the accessory that cannot be mentioned...

Will said:

So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
can imagine. It was tiny. Never-the-less A small cluster of leaves
followed my tire tread up into the fender. The fender collapsed like
an accordion into the fork crown and voila... major header. In less
than half a second, start to finish, I was on the pavement. Head
first, then shoulder, then legs. My hands never left the bars.

Both forks blades are bent. The top and down tubes are shot. Parts of
me are scabby, most of me is sore. But my head... which is what I
landed on... is fine. The_appliance_that_cannot_be_mentioned is
somewhat trashed.

Oh, you mean your BICYCLE HELMET! Glad it did its job and you're OK. (The
bike...not so much.)

Quoted message said:

But it has earned it's place in the trophy case.

Indeed. RIP. (Or pieces.)

Will said:

So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
can imagine....

You know, if you'd get a longer-wheelbase recumbent your bicycle
wouldn't be flipping you head-first like that. You could forgo the
helmet and still avoid most head injuries. ;>😉
~

Will said:

So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
can imagine. It was tiny. Never-the-less A small cluster of leaves
followed my tire tread up into the fender. The fender collapsed like
an accordion into the fork crown and voila... major header. In less
than half a second, start to finish, I was on the pavement. Head
first, then shoulder, then legs. My hands never left the bars.

Both forks blades are bent. The top and down tubes are shot. Parts of
me are scabby, most of me is sore. But my head... which is what I
landed on... is fine. The_appliance_that_cannot_be_mentioned is
somewhat trashed.

But it has earned it's place in the trophy case.

Yeah, but do ya wear it while you're in the shower? While yer chopping
onions? Making French toast?

"Every appliance unmentioned is a silent vote for compulsion" - Dr.
Deborah von Wacko, honorary chairperson, The Limey Wacko, Chowder and
Marching Society

Will wrote:
:: So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
:: most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
:: can imagine. It was tiny. Never-the-less A small cluster of leaves
:: followed my tire tread up into the fender. The fender collapsed like
:: an accordion into the fork crown and voila... major header. In less
:: than half a second, start to finish, I was on the pavement. Head
:: first, then shoulder, then legs. My hands never left the bars.

Sounds like an excellent reason to leave the fenders at home and don't ride
in the rain!

::
:: Both forks blades are bent. The top and down tubes are shot. Parts of
:: me are scabby, most of me is sore. But my head... which is what I
:: landed on... is fine. The_appliance_that_cannot_be_mentioned is
:: somewhat trashed.
::
:: But it has earned it's place in the trophy case.

DougC said:

Will said:

So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
can imagine....

You know, if you'd get a longer-wheelbase recumbent your bicycle
wouldn't be flipping you head-first like that. You could forgo the
helmet and still avoid most head injuries. ;>😉

I saw a guy in a hand-pedaled recumby yesterday wearing...a full-face
helmet! Perhaps he was "challenged" in some manner (over and above being
seen in a hand-operated recumby, that is).

<eg>

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

Quoted message said:

So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
can imagine. It was tiny. Never-the-less A small cluster of leaves
followed my tire tread up into the fender. The fender collapsed like
an accordion into the fork crown and voila... major header. In less
than half a second, start to finish, I was on the pavement. Head
first, then shoulder, then legs. My hands never left the bars.

Both forks blades are bent. The top and down tubes are shot. Parts of
me are scabby, most of me is sore. But my head... which is what I
landed on... is fine. The_appliance_that_cannot_be_mentioned is
somewhat trashed.

But it has earned it's place in the trophy case.

I'm curious to know what sort of fenders did you in. Bought some Zephal
plastic fenders with stainless steel stays for the road hybrid. The set has
a bunch of friction fit parts which are supposed to give way when they run
into a large stick.

Dave H.
======

Will said:

So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
can imagine. It was tiny. Never-the-less A small cluster of leaves
followed my tire tread up into the fender. The fender collapsed like
an accordion into the fork crown and voila... major header. In less
than half a second, start to finish, I was on the pavement. Head
first, then shoulder, then legs. My hands never left the bars.

Both forks blades are bent. The top and down tubes are shot. Parts of
me are scabby, most of me is sore. But my head... which is what I
landed on... is fine. The_appliance_that_cannot_be_mentioned is
somewhat trashed.

But it has earned it's place in the trophy case.

What's this got to do with k*ckst*mds?

..max

Dave H. said:

I'm curious to know what sort of fenders did you in.

It was a set of Planet Bike's. The newer units appear to have a
release system, my fenders were installed 2 years ago and they do/did
not. That would have made a difference. The twig, and I call it a twig
because to call it a stick would be wrong, went right up the back of
the tire pulling the struts along behind it. If they had released I'd
be a much happier camper this morning. I think another issue was the
lack of distance between the tire and the fender. It was a tight fit.
A bit more space there might have allowed the twig to hang up and buzz
for a moment... that would have given me time to hit the brakes.

I've been biking for a long time. Fender collapse was about the
farthest thing from my mind in terms of danger. I should mention the
wheel is fine, the spokes are ALL fine. I thought I had wrecked the
front brake unit since the pads now sit near the top of the tire but
that's because the fork blades lost their rake as they deformed. It
might be that the brakes were involved once the pads rested on the
tire and not the rim, because I went from cruising to a complete stop
instantly. There was no skidding, the bike just somersaulted.

Will said:

So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
can imagine. It was tiny. Never-the-less A small cluster of leaves
followed my tire tread up into the fender. The fender collapsed like
an accordion into the fork crown and voila... major header. In less
than half a second, start to finish, I was on the pavement. Head
first, then shoulder, then legs. My hands never left the bars.

You're a lying troll or the lousiest cyclist in the world.

landotter said:

Will said:

So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
can imagine. It was tiny. Never-the-less A small cluster of leaves
followed my tire tread up into the fender. The fender collapsed like
an accordion into the fork crown and voila... major header. In less
than half a second, start to finish, I was on the pavement. Head
first, then shoulder, then legs. My hands never left the bars.

You're a lying troll or the lousiest cyclist in the world.

Lousy cyclist?

Given the sore state this morning of most of my parts (especially in
the wallet region)... I am inclined to agree. It's been a long time
since I've gone down.

landotter said:

Will said:

So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
can imagine. It was tiny. Never-the-less A small cluster of leaves
followed my tire tread up into the fender. The fender collapsed like
an accordion into the fork crown and voila... major header. In less
than half a second, start to finish, I was on the pavement. Head
first, then shoulder, then legs. My hands never left the bars.

You're a lying troll or the lousiest cyclist in the world.

If he's a liar, he's a pretty poor one. Had he said a stick got caught
in the front wheel, causing him to do a header, no one would think twice
about it as many of us have done that. Saying that a twig would cause
the fender to collapse, causing him to do a header, is a new, weird
concept to many of us. If you're going to lie, make the lie as
plausible as possible.

fred said:

landotter said:

Will said:

So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
can imagine. It was tiny. Never-the-less A small cluster of leaves
followed my tire tread up into the fender. The fender collapsed like
an accordion into the fork crown and voila... major header. In less
than half a second, start to finish, I was on the pavement. Head
first, then shoulder, then legs. My hands never left the bars.

You're a lying troll or the lousiest cyclist in the world.

If he's a liar, he's a pretty poor one. Had he said a stick got caught
in the front wheel, causing him to do a header, no one would think twice
about it as many of us have done that. Saying that a twig would cause
the fender to collapse, causing him to do a header, is a new, weird
concept to many of us. If you're going to lie, make the lie as
plausible as possible.

I had this happen to me last fall. It didn't send me over the bars, but
it did collapse the fender between the tire and fork, and it did cause
me to crash. I also posted about the issue in this group to some who
said they wanted sturdy steel fenders. I mentioned that the sturdy steel
fender would have sent me over the bars instead of colapsing thereby
giving me a fraction of a second to start a semi-controled crash.

Dave H. said:

"Will" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So... this morning I was out for a cruiser and somehow drafted the
most inconsequential twig looking piece-of-a-tree's-branch that you
can imagine. It was tiny. Never-the-less A small cluster of leaves
followed my tire tread up into the fender. The fender collapsed like
an accordion into the fork crown and voila... major header. In less
than half a second, start to finish, I was on the pavement. Head
first, then shoulder, then legs. My hands never left the bars.

Quoted message said:

Both forks blades are bent. The top and down tubes are shot. Parts of
me are scabby, most of me is sore. But my head... which is what I
landed on... is fine. The_appliance_that_cannot_be_mentioned is
somewhat trashed.

Quoted message said:

But it has earned it's place in the trophy case.

I'm curious to know what sort of fenders did you in. Bought some Zephal
plastic fenders with stainless steel stays for the road hybrid. The set has
a bunch of friction fit parts which are supposed to give way when they run
into a large stick.

Dave H.
======

They may be okay with large sticks but how will they handle tiny
inconsequential twigs and leaves? ;-)

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Bob said:

They may be okay with large sticks but how will they handle tiny
inconsequential twigs

This is a question that insecure men have been asking themselves
for thousands of years :-)

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw

Will Waller said:

Quoted message said:

I'm curious to know what sort of fenders did you in.

Quoted message said:

It was a set of Planet Bike's. The newer units appear to have a
release system, my fenders were installed 2 years ago and they
do/did not. That would have made a difference. The twig, and I
call it a twig because to call it a stick would be wrong, went right
up the back of the tire pulling the struts along behind it. If they
had released I'd be a much happier camper this morning. I think
another issue was the lack of distance between the tire and the
fender. It was a tight fit. A bit more space there might have
allowed the twig to hang up and buzz for a moment... that would
have given me time to hit the brakes.

Quoted message said:

I've been biking for a long time. Fender collapse was about the
farthest thing from my mind in terms of danger. I should mention
the wheel is fine, the spokes are ALL fine. I thought I had wrecked
the front brake unit since the pads now sit near the top of the tire
but that's because the fork blades lost their rake as they deformed.
It might be that the brakes were involved once the pads rested on
the tire and not the rim, because I went from cruising to a complete
stop instantly. There was no skidding, the bike just somersaulted.

This is a well understood phenomenon and I have witnessed it on a
benign stretch of road on which small twigs from eucalyptus trees had
fallen. I generally call these less than 18" long curved twigs,
"derailleur sticks" because when they get in the rear wheel, they can
tear off a derailleur effortlessly. That they are slightly curved
makes them flip up and rotate into the spokes, if you are unlucky.

Don't ride over derailleur sticks! That goes doubly if you have a
front mudguard with non-breakaway braces that detach from the fork
when the stick yanks on them.

Just the same, thicker twigs can have the same endo effect if they
reach the fork crown. I have experienced that myself and seen others
do so on forest trails. If you haven't seen it occur or experienced
it, don't assume it will never happen.

Jobst Brandt

Michael Warner said:

Bob said:

They may be okay with large sticks but how will they handle tiny
inconsequential twigs

This is a question that insecure men have been asking themselves
for thousands of years :-)

Not to mention disappointed women.

Quoted message said:

Will Waller said:

Quoted message said:

I'm curious to know what sort of fenders did you in.

It was a set of Planet Bike's. The newer units appear to have a
release system, my fenders were installed 2 years ago and they
do/did not. That would have made a difference. The twig, and I
call it a twig because to call it a stick would be wrong, went right
up the back of the tire pulling the struts along behind it. If they
had released I'd be a much happier camper this morning. I think
another issue was the lack of distance between the tire and the
fender. It was a tight fit. A bit more space there might have
allowed the twig to hang up and buzz for a moment... that would
have given me time to hit the brakes.
I've been biking for a long time. Fender collapse was about the
farthest thing from my mind in terms of danger. I should mention
the wheel is fine, the spokes are ALL fine. I thought I had wrecked
the front brake unit since the pads now sit near the top of the tire
but that's because the fork blades lost their rake as they deformed.
It might be that the brakes were involved once the pads rested on
the tire and not the rim, because I went from cruising to a complete
stop instantly. There was no skidding, the bike just somersaulted.

This is a well understood phenomenon and I have witnessed it on a
benign stretch of road on which small twigs from eucalyptus trees had
fallen. I generally call these less than 18" long curved twigs,
"derailleur sticks" because when they get in the rear wheel, they can
tear off a derailleur effortlessly. That they are slightly curved
makes them flip up and rotate into the spokes, if you are unlucky.

Don't ride over derailleur sticks! That goes doubly if you have a
front mudguard with non-breakaway braces that detach from the fork
when the stick yanks on them.

Just the same, thicker twigs can have the same endo effect if they
reach the fork crown. I have experienced that myself and seen others
do so on forest trails. If you haven't seen it occur or experienced
it, don't assume it will never happen.

True, I've seen this a few times on trail rides,
no fenders within miles.

Either John Schubert or John Allen, I can't
remember which, describes a very similar event to
OP's on his website.

Robert

There is a wheel jamming effect that most riders have not seen.
Riding broadside over a typical discarded 12oz beverage can will clamp
it onto the tire and jam it into the fork crown. The fatter the tire
the tighter the clamping action. I first experienced this in slow
motion with a 4" motorcycle tire when these cans were made of steel.

Try it, you'll like it, as the add said.

Jobst Brandt