Injury whilst mounting my bike

[arnsider]

I've posted the results of this niggling problem in the health forum;
"I still very much like my E Bike and don't regret the outlay.
There is a niggling drawback with the Coniston in that the Fork center is slighty offset forward of the handlebar stem. This causes the front wheel to swivel around when trying to hold the bike straight for mounting by throwing the right leg over the crossbar.
It can cause me to loose my balance and to fall to the left."
It's also quite an issue trying to pass the bike through a narrow space and whereas an ordinary bike can be pushed straight forward from the saddle, it's impossible with some bikes having sprung forks.
Is there any way that you can obviate this annoyance by perehaps damping the handlebart stem in any way.
This issue has caused me a great deal of phsical pain resulting from my fall and I may have a fractured femure as a result.
This is the very last thing I wanted at this difficult time.

[rotavator]

Do you mean that the front wheel tends to flop to one side? If so, you could try a steering stabiliser like this:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/accessories/hebie-steering-stabilizer/

[531colin]

I had a look at the geometry for your bike, its a very slack head angle, so therefore long trail, so you might expect wheel flop.
(basically, the front of the bike drops as the steering turns.....so the steering turns any time it can, like water running downhill.)
Have a look at https://hollandbikeshop.com/en-gb/bicycle-parts-city-bike/bicycle-fork-headset/steering-stabilizer/hebie-limiter-plate-suspension-fork-silver/. ....and the rest of the stuff at that location.
they seem to recognise that heavier (suspension) forks will need a bit more restraint than light rigid forks, and that one has a longer lever than the usual Hebie thing.
In your post on the other board, I thought you were lifting your foot over the middle of the top tube.
I think (at 72, going on 73) its still easiest to swing my leg over the saddle. i hold the bars and brake with one hand, and the saddle with the other hand. As I swing my leg over the saddle, I obviously have to let go of the saddle and transfer that hand to the bars also, so a bit of co-ordination is required.

[Cyril Haearn]

One may lean the cycle over to reduce the top-tube height to make mounting easier

[531colin]

One may lean the cycle over to reduce the top-tube height to make mounting easier

It weighs 20 kilos bare, ie with no mudguards, carrier, bag, lights......

[arnsider]

This may have been previously discussed, but has anyone else had problems cocking the leg over the crossbar on a sprung fork bike?
I have a Whyte Coniston E Bike with a sprung front fork.
The center of the fork is offset forward, around 25 millimeters from the headset center, rendering the handlebars unstable when trying to hold the bike steady, in a straight line, to mount.
This proved disasterous as I've outlined in other sections of the forum.
Briefly, I lost balance tring to get on and fell onto tarmac. Now I am facing a lot of pain and a possible pelvic fracture plus associated Glutal injury.
There is no method of damping movement and as well as mounting, trying to propel the bike in a straight line from the saddle is nigh on impossible.
Any comments welcomed, but please be kind!! LOL

[flat tyre]

Don't you hold the handlebars steady with one hand and cock your leg over the saddle?

[Jdsk]

Sorry to hear that.

As above:
That was one foot on the ground and the other leg over the crossbar rather than the saddle and rear wheel?
Where were your hands and were you holding the brakes on?

Jonathan

PS:

[531colin]

I answered this in some detail here https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=137055&p=1473611#p1473611
Was there something you didn't understand?

If you measure the forks, you will find the stanchions are 45mm in front of the steerer. This is how offset is done on suspension forks, instead of bending the blades like on rigid forks.

[arnsider]

"I answered this in some detail here viewtopic.php?f=5&t=137055&p=1473611#p1473611
Was there something you didn't understand?"

No.
Point of fact I have just found this post and I did condition mine by stating that the subject may have already been dealt with.
Thank you for beating me to it!

[arnsider]

I've just found the reference to an item marketed by Thorn/St Johns and I like the look of it.
It mght be just the thing to obviate this problem and thanks.
I must apologise to all for the confusion I have caused citing the problem on two sections.
On the injury front, I am lucky to have a very good cycling mate who just retired from NHS as a senior radiographer and he assured me that I was right to stay away from Xrays presently.
A femure fracture is very unlikely considering my ongoing mobility and the timelapse (four days) before the onset of any pain.
I may have sustained a pelvic bone crack, but that would be addressed by rest anyway.
My Doc has just prescribed strong pain relief and rest, which in the current time of restrictions is no bad thing.
I am having Osteopathic treatment for the Glutal Trauma.
I now need to go on to Singens website for this damper mech.

[simonhill]

On 27 April you had a fractured femur. Now you have a fractured pelvis. I suggest you stay off your bike, get medical help and wait till you recover.

Good luck.

[pwa]

I don't know if this is relevant to this particular case, but these days I mount my (unsprung fork) bike slightly differently. With the leg going over (right leg in my case) I bend the knee more so that my foot passes in front of the saddle rather than over the top of it, which I find easier. This is helped by the fact the top tube has a bit of a slope.

[arnsider]

I certainly have modified my mounting procedure to obviate this problem.
Propelling the bike into narrow spaces from behind rather than with the handle bars is still a problem, but one I will have to live with until I can locate a suitable steering stabiliser.
The Hebie looks to be the obvious contender. The one using a spring rather than a rubber elastomer (Read the reviews)
The drawback here is the anability or reluctance of suppliers to check on the Hebie compatibility with an over size downtube (210mm circumference, ie 68 diameter)
I'm getting there , slowly!!!

[Cyril Haearn]

Very often one may use a kerb or the like to make mounting/dismounting easier