First Crash (hornet induced)

charlesw

Member
Well, I had my first crash on my Vendetta, not that it's really the V's fault (well, maybe partly).

I'm still pretty new to learning how to ride it, but am making progress. I decided to take the V out into the country to the steepest hill near me -- not sure of the % grade, but the only recumbent I've ever been able to climb it with is my RANS Stratus XP at about 4.5 mph -- to test if my 34/32 gearing would be enough to get me up it.

I was almost to the hill when "some bug" landed on my shorts. Still new to riding, I have a hard time taking my eyes off the road, but I managed to glance down and see that it was big hornet, like this one (for non-US persons): http://www.haleypestcontrol.com/images/wasps.jpg

I'm not allergic to their sting, I just tend to panic. :)

Without thinking about riding, I instinctively reached down to swat it away, because I thought the next place it's going to get blown to is my face! (I was going about 20mph at the time). So I swatted once, and it moved to the right about 5 inches (right on top of my privates!), I swatted again and it moved another 5 inches to my right hip. By then I figured I better get this thing off me, it's gotta be pissed-off by now, and with the last swat it was off me.

But then a second later my front end veered to the left and made a nice J-hook skid in the middle of the highway (no cars luckily), and at some point my front wheel turned enough that the force of the momentum taco'd the wheel, the bike spun around and layed on its side and I was left standing on two feet without a scratch on my person!

Absolutely no injuries.

The bike is fine, except for that front wheel which is not salvagable.

It was all a bit comical. Although it has me wondering about the inherent stability, or my ability to keep the bike stable in an emergency situation. I've decided for now to keep at learning how to ride it.

Pray for me! ;-)
 

John Tolhurst

Zen MBB Master
Am now praying.
Sounds like


Am now praying. :)

Sounds like a wierd one. I did try hard to make the bike inherently stable. Swatting wasps was not mentioned in the design brief!!!!!!
 

mickjordan

Well-Known Member
STABILITY

So, at the risk of winding John up, I'll note that I discussed the Cruzbike with a local recumbent specialist and one of the things he mentioned was stability in emergency situations, especially descents. He won't sell the bike because he is worried about lawsuits. Despite his advice I bought one anyway! Still there is no question in my mind that the heavy front end can certainly do weird and dangerous things if all the control forces aren't in order.
 

charlesw

Member
Thanks John. Next time I run

Thanks John. Next time I run into a wasp, I'll tell it that this bike was not designed to deal with it and could it please fly away. :)

This incident also brought to light that I need to invest in some of these fancy "recumbent shorts" that have the elastic around the leg holes. I refuse to wear lycra, but considering the V's extreme recline, I've got to find something, otherwise next time the wasp might fly up my skirt! Er, I mean shorts!!


 

ak-tux

Zen MBB Master
The bikes should be inherently stable

These bikes should be inherently stable. John is a great designer. However, the rider needs to practice enough to attain good reflexes. One should not be too quick to ride open roads until they feel sufficiently comfortable and relaxed to handle the bike.

People on DF bikes also crush when they loose concentration, get distracted and various other reasons but it does not necessarily mean that the DF bikes are unstable. It's just that most people are familiar with the DF and have spent many years riding them.

My 2 cents.
 

MrSteve

Zen MBB Master
No Vehicle is Panic-Proof

-but their operators are trainable!

I'm glad you're O.K., CharlesW.

My helmet gets a wasp in it from time to time... and they tend to bounce
off of my shoulders.
Remaining calm helps, more than anything else.

---

One day, while returning home riding my Norton, a honeybee
hit me in my upper chest, missing my helmet, leathers and shirt.
I was stung.
It was trapped and I was moving in traffic and... I was stung.
I squished it.

The very next day, while riding my motorcycle home from work,
another honeybee hit me in exactly the same spot.
Same road, time of day and patch of skin!
Deja-vu, fer sure.

---

Let's see, the last time a wasp 'nailed' me on a bike ride was last Summer
and it was caught under the tongue of my right shoe.
For that one, I had to park the bike.
It felt like an emergency at the time,
but dealing with the situation calmly (while laughing at my antics)
really was the only effective solution.
 

Jim Parker

Cruzbike, Inc. Director
Staff member
On crashing a Vendetta


Point 1: Charles, I'm glad you're OK.
Point 2: Having ridden Cruzbikes for over six years in all kinds of conditions and with all kinds of other bikes and been involved in my share of wrecks and mishaps, and witnessed many other riders of DF bikes hit the pavement, I can say from my experience the DF format bike is WAY more dangerous than Cruzbikes or almost any other type of recumbent. A significant percentage of my DF riding friends have had surgery for shoulder injuries from going head first off their bikes. The only reason bike shops don't get sued for selling such a dangerous product as a DF bike is due to the historical precedent of these bikes being somewhat less dangerous than the high wheelers that preceded them.

Point 3: Stability. The front wheel on a Cruzbike is stabilized not just by your arms, like all other bikes, but also by your heavy, strong, legs. Once you learn that... and I don't meant learn from above the shoulders, but learn it from experience, you will be MORE stable than other bikes.

Supporting story 1: About a year ago, 6:00 am, group ride in the countryside and a little dog runs in front of my friend Jeff on a DF bike. His front wheel turns and he's propelled over the bars and lands with horrible injuries that take him out of riding or using his arm for months.

A couple months ago, 6:00 am, same route, I'm leading a group along the same road. With no warning, the same dog runs in front of my Vendetta. I'm going 25 mph. I run over the dog. whack-whack. and keep going. Dog is now dragging his rear legs back to his house. This dog will not bother us again.

Supporting story 2: Just go ride the HOS 200 course in Alabama... in your car. Maria and I did all those crazy steep hairpin turns on Vendettas with no problems. Peak speed 49 mph. Sure, you gotta be careful, but there is nothing inherently unstable about the V. Build your skills gradually and learn from your mistakes.

Jim


 

Charles.Plager

Recumbent Quant
One last point:
When I first


One last point:

When I first put my Sofrider together, I was surprised by how "heavy" the front of the bike was. It makes parking it and leading it around more difficult than a DF bike. But as Jim points out, one you are riding it, you are using your legs to keep it straight and there you really are better off than a standard bike. So I completely agree that a Cruzbike is more difficult to push (and less stable being pushed) than a standard bike, but that's irrelevant as far as riding it goes.

Cheers,
Charles
 

3WHELZ

Guru
Deja vue

I had a near identical outcome with a wasp my first year riding my Silvio -- a wasp up the shorts. I learned swatting it while attempting to ride at 26 mph ends with leaving your DNA on the path, with no damage to the Silvio. Now when that time of the season comes, I wear running shorts under my bike shorts. Good to hear that you survived with now scrapes.
 
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