daftest thing you have done regarding cycling

[Broughtonblue]

about four years ago when i cycled to work on a regular basis (12 miles each way), a mate asked me to lend him a golf club. after weighing up the options i decided the best way to transport it would be to cable tie it to the crossbar, so i set off from my house on the usual journey, but after about 7 miles i was really really struggling and felt like collapsing even though i did this journey 3 times a week with no problems, i really couldn't understand what was happening. when at work i was asked numerous times if i was alright as i looked like i was at deaths door! it was only when i lifted my bike over a kerb and knocked the rear wheel and it didn't turn that i realised what had made me feel like this, instead of passing the cable ties under the rear brake cable i had wrapped it around it, consequently the first time i used my back brake, about 20 yards from my front door, the cable tie gripped the brake cable in it's new position (on!!!) so i rode the remaining 12 miles with my brake fully on, up some long hills as well at least i wont make the same mistake again!

lets hear your funny tales

 

[middleagecyclist]

...i rode the remaining 12 miles with my brake fully on, up some long hills as well at least i wont make the same mistake again!

lets hear your funny tales

That's really not funny. Sounds horrible. No. Not funny at all!

 

[rusky]

To be fair, it doesn't say much for your rear brake adjustment!

 

[stevetailor125]

I did a really daft thing last week, rushing to put the new cycle computer on I ran the cable down to the cadence sensor, rode off and wondered why I couldn't gear change. I'd not checked where I put the cable ties and managed to tie down both gear cables

 

[rusky]

I changed the brakes from cable disc to hydraulic disc but the bolts went through the rotors & stopped the wheels from turning!

 

[rusky]

Cycled to work in the snow, neoprene overshoes so warm & dry feet.

Changed into my work gear but couldn't work out why my shoes were cold & wet when I came to go home until I realised the snow that had accumulated on the bike had melted during the day & dripped into my shoes where I had left them under the bike!

 

[Bigsharn]

I used to ride a 14" mountain bike because it was incredibly cheap and the brakes were Awesome... I should ride a 21-23"

 

[TheDoctor]

I once fitted new blocks, then went for a ride.
I realised the blocks were loose while halfway down a big hill, with a T junction at the bottom.
I've never liked that hill since.

 

[middleagecyclist]

I s'pose the daftest thing I did was to stop cycling in my late 20's. Took me 13 years to start again but so glad I did!

 

[Oldbloke]

After a heavy evening's drinking after work in London, I arrived at my local station in the early hours. Decided to "borrow" an old bike which was in the bike shed there (1960s) to get home.

At the first junction I tried to slow & was launched over the handlebars...my first and last ever ride on a fixie

 

[NormanD]

Many many moons ago as a child I got a neightbour to cut and add welded bars extensions to my front forks, to extend them, so I had a LWB style chopper bike. All was fine on the test ride until I turned the corner at the bottom of a steep hill (90% turn you could only turn left) only to find the handlebars turned but the front wheel stayed straight and true (the extensions twisted on themselves) .. took them half an hour to remove me from deep inside that thorn bush

 

[Panter]

During a real eco-warrior phase a couple of Year ago I decided to do the monthly supermaket shop by bike.
Shouldn't be a problem, I have a carp fishing rucksack that you could stuff a small car in so no worries there.
Anyway, long story short, by the time I'd stuffed this thing to the brim with shopping, including 9 litres of drinks, it was obviously pretty weighty to the point where I really struggled to load it onto my back.
I realised just how weighty it was when up the first tiny incline, the front wheel lifted straight from the floor and I tottered along for a precarious few feet like evil kenivel waiting to be dumped on my arse (it never occured to me to hit the back brake

)
That wasn't the worst of it though, having such a massive load overhanging the rear wheel made the whole affair completely unstable even on the flat and I had a very hairy ride home.

Funnily enough, I've used the car for the shopping ever since...

That was probably the stupidest thing I've done, except maybe setting off on my 150mm travel all mountain Enduro bike down the rocky slopes of Penmachno, not realising that I hadn't unlocked the front fork.
No, I didn't stay on for long, yes, it did hurt...

 

[cyco2]

I went to the local shop on my bike and because I had forgotten my lock I disengaged both brake cables. Just in case somebody wanted to ride off on it. Got back on the bike and drifted off home again. Straight in to my garage door!!

 

[coffeejo]

During a real eco-warrior phase a couple of Year ago I decided to do the monthly supermaket shop by bike.
Shouldn't be a problem, I have a carp fishing rucksack that you could stuff a small car in so no worries there.
Anyway, long story short, by the time I'd stuffed this thing to the brim with shopping, including 9 litres of drinks, it was obviously pretty weighty to the point where I really struggled to load it onto my back.
I realised just how weighty it was when up the first tiny incline, the front wheel lifted straight from the floor and I tottered along for a precarious few feet like evil kenivel waiting to be dumped on my arse (it never occured to me to hit the back brake

)
That wasn't the worst of it though, having such a massive load overhanging the rear wheel made the whole affair completely unstable even on the flat and I had a very hairy ride home.

Funnily enough, I've used the car for the shopping ever since...

That was probably the stupidest thing I've done, except maybe setting off on my 150mm travel all mountain Enduro bike down the rocky slopes of Penmachno, not realising that I hadn't unlocked the front fork.
No, I didn't stay on for long, yes, it did hurt...

I've found that there's a direct link between the weight of the contents of the shopping basket and what I can cycle home with. If it's too heavy in the shop, I won't make it up the hills

 

[Beaker39]

When I was about 12 in the early 80's I went to the local shop on my bike for various nits and pieces. There was far too much to carry really but I manged to scoop most of it up into my left hand/arm and set off home. Luckily this was pretty much OK as all the turns home were right turns and as such I had my right hand free to turn the handle bars without too much difficulty. That was until I came to my house which was on the left!! Ingeniously I decided to grap the left handle bar with my right hand and immediately collapsed into a heap into the garden wall breaking my arm

It was a Sunday afternoon so my dad wasn't too chuffed having to wait in casualty until 4am as I had to have an op to have it reset. On the plus side I remember having a good few weeks of school