Dumb bike mistakes!!!

[Freeride39]

I just wanted to start a topic about dumb bike mistakes. I have one from today's ride and it was crazy and scary.

-Well after I watched the final stage of the Tour de France (won by American Floyd Landis) I decided to take a 6 mile ride through Vallejo, California. I cleaned my bike the following night and removed the wheels during cleaning. I reassembled the two wheel vehicle and headed out for a ride. I was going to see if I could top the speeds of some of the TDF riders, which is a crazy pace to keep, those guys have some legs on them! Well I was going downhill topping at a speed of about 40 milles per hour, hands on the lower bar with thumbs hooked preparing to stop for the 4 way intersection at the bottom of the hill. As I started to apply the brakes and it seemed like the bike accelerated. Yes I noticed after that I forgot to click back the wheel release clamps on the brakes, the bike slowed, but not as quickly with the ascent I had going on....LOL. Thank goodness the 4 way intersection didn't have traffic this morning or it would've been a crazy disaster. Hey never laid it down or panicked, so that's a good thing! Kind of reminded me of a time when I forgot I had riding shoes locked for the 1st time 5 yrs ago at a rolling stop and forgot to release as I pulled my foot off, now that is a bad feeling because legs really help your balance when your not in motion!

 

[thomas]

Sounds scary, so glad nothing happened to you!

I have done too many dumb things to admit, but I guess one of the worst examples of my early cycling days was to attach my pedals the wrong way. After a few kms the right pedal just fell off the crank. Had to push my bike home and buy a new crank. God, did I feel stupid!

 

[Freeride39]

That's bananas! Good luck and look at the directional arrows

Sounds scary, so glad nothing happened to you!

I have done too many dumb things to admit, but I guess one of the worst examples of my early cycling days was to attach my pedals the wrong way. After a few kms the right pedal just fell off the crank. Had to push my bike home and buy a new crank. God, did I feel stupid!

 

[WhiteGiant]

My worst bike mistake was also after I'd stripped the bike down to clean the chain, and polish the gears.
I put the bike back together, and rode it all day - maybe about 50km to and from work. But when I finally got near home, and stopped at a convenience store to buy a beer, I sat down and just "looked" at my bike ('cos it was kind of cool), and I noticed that one side of the front wheel hub was completely out of the axel groove in the forks. Basically, I'd ridden around all day with only one side of my front wheel being properly locked in.
However, after the initial scare of realizing how daft (and dangerous) it was, I had a new-found respect for the guys at Campognolo and their engineering skills! T

 

[Ash]

Shay, you are one crazy dude. That is scary stuff and i am damn sure of one thing and that is you will never forget to do that again! Thanks be u are in one piece man. I know how you feel though, every time I watch the Tour I can't resist the next day to go out on the bike and hit it. Thats the great thing about it! Lucky I have preternatural traffic skills though!

Travis, If you hadn't of done that, I would have. God bless Campy, they are the best.

Ash

 

[KWill]

I haven't been riding long enough to makle dumb mistakes...I learn quickly from everyone else.

 

[TODO R CASPELL]

Hey I think we all have forgotten to re tight the brakes, we just notice it before we REALLY need the brakes. Also I think almost everybody does an embarrassing prat fall the first time we use clip-less pedals.

 

[Polymer Head]

Ah, a place to exorcise this demon.

Cutting a brake cable housing with the inner cable still in it

 

[Davad]

The first off-road ride I ever took with a full suspension mtb: Down the super-steep single track, body shifted way back behind the seat, feathering the front brake and basically a controlled skid with the rear, I proceeded to drop off a small ledge, and, not having set the the pre-load of the fork or the shock, totally nose-dived the bike, throwing me forward into the back of the seat, cracking two ribs....

 

[Wolfman]

Also I think almost everybody does an embarrassing prat fall the first time we use clip-less pedals.

yeah, I've done that too. In front of a row of cars and people queuing for a crossing light. Cringeworthingly embarrassing.

Also, if I think back to when I first started cycling, a lot of what I'd wear or how i'd ride is pretty embarrassing. Thankfully, unlike some, I'm not famous so could "suffer in silence" with newbie mistakes.

 

[snoogly]

Trusting my Garmin 605 today.

I knew it had gone screwy, but I stuck with it out of curiosity. All I did was set it to take me 'home', but it lost its mind every 4 or 5 minutes, and froze. I would ride in what I hoped was the right direction - and then try it again.

The evil swine sent me up every 30 deg incline it could find. Only residential streets, but so steep I had to push .....

I have found recently that the 'turn by turn' navigation has become a joke. Hoping for a firmware upgrade soon.

 

[Edogawakikkoman]

Trusting my Garmin 605 today.

I knew it had gone screwy, but I stuck with it out of curiosity. All I did was set it to take me 'home', but it lost its mind every 4 or 5 minutes, and froze. I would ride in what I hoped was the right direction - and then try it again.

The evil swine sent me up every 30 deg incline it could find. Only residential streets, but so steep I had to push .....

I have found recently that the 'turn by turn' navigation has become a joke. Hoping for a firmware upgrade soon.

My 705 always wants me to do a U turn when all you need to do is keep going and make a left or a right up ahead. I ignore it when I know I'm right and follow it when I am not sure. It eventually will get you there.
It took me on some great scenic trips in Nagano up and down mountains I didn't know about. The beauty of letting it take you somewhere is the discovery. Annoying when it gets you lost or makes you late. ( I don't mind it though). Knowing what settings are 'ON' is sometimes difficult. Takes ages to check especially if it's been a few weeks since you've used it and you don't know where to find the correct setting menu page.

Best not to rely on them but just use them in emergencies or for discovery or long rides on country roads where there aren't many deviations....

Still better than carrying around soggy paper maps in your back pocket.