First Spill

Elisa Francesca Roselli said:

Well, it happened today. I was making a left turn and slowing down for a car oncoming in the
opposite direction. I was not calculating on the fact that Myrtille's new V-brakes, after 200?
worth of general upgrading, actually _work_. Old Myrtille would just have slowed down flabbily,
and Behemoth would be far too heavy to lift off, but new Myrtille pitched me right over the
handlebars. It happened slowly, in distinct phases, and by the time we both got to the ground
direct impact was avoided. I am clear with just a skinned knee and a run in my tights, Myrtille is
unscathed. I was helped up by a young pedestrian, gathered the splatter of kleenexes and personal
effects back into the front basket, and remounted immediately, for fear of never being able to
remount again.

Perhaps this is good. I have been so terrified of falling off a bike that it has hindered my
progress. Now I know one can fall off and survive, and that it doesn't have to be a crisis.
Fortunately the surrounding motor traffic was well-behaved and I was in no danger of being run
over from vehicles either fore or aft.

Sun opposite Natal Uranus today and Mercury opposite transitting Saturn on Natal Sun. Live
and learn.

EFR Ile de France

I went over the handlebars in heavy traffic the first time I rode a bike with working brakes, too.
It happened quite quickly, and I landed on my back (maybe after rolling) with the bike partially on
top of me. The difference between the brakes on my brand new raleigh and my old handed-down-six-times-and-never-serviced-
once banana bike was quite shocking!

Happily, I was completely unhurt and managed to leap up and pull my things out of the street
immediately. It's never happened again since then. Live and learn indeed.

Jacobe Hazzard said:

I went over the handlebars in heavy traffic the first time I rode a bike with working brakes, too.
It happened quite quickly, and I landed on my back (maybe after rolling) with the bike partially
on top of me. The difference between the brakes on my brand new raleigh and my old handed-down-six-times-and-never-serviced-
once banana bike was quite shocking!

I'm glad to hear you're OK and still cycling. When I went to collect Myrtille, I was actually
explicitly warned by my LBS man to take those new brakes seriously! Since Behemoth has great brakes
I didn't cotton on until this morning - light bike + good brakes = pitchover.

EFR Ile de France

Elisa Francesca Roselli said:

Jacobe Hazzard said:

I went over the handlebars in heavy traffic the first time I rode a bike with working brakes,
too. It happened quite quickly, and I landed on my back (maybe after rolling) with the bike
partially on top of me. The difference between the brakes on my brand new raleigh and my old handed-down-six-times-and-never-serviced-
once banana bike was quite shocking!

I'm glad to hear you're OK and still cycling. When I went to collect Myrtille, I was actually
explicitly warned by my LBS man to take those new brakes seriously! Since Behemoth has great brakes
I didn't cotton on until this morning - light bike + good brakes = pitchover.

EFR Ile de France

Same here about you! There's some stuff about using the brakes and panic stopping on Sheldon's site.
I still have problems with pitchover, so I can't illuminate further. If you haven't read his advice,
get thee to:

sheldonbrown.combrakturn.htmlOpen ↗

Just remember, your head is your densest bodypart! <grin>

-B

Elisa Francesca Roselli
<[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Well, it happened today. I was making a left turn and slowing down for a car oncoming in the
opposite direction. I was not calculating on the fact that Myrtille's new V-brakes, after 200€
worth of general upgrading, actually _work_. Old Myrtille would just have slowed down flabbily,
and Behemoth would be far too heavy to lift off, but new Myrtille pitched me right over the
handlebars. It happened slowly, in distinct phases, and by the time we both got to the ground
direct impact was avoided. I am clear with just a skinned knee and a run in my tights, Myrtille is
unscathed. I was helped up by a young pedestrian, gathered the splatter of kleenexes and personal
effects back into the front basket, and remounted immediately, for fear of never being able to
remount again.

Please don't let this put you off front brake use as the front ones are the only really effective
brakes you have on a bike. Perhaps try some test stops in a parking lot just to get a feel for
the new ones.

"Elisa Francesca Roselli" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Well, it happened today. I was making a left turn and slowing down for a car oncoming in the
opposite direction. I was not calculating on the fact that Myrtille's new V-brakes, after 200?
worth of general upgrading, actually _work_. Old Myrtille would just have slowed down flabbily,
and Behemoth would be far too heavy to lift off, but new Myrtille pitched me right over the
handlebars. It happened slowly, in distinct phases, and by the time we both got to the ground
direct impact was avoided. I am clear with just a skinned knee and a run in my tights, Myrtille is
unscathed. I was helped up by a young pedestrian, gathered the splatter of kleenexes and personal
effects back into the front basket, and remounted immediately, for fear of never being able to
remount again.

Perhaps this is good. I have been so terrified of falling off a bike that it has hindered my
progress. Now I know one can fall off and survive, and that it doesn't have to be a crisis.

<snip>

It is a good thing ... I'm glad you were able to get back on and keep going and that you were not
hurt too bad. A skinned knee is a badge of honor (c:

Did you start riding recently? I was fortunate enough to have started very very young ... I skinned
just about everything at one point or another, including both of my palms within a month. There was
a couple of years there when I had a perpetual skinned knee. As soon as one knee was almost healed,
the other would get it.

Don't let this scare you though, I was a daredevil as a kid. My Mom would freak out when she saw me
doing stunts like riding down the road doing a wheelie, or getting some good speed going and
standing on the bike like a skate board. Luckily, my Dad took the brunt of my Moms wrath since he
stood up for me and let me "be a boy".

I hope you find just the right bike someday!

C.Q.C.

Q. said:

"Elisa Francesca Roselli" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Well, it happened today. ... I am clear with just a skinned knee and a run in my tights,

Perhaps this is good. I have been so terrified of falling off a bike that it has hindered my
progress. Now I know one can fall off and survive, and that it doesn't have to be a crisis.

<snip>

It is a good thing ... I'm glad you were able to get back on and keep going and that you were not
hurt too bad. A skinned knee is a badge of honor (c:

Did you start riding recently? I was fortunate enough to have started very very young ... I
skinned just about everything at one point or another, including both of my palms within a month.
There was a couple of years there when I had a perpetual skinned knee. As soon as one knee was
almost healed, the other would get it.

Don't let this scare you though...

I agree. Of course you can fall off and survive! It's a normal part of learning to ride a bike.
We've all done it.

Most people will soon reach an equilibrium between their riding skill and their risk taking, and
they'll fall only rarely, if at all. (Gonzo thrill-seekers excepted!)

But as others have said, it really is good to practice using that front brake. I'm not a big fan of
brakes that can lock things up with minimal finger pressure. If you've got them, you really must
learn to use them correctly, and it does take careful practice.

One tip: it's likely that most people who fall as you did don't do it by simply flying straight over
the handlebars. Instead, when the bike stops quickly beneath them, they tend to slide forward and
push on one handlebar more than on the other. This causes the front wheel to turn out from under
them, and that's the real cause of the crash.

So when doing your practice drills, when very gradually increasing the quickness of your stops, be
sure to keep the front wheel pointed straight.

--
Frank Krygowski [To reply, omit what's between "at" and "cc"]

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking I may also take Myrtille back to the LBS and have that brake
softened. It's too dry to be so strong. If I haven't had this problem with Behemoth's good brakes, I
think this is because, despite their strength, they have a certain subtlety. They come on
progressively, without locking.

On returning home the same evening as I had my first spill, I had my second spill. This time I
didn't fall to the ground - I hugged a passing Arab gentleman like a marmot and we both managed to
stay upright, depsite my moving mass. He was rather surprised, though.

Today I'm having major problems. I'm back on Behemoth and it's snowing wetly. Well, I simply can't
start. I get on the bike and make to startup and find myself shaking all over. I managed to get
moving on a flat cycling path but failed the two uphill starts and ended up having to wheel the bike
into work.

I _did_ get back on Myrtille both occasions after my falls, but there was only a few more meters to
go on both occasions. I'm trying to tell myself it's the snow that scared me. I'm worried about
panic setting in now every time I get on a bike.

EFR Ile de France

frkrygow said:

But as others have said, it really is good to practice using that front brake. I'm not a big fan
of brakes that can lock things up with minimal finger pressure. If you've got them, you really
must learn to use them correctly, and it does take careful practice.

One tip: it's likely that most people who fall as you did don't do it by simply flying straight
over the handlebars. Instead, when the bike stops quickly beneath them, they tend to slide forward
and push on one handlebar more than on the other. This causes the front wheel to turn out from
under them, and that's the real cause of the crash.

So when doing your practice drills, when very gradually increasing the quickness of your stops, be
sure to keep the front wheel pointed straight.