8 ms·

>> I think you have to do something weird to land on your head. Not weird, just reckless. Like tolerating faulty rear breaks for a little while. What was I thi

by gdee 17y ago

>> I think you have to do something weird to land on your head. Not weird, just reckless. Like tolerating faulty rear breaks for a little while. What was I thinking :)... Anyway, the helmet took it and the dog that prompted the full stop got away unscratched...

jrockway 17y ago
Yeah, gotta be careful with respect to maintenance. I crashed earlier this summer because I shifted my chain into the spokes, locking the rear wheel in a turn. I knew the limit screw was set improperly, but I figured it was not enough to cause any problems. Well, I was wrong. I landed on my leg, though, and unclipped quickly enough that I didn't even scratch myself too badly. (Threadlock is your friend, BTW, so the limit screws don't unscrew themselves. I still pull the derailer cable before each ride to make sure the chain can't be shifted off the cogs, though.) Also, did you use your front brake? I tend to see my rear brakes as a backup; I use it if the front brake fails, if the front wheel has poor traction, or if I'm descending and just want to slow the acceleration. The front brake can develop about 5x more stopping force, since the front wheel can't skid. And, if you are used to using it, you won't go over the handlebars in an emergency. http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html
- gdee 17y ago
  >>Also, did you use your front brake? I used both but only the front worked. So I landed on my helmet, bike on top. Quite the other way than you, I tend to use mostly the rear break. Not being used to rely on the front, not in a "to the floor" way anyway is what got me. That and the lack of proper adjustment tolerated to the rear one. Also, nice link. Thanks.
- davidw 17y ago
  You have to use them both and learn how to apply more or less of one or the other depending on the circumstances.

by gdee 17y ago

jrockway 17y ago

Yeah, gotta be careful with respect to maintenance. I crashed earlier this summer because I shifted my chain into the spokes, locking the rear wheel in a turn. I knew the limit screw was set improperly, but I figured it was not enough to cause any problems. Well, I was wrong. I landed on my leg, though, and unclipped quickly enough that I didn't even scratch myself too badly. (Threadlock is your friend, BTW, so the limit screws don't unscrew themselves. I still pull the derailer cable before each ride to make sure the chain can't be shifted off the cogs, though.) Also, did you use your front brake? I tend to see my rear brakes as a backup; I use it if the front brake fails, if the front wheel has poor traction, or if I'm descending and just want to slow the acceleration. The front brake can develop about 5x more stopping force, since the front wheel can't skid. And, if you are used to using it, you won't go over the handlebars in an emergency. http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

gdee 17y ago
>>Also, did you use your front brake? I used both but only the front worked. So I landed on my helmet, bike on top. Quite the other way than you, I tend to use mostly the rear break. Not being used to rely on the front, not in a "to the floor" way anyway is what got me. That and the lack of proper adjustment tolerated to the rear one. Also, nice link. Thanks.
davidw 17y ago
You have to use them both and learn how to apply more or less of one or the other depending on the circumstances.