What's your biggest bike related mistake?

[marknotgeorge]

As a small boy in the early 80s, I convinced my dad that the Raleigh Chopper I'd seen in a local junk shop was just like my Tomahawk, but with gears. He bought it, stripped it down, got his mate in the body shop to spray it a lurid shade of orange, and fixed it up.

It was really too big. He had to take the springs off the sissy car and chop down the seat post. The gears never worked properly either.

 

[palinurus]

Riding through a puddle.

 

[johnnyb47]

When I was a youngster my dad spent most of waking days in the pub and it was left to me to try and keep my bike in a serviceable condition. At the age of ten my mechanical knowledge was very limited but I still have a go and try and fix my old Raleigh Arena with disastrous effects. Punctures were the first challenge ..I remember repairing the tube ,fitting it back together only for the tyre to go down again. After about ten attempts I realised I should of pulled the thorn out of the tyre to stop it re puncturing the tyre dohhhh ! Another stupid mistake I learnt not to do was to take my bike to the local petrol station and pump up the tyres with the air line. When your a kid you learn the hard way and i blew a great big hole in the tyre. It was one hell of of bang when it let go. Buying crappy lights back in the 80s was another big mistake and waste of money. As a teenager I would get sucked into all the hype on the packaging stating how fantastic they were and was easily parted with my pocket money. Its amazing though by how much you learn by your mistakes. After many years of trial and errors in now quite competent at bike and car repairs :-))

 

[Haydena]

I have read a none Jorvik trike article about a trike kit that came from china with the same unit,mmmm makes me think, and yes I have become a victim of Jorvik!

This is the description of a front light that came with my Jorvik Trike, here is my picture

 

[Kajjal]

in the days before safer forks riding at speed, pulling a wheelie, and watching the front wheel drop out as the qr wasn't done up ......

You only need to do that once.

Also down a steep rocky downhill on an early 1990's rigid mountain bike rapidly accelerating with the brakes full on due to the useless cantilever brakes. My mates thought I was a legend as I tore away from them at high speed, I thought I was going to die. Quickly got a replacement bike with v-brakes on which meant I could now stop.

 

[rrarider]

I wish I knew what mistake I made 2 years ago when out on my bike, so that I don't make the same mistake again. Whatever I did caused a traumatic brain injury and put me in intensive care for 4 days. Several days of post-traumatic amnesia wiped that whole day and several following from my memory. I have no ill-effects now and my bike had hardly a mark on it when I eventually recovered it from a police station some weeks later. There was no vehicle involved according to the police, so I can take comfort from the fact that there was no one to blame except myself.

 

[raleighnut]

I wish I knew what mistake I made 2 years ago when out on my bike, so that I don't make the same mistake again. Whatever I did caused a traumatic brain injury and put me in intensive care for 4 days. Several days of post-traumatic amnesia wiped that whole day and several following from my memory. I have no ill-effects now and my bike had hardly a mark on it when I eventually recovered it from a police station some weeks later. There was no vehicle involved according to the police, so I can take comfort from the fact that there was no one to blame except myself.

 

[GuyBoden]

Stopping cycling for years, due to work commitments.........

 

[Eribiste]

Taking the front wheel off my bike so as to be able to load the bike in the back of the car after a 100 mile sportive.

Then driving off, leaving the front wheel behind.

The obvious mistake here was driving to the sportive start rather than riding there, had I done that, I wouldn't have finished up with a unicycle.

 

[RichardB]

Fast commuting through Hull city centre in about 1983. Filtering at speed on the left past a queue of cars, saw some roadworks on my left, but failed to give them enough clearance and hooked the left handlebar over the tape. Landed on my back in a muddy trench, after a triple somersault with pike and twist. No damage, nobody cared, so I put the bike upright and carried on.

 

[Sunny Portrush]

Forgetting to burn the receipt for the bike I bought last month.......

 

[Slick]

Forgetting to burn the receipt for the bike I bought last month.......

School boy error, shame on you.

 

[iancity]

Thinking "ROAD CLOSED" signs were only for the benefit of cars

 

[RichK]

Stopping cycling in my mid twenties & not starting again till my early forties

 

[si_c]

Letting a mate secure our MTBs to the back of his car before a days riding in North Wales. Watching them subsequently fall under an HGV was painful.

His bike was worse off but that was hardly a consolation given the top tube of mine was flat.