Nasty Over The Bars

[irc]

My cousin was riding on a towpath this week with her husband when she had an OTB. Wearing a helmet. Lost one front tooth, as in gone not found. Maybe swallowed. Another 3 loose and possibly will not make it.

I don't know the full details but apparently it was caused by a branch she didn't see. Through the spokes? Maybe they couldn't ride side by side as this towpath is busy and she was behind him and her view ahead was obscured.

I wonder if some cyclists relax on canal towpaths as they feel safe when in fact they have their own hazards. I once had a near head on crash when I met an oncoming rider I went left as per the rules of the road and he went right. I went further left and ended up on the grass verge as did he. We both did hard stops safely. His friend following him blindly ran into the back of him and fell off.

Some canals have bridges with blind corners on the towpath etc.

[Nearholmer]

“Canal towpath” can mean a multitude of things, from a broad, smoothly-paved path, to a near-invisible strip of bumpy dirt through a jungle, and it can mean anything from thronging with people, to apparently deserted, but concealing a crouching angler, or a person coming the other way on foot or bike at a blind spot, with the occasional very angry swan, mooring pin/rope etc. thrown in for good measure. They certainly require care, relaxation is rarely wise!

Despite being a generally cautious sort of chap, I’ve twice had sudden unplanned dismounts on towpaths, and have cracked three front teeth (two of which are now gone for good, and the third “a matter of time”) coming off in other circumstances, so I can sympathise/empathise with your cousin’s plight.

[UpWrong]

My cousin was riding on a towpath this week with her husband when she had an OTB. Wearing a helmet. Lost one front tooth, as in gone not found. Maybe swallowed. Another 3 loose and possibly will not make it.

I don't know the full details but apparently it was caused by a branch she didn't see. Through the spokes? Maybe they couldn't ride side by side as this towpath is busy and she was behind him and her view ahead was obscured.

I wonder if some cyclists relax on canal towpaths as they feel safe when in fact they have their own hazards. I once had a near head on crash when I met an oncoming rider I went left as per the rules of the road and he went right. I went further left and ended up on the grass verge as did he. We both did hard stops safely. His friend following him blindly ran into the back of him and fell off.

Some canals have bridges with blind corners on the towpath etc.

I wonder if it was caused by the front mudguard jamming the wheel after a stick got caught. See lots of threads on the need for front mudguard safety releases.

[eileithyia]

My cousin was riding on a towpath this week with her husband when she had an OTB. Wearing a helmet. Lost one front tooth, as in gone not found. Maybe swallowed. Another 3 loose and possibly will not make it.

I don't know the full details but apparently it was caused by a branch she didn't see. Through the spokes? Maybe they couldn't ride side by side as this towpath is busy and she was behind him and her view ahead was obscured.

I wonder if some cyclists relax on canal towpaths as they feel safe when in fact they have their own hazards. I once had a near head on crash when I met an oncoming rider I went left as per the rules of the road and he went right. I went further left and ended up on the grass verge as did he. We both did hard stops safely. His friend following him blindly ran into the back of him and fell off.

Some canals have bridges with blind corners on the towpath etc.

I wonder if it was caused by the front mudguard jamming the wheel after a stick got caught. See lots of threads on the need for front mudguard safety releases.

Agreed, I had an off a few years ago, this was on a road bike, and a twig got jammed.... all mudguards are now quick release.

Oddly enough just seen post elsewhere where someone has gone over the bars but it is clearly a case of the forks having failed!!

Am always cautious on canal paths to a degree, certainly keep a watch on the terrain and what my chosen path might be on rougher sections, I relax a bit on faster sections, subject to who might be wandering around....

[alastairwb]

“Canal towpath” can mean a multitude of things, from a broad, smoothly-paved path, to a near-invisible strip of bumpy dirt through a jungle, and it can mean anything from thronging with people, to apparently deserted, but concealing a crouching angler, or a person coming the other way on foot or bike at a blind spot, with the occasional very angry swan, mooring pin/rope etc. thrown in for good measure. They certainly require care, relaxation is rarely wise!

Despite being a generally cautious sort of chap, I’ve twice had sudden unplanned dismounts on towpaths, and have cracked three front teeth (two of which are now gone for good, and the third “a matter of time”) coming off in other circumstances, so I can sympathise/empathise with your cousin’s plight.

I am always quite careful on canal towpaths. As well as the hazards you mention, the potential consequence of a mishap is a trip into the water

[Nearholmer]

I think I may have murdered a rat yesterday!

Was riding along a broad, gravelly towpath at a fair pace when something pinged up from the right, went through the front wheel causing momentary lock-up and a sort of crunchy clanging sound, went out to the left, and disappeared into the canal with a “plop”. It was all very quick, but I did see something dark, a few inches long, and maybe an inch or two broad as it flew through the air.

I didn’t stop immediately, because there was no obvious need to, but then noticed rubbing on the tyre so did stop, and found the mudguard stay peculiarly displaced, the capped end was actually tucked under the rim of the guard, I had to pry it out with the end of a spanner, and there was a dark smear on the wheel-rim.

I assumed all this was a piece of stick, and the smear just dirt rubbed from it, although I couldn’t rationalise how a short, thick stick had leapt from the ground.

Well, I decided to clean the bike today, and the smear looks awfully like blood!

Here you can see how much force occurred momentarily from the deformation of the stay rivet, which I noticed before I pried the stayeend out, and the ‘bites’ in the rim and, as I say, that stay-end was initially tucked under the guard.

Was it a case of “me or the rat”, with the rat losing?

[snusmumriken]

Some years ago, I had a twig jam my front wheel as I set off to commute home. It was a short, strong twig, which must have flipped up flukily and lodged through the spokes and behind the forks, so instead of the wheel continuing to turn, the whole bike with me on it continued to revolve around the front axle and dumped me face-down. The mudguard was the quick release type, but it wasn't involved. I returned to my workplace with skin hanging off face. Fortunately it was late, so there was no-one around while washed the blood off and calmed down. No lasting effects, unlike the poor lass in the OP. The bike was OK too.

I was surprised that I hadn't managed to react at all. Yet I wasn't going fast, being on a footpath under a road bridge by a river. I felt I should at least have got my hands up to protect my face. So later I did the calculations: at 10mph, there is 0.5 sec between the front wheel jamming and your face hitting the ground. Not a chance of reacting in time.

[Cowsham]

I think I may have murdered a rat yesterday!
Was it a case of “me or the rat”, with the rat losing?

Could've been a squirrel -- we saw loads of squirrels on the llangollen towpath this year. One I managed to stop the bike about 4 foot from. It didn't notice me if I stood absolutely still -- tried to reach around for my phone to take a picture but a creak from my saddle made the squirrel look up -- I didn't move and it went back to munching something on the ground. Stood for about 15 min watching it.

This is one I took a picture of from the boat

[Nearholmer]

No, whatever it was wasn't big enough, and didn’t have a bushy tail, which I would have seen in the glimpse I had. Since posting, it’s struck me that it could have been a bird, but no feathers were shed, so my best guess is still a rat.

I would have felt really bad if it was a squirrel, because I’ve got one living in the garden which I hand feed, and I wouldn’t want to have murdered one of its cousins!

[pjclinch]

No, whatever it was wasn't big enough, and didn’t have a bushy tail, which I would have seen in the glimpse I had. Since posting, it’s struck me that it could have been a bird, but no feathers were shed, so my best guess is still a rat.

I would have felt really bad if it was a squirrel, because I’ve got one living in the garden which I hand feed, and I wouldn’t want to have murdered one of its cousins!

If it's a red, I sympathise, not so much a grey... According to my pal who's a retired parkie, grey squirrels are "rats with good PR".

I was visiting a pal working as a volunteer ranger at the Grand Canyon many years ago, they have a problem with too many squirrels and too many people ignoring the "Please do not feed the squirrels signs". Coming across a couple feeding squirrels...
ranger: "see the sign there? would you please not feed the squirrels?"
tourists: "oh, but they're so cute..."
ranger: "did you know that some of the squirrels here have been known to carry bubonic plague?"
tourists: exit rapidly!

A red ran across the trail just in front of me yesterday riding off-road in Angus. Good job I'm not that fast!

Pete.

[Nearholmer]

The last red squirrel left my neck of the woods about a hundred and fifty years ago.

[axel_knutt]

I had a critter that might have been squirrel shaped hit my front wheel once. There was quite a musical 'bong', but I don't know whether it went through the spokes or just thumped the tyre.

The only time I went over the bars was when the front wheel was suddenly stopped by the car in front of it, and I went over the bonnet as well. ~£400 worth of damage to the bike and clothing, but just bruises and grazes on me.

[Cowsham]

I've went over the bars many times on cycles and motorcycles but one memorable off was when my front wheel was struck by a football when I was about 12 and had just got my first racer (a town bike converted to curly bars). Flat out down a hill -- next I knew I was flying - landed on my hands and got two badly staved wrists. A pack of bigger lads ( not the types you want to pick a fight with ) kicking the football around on the road so just picked myself up and managed to cycle back home.