November sucks: Slippery when wet

11 Comments 15 November 2010

Ever wondered what the insides of a Reelight look like?

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the sun. It’s been even longer since I’ve taken a ride in the sun. Today was sunny, after a refreshing rain shower. I learned that there’s one thing more slippery than wet wood. Carbon soles on wet wood.

That would be the force of gravity.

The annoying thing is that I was carrying my bike, and landed on it. The sad thing? While I went to pick up my camera to photograph the broken Reelight, still wearing my carbon soles, I fell again.

Steel is real, but it's not adamantium.

All and all, I didn’t go for a ride. Mostly due to bent wheels, a dent in my Surly frame and probably other broken parts as well.

Author

Markus Sandelin

Markus Sandelin - who has written 201 posts on Coming thru!.

Markus is a bike commuter gadget freak who is learning the ropes of the bike world, you can find him all around the web - but you can start with his twitter at @banton.

Contact the author

« City commuting: Stockholm vs. Helsinki

Winter commuting: Which studded winter tires? »

Pingback: Tweets that mention November sucks: Slippery when wet | Our biker lives | Coming thru! Bike Blog -- Topsy.com()
bikerly

oh man, sorry about this.
Markus Varha

Thanks Jim, appreciate it!
Doug P

Ouch! I have similar stories.
Worst injury skiing; a fall in the parking lot on my coccyx.
Most damage to my road bike: falling on the wet floor as I walked carrying the bike. (bent bars)
I’m glad you didn’t injure yourself. It’s a good thing Surlys are sturdy!
Keep smiling anyway!
Anonymous

I have had no bike mishaps, but one year in August 1996, a friend and her husband and I went on a camping/cycling trek. We cycled 300 miles. I injured my back sleeping on the ground in my tent and put my back out. While we were heading down a dirt road with 80 pounds of gear on our bikes. All 4 panniers were loaded. The bike fell on top of me…as I lay on the dirt. My friends came to my rescue as I could not get up. Ah the memories of that trip. Are still fresh in my mind! Fantastic trip……..Geo
Markus Varha

We always keep smiling, although I do get to hear a lot about my mishaps from my friends as I tell about them so publicly :)
Markus Varha

Thanks for sharing! I remember a similar event, which had sleeping on the ground as the problem as well. That taught me to _always_ clear out all debris from the ground under my sleeping bag. Pebbles don’t do good for your back :)
Toby Archer

Oh no! But what were you doing wearing carbon soled shoes at this time of year? That sounds like some dainty summer road bike business! :-) I think I said before, Power Straps and hiking boots are the solution for these muddy, slippy times!
Markus Varha

Well yeah, those actually were the winter shoes from North Wave :P

Also, hiking boots and spandex are a funny mix. You look like a gay lumberjack.
Pingback: December wins November | Our biker lives | Coming thru! Bike Blog()
christopheru

Reminds me of one January a few years back when I (stupidly) leaned into a turn on a wet wooden boardwalk and went splat! all over creation. Ouch. I did nothing to my bike and really nothing to me, but ouch the pride! Silicone coated mud tires and wet wood don’t mix!

About Comingthru

Coming Thru (or Coming Through - as that URL was taken) is a daily updated bike magazine - a collection of writings and links that relate to biking in its every form. The idea started from when Maarten met Markus decided to finally start collecting the things we like about bikes and talk about our everyday adventures in dodging moving objects at high speeds.The site is run by a collage of cyclists, most notably by Canadian Johanna MacDonald, Belgian Maarten Patteeuw and Finnish Markus Sandelin.

It all started in the spring of 2010, after a record breaking snowy winter when Markus bought a house 25 kilometers from the office and decided to handle the commuting with a bicycle. It turned out the bike wasn’t up to standards for that kind of stress and the first weeks were more tragicomic than glorious. Thus the idea began to brew to actually document this journey.

Daily Edition Theme by