"Oh Shit" moments...

My most memorable Oh shit moment was on a TT up in Peterborough. I was on the return leg and just built up to about 60kph off a down hill when traffic started backing up because someone was waiting to turn right into a petrol station.

I looked over my shoulder and my minute man was right on my tail so I stood up into a sprint to undertake when someone started to open the passenger door. All I could think about was the impending doom of getting doored at near 40mph and then getting rear ended by someone moving faster. I think I was pretty close to throwing up and then the door closed. My minute man assures me I was screaming.

My most memorable Oh shit moment was on a TT up in Peterborough. I was on the return leg and just built up to about 60kph off a down hill when traffic started backing up because someone was waiting to turn right into a petrol station.

I looked over my shoulder and my minute man was right on my tail so I stood up into a sprint to undertake when someone started to open the passenger door. All I could think about was the impending doom of getting doored at near 40mph and then getting rear ended by someone moving faster. I think I was pretty close to throwing up and then the door closed. My minute man assures me I was screaming.

Sounds as if you were seldom iller.

Late to meet my friend, in Manchester, caning it down a road devoid of cars, and the classic woman with a pushchair walked out in front of me. Didn't even look in my direction, just stepped onto the road. It took serious feathering to keep me from going over the bars, I must have shouted because she wheeled her head round and as our eyes locked, her facial expression turned to sheer terror. She stopped dead and I managed to lean right and kind of nose manual around the pushchair. Back wheel on the ground once again I informed her, "Try looking first, cunt."

My VERY memorable Oh Shit moment was when I realised I had been stupid enough to touch the chain of my bike whilst fixing it and saw that my finginer was halfway round the back cog. I had to pedal it back out again cus the chain was so tight. The bike was at least at a standstill when I did it. It's actually made me scared of chains/cogs! Anyway, here's the outcome

I really though I'd lost the end of my finger when I did it. The cog (1 1/8 of course!) cut straight through the nail, bone and popped out the other side. Luckily there was some skin holding it on. I had to have it cleaned out that night in A&E and then go back in the next day to have surgery on it. It was a horrible experience and I hope people see this and think twice when near chains!

This is what it's like now, so not too bad.

I at least have feeling back in the end and I'm told that the nail will grow out within about 6 months. It's still pretty fucking tender though!

I did exactly the same thing to my left index finger about 5 months ago.
Healed up, nail's fine but the nerve endings still ain't right.

Well at least I'm not the only idiot on here then! Mine's still got quite a strange feeling to it. It's really sensitive so it hurts a lot more when I touch anything warm/sharp or catch it on anything. The skin breaks quite a bit more easily now as well.

Actually, come to think about it I have another Oh Shit moment and this was last night!...

I came to fix my puncture and noticed this\/

Fuck knows how long I've been riding it like that without noticing :-S

Think that frame might be slightly knackered.

It's going to the knackers yard!

I'm sure it'll buff out.

^^^ Did that guy actually think he'd land a jump like that on a hardtail bike, without a landing ramp?

springy rear ends are for pussies

Are you calling Lurker a pussy? His end has gone a bit 'springy'!

I resent that!

Quite a few. Worst was when I borrowed an Eddy Merckx from a friend for a ride. It was not fixed or anything, just a standard racer. We went to Brick Lane, on the way back it started to rain. It turned out the bike was not as well maintained as it could have been, since in the wet the brakes literally ceased to work. We came up at a fair old clip to the traffic lights on Newington Green, they were red. I tried to stop, then discovered that both brakes were useless. I shouted "BRAKES! BRAKES!" passing my friend (she was in front and had stopped at the lights).

Luckily an alert van driver had spotted what was happening and halted. I twisted the bike into a skid and stopped half-way into the first lane of cross-traffic. If he hadn't seen me it could have been so much worse.

Another one - hitting a hideous pothole near Bishopsgate. I came off the bike and there was traffic behind me, I was convinced something really bad was going to happen. Luckily they stopped in time. Afterwards I was a bit shaken but continued to cycle to work. At the end of the day my wrist was still really hurting from the landing. I went to hospital, they said it was just a sprain. A week later it turned out it was in fact broken. I continued to ride my bike with a cast, this was in retrospect quite stupid. I had the cast for 12 weeks.

On one trip to the hospital, I forgot my lock. I asked security at Homerton if I could leave the bike with them. They said no due to "Health and Safety" even though the security office was fucking massive. They then told me it would however be OK for me to keep the bike with me. So I took my trusty pug with me to the Fracture Clinic, X-Ray room and then the Plaster Room (when it turned out it was still broken). I got a few weird looks.

Other non-bike related moments include:

1. Falling off a cliff.

2. Getting my arm impaled on a branch when falling out of a tree. I literally hung there with a branch sticking through my arm.

There are lots more too, just can't think of them all right now :)

1. Falling out of a tree house at my god fathers.
   
2. Putting a garden fork through the webbing of my foot.
   
3. Jumping a rise and going straight into a fence, bike disintigrated. (was young and ignorant).
   
   

Admittadly these are all post Oh shit moments except for number 2 which I didn't see coming.

Two "oh shit moments" from years ago.

The first the usual crisis when the stupid ejit driver opens his car door as I am fast approaching between the car and stationery traffic on the outside. Actually more of an Oooooooooooh fuck moment as somehow i got through the gap of what seemed like a few cms.

The second was at a railway crossing (remember them) that I was approaching at speed. The barriers were going up as I arrived. Just as I passed the barriers a cyclist on the inside pulled out without looking behind then and I ended up going face first along the road into the oncoming traffic after hitting them. As well as righting off the bike ( a v nice Sun tourer) losing half the skin on my face I also ground down several teeth. Still got back on a bike as soon as I could and 30 years later still riding and still shitting myself from time to time.

oh shit moment last night. inexplicably (though the G might have had something to do with it) just came off when riding home. all the slow-motion certainty of pain. somehow managed to cut both sides of my right ankle, the inside of my left knee and the top of my left shoulder. nothing too serious. more upset about the massive scuff marks on my newish saddle.

loved some of those pictures sparky.

I'm piling down Brixton road, school kid stepped out in front of a stationary bus as I'm overtaking said bus, he doesnt see me whatsoever, I have a few micro seconds to to think "on sh.... and I plough straight into him. I dont remember next few minutes as I'm unconscious but the bus driver said i flipped forward and somersaulted fully once and a bit and landed plum on my head, still clipped into my pedals.

I came to with paramedics around me, but was able to "walk it off" and sent them away. They gave me my helmet back, which was in about 8 shattered pieces. Unsurprisingly I always wear a helmet.

Edit: kid was fine, had a scuffed knee and torn jumper.

They gave me my helmet back, which was in about 8 shattered pieces. Unsurprisingly I always wear a helmet.

Shit. Maybe I should start wearing a helmet. I'd be interested to know how many people on here do or don't. I read an article in The Guardian that said normal bike helmets were not much better than nothing if the speed was greater than 12-15mph... so I kind of figured if I was going slow it wouldn't be that bad anyway and if I was going fast... well that would be more than 12mph, so sod it. Hmmm...

How are you doing Jonny? You OK to ride still?

I'm thoroughly missing London and fixed-gear shenanigans. In Newcastle at the moment - riding is no fun if you can't feel your hands or feet.

oh shit moment last night. inexplicably (though the G might have had something to do with it) just came off when riding home. all the slow-motion certainty of pain. somehow managed to cut both sides of my right ankle, the inside of my left knee and the top of my left shoulder. nothing too serious. more upset about the massive scuff marks on my newish saddle.

loved some of those pictures sparky.

I keeled over in front of lots of setting off traffic on Kingsland Road once. fucking spds.

I did exactly the same thing to my left index finger about 5 months ago.
Healed up, nail's fine but the nerve endings still ain't right.

It's a common injury; I have one right now and it's the third time I've done it. There are some gruesome pics on Sheldon Brown.

I've also keeled over when a cleat has got stuck. The last time right next to a taxi as I was coming off the pavement. His face defined the 'withering look'.
Took off someone's wing mirror with my leg this week when he turned left in to me; stayed upright, no injury or damage, had a good obscene rant at him and he's out of pocket. Happy days.

Took off someone's wing mirror with my leg this week when he turned left in to me; stayed upright, no injury or damage, had a good obscene rant at him and he's out of pocket. Happy days.

Good for you! A couple of weeks ago I came past a cabbie on the left, the lights were red. Bear in mind I was actually in front of him as the lights changed, so he should have been able to see me quite clearly. As the lights changed I accelerated, he started turning left into me! I braked, let him cut me up, but my handlebar smacked his mirror quite nastily - hahaha! Then he started shouting at me?! Blind fucker.

Also not really an "Oh shit" moment for me but I gave a lorry driver the finger the other day for scaring some poor girl half to death. He came up behind her far too close, then started honking which scared her shitless and made her pull right in to the kerb - then he overtook, way too close and without properly pulling out. I switched lanes and overtook him on the high side, as I passed I made my displeasure apparent and then held the lane in front of him until I turned. Twat.

o my god.** Amazing**. Thats what you get for riding with an umbrella

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