"Oh Shit" moments...

Rolling down the Col de Tourmalet in the rain and noticing that my brake blocks were smoking...

Yeah, but everyone smokes in France, it's no big deal.

Doing a 30% off Cader Idris in Wales last year there was nasty smells coming from everyone's rims. I pathetically stopped to walk a section because I was worrying about melting the tire. A little justification came when I was talking to one of the Macc Wheelers a couple of months later who said he had a puncture about a week later and had to cut the tire off the rim with a stanley knife and throw it out with the inner which was welded to it.

http://pro.corbis.com/images/SX001307.jpg?size=67&uid=%7B5C055584-A6D1-45C7-B689-6CC044BF82FB%7D

Here is just one good reason to ride steel forks and not carbon fibre!

I'm pretty sure this guy isn't able to say 'Oh shit' but everyone else arouns him is.

Here is just one good reason to ride steel forks and not carbon fibre!

Keep the religion alive !

Old is good. New is bad. Ignore the data. It is lies. Steel is real. All praise.

Good call Tynan, it's all about the old technologies. Stuff isn't made like it used to be!

Hallelujah

Keep the religion alive !

Old is good. New is bad. Ignore the data. It is lies. Steel is real. All praise.

Carbonenger.

I almost totalled a ped last night, going at a right old speed and he just fully ran into the road. I missed him by about an inch screaming WOAHHHHH. Shat me up something awful.

I've had three oh shit moments since I started riding 7 days a week recently

One was during an alleycat during the day, we all started off hopped on the bike on a hill, didn't clip in properly due to the rush, as we flew down this hill I realised that the exit to the park was cobblestoned. The cobblestones where quite old and there was nothing in between the cobblestones. That was fine I just aimed for a spot and hit it fine, but as I was doing that the people ahead of me shouted "BUS!!". I started to try slow down using my legs and realising that I couldn't due to not clipping in properly. I then knew what I had to do and accelerate as fast as I could, still not sure if I could make it. ended up clipping it with my bars. Nearly dropped a log there and then.

Another one was how I totalled my new frame. Stupidly steep hill, I decided ah fuck it I'll try going down it brakeless(quite heavy gearing too), sure I can just hop off if things go wrong. I started going down nearly back peddling, then gravity started to win, so I unlclipped my left foot, after which realised I was going far to fast to hop off, next thought was maybe I can ride it out, as I saw a car in the distance. Looked to my left and saw a driveway off the hill and just steered towards the wire fence, hit it at about 30mph, my face had the pattern of the fence on it. I also felt a pain between my legs as I picked myself up, I had skidded along the top tube and ripped something with the cable guides I never removed, that was the biggest oh shit moment. Upon further checking I realised it was a my leg that got ripped up less than a cm away from my scrotum.

Last one was going down a hill on my mountain bike, my lane was congested so decided to go on the wrong side of the road, after checking that there where no immediate cars. Started picking up a lot of speed, hit a bump heard a noise, just had a quick look to see if my suspension was alright. As I looked back up noticed a car hurtling towards me well over the speed limit(as was I). Ah it's fine I'll just pull into the right lane, looked across and noticed there was NO space left in the lane and knew I just have to ride it out, I just missed the car, not at all helped by the supper wide MTB bars

Wow that was long...

One was during an alleycat during the day, we all started off hopped on the bike on a hill, didn't clip in properly due to the rush, as we flew down this hill I realised that the exit to the park was cobblestoned. The cobblestones where quite old and there was nothing in between the cobblestones. That was fine I just aimed for a spot and hit it fine, but as I was doing that the people ahead of me shouted "BUS!!". I started to try slow down using my legs and realising that I couldn't due to not clipping in properly. I then knew what I had to do and accelerate as fast as I could, still not sure if I could make it. ended up clipping it with my bars. Nearly dropped a log there and then.

Thats fucking terrifying. I remember in a Manchester alleycat we had, there was one point where the trams come out of a tunnel, and the lights they turn on are patheticly small. I was the only person that noticed them and someones back wheel got clipped by the tram coming out from under Picadilly station. I am deathly afraid of trams.

I've had three oh shit moments since I started riding 7 days a week recently

One was during an alleycat during the day, we all started off hopped on the bike on a hill, didn't clip in properly due to the rush, as we flew down this hill I realised that the exit to the park was cobblestoned. The cobblestones where quite old and there was nothing in between the cobblestones. That was fine I just aimed for a spot and hit it fine, but as I was doing that the people ahead of me shouted "BUS!!". I started to try slow down using my legs and realising that I couldn't due to not clipping in properly. I then knew what I had to do and accelerate as fast as I could, still not sure if I could make it. ended up clipping it with my bars. Nearly dropped a log there and then.

Another one was how I totalled my new frame. Stupidly steep hill, I decided ah fuck it I'll try going down it brakeless(quite heavy gearing too), sure I can just hop off if things go wrong. I started going down nearly back peddling, then gravity started to win, so I unlclipped my left foot, after which realised I was going far to fast to hop off, next thought was maybe I can ride it out, as I saw a car in the distance. Looked to my left and saw a driveway off the hill and just steered towards the wire fence, hit it at about 30mph, my face had the pattern of the fence on it. I also felt a pain between my legs as I picked myself up, I had skidded along the top tube and ripped something with the cable guides I never removed, that was the biggest oh shit moment. Upon further checking I realised it was a my leg that got ripped up less than a cm away from my scrotum.

Last one was going down a hill on my mountain bike, my lane was congested so decided to go on the wrong side of the road, after checking that there where no immediate cars. Started picking up a lot of speed, hit a bump heard a noise, just had a quick look to see if my suspension was alright. As I looked back up noticed a car hurtling towards me well over the speed limit(as was I). Ah it's fine I'll just pull into the right lane, looked across and noticed there was NO space left in the lane and knew I just have to ride it out, I just missed the car, not at all helped by the supper wide MTB bars

Wow that was long...

Maybe you should stay away from hills eh?

Hills aren't the problem here.

Hills aren't the problem here.

Nope, generally just my stupidity =D

DisasterIRL, I hope that you've made a conscious decision by now to change your riding style. You were not far away from being seriously injured or killed. That's not a way to enjoy your riding.

I hope I don't come across as patronising, but I am genuinely concerned for your safety.

Thats fucking terrifying. I remember in a Manchester alleycat we had, there was one point where the trams come out of a tunnel, and the lights they turn on are patheticly small. I was the only person that noticed them and someones back wheel got clipped by the tram coming out from under Picadilly station. I am deathly afraid of trams.

Did you go into that tunnel or past that tunnel? I think I know the one you mean. I remember walking past that and having difficulty working out what was happening, as there are a few highly complex junctions there.

Trams are the biggest moving things on urban streets. They are a form of light rail and very much heavier than anything else bar the odd heavy duty transport (which tends to stick to motorways and roads like that). They can stop fairly quickly considering their mass, but if one runs over a cyclist, the cyclist has no chance of survival whatsoever. :(

DisasterIRL, I hope that you've made a conscious decision by now to change your riding style. You were not far away from being seriously injured or killed. That's not a way to enjoy your riding.

I hope I don't come across as patronising, but I am genuinely concerned for your safety.

I feel it was more bad judgments at the time of these near misses rather than my riding style, that put me in danger.

Although as for the alleycat incident someone was quite close behind me and due to that wasn't in my situation, it was just the initial rush that got me in that situation.

I feel I am generally quite a safe rider, although as I said I can make bad judgments. But I have decided to think more about what I do before I do it as it's quite clear I wasn't thinking enough

Happy cycling!

doing a jump off a kerb on my bmx when i was 8 and putting both brakes on in the air, 'to see what would happen'.
ahh you live and learn

doing a jump off a kerb on my bmx when i was 8 and putting both brakes on in the air, 'to see what would happen'.
ahh you live and learn

Hahahaha that's exactly what I got my brother to do..

I explained it was a new trick..

He crashed hard.

Fuck, younger dumber brothers really are cool.. :D

Hahahaha that's exactly what I got my brother to do..
I explained it was a new trick..
He crashed hard.
Fuck, younger dumber brothers really are cool.. :D

Like this: http://www.poetv.com/video.php?vid=38456 ?

Bigger brother fail.

Someone in that video actually says "ROFL".

Did you go into that tunnel or past that tunnel? I think I know the one you mean. I remember walking past that and having difficulty working out what was happening, as there are a few highly complex junctions there.

Trams are the biggest moving things on urban streets. They are a form of light rail and very much heavier than anything else bar the odd heavy duty transport (which tends to stick to motorways and roads like that). They can stop fairly quickly considering their mass, but if one runs over a cyclist, the cyclist has no chance of survival whatsoever. :(

Just past it, but at a fair clip. There isn't any road in the tunnel, it's just a pick up point for the trams under Piccadilly station for rail links and stuff, so going through it would be madness. You really can't see the trams until they're right outside, and the cycle lane is the first thing they hit (as if I'd use it on that stretch). Really sketchy.

Thanks for increasing my fear of these huge, silent killers Oliver. There melodic hooting haunts my nightmares. I got my back wheel stuck in the rails once and got carried along/skidding on them for a bit. Even though there were no trams about at all, I was convinced I was about to die. 'orrible fucking things.

Saw someone else having a moment not long ago; was cycling past Liverpool st. stn whilst the road works were taking place. The whole left side of the road was blocked off with traffic being diverted. Me and a mate head down the loosely blocked off road anyway, followed by a bloke on a shitty mountain bike wearing city (as apposed to cycling) clothes. Up ahead of me i spot what appears to be a line of wet cement about 15 foot across, and 3 foot wide. I consider going through it, as it doesn't look more than a few centimeters deep. Think better of it, and at the last minute and skid to a stop infront of it. Bloke behind is clearly tring to pick up his pace... i shout to him "i'd stop if i were you" (or words to that affect), he gives me a puzzled look, rides straight into what turns out to be a 2 foot deep cement line! Front wheel fully submerged, as were both his legs, and one of his arms. He actually did well to not go face first into it, managing to somehow leapfrog over his bars.
Funniset thing i have EVER seen. I laughed for days afterwards! :)