New to cycling

[sgt_doofey]

Anybody else apart from prydey ride the TDU?
I have hardly ridden much the last 6 months but I got off my fat backside and did the 75.5km TDU ride from Mt Compass to Victor Harbour.

I heard that they averaged 24.6km/h up Corkscrew Road. I couldn't average that in the car!

[prydey]

compass to victor was still a very reasonable ride. thats where all the hilly bits were and it got a lot more windy once you got up myponga reservoir rd. reasonable headwind all the way from yankalilla too.

i was up in your neck of the woods the week before (sat 18th) doing the JDRF ride to cure diabetes. i was just a tad slower up menglers than the pro's went up it.

[sgt_doofey]

The mate who I've ridden with in the past did the JDRF ride. See any of the burnt spots from the fires on the way?

The lack of training hurt me up the KOM and Myponga reservoir. I walked up the steep bit, but am happy to say that I stayed on the bike for the rest of the ride.

What top speed did you get prydey? My GPS reported 73.3km/h which I think I hit around Yankalilla.

The wind wasn't too bad when I went through. More of a cross wind than a head wind.

[prydey]

i think i only hit about 72 top speed, which would have been going down to normanville i reckon. i was too scared to really push down the hills, esp with so many other riders around. nearly ran up the back of one guy going slow down a hill because the last thing you want to be doing is moving all over the road. there was certainly some good downhill sections on that ride. mates of mine hit about 84km/h, but they live for the downhill.

JDRF ride aborted the angaston - eden valley - springton leg, so no burnt areas were seen. i believe the fire threat had actually gone by the time the ride happened, but once they made the decision to change the course, they stuck with it. i will be doing it again next year.

[bArNsY]

Some of you may be aware that I got hit by a car on Sat arvo.
Driver pulled into a parallel car park nose first without looking knocking me off. Innocent mistake. Driver admitted fault and I have a witness.
I am ok, bad bruising on my hip and elbow, and scratched down my leg.

So got my bike checked out today by my bike shop, the repair costs exceed the replacement costs in their option...replacement cost $3K.

Now to deal with the driver and their insurance company and hopefully funds towards new bike.

Safe riding guys

[prydey]

sorry to hear that mate. at least you lived to tell the tale.

hope insurance covers your bike as well and you replace it with something of equal quality.

[DBourne]

Sucks to hear mate, good on you for being so level headed.

Hope you're back out riding with a new whip soon..

[blueoval]

That's sucks mate. Sorry I didn't hear nor have looked at strava for the last week. Hope you mend fast and are able to get a quick replacement soon.

[prydey]

had my first crash on thursday morning. a car decided to turn left in front of me, indicating pretty much as she was making the move. with such little warning, i had nowhere to go, and smacked into the rear quarter at about 43km/h. thankfully it was more of a glancing impact. it all happened so fast and i still can't remember actually picking myself up or even hitting the deck. i remember smacking into the side of the car, then it all just happened so fast. right hand took the brunt of it, and riding on the hoods, my third finger was obviously pinched between the brake lever and the drops on impact. it swelled right up and is the only thing that is really sore. bit of bark off on left elbow and hip/bum but thats about it. i didn't hit my head and not a scratch on my legs. i think i landed on my bike. handle bars were bet around, seat is busted and bottle cage is busted. wheel ever so slightly buckled. i think i dodged a bullet there. can't believe how lucky i got.

the chick (swedish i think) was very apologetic and admitted she didn't really know where she was going hence the last minute indication. my bike is covered under house and contents but the excess ($250) is more than the bike repairs. apparently i need to claim as a 3rd party through her insurance, and i'm not sure its really worth the hassle.

stay alert and safe out there guys and remember when driving your cars to always give plenty of indication.

[blueoval]

whoa, Rob, geez. First of all Im glad your ok.

Secondly I have been in that exact same predicament. Last minute decision made by a woman who 'didn't see me' or judge properly. Nearly ended under the car.

Sorry to hear your bike is stuffed. Better the bike than you and you are able to walk away from it.

So it looks like you wont be on the P ride tomorrow.

Rest up big fella. Hope you get this covered by insurance very swiftly.

[prydey]

thanks shav. bike isn't too bad either. probably won't bother waiting for insurance. just needs new saddle, a bottle cage and a general once over.

easily done though. i don't expect drivers to have to check their left blind spot when turning left, but i do expect to be given reasonable indication.

[blueoval]

Agreed. But she would have seen you prior to approaching the corner.

I reckon they misjudge the speed your actually going and think they can 'beat' you to a turn instead of treating you as another vehicle. My guess is, she wouldn't have tried that move if you were a truck.

This is what gets me. People are either ignorant or completely stupid when it comes to making these types of judgments and they don't realize/care what kind of danger they put people under when making such moves.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Agreed. But she would have seen you prior to approaching the corner.

I reckon they misjudge the speed your actually going and think they can 'beat' you to a turn instead of treating you as another vehicle. My guess is, she wouldn't have tried that move if you were a truck.

This is what gets me. People are either ignorant or completely stupid when it comes to making these types of judgments and they don't realize/care what kind of danger they put people under when making such moves.

to be fair, i don't think she would have seen me or even knew i was there. not making excuses but it was just an accident. thankfully it wasn't bad.

i was heading south on south rd, bedford park. she passed me around sturt rd, but like most motorists probably wouldn't have noticed. the next set of lights were red (flinders dve) so i was catching back up to all the traffic that had passed me earlier. the lights went green as i was approaching so i never had to slow down. as you probably know Shav, there is a little opening just after the lights where you can access the service rd that runs along south rd there. this is where she turned in at the last minute. i had no chance and the first she knew of me is when i smacked in to her car. had she indicated appropriately, i would have been in the wrong in my view. had she indicated appropriately, i would have slowed down too, and not been in that situation, which is why i believe she is 100% at fault. i remember a car horn sounding too so i think others were either annoyed at her sudden action, or could see what was about to happen.

its kind of funny, because as cyclists, you know you are going to have crashes at some point, and even have them involving cars, and i was only saying to a workmate a week or so ago, how i'm yet to have a crash. jinxed myself!!

[bArNsY]

Glad to hear you are ok.
Your lucky you are covered by insurance.

I am still dealing with the other driver's insurance company RACV.
4 weeks after the collision and the assessor still has not looked at my bike. It took 2 weeks to prove that she was at fault!
It is so freaking frustrating, I will be definitely getting bike insurance with my new one.....if RACV stop ********* me around!

[prydey]

thankfully mine is only minor damage and a bike worth $1k not $3k like yours.

my house and contents only covers me if i make a claim i think, which would also involve me paying the $250 excess which is more than the repairs were quoted at.

alternatively i can try to claim as a 3rd party through her insurance and that would no doubt see me in the same situation, waiting for them to get their act together. i think i'll just fix it myself.

hope you eventually get your situation resolved. i couldn't last that long off the bike.

[ratter]

sorry to hear some of the bad news here but one thing that has me wandering, how/why can the bike be claimed through house and contents? I can understand iof it was stolen from the house but involved in an accident

[blueoval]

This is where you would have to make sure you check your PDS from your insurer Mick. Some insurers do cover it while in use, others don't and unless you confirm it you are likely to get a rude shock.

Thats what I have mine covered through Velosure for the bike regardless of its use in sportives or competition or just out and about. Then I have the BikeSA personal insurance if I get injured. Costly to have each year, but worth it. Reminds me, I better update my details with them as Ive just moved house.

[ratter]

thanks mate

[prydey]

Originally Posted by ratter

one thing that has me wandering, how/why can the bike be claimed through house and contents? I can understand iof it was stolen from the house but involved in an accident

i checked it out with my insurance once i got in to cycling, so i knew my bike was covered. what i have discovered though, is it is slightly different to motor vehicle insurance. basically my understanding from my recent phonecalls is, my insurance will cover my bike, but it is still considered a claim by me, regardless of who is at fault. they don't chase other parties for the money. basically its just a fund that i can claim on. in my case, the excess was higher than the cost to repair, so i didn't bother.

today i went down to my local shop and picked up a saddle and bottle cage and bike is good to go. i will drop it in to him next week for a quick check over and make sure everything is as it should be. still out of pocket but back on the road much sooner than waiting for insurance.

just on insurance, i can claim through the other parties insurance as a 3rd party, but this can take quite a while (see bArNsY's situation) and knowing how insurance companies apportion blame, there is a good chance i would still have to cough up something.

this is also where it could get interesting for me with her insurance. she is making a claim to fix the damage to her car. whilst she basically admitted fault to me at the scene, i'm pretty sure a different story would be told insurance, and i'm expecting to hear from them now asking for money. i have no idea what i would have to do in this situation. i guess i have my version of events and the police report, but as there were no witnesses its my word against hers. no point worrying for now. if i hear from them, then i will look at my options.

i may even look at more specific bike insurance for the future.

[HLC]

Good to see this thread still kicking!!

I haven't been riding as much since being back in Sydney, but slowly getting back out there... Feb has been a write-off though, firstly hurt my back, now getting over a cold... ugh. :(

Anyway, been riding out at Dunc Gray Velo. Caught the back end of RAW winter season last year and been doing the Bankstown Summer Series.

Needless to say, all my pants are a bit tight around the thigh region.. i think a combination of the track, and doing squats with my gf on my back...


And how's this for a small world... went for a group ride with some guys I've met at the track, roll up to meet another rider and he is getting out of a car with an aufalcon.com sticker... It was Jeff who used to be on here (username escapes me) who I bought parts off 5 years ago ha ha! Bizarre.

Also, cracked my roadie on the weekend :( got a claim in the works to hopefully get a custom frame built.... hear back from insurance this week hopefully.. failed at the seat tube.

[HLC]

Don't stress too much about the insurance guys..

When i got hit in 2012 - the biggest hassle was getting the jerk to pay his excess. RAC (his insurer) were great about everything, were happy with the replacement quote i provided and paid me nice and quickly once he paid.

Just make sure you stay on the idiot that hit you to make sure they do their job. Also suggest to get the police involved as it turns out you are now injured. This will speed the process up.

[mcnews]

Did 100km today, bit less climb than my normal rides, only 1250m. Hit 89.3km/h on a downhill! My legs hurt!

[blueoval]

I guess in these circumstances, a Go Pro would put to rest any argument on the matter and the girl wouldn't have a leg to stand on with getting money from anyone. The proof is in the video footage.

This is something I will be saving for as soon as possible for incidents like this when its a your word vs theirs situation, and the truth can get twisted.

Lucky for me, I had a few scratches and the handle bars were bent, so other than being startled, I got away it a bit lighter than Rob. For her car, it was already dinged in when I made contact, so the damage (wasnt any from my bike, just my body) was masked by the existing issues.

While its not a fix all solution, it also makes people whom you have altercations with, think twice about bending the truth to get 'something' out of their own stupidity having a GoPro, Fly6 or any other recording device to prove otherwise.

Thankfully Rob has made it easier for himself to just accept it was an accident and move on, but if this girl pursues Rob for money, then it can get real complicated.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by mcnews

Did 100km today, bit less climb than my normal rides, only 1250m. Hit 89.3km/h on a downhill! My legs hurt!

Bloody hell Trev. 77kph down hill has been my max so far.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by mcnews

Did 100km today, bit less climb than my normal rides, only 1250m. Hit 89.3km/h on a downhill! My legs hurt!

nice one.

Originally Posted by blueoval

Bloody hell Trev. 77kph down hill has been my max so far.

i've nudged over 80 a few times and whilst its a rush, there is always that 'what if..' thought in the back of my mind. thankfully many of the steep hills i fly down have pretty much no side roads and minimal traffic to worry about.

[bArNsY]

The scariest part about doing high speeds is lowering your head to see how fast your going!

89.3km/h, sound like a good hill climb heading the other way 10%+.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by bArNsY

The scariest part about doing high speeds is lowering your head to see how fast your going!

haha, aint that the truth. really need to invest in one of those out front mounts for my garmin to make it a little bit better to see.

[blueoval]

worth every penny Rob

[bArNsY]

There is a new bicycle camera and rear light in one to be released later this year. http://fly6.com/ $169

• High Definition 720p video recording + audio
• First ever cycling accessory to include Nano Technology
• Highly visible tail-light
• USB re-chargeable lithium-ion battery 5hrs+ runtime
• Continual looping video record for easy, set-and-forget use
• Incident capture protection technology
• Lightweight 105g & compact 100mm
• Included 8GB class 10 microSD card
• Patent pending technologies

I will be handing my money over if it actually does what heaps of people have been raving about.

[blueoval]

Ive seen the video of this. Looks the goods.