Riding a road bike over cattle grids ...

[HLaB]

When scrap metal prices were high a few years back someone stole one on a quiet road I sometimes ride.
You could get past on a bike .I discovered it in daylight fortunately.

If the road is muddy or it looks in poor condition i get off and walk otherwise approach it straight on and no braking or too much power on the pedals.

Quite a bit of the OP's topic but that
reminds me of a road where the scum nicked every manhole cover Fortunately I discovered that in daylight too!

 

[Elybazza61]

Give it some welly and go for it.........................................................

This^

Just imagine for a second you're on the Arenberg trench on Paris Roubaix

 

[CaadX]

Cattle grids hmm... been off on'em... punctured on 'em... broke spokes on 'em... bunny hopped 'em ?.. You're having a giraffe ! On a road bike ?... Videos supplied?... right ..............

 

[mcshroom]

Sometimes the cattle grid is the least of your worries. This was NCN 72 near my work on the way home yesterday!

Nte the baby cattle grid at the back of that picture. I got an email apology from the site owner this afternoon, and they have instructed the contractor that has caused it to clean it all up by the end of the week.

 

[rugby bloke]

Quick update - Sunday's Sportive had 11 cattle girds ... So I'm now well and truly cured of my irrational fear and flying over them like a pro !

 

[Ajax Bay]

since I've started on the road bike I view them with deep suspicion and dismount.

I'm now well and truly cured of my irrational fear and flying over them like a pro !

All part of the journey. Aim to keep the scrum straight.

 

[Globalti]

Late to this thread as always but the way to deal with cattle grids is to go as fast as possible and do a well-timed bunny hop.

Decent tyres and sensible tyre pressures will help if you have to take the hit.

 

[Dogtrousers]

This thread reminds me of a dog my mum had. One year I went home after an absence of a couple of years abroad and was amazed to find that in the time I'd been away the dog had learned to walk over cattle grids. Very slowly, very carefully, moving one foot, having a think, moving another foot... What was odder was that the dog still had an extreme fear of walking over bridges that you could see through (grids or gaps in planks) and had to be carried. But cattle grids had become party trick time.

 

[Ajax Bay]

@Globalti you are not late at all: you posted your advice on the day the thread was started (in February!) but at least both messages are consistent, so your sense of humour is undiminished.

Yes, bunny hop is best.

Late to this thread as always but the way to deal with cattle grids is to go as fast as possible and do a well-timed bunny hop.

@rugby bloke - as you probably haven't tried to discover, @Globalti 's advice is/was designed to put you in hospital (for reasons I know not) and I'll wager you did not and do not take such 'giraffe' advice.

 

[rugby bloke]

Wouldn't know how to do a bunny hop ... and even if I did I'm not that brave / stupid so unlikely to try one !! It was peer pressure really, now one else was stopping so I did not want to look like an idiot. Started off with a slightly wobbly "O Sheeeeeet" moment and progressed from there. Quite impressed that the organizers had manged to find 11 cattle grids in the first 20 miles of the course though, proper rural it was.

 

[Globalti]

@Globalti you are not late at all: you posted your advice on the day the thread was started (in February!) but at least both messages are consistent, so your sense of humour is undiminished.


@rugby bloke - as you probably haven't tried to discover, @Globalti 's advice is/was designed to put you in hospital (for reasons I know not) and I'll wager you did not and do not take such 'giraffe' advice.

Well thanks for putting me straight on that, as you write, at least I'm consistent!

My advice to bunny-hop is entirely sincere; a well-timed small hop can carry you smoothly over a pothole or even a grid with enough speed, as long as you don't mis-time it and slam down on the sharp edge of the hole or the far side of the grid and burst a tyre. The small impact should be no worse than riding off a kerb, which I'd rather do than suffer the horrible vibrations of some cattle grids. With cattle grids the other caveat is to make sure you take off in the direction that the road continues after the grid; if there's a bend you don't want to be carrying that speed and running out of space in which to initiate a turn.

Edit: if you can't bunny-hop or don't fancy it, at least try to unweight the bike by hefting it upwards as your front wheel reaches the beginning of the grid. This will lessen the shock.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Unlike a wheelie, which I understand but can't do, I don't actually understand what a "bunny hop" is. I don't think they had them when I was a youth and doing (or being unable to do) tricks was of interest.

My rule for cattle grids is (if you see them coming) lift your bum off the saddle to reduce the discomfort and ...

Just ride over the blasted thing

 

[Ajax Bay]

My advice to bunny-hop is entirely sincere; a well-timed small hop can carry you smoothly over a pothole or even a grid with enough speed, as long as you don't mis-time it and slam down on the sharp edge of the hole or the far side of the grid and burst a tyre.

a bit risky

I believe your advice is sincere (which I find 'a bit' scary), but I think TMN is being restrained in his judgement. Perhaps bunny hopping over a small log for practice, first.

 

[raleighnut]

Unlike a wheelie, which I understand but can't do, I don't actually understand what a "bunny hop" is. I don't think they had them when I was a youth and doing (or being unable to do) tricks was of interest.

My rule for cattle grids is (if you see them coming) lift your bum off the saddle to reduce the discomfort and ...

View: https://youtu.be/FBTK0UwwQ4I

 

[Dogtrousers]

It's OK, @raleighnut I'm an old dog. I'm not about to try learning any new tricks. Although I do have a yen to learn to ride a unicycle ...