What's your biggest bike related mistake?

[Shut Up Legs]

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

I made a similar mistake and all but quit cycling for several years, drank too much, ate badly, etc. When I started cycling again my health improved drastically, my blood pressure lowered, my weight dropped about 20%, my cholesterol lowered, and overall things improved. I love cycling.

 

[sarahale]

Once on the way to LBS I went for a little extra ride. A guy was cleaning up a mountain of leaves and turns out the road was like sheet ice due to the gunky leaf residue left behind. I did not realise this, bike went one way and I went the other.

Turned up to bike shop with a broken derailer, glass in my hand and covered in manky leaf slime. The guy in the shop fixed up my bike whilst I went to the walk in to get all the glass removed.

 

[Slick]

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

I think most of us will have a similar story to tell as our focus changed from enjoying life to trying to be successful in our work life, before finally realising life's way too short and we had the right idea the first time.

My wife has a great saying for dealing with niggling regret.

Don't go back as the person you are now.

 

[mjr]

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.

Always always always lean the front wheel against the driver's door.

 

[RichardB]

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

Not my joke, but: "My greatest fear is that I die and my wife sells all my bikes for what I told her I had paid for them."

 

[LincsBlue]

Having a 25 plus year break from cycling...making up for it now.

 

[Biff600]

Borrowing my mates 'brand new for Christmas' Raleigh Chopper in the 70's, riding on the pavement and straight into a car door that magically opened right in front of me. I went through the gap in the handlebars into the drivers window, resulting in a broken nose and collarbone. The bike was unrideable and I had to pay for the damage out of my hard-earned paper round. Hence from that day on, I've never ridden on a footpath

 

[theFire]

Not tightening the clamp properly on my Brompton before riding off on Friday...

 

[Slick]

Borrowing my mates 'brand new for Christmas' Raleigh Chopper in the 70's, riding on the pavement and straight into a car door that magically opened right in front of me. I went through the gap in the handlebars into the drivers window, resulting in a broken nose and collarbone. The bike was unrideable and I had to pay for the damage out of my hard-earned paper round. Hence from that day on, I've never ridden on a footpath

I never broke any bones, but I do remember my feet slipping off those pedals and tearing the jewels on that gear stick. I think that's when my mum bought me my first racer.

 

[Alan O]

Having a 25 plus year break from cycling...making up for it now.

Similar here - 20 years

 

[ayceejay]

Buying a damaged frame from Velodrome Shop that took all summer to reconcile and get my money back.

 

[RichardB]

I never broke any bones, but I do remember my feet slipping off those pedals and tearing the jewels on that gear stick.

When my mates and I were about 12, we had this crazy thing about mounting our bikes by running alongside and then vaulting into the saddle without touching the pedals (like the cowboys on the TV, I suppose). One misjudgement, and ... bloody hell, it hurt.

 

[raleighnut]

Buying a damaged frame from Velodrome Shop that took all summer to reconcile and get my money back.

So you finally got your money back off that 'lemon' they foisted on you.

 

[Alan O]

Similar here - 20 years

Oh, and my other big mistake other than neglecting cycling for 20 years was when I gave away my old Falcon cycle when I got a new one. I don't mind having given the bike away - it went to a friend who couldn't afford a bike and I was happy to help him. But I neglected to swap saddles, and I gave away my lovely old worn-in Brooks B17!

 

[ayceejay]

So you finally got your money back off that 'lemon' they foisted on you.

Visa got it back for me raleighnut otherwise Velodrome Shop wouldn't have