"Oh Shit" moments...

It takes quite a big hit to a van for the driver to notice that it's not just the usual noises. A small pothole in a empty van can be heard so unless the noise of the hit as exceptionally loud it's quite probable that they wouldn't notice. Van/truck drivers often have to rely on their mirrors as they are so apart from the van, you can't trust what you feel.

I did a front flip today! went down this bank on the side of a path, the top had a lil curb and i hit it turning to sharp with my pedal(i think?) not even sure what happened but i flipped over did a rolly polly and ended up just sat down like wtf!? i wasn't hurt at all, it was actually fun haha! more importantly the bike was okay

my son had an "oh shit" moment 2 weeks after starting uni. Got front wheel caught in tram lines but somehow buggered the back wheel! I felt guilty though because I was meaning to warn him about tram lines (in Nottingham) but forgot.

http://www.trackosaurusrex.com/pblog/images/ScottPDickies.png

It takes quite a big hit to a van for the driver to notice that it's not just the usual noises. A small pothole in a empty van can be heard so unless the noise of the hit as exceptionally loud it's quite probable that they wouldn't notice. Van/truck drivers often have to rely on their mirrors as they are so apart from the van, you can't trust what you feel.

A cyclist smashing into the back of a van? You hear that.

Probably just not insured...

A cyclist smashing into the back of a van? You hear that.

I went into the back of a van last night; the back door panels seemed pretty shock absorbent. I can easily believe the driver didn't notice.

Also managed to strip the threads on my hub around the same time which made the Aldwych downhill a bit unsettling, but I can't for the life of me figure out how one would cause the other.

I don't think it was malicious, I think he was avoiding a pedestrian and if they heard my impact, they may have assumed it was something shifting in the back.

It'll be something to watch out for in the future though! (lesson learnt)

Having driven a van for quite a lot of time around London you get used to some noises and don't notice others. Not all van drivers are wankers, you seem to come across as just another car hater.

Not all van drivers are wankers, you seem to come across as just another car hater.

Not certain who you're having a go at here, but I certainly wasn't criticising the van driver. Impact wasn't fast or loud, and wouldn't have been visible in the mirrors.

I can't speak for kowarler, mind, but I was getting surprise rather than hate.

my son had an "oh shit" moment 2 weeks after starting uni. Got front wheel caught in tram lines but somehow buggered the back wheel! I felt guilty though because I was meaning to warn him about tram lines (in Nottingham) but forgot.

Seems like most who've ridden in Nottingham have been taken down by the tram lines, I've had my back wheel stuck once but managed to hop it out. It's all about hitting them at right angles.

Not certain who you're having a go at here, but I certainly wasn't criticising the van driver. Impact wasn't fast or loud, and wouldn't have been visible in the mirrors.

I can't speak for kowarler, mind, but I was getting surprise rather than hate.

It was directed at pigfarmer.

pigfarmer drives a range rover v8.

Rosebeery Avenue - c8.15am this morning. This was an oh shit moment and fucking twat moment - to the scouse gentleman on the baby blue bike, who came shooting through all the cyclists starting off on Roseberry avenue, undertaking, realising you had picked the "wrong" racing line, swerved and then clippped my front wheel and rode off without an apology.

You sir - are a absolute cunt. Even when I caught up with you, you claimed it wasn't your fault and had been cycling in a straight line. Clearly - no - you weren't

I had some geared lady rider even asked me at the next ligths if you had apologised.

Giving baby blue ss/fg riders a bad name everywhere. Actually cycling like that was giving london cyclists a bad name

Rosebeery Avenue - c8.15am this morning. This was an oh shit moment and fucking twat moment - to the scouse gentleman on the baby blue bike, who came shooting through all the cyclists starting off on Roseberry avenue, undertaking, realising you had picked the "wrong" racing line, swerved and then clippped my front wheel and rode off without an apology.

You sir - are a absolute cunt. Even when I caught up with you, you claimed it wasn't your fault and had been cycling in a straight line. Clearly - no - you weren't

I had some geared lady rider even asked me at the next ligths if you had apologised.

Giving baby blue ss/fg riders a bad name everywhere. Actually cycling like that was giving london cyclists a bad name

I bet that GBB Fixie will be on Gumtree tonight.

OH NO YOU DIDN'T!!

Oh yes he did!

And apologies about the spelling - was pretty pissed off when typing

10 mins ago, going under Admiralty Arch towards the Palace - have you SEEN the size of that fegging pot-hole, you could lose a Mini Clubman in it, and still have room for a football team. Now have a slow puncture to fix, and need to change underwear.

Scary OH SHIT moment today for me.

I was cycling around Dalston checking out a flat I'm interested in moving into when some halfwit shithead started riding on the wrong side of the road towards me on a bashed up MTB. The road was clear and as I passed on the outside of him I muttered some magic words towards him under my breath... he heard them.

"You what... what the fuck you saying man..." The noise got quieter as I rode on not thinking any more of it and I got to my destination.

A few minutes later I made my way back towards Kingsland Road along the same way, when I noticed the guy on the MTB again, this time on the proper side of the road. He noticed me and crossed to my side aiming straight at me again. I knew what was going to happen if I didn't act quick. There was a car coming from behind me but I only had one choice. I pedalled straight at him and then swerved out last minute.

"Oi, you little shit, come ere I'm gonna fuck you up!"

I looked around and he had turned around and started chasing me. I got to Kingsland Road and luckily slipped in with the traffic and sped off as quick as possible. I looked around, he was still there but further away. Red lights! I had to aim through the peds and keep going, so did he.

Got to Dalston Junction and went through just before the lights, he piled through on coming traffic, he meant business. So I put the hammer down and went as fast as I could, eventually brave enough to look around when I got towards the Shoreditch end. He wasn't there anymore.

That's the long story. The morale is, don't mess with gangster wannabes they don't care about their own health when they smell blood.

oh shit, brakes still wont save you at those times.

Fucking hate cycling up Kingsland Rd...

Start off at the bottom serene as you like, get to stokey and am fucking livid. Peds don't give a fuck, too many hipster douches erratically trying to steer whatever shitheap douche bike they have bought on a whim, shite road surfaces and fucking maniac bus drivers.

Had a massive swear-fest at about 6 different people on my up there today. fucking tossers.

Just coming up to crossroad, turning right, arm out. Last life-saver glance - there's a Jag overtaking, going straight ahead. As he passed he said: "put your hand down, mate!". So I chased. Spoke to him at next red lights, he made no sense. Had no idea what he'd done wrong, or what I was trying to do. You do still need to pass a test to drive, right?

He knew exactly what he'd done Sparky.

Fucking hate cycling up Kingsland Rd...

Start off at the bottom serene as you like, get to stokey and am fucking livid. Peds don't give a fuck, too many hipster douches erratically trying to steer whatever shitheap douche bike they have bought on a whim, shite road surfaces and fucking maniac bus drivers.

Had a massive swear-fest at about 6 different people on my up there today. fucking tossers.

I ride that route a lot and don't recognise your description of it. It's much like any other main road as far as I can tell.
Apart from the road surface, I agree about that, especially around Dalston.

He knew exactly what he'd done Sparky.

I was trying to be really reasonable. It's sort of a New Year resolution to try to explain to people why they did what they did, rather than just call them a dickhead. But after this guy looked blankly at me for a bit while I tried to explain, I called him a dickhead and rode off.

Oops.

Pulled up at some lights on the inside of a VW Golf, behind a truck signalling left. (I am planning on going left too) Guy in Golf winds down window, so I look over and he asks what the fuck I am looking at.
Something made me take my chewing gum out and throw it at him, at which point four little chavs jumped out and I rode off, took the pavement, then the left, and immediately left into an alleyway. They didn't follow so I went around the block and just as I got back to the alley the Golf appeared heading straight for me and followed me at speed down the alley. I am on a 60 inch ss, pedalling like a loon with a Golf racing up behind me. Fortunately only bikes can go through the bollards so I escape, cross the next road, into a huge park and use alleys and underpasses to get home. Laughing now, but it was very close!

^both of these. do you understand how your own actions did not help in these situations. if you want to keep yourself safe out there you need to be careful with your own actions.