"Oh Shit" moments...

Do you think he had not seen you? Or did but didn't care?

if you sit outside LMNH in the summer that is the standard move for buses pulling into the stop.

I don't know how he couldn't have seen me.

I don't know how he couldn't have seen me.

Sadly because he probably wasn't looking for you.

TL;DR version - someone crashed, picture of mangled face.

So, this isn't about me, but my brother-in-law who isn't on the forum. I bought some of the parts and helped him build the bike though so I feel attached to it too.

None of the components were top flight but none of them were completely shit. In fact I got the frameset and wheels from the classifieds.

He reckons he didn't hit anything in the road, not a pothole, a divot nor a scurrying creature. His memory is of mashing along at 20mph near Ladywell park at around 7:30 last night and hearing a "click". The click turned out to be his seatpost simply snapping in two. He remembers little else other than the good Samaritans who gave him their jackets for pillows and took his his bag and bike in for safe keeping after the ambulance took him. He stacked it really hard and spent the evening in hospital, his pinky finger is broken, his wrist is broken and his arm is in a cast... his face is mangled up pretty bad too.

The seatpost wasn't a modern standard (26.8 I think) so we sourced a fluted Campag one from Hilary Stone. Now I know it obviously wasn't new but it was fitted properly and appropriately accommodated the minimum insertion mark. Should it have just snapped like that? Anyone have any idea of what might have caused it? If it helps, he's a big lad, like 6'4" and pretty athletic. Could he perhaps have just been exerting too much force on it somehow? Any clues would help... well actually, it won't help anything, he's bashed up but it might add some clarity.

The stem has taken a bash and both sides of the bars are scraped up so we reckon the bike must have bounced or something maybe?

Right... pictures attached.

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Jesus, that's nasty. I hope he heals up soon.

Components fail unfortunately and sometimes you get no warning.

I think my little finger is broken, it's been hurting for about a month after I smacked someones wheel at polo. Thankfully I don't have the other injuries he has to go with it, hope he's not fucked for long.

Have a look inside the two halves of the seatpost to see if there is any rust?

Heal up, sounds a horrific accident to happen. Hope it doesn't put him off!

^All valid.
Good call.

Its a shame it happened but it's right. Sometimes stuff just goes wrong.

I'll inspect for rust next time I visit. Cheers for the tip.

I don't think there's any chance he'll be put off riding, he loves cycling... he'll replace the broken bits and get back on when his arm is mended!

And I've sent him your well-wishes. I'm sure he'll appreciate it.

I think my little finger is broken, it's been hurting for about a month after I smacked someone's wheel at polo. Thankfully I don't have the other injuries he has to go with it, hope he's not fucked for long.

Have a look inside the two halves of the finger joint to see if there is any rust?

Heal up, sounds a horrific accident to happen. Hope it doesn't put you off!

.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGZAPRl9zbA"]How
to pull off your finger (Magic) - YouTube[/ame]

Ouch. More good wishes to your brother-in-law, privatepatterson.

Have a look inside the two halves of the seatpost to see if there is any rust?

Heal up, sounds a horrific accident to happen. Hope it doesn't put him off!

A steel tube would normally have a bend rather than the simple failure pictured.

I had something similar around 95. I was riding home from the woods on my 3 month old Scott mtb, no handed, just finished a cig when I'm suddenly hopping along the road, then sliding on my face. I came to a stop inches away from a guy digging up the road, a proper oh shit moment for both of us.
I gathered myself, worked out I was hurt, bleeding n on the floor, looked down n was still clipped into my pedal along with half a crank arm.
shimano actually asked for the part to xray, they sent me a letter a few weeks later explaining a small air bubble in the metal had caused the sudden failure and they paid for my bike to be fixed.

Looks nasty around that eye! I once mashed my face but not that badly... Here's hoping for a swift recovery. At least when he's healed it'll properly be spring!

A steel tube would normally have a bend rather than the simple failure pictured.

But it was an aluminium seat post. Anyway, any metal seat post, steel or alu, which is under excessive load whilst completely constrained by a seat tube is going to rip (fail catastrophically) rather than make a neat little 90deg bend.

shimano... ...sent me a letter a few weeks later explaining a small air bubble in the metal had caused the sudden failure and they paid for my bike to be fixed.

Obviously not without a massive downer because you crashed out but good of Shimano to take responsibility.

Just taken the kid for a free coffee/hot chocolate at pop-up bikes in Manchester, nice time, got offered some work, all good. Heading back through town I had just proven how manly and awesome I am by overtaking a guy on a road bike whilst I was on a 90's MTB with a nearly 3 year old kid on the back, I had stopped at some lights and was pedaling off when things felt a bit loose, drive side cranks were a bit wobbly, hmm, seemed fine earlier, no worries, I haz multitool. Stopped to tighten them up only to realise my roadie smashing power had caused the bolt to shear. Shit. Well at least it had started raining, that's alway a help. Scooted about a mile to the bus stop but the bus wanker drivers wouldn't let me on with the crippled bike, even though I had a grumpy kid. Just got back from a further 3 miles or so of pavement surfing with a maximum of 3 pedal rotations followed by kicking the chainset back on, all to a delightful chorus of crying child.

TL;DR version - someone crashed, picture of mangled face.

Look closely at the snapped seatpost. Stuff like this usually happens when a fatigue crack as been quietly growing unnoticed, and then what's left of the metal snaps under a sudden load. The faces of a fatigue crack will have had more time to become corroded and dull than the freshly torn part which is probably still bright. You can usually see the different parts of the break.

Look closely at the snapped seatpost. Stuff like this usually happens when a fatigue crack as been quietly growing unnoticed, and then what's left of the metal snaps under a sudden load. The faces of a fatigue crack will have had more time to become corroded and dull than the freshly torn part which is probably still bright. You can usually see the different parts of the break.

Thank you.

^^ Spoken like my old materials lecturer back in university. Well put.

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I was right behind this when it happened. Corner junction on Finchley Road/Hendon way. Some idiot in their eternal wisdom decided that to make everyone's day more interesting by suddenly doing a 180 to the opposite road. The truck behind having built up some pace, had to slam dunk those brakes. All that twisting mass buckled the belts (which make a pretty deliciously lethal "snap" when they..well..snap) and all that glass came a crashing down around 20 feet away. Aside from being bathed in tiny fragments of glass (It felt pretty sexy) I'm amazed that it all calmed down quick. There was an ambulance going the opposite direction and made a prompt stop, asked if I was ok then turned attention to truck.
Best part, the driver just got out, spoke on his phone for a couple seconds, talked to the ambulance crew, then just rolled a cigarette and just sat the hell down.

This was around 2pm if I remember right. It's now nearly 7 and the endless traffic outside says "shits still being cleaned up!"
Oh what fun!

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What happened to the U-turn chump?

^^ nonchalant smoker the truck driver or the bad driver?

wow.

Punctures incoming

What happened to the U-turn chump?

As far as I saw, happily speeding towards Hendon.