I was out riding my V20 yesterday cruising along doing 20 mph when suddenly I'm scraping myself off the pavement. Without warning the bike just folded up under me and down I went. When I untangled myself from the bike, I noticed that the front tire was flat. I took most of the impact but the brifter and crank arm did get scratched up. I was traveling in a straight line when the incident happened. I also had tire sealant in, but apparently that didn't help. Thankfully I was wearing my helmet. Anyone have a similar experience?
Flat
- Thread starter Bender
- Start date
RojoRacing
Donut Powered Wise-guy
were you listening to music and by chance not hear the leak? If the leak was fast enough to be sudden you would have heard the air escaping, but if it was very slow your sealant wasn't working and you don't have a very good sense of your bike's contact feel to the ground.
Yah, I had my earbuds on and listening to music. The sealant was probably 5 mos. old and probably needed replenishing. Lesson learned.
RojoRacing
Donut Powered Wise-guy
I never use music in both ears for this exact reason. I've tried on no traffic conditions but I lose all confidence in my tires if I can't hear my bike, it's not worth the risk when you take into consideration how fast and on the edge of traction I normally ride. you'll be lucky to find anything but a little thin milk in your tire with 5 mos.
CruzLike
Guru
Did you hit your head or scratch your helmet?
Yes, lesson learned and also the sealant is a thin milk now that I'm fixing the tire.
No, my body hit first. I'm still greatful for the helmet anyway
Andrew Wilson
Guru
Do you run tubeless tires ?
chicorider
Zen MBB Master
If you have a front flat on the V, it's no guarantee that you'll go down. I've had one front blowout on a twisty downhill, and while it was a bit scary, I was able to slow down, pull off, and stay upright. In this case, I noticed that the tire tread was pretty thin and something in the road pushed through. In short, the tire was past needing replacement. Since then I have been more regular about inspecting my treads--a good habit for any bike.
Thank you for your info. I just ordered tire liners for the V20 I have too much hardware in my body
cranky cyclist
Guru
Yes, I had a flat on a downhill going 30 mph and was able to gradually pull off and stop. Had to grab the bars tight though.
When I posted about my flat incident I got some very positive feedback. I'm greatful for all the responses. If I eluded that the V20 was somehow responsible for the incident, I am sorry. I love the bike. It's the best Cruzbike I own if not the best recumbent also. I understand that by being so inattentive while riding was the cause and not the bike. I'll keep the music listening for when I'm on my trike.
benphyr
Guru-me-not
No worries @Bender many others have wondered the same thing on this forum. It is natural, after a fall, to analyze all factors trying to find the one factor to blame and/or eliminate. I have respect for you asking the question and way more respect for taking ownership of some of the causes and posting back about it. Bravo!
3bs
whereabouts unknown
@Bender the art of wiping out is not bike specific. my biggest wreck ever bike damage wise was snapping the front fork of a miata riding some small mounds. no warning. my biggest injury damage was on my TiCa where i blew a front tire at just under 30 (according to my computer) as a started a downhill turn. no warning. small tire small rim. huge skin donation. it took me over a year to ride full blast through that area again, as i was unable to wash the event out of my brain.
i have not flatted a front on the v yet. i do watch the tires much closer that i used to. and i still listen to podcasts or tunes on longer rides. one ear or moto jbl speaker
i have not flatted a front on the v yet. i do watch the tires much closer that i used to. and i still listen to podcasts or tunes on longer rides. one ear or moto jbl speaker
RojoRacing
Donut Powered Wise-guy
As long as you are going straight there is little reason to crash due to a flat. The main reason people crash due to a flat is when steering input is added and because the tire is flat the tire doesn't roll in a predictable way which causes people to crash. The real danger is a slow leak that you don't notice until you're down to say 40psi and you try and take a moderate turn and slide out. Bents can be especially susceptible to unaware flat tires because we can't glance down and check without considerable effort. I make it a habit to hit bot dot every now and then to check how my tires feel over them, this hints me to a possible flat. I've gotten several front flats on the V20 and well over 30-40mph and never came close to crashing because I just promptly slowed down in a straight line. The only time I've crash due to a flat tire was on my DF bike when I have a quite but fast leak during a 15 min descent, I rolled the tire through a sweeping corner I had to business crashing in because I wasn't even pushing the limits that day at all. That was when I started always bouncing on the bike at the start of every descent to check my tires.
Mathew Fy
GRU
I want a lightweight, non-bulky, and cheaper pressure sensor that delivers a loud warning if pressure drops below a set value.
Very good points. Also I have seen people go down as when they get a flat tire they seem to just physically cave and turn into a noodle and let the bike go down. Awareness is key and you have to be mentally and physically in control of the bike at all times, especially when you are going to be hitting fast downhills, turns, etc. Also before hitting any fast sections I do a full tire and brake check. There is always a risk but you can minimize.
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
I have had a few flats on my Silvio, but they never caused me to crash, except once, when both tyres exploded at once. They were very worn. Lesson.
I do what RojoRacing said. I try to find bumps so small I can just about feel them. You can feel the tyre deforming, even if you have suspension. But the right size bumps are hard to find. I can find the huge ones. The huge ones seem to attract the bike.
I do what RojoRacing said. I try to find bumps so small I can just about feel them. You can feel the tyre deforming, even if you have suspension. But the right size bumps are hard to find. I can find the huge ones. The huge ones seem to attract the bike.
