A Bike Wreck Deconsructed
Monday, August 10, 2009 at 10:03AM 
I had a sweet wipeout this weekend, essentially hitting a bump, going
airborne, and then using the left side of my body as a skid pad and
ending up in the middle of the street.
Every wreck is different, but I thought I'd post the events that led
up to mine so maybe you can avoid what happened to me.
1. Increase in volume. Whenever you do more biking than usual, you
drop your guard because you are trying to fit more in. Be vigilant
for accidents when pushing your limits. I was trying to get in 20
hours of training that week; a personal record.
2. Repairing bar tape with too much electrical tape. A quick fix for
repairing bar tape that is coming loose is to wrap it with electrical
tape. Problem is, electrical tape is very smooth, even slick when it
gets wet.
3. Humidity and sweat. Summer training leads to sweat-soaked hands,
making it impossible to hold on to slick handlebars. When I hit that
bump, the bars literally flew out of my hands. I had no chance of
holding on.
4. Obstructed vision. I was wearing sunglasses I hadn't worn in a long
time. Now I remember why: that model gets caked in sweat and it's like
wearing double cataracts. I never saw that bump coming. I'm throwing
them out.
5. Don't forget to get the heck out of the road. I've seen countless
bike wrecks where the individual just sits there and picks his/her
butt while cars keep coming. Get out of the road! Save yourself
first, then drag your bike and gear to the shoulder as soon as it is
safe.
I'm taking my bike to the shop for them to wrap my handlebars properly
to minimize the chance of this happening again. If you can't do
something right, find somebody who can! I also busted a bunch of
spokes and building wheels is way out of my league.
Reader Comments (2)
I can wrap your handlebars properly for you and teach you how to do it!
What's funny is I actually know how to wrap them. I know all the details. The one thing I don't do right is wrap them tight enough. Should I just go psycho and act like I'm trying to choke my handlebars to death?