The daily Close Call

Too late to brake yet you managed to lock up your back wheel and slide the rear out before riding away? Methinks you underestimate the power of a front brake.. or you have a shit front brake..

you're right sorry. i must have made the wrong decision. next time i'll pull the front brake and fly head first into the passenger window...

Front Brake discussion on LFGSS: Serious Business.

i'm pro front brakes for the record

3 coffees yesturday included a super strong (late nite) special one from my lady in the coffee shop. feeling pysched with little or no attention span so jumped on the massi to go pick up my polo bike and fall over with a stick for a few hours.
managed to grab the tail of a passing po po car and got an escort all the way to lillie road, hard left and kept up the speed all the way to the train station - custom slow roll and eye ball the local toffs, bypassed the smug pram pushing parents in the park and got to the front door...

key ring broke! 5 minutes of hopping about realising the saddle position was working the bladder. managed to hold it back and scrape a key in the door... its all about the nervous system you see, coffee triggers a fight or flight.. as does chasing police cars and dodging traffic at speed. the draw back is the other half of your nervous system! after managing to sustain the bladder my body decided it needed to calm the fuck down so an almighty stomach cramp and rush of hot wind highlighted the fact my trousers were held up with my lock.. the keys again.. not to be found..

close call....

classic greasy!

Some silly bitch clipped me on commercial road this morning. I'm not an aggressive person generally but it's been a while since I've come into contact with car. I may have lost my shit and gave her an earful through the passenger window.

"I didn't touch you!"
"look at your fucking wing mirror!"

It was flat against the door.

Silly bitch.

Self-htfu.

finger was ON the brake as i turn onto a road that cuts through the middle of a small park...
this place must've had about 500 school kids all over the place hence the caution..
cars approaching in front so head to the curb side a tad. rolling thru all is good
BAM!
fucking kid right infront 1/2m to brake. not gonna happen. its all over.
earliest conscious moment was me on my back, bike was out 5m infront of me.

got straight the fuck up and back to the kid [10 ish] who was also down - she was still realising what happened. got her to the curb and she was alright - crying, but not a scratch.

i reckon i tried to get up whilst i was still sliding along the asphalt.. i remember it being an f'in quick reaction.

so she's fine now, i decide its time to realise i have one fat grazed palm, bleeding from the chin, two hammered knees [on the inside leg!?], and a stiff jaw. ...fuckin parents and kids all around, bike is still way over there in the road, SUV's tryin to get past it.. crowd gathered... aww here it all comes.

i got no stick. everyone was in full recognition that it was her fault - teachers came over askin how I was.. hah! i was wondering where the flaming torches were..

8 or so kids then delivered my bike to my side - dented top tube - all else was good and true.

i'm then told by some girls that they called her over to their side of the road and she ran out oblivious...

... ! ...i just walked outta there, legs gettin stiffer by the step. - inside leg!@£ - it was my KNEE that made that dent? and maybe i hit the floor with the other? i'm still baffled by that.

also dont understand how she was fine - must've hit bad - as my jaw fuckin caned - one chipped molar too!

close..for her! - she could have been fucked up

i'm gonna go heal now.

Within an inch of my life this morning. Middle aged man in a Golf on Knightsbridge cutting me up so he could get to the traffic lights and queue longer.

Shouted at him and stopped the traffic to do so. He was not at all apologetic and other road users were looking at me like I was being a prick.

sighs

you're right sorry. i must have made the wrong decision. next time i'll pull the front brake and fly head first into the passenger window...

Maybe you should learn how to use it first.

cutting me up so he could get to the traffic lights and queue longer

Of all the annoying things that can happen on the road, that one really really grips my shit - especially if they top it off with a bit of 'improper use of horn'. You don't know whether to laugh or cry.

a bit of 'improper use of horn'.

On Oxford St. last week was in the middle of the road (damn that street needs to be redone) keeping up with the speed of the traffic, couple of buses ahead. Black cab behind sounds his horn. I let him pull alongside and ask him what's up, "Yeh sorry mate, hit it by accident". Yeah right!

It least you got an apology, even if not sincere!

aaaaah no probs this morning apart from the usual cars trying to overtake me with an inch of my side, even though theres no room infront of me and stopped trffic ahead. why do they bother?

I so nearly hit a child this morning it was frightening. She ran out from between 2 parked cars right in front of me, I only just managed to avoid her and stay on my bike. luckily I wasnt going very fast. if I'd been a car she would be dead. She was only about 5 or 6 and there were no parents to be seen. I've never really told a child off before, but I think I did a good job of it and made it as clear as possible that she needs to stop, look and listen before crossing the road and needs to be careful of parked cars. I doubt it sank in, but she did say sorry.

no wonder so many children get killed on the roads.

why do they bother?

Some motorists see cyclists as moving obstacles, not traffic. It's like when you see a caravan on the motorway and you start clenching your buttocks until you've overtaken it.

Or maybe that's just me.

No ones fault but i just started stamping on the pedals to pass a luminous commuter, next thing i know im sliding down the Essex road on my head - chain jumped off. Thank god alright but for bruises and road rash. Took down the guy i was trying to pass by diving under his wheels. His daft missis was demanding i apologise while i was still counting limbs and checking i wasnt dead. As if i did it on purpose. When i get out of the nursery im gonna start a discussion on helmets. i seriously think id be dead without it.

Don't you fucking dare!

I was riding home yesterday after a long day and a long ride when I suddenly realised I was no longer holding on to the handle bars and was in fact grating the skin off the road. Once I had collected my thoughts and had a look around I realised I had ridden into a speed hump without even noticing which threw me off my bike... I know this is probably going to get me slated but I think I must have dozed off whilst riding along!

Don't you fucking dare!

Oh please.

Don't even dredge the old ones.. otherwise there'll be face killings..

Maybe you should learn how to use it first.

i'm going into front brake training straight away! are there any night classes?

Seems to be a lot of actual crashes in these threads, I thought it was for 'close calls'?

No ones fault but i just started stamping on the pedals to pass a luminous commuter, next thing i know im sliding down the Essex road on my head - chain jumped off. Thank god alright but for bruises and road rash. Took down the guy i was trying to pass by diving under his wheels. His daft missis was demanding i apologise while i was still counting limbs and checking i wasnt dead. As if i did it on purpose. When i get out of the nursery im gonna start a discussion on helmets. i seriously think id be dead without it.

Or you could have just tensioned your chain/sorted out an acceptable chainline.

I was riding home yesterday after a long day and a long ride when I suddenly realised I was no longer holding on to the handle bars and was in fact grating the skin off the road. Once I had collected my thoughts and had a look around I realised I had ridden into a speed hump without even noticing which threw me off my bike... I know this is probably going to get me slated but I think I must have dozed off whilst riding along!

amazing!