Road bikes and pot holes

[captainhastings]

Caught a couple of pot holes this morning at about 17mph they werent huge but certainly noticeable. Looked a lot smaller until I hit them. Can your average road bike take a few clonks

 

[accountantpete]

The water filled pot-holes in winter are great for waking you up! Most bikes can take it - the impact is taken first by the tyre then the wheel so a quick check of the trueness is usually all that is needed.

 

[Ian H]

Best to go round them. Tyres properly inflated will prevent pinch punctures. Backside out of the saddle will lessen the shock to the wheels. Decent wheels should take a few knocks without falling apart.

 

[Joe24]

Caught a couple of pot holes this morning at about 17mph they werent huge but certainly noticeable. Looked a lot smaller until I hit them. Can your average road bike take a few clonks

If they were noticeable, why didnt you just go around them

 

[captainhastings]

If they were noticeable, why didnt you just go around them

Cars parked on the other side of the road and I wasnt sure if the van behind me was going to try and get through.
All a bit of a learning curve this for me. Next time I will just hog the lane so they cant pass and miss the holes

 

[arallsopp]

Generally, the harder your tyres, the better protected your rim is. Worst combination is slightly low pressure in the tubes, a narrow tyre, and a pothole with a nasty exit lip. I can't de-weight my bike, so I tend to ding the rim in about 30% of cases where these combine.

An awful lot of truing (and replacing) later, I'm pretty militant about keeping the pressure right and/or avoiding holes.

 

[jimboalee]

Cars parked on the other side of the road and I wasnt sure if the van behind me was going to try and get through.
All a bit of a learning curve this for me. Next time I will just hog the lane so they cant pass and miss the holes

If no way round, Bunny hop!

 

[arallsopp]

No way you can bunnyhop a van

 

[very-near]

If no way round, Bunny hop!

This was my thought as well.

 

[Globalti]

Yep - bunny hop.

 

[on the road]

Be careful though. You risk taking chunks out of your rim, as the tyre will compress completely where it hits the edge of the hole.

That shouldn't happen if the tyres are inflated to the correct pressure.

 

[on the road]

You must be a big guy then

 

[aJohnson]

I hit a few potholes yesterday (atleast 2). I guess I was lucky, no p*nct*re or any damage done. Always good to check and make sure everything's ok though.

 

[wafflycat]

Can your average road bike take a few clonks

Of course, they aren't made of cheese. What do you think was ridden in the winter or is used for cyclocross now and in years gone by? If they couldn't then the bikes I have would be in bits by now thanks to the potholed, broken-up, flint-strewn, bumpy Norfolk country lanes mine are ridden round. That's not to say they are not going to require maintenance or checking over if you've had to cycle a particularly rough bit, but really, they aren't made of cheese and don't melt if they get some rain on them

 

[TheDoctor]

My road bike - Ribble alloy frame and Open Pro wheels - copes easily with potholed roads. And dirt tracks. And touring!
Honestly, it'll be easily strong enough.