs when I ride, it keeps the wind from making my eyes water, and stops bits of grit getting into them.

I don't suppose I worry about it very much ... when I go mountain biking I routinely get whacked by bits of tree, brambles, stinging nettles, etc, and I sometimes pick up gravel rash from falling off! All part of the fun

But on a slightly different topic, how many of you ride motorbikes? Have you ever got dust/gravel thrown up into your helmet and into your eyes when you're booting down the twisties? Now that IS scary!!! (Oh crap, I'm doing 60mph and I can't see ...).

Even with your visor down it can give you a real shock can't it
I think Bumble bees are the worst, it's like being hit with a sledgehammer.

I never ride my motorcycle without eye protection, either shades or visor and usually both

 

[Mr Pig]

Friend of mine was hit on the shoulder with a golf ball! Says it hurt a lot. I've had golf balls land near my twice.First time it happened I couldn't figure out what it was, just heard something 'thunk' into the grass.

I've been hit in the face with small stones but nothing that did any damage. I used to wear RayBan sunglasses that have glass lenses but after it was pointed out how iffy that could be of they smash I've switched to plastic ones I got from Woolworth's. Work fine and cost about 50p. I have no idea why people pay £30 for a pair of cycling glasses.

 

[fossyant]

23 mm tyres are very good at firing stones into car doors

 

[Mr Pig]

I think Bumble bees are the worst, it's like being hit with a sledgehammer.

Not really ;0)