Riding in the wet

[danv]

a community service reminder for all (just because I feel compelled to)

If you find yourself riding the streets in the wet, please watch yourself and just remember how slippery some surfaces can be.
ESPECIALLY TRAM LINES
You really gotta watch those bastards.

On my commute home today, it started to rain. First thought is to watch the roads alot more etc. but it just slipped my mind how bad the tramlines can be.
Coming down Swanston St., I was overtaking a stationery tram on the right (really not the safest way to do it, but the road was clear. in fact i really don't recommend it and am personally going to avoid doing it in the future) I go to duck back in front of it (swerving over the line), the bike just goes straight down and I smack onto the concrete, taking a nice patch of skin off my forearm.
Meanwhile, the tram has actually taken off just before I pulled in front of it. This wouldn't have been an issue, as I was travelling much faster than it, however that was before I planted myself on the concrete. So basically what ends up happening is as I hit the concrete, I have to army roll to avoid being eaten by a tram (those things are fucking huge from the ground, and it was one of the new ones, with just the right amount of ground clearance to pick up a limb and grate it) it clipped the bike, but luckily just pushed it out of the way. not a pleasant experience.

Please watchyourselves in the wet and on the road in general... it's bloody dangerous out there.

 

[danv]

Oh and the light comic relief afterwards-

This happened on the corner of Swanston and Bourke in Melbourne CBD, thousands of people walking everywhere. The tram driver checked if I was alright, but no one else seems to pay any attention, except one person.

Just after it happened, I limped over to a nearby bench to recover and have a smoke. A few seconds later, some Junkie looking type comes up to me:
"Mate are you alright?!"
"Yeah mate im ok, thanks for checking"
"c'nive a dollar fifty?"
"what for mate?"
"buy a bottle of coke"
"just get some water mate"
"Nah want a bottle of coke"
"just get some fucken water"
*raises his hands in frustration and walks off*

 

[faceplant666]

Fuck dude, you realise you could have died or something with that little manoevure, hope your arm and ego is ok. Im never gonna ride near a tram

Jake

 

[Dozer]

Ouch, I could hear the thud as you described it.......
I've found that most of the time when I have a fall similar to that, the shock covers the psin until a little bit later (after that first painful shower) and not much seems to bother me at the time. Oh, except for people scabbing money! What a dog's arse..........

 

[Mahoney_007]

Oh and the light comic relief afterwards-

This happened on the corner of Swanston and Bourke in Melbourne CBD, thousands of people walking everywhere. The tram driver checked if I was alright, but no one else seems to pay any attention, except one person.

Just after it happened, I limped over to a nearby bench to recover and have a smoke. A few seconds later, some Junkie looking type comes up to me:
"Mate are you alright?!"
"Yeah mate im ok, thanks for checking"
"c'nive a dollar fifty?"
"what for mate?"
"buy a bottle of coke"
"just get some water mate"
"Nah want a bottle of coke"
"just get some fucken water"
*raises his hands in frustration and walks off*

You mean he didnt ask for a smoke? Unheard of....


Glad your okay mate, gotta love the public stack. My last one was a hop to manual out the front of the church near Hay street mall ( the one where all the emos hang out near) lost it big time to thunderous appluase and limped off with the rear wheel hanging out of the droputs, found myself a nice little alley way and had a cry...... lmfao

 

[dcrofty]

Hate the public stack. I once snuck up the inside of a couple of buses who had just got a green light and cranked it out into the middle of the intersection and snapped a chain. I dived over the handlebars right in front of a stack of people crossing the street on a green man. On the plus side both buses managed not to run me over.

 

[danv]

On the plus side both buses managed not to run me over.

That's always a plus isn't it? When I was on the ground and looked up at the tram, I could tell he was braking for all it was worth, but there was no way he wasn't going to hit me. Not the best brakes on those things.

 

[Viv92]

You mean he didnt ask for a smoke? Unheard of....


Glad your okay mate, gotta love the public stack. My last one was a hop to manual out the front of the church near Hay street mall ( the one where all the emos hang out near) lost it big time to thunderous appluase and limped off with the rear wheel hanging out of the droputs, found myself a nice little alley way and had a cry...... lmfao

I did something like that, but in front of a line of stopped traffic as the light changed to green. I fell sideways in front of 'em all when I went over the gutter.

Pretty weird about not asking for a smoke to. I always get asked for smokes then I tell them I'm 15 and don't wanna smoke anyway. One woman said I looked older than her and she thought she could smell I had been smoking. She was about 50-ish and I've never touched a cigarette in my life...

 

[illinbah07]

riding in the wet is dangerous...I ususally crash alot

 

[Badams]

wow mate that sucks but i dont have that problem in brissy

 

[keldave1]

Same. No rain in Brisbane for some time.