[Armonhammer]

Hi, this is my first post.
I put on a new Axis Forte' Pro carbon fork today & tested it out.
While looking down at my new fork (I had also a visor on my helmet) I failed to realize that there was a parked car around a sharp curve. All of the sudden, wham! I crashed head on into a 2004 Malibu (parked the wrong way). I smashed down her hood, and put a big ole' dent in her front part of the hood.
Well, aside from the lever getting out of whack, everything was still in tact!
The front Velocity Nuvian wheel was still in true. The threadless headset cap loosened a bit. But the forks were still in excellent shape! I am sure that the wheel hit the liscense plate, bcuz' there was a huge dent in it. Other than my jaw was bashed in, and my neck was sore, I was impressed that the bike survived.
Id like to hear some of your crash stories, & see how your machines faired.

 

[scmaddog17]

this is my story altho it didnt happen to me. i was in a crit race, cat 5. the race starts and we go down a short hill to a 90 degree right hand turn. well as usual everyones trying to get to the front. well this wingnut decides to take it too fast, hits the brakes and goes right thru the pack taking a few out with him but not me. all i smelled was the rubber of his locked rear tire burning away. well he makes it thru the pack with minimal damage but continues thru to the sidewalk. well he hits that, bounces over and into this small picket fence that could only have been 2-3 feet high. hits the fence and goes over the bars with the bike still attached to his feet. this all happens in a matter of less than 15 seconds. so i finish the race and as i'm going to my car, there he is with the bike over his shoulder and his forks are bent backwards. yes, he had a steel fork because this happened well over 15 yrs ago and pretty much we all rode steel.

 

[iliveonnitro]

Did you at least tell the owner and pay for the damage to the car?

 

[Tschai]

Back in 1990, seven of us on the University of Arizona cycling team decided to drive from Tucson to San Diego and race two collegiate races, one in Yamul and then a crit at SDSU. We had only two cars to take for seven of us, so we had to pack it in tight. We were all essentailly poor college students, but Scott was 100% on his own and he never had any $. His bike and components were all crap. A hodge-podge jalopy thing. So, he worked long hours while going to school and saved up for two years to buy his dream bike, a bright orange aluminum Klein. The thing glowed orange. In any case, he got the Klein about 2 weeks before our trip to Yamul. Scott, myself and one other dude were in one car with a cheap trunk rack that was really only supposed to take 2 bikes. We had three on it. Before going, Scott and I fought over whose bike would not be put last on the rack. I won, but had to be last on the way back.

Well, we tied the bikes down really good on the rack and had a great weekend. Before heading back after the last race, the driver decided to load up the bikes while Scott and I were off getting drinks or something. He was not aware of our arrangement that my bike was to go on last, on the "unstable" position. When we got back to the car the bikes were already on and tied down in a web of straps and rope. Scott's bike was in the last position. I told Scott we had to switch the bikes, but he said that would be a hassle.

Half was back to Tucson we went through a very windy section out on the highway. The bikes we swinging way up in the air. We kept watching them, a bit worried. We watched for a while and it looked bad. The driver asked if we should stop and check the bikes out and tie em down better. As a joke I said, nah, they are just swinging wildly, let's wait until the danger is over before doing anything that makes sense. We all laughed and then 2 seconds later whoosh, Scott's new glowing Klein flies off the rack onto the middle of the dark freeway. We were in a state of shock. Well, we went back and recovered his bike and amazingly it was salvageable. There was of course some permanent cosmetic damage and a few dents and I think he needed new levers, but he raced the Klein for several years after that.

Of all the people on the team, this had to happen to Scott, the only dude that really could not afford, or convince mommy and daddy to get him, a new frame.

 

[il sogno]

I've done that twice. First time I wound up on the trunk of a Mercedes. The second time I went into an open car door and dislocated/sprained my finger.

 

[filtersweep]

That is what I was wondering. Somehow, that detail was curiously left out. With all the hit and run drivers out there, it would be very bad "carma" not to at least leave a note (but then again, who has pen and paper with them on a ride)?

Did you at least tell the owner and pay for the damage to the car?

 

[edhchoe]

The car was parked illegally on the wrong side of the road. The owner is lucky if he/she doesn't get sued by the OP.

 

[philippec]

This is a good reason not to ride w/ a visor.....

 

[Suzie Green]

The car was parked illegally on the wrong side of the road. The owner is lucky if he/she doesn't get sued by the OP.

Because he had his head up his ass and didn't watch where he was going? Responsibility for one's actions and all...he's lucky if he doesn't get slapped with a hit and run charge, possibly being under the vehicular laws of the state.

 

[Kaboom]

I did exactly the same thing a few months ago, but it was a wronly parked police car and the cops were INSIDE. to top it all off i had ran a light. I ended up on the bonnet, and then slid off onto the floor because here in spain the local police's cars are Citroën Xsara Picasso, a small people carrier with an inclined hood. The cops were even more surprised than i was, and fortunately too worried about my health to notice the light-running. And i wasn't about to tell them, either, its an $80 fine...
No damage at all to the bike or the rider, luckily i wasn't going too fast.
I was amazed at how well the front Ksyrium held up.

 

[Cruzer2424]

hahaha. Reminds me of this one time on my fixie when I was cranking up a hill with my head down. *SMASH* right into the back end of a parked car. Tons of spectators too.

 

[edhchoe]

one time I was looking out the window in my dorm room and a guy could not stop in time and ran into the back of the car in front of him and he and his bike went over the front wheel of his bike. I thought it was funny. I hope he didn't get hurt.

 

[t-wood]

I did that when I was about 7...put a hole in my star wars jacket

 

[mohair_chair]

I did the same thing when I was a kid. I was riding my Sears special, not paying attention, and then BAM! Right into a parked car. Nothing really damaged except my ego.

 

[Frank121]

Almost 40 years ago...

this summer I was at a friend's house who lived one street south of my street in our small neighborhood. We had been out riding around town with some other kids (probably 12 years old back then) and had stopped at his house on my way home.

The weather looked like a storm was coming, and when it started sprinkling I decided to get home before it really started raining.

I left his house and jumped on my bike and took off in a sprint. I just had to make it around the corner and and I would be home, probably not even getting wet as fast as I rode!

I hit an old beat-up long-time parked car on the side street that jumped out at me...never saw it as I was probably head down (or head up...) in the rain trying to get home. I remember coming to in the street with my bike and me both on the ground and the rain pouring down.

A lady was yelling at me from a porch across from where the car was parked asking if I was ok. Something (maybe handlebars with no plug in the end) had ripped across my shirt and cut into my chest, leaving a scar you could see today but for the hair ;-) No helmet, just shorts and t-shirt and tennis shoes but nothing was broken on my body.

I remember walking my wobbly bike and self the not too many feet home. I looked at the clock and it had been 20 minutes since I left his house. I must have been out for a few minutes. I don't remember what happened to the bike after that, but wasn't long til motorcycles replaced bikes in my world.

 

[Armonhammer]

Good stories. The owner was sitting in her car & YES I DID tell her that I would reimburse her for the damages. No hit & run here.

 

[airs0ft3r]

I'm slightly narcoleptic, and I fall asleep (for 5 or 10 seconds) while I ride my bikes. I've hit 2 cars this way, 1 of them were parked. They're all safe hits, there's never any damage (thankfully), and I still don't learn.

 

[roadfix]

Good stories. The owner was sitting in her car & YES I DID tell her that I would reimburse her for the damages. No hit & run here.

Your home owners' insurance (if you're a home owner) could possibly take care of the damages.

 

[koch]

Good stories. The owner was sitting in her car & YES I DID tell her that I would reimburse her for the damages. No hit & run here.

Good on you Armonhammer! But you realize that you just deprived a whole bunch of folks here on RBR of b!tching about something and appearing morally superior...

 

[Armonhammer]

Yes my fellow bikers. I can safely say that for me a visor really sucks to wear. Also, I had a premonition that this would happen. Seriously!
I am amazed that the Velocity Nuvians & Forrte axis pro carbon forks held up. Im a little bruised today, but am happy that I provided something humorous to the spectators.