I fell off my bike.

[TheMightyFavog]

I was swerving to avoid someone on the sidewalk, got off the sidewalk onto some landscaping, caught the edge of my tire while trying to get back on the sidewalk, and went down quicker than Bob Packwood's pants at a job fair.

Damn, my knee still hurts.

[johnnie]

1. Hi George!

:hi:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

2. I saw a guy bite it while trying to walk to dinner last night..

They were screwing around, and the next thing I know the guy is on the ground. I HEARD him hit from 50 feet away. It was horrible. Poor guy...when we got back from the store later that evening, we saw him hobbling back. Poor guy. His dumbass friends were no help either.
I hope you're ok. Be more careful next time...Were you wearing pads and a helmet?**Said in my best mommy voice.** :evilgrin:
Duckie

[TheMightyFavog]

4. I can't afford a helmet.

Luckily, my body broke the fall.

[Mika]

3. That's why you shouldn't ride on the sidewalk

Its against the law in most cities and towns.


Sorry to hear about your wipe out. :(

Hope your knee feels better soon. :hi:

[ikojo]

18. True he should not be on the sidewalk, however,

not all cities are bike friendly...like St Louis. There are places I will take to the street but in other areas my fat butt (and bike) are on the sidewalk. New drivers (that would be the 16 year olds) are not educated to look out for cyclists. Considering I am seeing more and more bikes (could that be due to high gas prices?) on the road, I think such education is sorely needed.

[BiggJawn]

5. Should stay off the sidewalk...

Seriously. you're a vehicle, not a damn pedestrian. I ride, but nothing pisses me off more than when I'm walking and some oblivi-droid comes blasting along thinking he has more right to the walk than me.

Ice that knee and try to scrape up the $15 a Bell helmet would cost you at the Big Box.

And get in the street where you belong. You've already proven to yourself that the sidewalk is "dangerous", right?

and ride WITH traffic, too.

[TheMightyFavog]

6. The street? I'm not fucking crazy.

Around here, if you are on the street and your vehicle has no motor, it's open fucking season.

[mark414]

8. dude

i live in milwaukee, full of idiot drivers and TWO major college campuses (read: kids who don't know how to drive), huge sidewalks, etc.

just stay on your toes and the street will be fine. it's kind of fun...like a game

[TheMightyFavog]

9. Point's like that too.

That's why I stay on the sidewalk.

[mark414]

10. i'm just saying

in some places it's illegal to have your bike up on the sidewalk

it's really not that bad

[Mika]

11. I ride the streets in Miami.

It takes nerves of steel, and practice, but it is much safer than the sidewalk.

[BiggJawn]

13. Oh, horse-pucky...

That's the most ILLOGICAL thing I've heard since listening to Rumsferatu this morning. Do you HONESTLY think the cage drivers want the hassle of fighting a Vehicluar Homicide rap, not to mention the new paint job they're gonna have to buy? where do you live? someplace where every driver is 16 years old?

"open fucking season"...Yeah, I'll bet they all have puppy dog, cat, and cyclist "Kills" painted on their fenders, don't they?

Hey, I live in Upper Redneckia and wear those cute black spandex shorts. I get respect from the Farmers. Because I DEMAND it. I get out there where they can't rationalize not moving for me by saying "oh, I think I can SQUEEZE by him..."

My daughter lives and rides in Chicago, and stays off the sidewalk.

Go here:
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/advocacy/
It'll open your eyes.

[ikojo]

19. Are you in St Louis?

Here's something for irony...a woman attending an alternative transportation conference in St Louis was crossing the street (WALKING) one morning. A bus was turning the corner and the driver claimed he did not see her crossing the street (at the crosswalk). She was hit and died.

Yeah, I know all about open season on walkers and cyclists.

I should add this: here in Missouri, for the most part, when there is a car/bike accident the driver is rarely charged with anything. The burden of proof is on the cyclist to prove that the driver was acting wrecklessly...this is even after many cyclists have been harrassed by drivers.

[Mika]

12. My peeve, bike paths filled with joggers w/babystrollers.

You can't even use the few bike paths there are in Miami-Dade. What don't they understand about the word "bike" in bike path? Freakin people are out to lunch.:mad:

[BiggJawn]

14. Same here...

Nice trail system, it's a shared trail, but people on foot either have their I-Pods up so loud or are just plain RUDE and won't give way. Jogging 3 abreat, or pushing those "baby SUV's" 2 abreast...

I prefer the street. And not those "Bike Route" jokes, either. The ones where the "Bike Lane" gathers all the sand, broken glass, ejected car parts, etc.?

[Mika]

15. Hey BiggJawn, I did my 1st half century today, since I got back on

2nd week of August I resumed riding after about 12 years off.

Laid down 50 miles today, alone. F-ing steady wind from the outwash of hurricane Jeane kicked my ass. The first half I held an average of 18 mph, on the way back I was barely able to keep up an ave of 16 as the wind picked up.

My thighs are sore. Feels great.

Jeane is gonna blow out riding this weekend in Miami. :(

[BiggJawn]

16. You sure can make a guy smile, Mika...

"Barely able" to hold 16 into the wind from a Cat 2 storm...:-)

That's great! You must have held on to SOME condition in those 12 years.

I went out for a 12-miler before dark last night. Was averaging 16 myself until the terrain started going up, then I flatted, then the sun went all the way down, then I found out the 6V lighting system is not conducive to fast riding...First experience with a road-side flat (they usually wait until I'm back then let go at midnight)and I handled it. But even a bad evening's ride beats a good day at work...

[Mika]

17. "a bad evening's ride beats a good day at work..."

I love that line, BiggJawn. :thumbsup:

I'm afraid to go riding at night here in the Miami area. Way too much traffic (crazy kids speeding like maniacs).

On my first several rides I had several flats. Had to change tubes, but to get the clincher off and on was a real struggle. Man, I miss my tubulars in those instances. There are few more uncomfortable moments than sweating like a pig trying to change a back wheel clincher tube. Grease, dripping sweat, and goddamn mosquitoes eating me alive (fear of West Nile had me hurrying up). It was that last flat that pushed me to buy some Specialized Armadillo tires. Not a flat since (about 600 miles so far).


Happy riding. :hi:

[BiggJawn]

20. I suffer pinch-flats.

You know, the "snakebite" ones? Comes from being a heavy guy on skinny tyres, I guess. That and delayed tube failures that wait until I'm relaxing and it's quiet in the house before they let go...

And the joke around here is that the mosquitos will carry you to Michigan to meet their King. The other night, I had enough of 'em chewing on me that I was afraid they WERE going to carry me off! Guess I need to apply DEET along w/the shammy-buttah now....

[GoddessOfGuinness]

7. Owww...

Hope it's better soon.

~healing cybervibes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~