Crashed on group ride

[cyberknight]

If they do not pay up i do not know when the bike will be fixed i have not got the cash for a new brifter, the alternatives are to try and bend back the shift lever or it goes into storage untill some cash comes along

 

[fossyant]

Bugger.

Like others have said, unless the hole has been reported, then it's unlikely the council will pay up. I came off coming down the Cat and Fiddle some years back, due to spilt dairy proucts (milk) on a hot day. It's apparently common for trucks to spill overflowing tanks (got a colleague that used to work in the industry).

Came round a corner, and there was loads of it, down I went and tore big holes in all my clothing including a big hole in my ass. Macc council replied that they could not have reasonably spotted the problem.

Good luck, and hunt around for a new shifter

 

[Bicycle]

I have cycled in groups and will do so again, so this isn't a wind-up.

I appreciate absolutely that hazards not pointed out by riders in front can be a major issue.

It's happened to me (without the crashing) but I've always been too meek to suggest that these things are pointed out.

The following may be spurious, but it does make me reflect:

What if the crashers were in cars and the driver of the second car said he was travelling very close to the driver in front.

"When the driver in front crashed due to (insert reason) I had no space to slow or stop as I was following closely.

I therefore sweved, caught the kerb or similar and also crashed. This made me quite cross about the object that had caused the car in front of me to crash".

There would (rightly) be howls of derision.

I ride on friends' wheels and like people to do likewise to me. I teach my children to ride up to my wheel.

It takes a lot of practice and a lot of confidence in self and the other cyclist.

I think the bottom line is that if the leaders of your group are not experienced or not up to it, disaster is a likely outcome.

Similarly, if those behind you are similarly challenged, your rear wheel will get a biff.

Potholes abound; and in these tough times there will be more not fewer.

 

[cyberknight]

Been quoted £210 with labour costs by the LBS , tried Halfords as it is a Boardman and they were the same.


The lever can be bent back and it works but the brake lever spring has come out as well, i will have to look at the tech docs.

I can get a new brifter for £150 so i may end up doing it myself if i get no joy as and when i get some cash.

 

[monnet]

Really bad luck Cyber.

I don't want to upset you, but I think you will have difficulty getting anything out of the council. Below is the tale of a similar stack we had on a chaingang last year. We spoke to BC and they advised that my mate might be able to claim but as I didn't actually hit the pothole, I'd only have a chance if I could ride on his coat tails (or launch proceedings against him! - I hasten to add they were stating the law not recommending this course of action). Fortunately I had little serious damage but my clubmate was not quite so fortunate. The incident happened in May 2010 and my mate is still trying to prove his case - various visits to specialists to prove his shoulder does actually hurt etc. The council won't accept liability as the pot hole, according to them, is less than 100mm deep (and, incidentally, it's still there).


We were coming to the end of one of the faster sections, it's under trees and always a bit damp on the road. THere was a pothole filled with water, so not really visible, right in what you would call primary position (it's a wide-ish country lane). I was near the back as the group went round the bend. We're all experienced cyclists who race and the hole was called but at 30mph the whip end of the group is always going to cut the corner and the guy in front of me hit the pot hole and went straight over his handlebars. I had no option but to go over him. Amazingly, no one else went down.

Result: I needed a wheel true and had a couple of scuffs on the saddle and levers. My mate wrote off a Wilier Cento Uno. He skinned his knees and elbows down to the fat and got the pleasure of my chain wheel scarring his face. I got a broken finger and very bad bruising to my shoulder. A year on, we were both physically fine after about a month and were back riding and I was racing but it could have been much worse. My mate still has trouble with his shoulder though and is definitely less keen on his riding.

Riding in a group is difficult and people don't always shout out for cars and potholes. The chaingang tends to be good for this - the riders mostly race so they know how important it is and how to take safe action even at high speed. Clubruns can be a bit more inconsistent. I've turned into one of those annoying blokes who shouts at people for not shouting - but then I think that is another thing that bunch riding gives you.

I hope all resolves itself satisfactorily and really hope you get somewhere with this.

 

[HLaB]

I've fairly recently moved clubs and got nicely asked to reduce the amount of times I shout out nose as it might cause unnecessary panic in the pack. In my old club we shouted out every time we came across a car on a bend but the new club prefer to only shout out if its crossing into our lane. Though and you get less of the adrenalin charged folk overtaking the other cyclists on the bend in the new club so I guess the shouts are needed less in that case.

 

[fossyant]

My mate wrote off a Wilier Cento Uno.

OUCH £££££££££££

 

[monnet]

Yep. Ouch indeed!

He works for a bike shop so a combination of inside contacts, friendly finance and the crash replacement policy meant it was (relatively speaking) not too bad, even so he's he still had to shell out an awful lot more than i would have wanted (or been able to afford). It's another thing the council don't seem to appreciate - bikes aren't all £150 max jobs from Halfrauds

 

[cyberknight]

Other guy in crash has contacted a specialist solicitor recommended by the cycle club and we may have a case,contacted them and i am waiting for the solicitor to phone me back.

 

[fossyant]

Good news

 

[Bicycle]

Good news indeed!

Let us all adopt a litigation-loving culture poste haste. Not for the money of course, just for the principle of the thing!

It is quite unacceptable that a council should allow potholes to appear in road surfaces. I for one am quite disgusted!

Fancy anyone thinking we ought to look where we're going, pay attention to the road or keep sufficient distance between bicycles to make avoiding action a possibility!

Councils jolly well ought to pay for anything of mine that gets broken on their tarmac (or temporary absence thereof).

I cannot praise highly enough the caring, thoughtful and public-minded specialist lawyers who slave tirelessly against the dark machine that paves our roads and lights our streets so carelessly.

Well done that law firm! They know justice when they see it!

I realise that in most cases people sue their local authority for the pinciple of the matter, not the money. Quite right. It was ever so.

I think it would be a wonderful thing if this proposed claim were successful. I for one have no greater joy than paying more Council tax so that my local council can insure themselves further against people who fall off bicycles, slip on uneven pavements and stand under trees in storms.

Who said there's no justice?

I wish this most considered and justified claim every success.

Hurrah!

But be careful what you wish for. Roads will always get worn away and there will always be potholes... but one day the councils will have no more money; the specialist lawyers and their clients will have it all. As long as that's part of the long-term plan, let us march forward together for justice and good roads!

 

[Glover Fan]

+1 i'm afraid. I personally would have taken the knock on the chin here. Potholes are a fact of life, like it lump it. I'd much rather pay an extra £10/month on my council tax for repaired roads, rather than an extra £10/month to cover the costs of compensation claims for someone having an accident chain ganging.

 

[cyberknight]

Pity that the council is actually overcharging us for its servces, 66.7 million surplus in income last year according to their official budget documents , my council is also one of those that been investing income to make more profit out of ratepayers money.

 

[barongreenback]

Which will serve them well when their budget's cut this year. If only central government were as wise to stash a little away for the future.

 

[cyberknight]

Which will serve them well when their budget's cut this year. If only central government were as wise to stash a little away for the future.

According to the solicitor the pothole was caused by the electric company who filled in the road they made for repair and did not maintain it, it is their job along with the highways agency to inspect and maintain .