Over the handlebars....

"Peter Grange" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On the brommie on my morning trip to collect the papers (something
I've been doing for a week and a half since my last contract finished)
coming round the corner off the road onto the little car park in front
of the shops, saw the drain cover too late, front wheel down the
drain, me in a probably not too graceful arc over the handlebars onto
the tarmac. Bruised hand & a sore hip but otherwise ok I think. No
damage to the brommie either thankfully.

Studying the drain cover afterwards, the slats in it are at 45 deg, ie
diagonally across the square design, but because it's right on the
slighly rounded corner the slats are pretty much exactly in my
direction of travel. The gaps between them are huge too, much wider
than the nomal roadside covers (where the slats are at 90 deg to the
direction of travel so not a real problem anyway). Will go back up
there later with camera and get pictures to send to the local
authority.

There are those who will say "Don't cycle in the gutter". I would not
normally have been so close to the kerb but on this occasion was
giving a wide berth to a car manoeuvring into a parking space.

Dear Peter,

glad to hear you're not too badly damaged, or the brommie. Might be worth
reporting this drain cover to the local authority. They are supposed to
have removed the ones with slots that run parallel to direction of movement,
and might be persuaded to replace this one with something slightly more
suitable.

burtthebike said:

"Peter Grange" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On the brommie on my morning trip to collect the papers (something
I've been doing for a week and a half since my last contract finished)
coming round the corner off the road onto the little car park in front
of the shops, saw the drain cover too late, front wheel down the
drain, me in a probably not too graceful arc over the handlebars onto
the tarmac. Bruised hand & a sore hip but otherwise ok I think. No
damage to the brommie either thankfully.

Studying the drain cover afterwards, the slats in it are at 45 deg, ie
diagonally across the square design, but because it's right on the
slighly rounded corner the slats are pretty much exactly in my
direction of travel. The gaps between them are huge too, much wider
than the nomal roadside covers (where the slats are at 90 deg to the
direction of travel so not a real problem anyway). Will go back up
there later with camera and get pictures to send to the local
authority.

There are those who will say "Don't cycle in the gutter". I would not
normally have been so close to the kerb but on this occasion was
giving a wide berth to a car manoeuvring into a parking space.

Dear Peter,

glad to hear you're not too badly damaged, or the brommie. Might be worth
reporting this drain cover to the local authority. They are supposed to
have removed the ones with slots that run parallel to direction of movement,
and might be persuaded to replace this one with something slightly more
suitable.

Email with photographs already sent to dear old Bracknell Forest.

"burtthebike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Peter Grange" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On the brommie on my morning trip to collect the papers (something
I've been doing for a week and a half since my last contract finished)
coming round the corner off the road onto the little car park in front
of the shops, saw the drain cover too late, front wheel down the
drain, me in a probably not too graceful arc over the handlebars onto
the tarmac. Bruised hand & a sore hip but otherwise ok I think. No
damage to the brommie either thankfully.

Studying the drain cover afterwards, the slats in it are at 45 deg, ie
diagonally across the square design, but because it's right on the
slighly rounded corner the slats are pretty much exactly in my
direction of travel. The gaps between them are huge too, much wider
than the nomal roadside covers (where the slats are at 90 deg to the
direction of travel so not a real problem anyway). Will go back up
there later with camera and get pictures to send to the local
authority.

There are those who will say "Don't cycle in the gutter". I would not
normally have been so close to the kerb but on this occasion was
giving a wide berth to a car manoeuvring into a parking space.

Dear Peter,

glad to hear you're not too badly damaged, or the brommie. Might be worth
reporting this drain cover to the local authority. They are supposed to
have removed the ones with slots that run parallel to direction of
movement, and might be persuaded to replace this one with something
slightly more suitable.

If its a square cover it sounds like it has just been refitted 90 degrees
around the wrong way - perhaps an oversight by relevant staff?

Paul

Peter Grange said:

On the brommie on my morning trip ... front wheel down the
drain, me in a probably not too graceful arc over the handlebars onto
the tarmac. ...

Studying the drain cover afterwards, the slats in it are at 45 deg, ie
diagonally across the square design, but because it's right on the
slighly rounded corner the slats are pretty much exactly in my
direction of travel. The gaps between them are huge too, much wider
than the nomal roadside covers (where the slats are at 90 deg to the
direction of travel so not a real problem anyway).

45 degrees seems to be the new standard. Probably so that they can't
be installed the wrong way round. The larger ones used here have
cross-pieces to keep the slots short; the smaller ones don't.

One was installed on a new cyclepath near here at 45 degrees to the
path. You can guess which size it was and which way round they put the
slots.

It's been turned round now.

So short slots or round holes are the only idiot-proof solutions.

Happy Christmas, everyone.

Colin McKenzie

--
No-one has ever proved that cycle helmets make cycling any safer at
the population level, and anyway cycling is about as safe per mile as
walking.
Make an informed choice - visit www.cyclehelmets.org.

Colin McKenzie said:

So short slots or round holes are the only idiot-proof solutions.

If you make something idiot proof, they only go and make a better
idiot[1]. Besides, wouldn't round holes discriminate against those who
commute by pogo stick? 🙂

Graeme

[1] which may well describe me...

Peter Grange said:

On the brommie on my morning trip to collect the papers (something
I've been doing for a week and a half since my last contract finished)
coming round the corner off the road onto the little car park in front
of the shops, saw the drain cover too late, front wheel down the
drain, me in a probably not too graceful arc over the handlebars onto
the tarmac. Bruised hand & a sore hip but otherwise ok I think. No
damage to the brommie either thankfully.

Studying the drain cover afterwards, the slats in it are at 45 deg, ie
diagonally across the square design, but because it's right on the
slighly rounded corner the slats are pretty much exactly in my
direction of travel. The gaps between them are huge too, much wider
than the nomal roadside covers (where the slats are at 90 deg to the
direction of travel so not a real problem anyway). Will go back up
there later with camera and get pictures to send to the local
authority.

ow! sounds painful. and mildy embarrassing as these things tend to be.

Quoted message said:

There are those who will say "Don't cycle in the gutter". I would not
normally have been so close to the kerb but on this occasion was
giving a wide berth to a car manoeuvring into a parking space.

hindsights a wounder isn't it. some of drains and such can be fairly
poorly placed. at least if your on two wheels.

Quoted message said:

--

Peter Grange

roger

Quoted message said: