The first "Moment" drops bent, not happy!

[Rob3rt]

Well with having to work all weekend I thought I'd at least take a couple hours off to get a ride in and well what better way to celebrate your 1st proper ride on your brand new bike other than to come off it!

The cleat skidded over the pedal rather than clip in, leaving me at crawling pace and scrambling to re-try to clip in, was so close to the kurb because of a bus so couldnt pull the locked pedal up and re-stroke to have another try at clipping in, and I rolled over, onto the path! Didnt realise the extent of the bleeding at 1st because I was too worried about my bike (it being my 1st ride on a bike thats basically cost me every penny I had, hah), until some passer by offered me some tissue, then I realised my left knee was pissing with blood!

The bike was on the most part unscathed, some marks from the kurb on the rim (I took some glass paper to it and smoothed them out when I got home) and my left handlebar drop is bent in toward the frame about 1cm more than the other now (i.e the right points straight back, the left angles toward frame a bit) and the bar end was smashed (daft plastic cateye thing with a screw lock mechanism- one of the legs snapped of and it was hanging out). I would have carried on, but since I'd forgotten my gloves and my hands were numb, my knee was pissing with blood and the other shin all bumped I decided to head home. 7 mile round trip, Im disapointed. Ive been doing 20 mile a day on my fixed so was hoping so do 2 laps of my usual route today on the proper roadster making it 40 miles.


Just to make my day worse, I lost my keys (found them again, In the bin!)

 

[MacB]

I won't say cheer up but rather stay mad for a while, really get it out of your system. Nothing worse than bashing a new toy and you have every right to revert to childhood and throw a hissy fit. It'll make you feel a damn sight better than trying to be all adult and mature about it. Make sure you blame something, other than yourself, as well. Doesn't matter how small, tiny pothole, poor road marking, kerb too high, wind wrong direction, wrong type of clouds, whatever.

 

[Bman]

Ouch. Good job your able to tell the tale!

Not too much damage at the end of the day (by the sounds of it)

 

[Rob3rt]

Im blaming the pedals then!

Im new to cleats(this is my 1st road bike, well bar my fixed, and my 1st clipless pedals) so it was bound to happen, but for gods sake why are they so stiff to clip in? I manage to flip them fine and get the foot in about the right possition but end off wiggling and pushing at it until it clips on it doesnt just seem to click in unless your spot on. Even stationary they take some clipping in(Ive been practising) and had a look up close how they work doing it by hand and watching how they were working to try and get my technique right, this morning I set them for minimum tension because I didnt want this moment to happen. Maybe they are stiff because they are new? Anyone know of a quick way to break them in?

How many of you guys have bent drops? lol - Its got to be pretty common right?

Hopefully they are pretty low end so if it bugs me to point they need replacing(OCD tendancies mean I will notice it) it wont cost me a bomb for something of equal spec.

My luck with this bike is nothing but bad, got a puncture on the front riding it from the shop to my apparetment (less than half a mile) last weekend!

 

[longers]

It can take ages to get the first scratch out of the way, you've gone and done it straight away and can now relax and enjoy the bike a bit easier.

Which pedals have you got? You might/should be able to alter the tension on them.

I think I'd be looking to replace bent handlebars. What do other people reckon? Overcautious?

 

[Rob3rt]

The pedals are Look Keo Classics, Ive got them on minumum tension I think, went to turn tension down this morning, turned toward the minus sign and it wont go any further so it already be on minimum (guess the guy in evans set them like that for me because he knew were my 1st clipless - he also put them on the bike and put the cleats on my shoes for me)

The handlebar isnt like major bent. Imagine if you extend the end of the drops out about a metre the right would run parrallel to the frame, the left would be running in at a bit of an angle toward the frame. I measured, and its 1cm out or alignment (as in roughtly the bar end is 1cm closer to the centre of the headtube than the other side, but this was a quick innacurate measurement taken with a soft tape measure from a sewing kit). Only the drop is bent, not the main flat area and the hoods look aligned still, im thinking its bent in on the lower drop only especially since the plug in the bar end and the tape around that area is the only marked area.

If they need replacing, I'll replace them, but if its not a huge deal I'll probly run with it and try ignore it Do not wish to spend my Edge 500 saving progress on handlebars if it can be helped.

 

[longers]

I got the same pedals as my entry into clipless, it was fun getting used to them. I got to taking a bow when I fell off them again and again. Maybe 6 times all together.
So far.

It sounds like you've got them set at minimum so you just need to get out more .

I am interested in what others think of the slightly bent handlebars.

 

[MacB]

I'd replace handlebars if they were crash damaged, same with forks.

 

[accountantpete]

Not sure how you came to bend the bars - it takes a lot of force to do that. Best bet is to take them off,warm them up slightly and then bend them back into position with a stick or metal rod pushed up the tube. Then check for any cracks.

We all have trouble locating the cleat/pedal at times - it's just experience that keeps you balanced when it happens.

 

[Rob3rt]

Well unless the bars were already like that (I mean sometimes you dont notice small things till the paranioa of an accident has you going over every inch of the bike looking for things that may be wrong) but considering its a pretty good bike for a new rider I'd have thought they wouldnt have been like that. I'll try figure out what sort of price bracket the current bars are in and keep the option of replacing them in mind. Cannondale C3, if anyone knows.

And Pete, I guess yeah take a lot of force but imagine you just let your bike fall to the side, the bottom of drop takes the impact, add in body weight and I guess it is possible for quite some impact force? I had a good go flexing the bars inwards and outwards form the drop possition, and while you can feel them flex a bit you couldnt move them to point of deformation by hand. Same with my fuji.

Its got to be a pretty common bike injury right? Since the handlebars are 1st thing to hit the deck. Very annoying since it was basically a stationarry sideways roll, rather than dramatic crash, lol


tbh the cleat was only half the issue, the other issue was being so close to the kurb to remain safe from a bus while frantically trying to clip in had the other peddles run along the kurb meaning I couldnt move the crank, so partly my own inexperienced fault.



edit: Kind of while the handlebars are of topic, does anyone know of a general rule for the rotation of them, as in what angle the drops should be, horizontal, slightly sloped in one direction or another? I realise its probly a personal taste thing, but its good to try out benchmarks and then alter to suit, rather than start from scratch.

 

[Banjo]

I had a few momements on my new Scott first time clipless one frightening one in traffic.. I have been riding in Trainers on flat side of my double sided pedals since and feel much happier and havent noticed any difference in my speed.(In fact it seems to have improved a bit)

 

[Rob3rt]

I had a few momements on my new Scott first time clipless one frightening one in traffic.. I have been riding in Trainers on flat side of my double sided pedals since and feel much happier and havent noticed any difference in my speed.(In fact it seems to have improved a bit)

Probably a confidence thing. My shoes only accept road cleats, not sure if you can get double sided road pedals, if you can maybe ill look into it if the Look Keo's dont work out for me. My pedals and shoes were chosen as part of my free accessories with the bike, so its not so much cash down the drain if the relationship with them doesnt bloom, I can always stick on some standard flat pedals I guess.

I feel safer and more confident riding my breakless fixed than my road bike, partly due to the clipless and partly due to dreading damage should I step beyond my ability or lapse in concentration, lol

 

[Arch]

It can take ages to get the first scratch out of the way, you've gone and done it straight away and can now relax and enjoy the bike a bit easier.

I know someone who reckoned he should start a business, providing a 'first scratch' service - you give them you bike, they scratch it, not much, just a little one, and that's got the whole first scratch out of the way and you can enjoy the bike, more relaxed...

Bad luck Rob3ert, I hope the knee heals ok:. I only have spds on my trike, so I can't fall over. I've never had the guts to try on two wheels!

 

[Rob3rt]

Thanks, the knee will be fine, was more cheese grater effect and some swelling rather than serious injury, I'm sure you have all had much worse at some point I certainly have The prospect of injury was the lowest of my concerns (especially since I was barelly moving) I was by far more worried about the bike, and my dignity, and slightly dissapointed because I've done like 70 miles on my fixed in the dark this week with not even a close call then take the new bike out at the quietest time possible to christen it and I come off, haha

 

[gbb]

I dont know if its a shoe/cleat problem, but i've had Keos for 18 months now...and still struggle to get my right foot in cleanly.
Ive tried all sorts...it rarley goes in first time. I often wish i'd stayed with Look Deltas. I never had any problems with those