Crash update...

TallPaul_S · 5 Jul 2017 at 13:59

IC3 said:
Hence why I said that renting makes more sense, don't have to do the boring miles on a bike.

What boring miles? You can reach some fantastic roads in Europe a couple of hours from the Eurotunnel, and the Alps are just a days ride away. For me the ride there is part of the fun.

Renting a bike for a week is mega expensive, and as it's a bike you've not ridden before it'll take a while before you can know how it handles, or can trust whatever crappy, squared off tyres they've put on it... Meaning you can't ride ride it as quick as if you took your own bike.

Kreeeee · 5 Jul 2017 at 14:16

IC3 said:
I don't find 'touring' all that fun, I've done a few trips. But they weren't fun, cautious riding not knowing what type of bend was coming up was tiring.

You should treat even well known roads as if they aren't familiar.

IC3 · 5 Jul 2017 at 14:34

Kreeeee said:
You should treat even well known roads as if they aren't familiar.

Ehh... doesn't really apply to me anymore. Soon, I'll be another cager on the road sitting miserably in the highly congested traffic.

The_Abyss · 5 Jul 2017 at 15:14

TallPaul_S said:
What boring miles? You can reach some fantastic roads in Europe a couple of hours from the Eurotunnel, and the Alps are just a days ride away. For me the ride there is part of the fun.

Agreed - you can get to the Alps in two days, riding some cracking back roads, or just pin it on the motorways, suck up the tolls and get there easily in a day. We did the former last year, enjoying the journey down, and this year we're going flat out to get there in a day to buy the extra day's riding in the Alps. 9 days before departure - getting very excited now.

Craig321 · 5 Jul 2017 at 15:36

IC3 said:
Ehh... doesn't really apply to me anymore. Soon, I'll be another cager on the road sitting miserably in the highly congested traffic.

If you're thinking like that, surely just get another bike and get on with it? Or are your injuries stopping you from riding rather than not wanting to ride anymore?

TripleT · 5 Jul 2017 at 19:41

Sounds like rather a knee jerk over-reaction. See how you feel in a bit.

Riding a bike even at sedate speeds is infinitely more fun than a car imo.

The_Abyss · 5 Jul 2017 at 22:25

To be fair, I think I'd have a similar reaction if I'd had an accident I could barely remember and woke up in hospital to find my exhaust had seared its way through my gear, skin and flesh!

Freeman · 6 Jul 2017 at 08:38

For me the worst and most frustrating part would be not remembering. Must be terrible

IC3 · 6 Jul 2017 at 08:49

The_Abyss said:
Agreed - you can get to the Alps in two days, riding some cracking back roads, or just pin it on the motorways, suck up the tolls and get there easily in a day. We did the former last year, enjoying the journey down, and this year we're going flat out to get there in a day to buy the extra day's riding in the Alps. 9 days before departure - getting very excited now.

Once or twice a year? Meh...

Craig321 said:
If you're thinking like that, surely just get another bike and get on with it? Or are your injuries stopping you from riding rather than not wanting to ride anymore?

I don't know about my left hand, I've a few plates and screws holding my hand together. But I'll only know once it heals up.

TripleT said:
Riding a bike even at sedate speeds is infinitely more fun than a car imo.

Nope, I've ridden in all kinds weather conditions and most of the time it wasn't fun. Other thing I've noticed is, the longer breaks between the rides you get more joy out of it.

Freeman said:
For me the worst and most frustrating part would be not remembering. Must be terrible

Same here, I only know what the witness said. :/

The_Abyss · 6 Jul 2017 at 08:54

Certainly not once or twice a year for me. Aside from winter I'm normally riding every week, and a bunch of us take 5 or 6 tours of varying length every year. Normally only a couple of overseas ones though - the remainder are UK and over 3 days max.

pastymuncher · 6 Jul 2017 at 09:15

Jesus, that's nasty. I hope you have a speedy and full recovery. Looking at the state of your lid I would say that it saved your life. The rest of the gear did it's job correctly too. it just shows that if you buy quality gear it will do the job it's supposed to. I see this crap that they sell in Aldi and Lidl's, lids for £25, gloves for a fiver etc and I think to myself that there is no way I would trust my life to garbage like that yet they sell it all quickly enough. I guess a lot of people don't care about their lives.

IC3 · 6 Jul 2017 at 10:06

The_Abyss said:
Normally only a couple of overseas ones though

Exactly...

pastymuncher said:
Jesus, that's nasty. I hope you have a speedy and full recovery. Looking at the state of your lid I would say that it saved your life. The rest of the gear did it's job correctly too. it just shows that if you buy quality gear it will do the job it's supposed to. I see this crap that they sell in Aldi and Lidl's, lids for £25, gloves for a fiver etc and I think to myself that there is no way I would trust my life to garbage like that yet they sell it all quickly enough. I guess a lot of people don't care about their lives.

Yeah, my mate was given a courtesy bike with a Chinese lid. He dropped it and it cracked from a simple drop.

IC3 · 6 Jul 2017 at 10:39

arfoll said:
You make it sound like a helmet shouldn't suffer in a 'simple' drop? Surely you don't know what other helmets react like? Anywyas cracking isn't necesssarily bad, deforming even on a small impact is proably better than the thing just bouncing back!

Anyways protection gear on motorbikes is blatantly massively overpriced, I at least hope the quality is there...

It wasn't a small crack, it split open...

russell664 · 6 Jul 2017 at 11:14

arfoll said:
I'm in two minds over this... on one hand the stuff 'we' buy is massively overpriced and totally untested (likely there's a lot of style over substance) bar CE protection norms, and the stuff from aldi/lidl has this. Helmets ditto, DOT/SHARP tests are all pretty hotly debated and my shoei only gets 3 stars on sharp :/

You make it sound like a helmet shouldn't suffer in a 'simple' drop? Surely you don't know what other helmets react like? Anywyas cracking isn't necesssarily bad, deforming even on a small impact is proably better than the thing just bouncing back!

Anyways protection gear on motorbikes is blatantly massively overpriced, I at least hope the quality is there...

IMHO I would prefer to pay the extra for just in case.
I don't dress for the ride, I dress for the slide - because as IC3 has proved, you never know when, or how it will happen.

My Shark s700s is 4 stars... I think.

tom_e · 6 Jul 2017 at 11:43

At the end of the day unless you only use fully CE level 1/2 certified garments and I mean the full suit is certified not just the armour then you're taking the manufacturer at their word that their kit is good and they're never going to say it's crap.

On that note some models of the Aldi jeans are actually fully CE certified.

russell664 · 6 Jul 2017 at 12:15

arfoll said:
Obviously that's what we all assume is the case, but I kind of wonder whether it is true or not - that's all. Saying gear from aldi/lidl is bad cause it's cheap seems silly because end of the day it's passed the same tests so we just don't know if the other stuff is better.

One piece suit at all times then? That saying is a bit silly imho. If you dont compromise then you don't ride

No, leather bottoms, textile top.
What I mean is, I would never, ever go out in shorts or a T shirt. If I can't wear my leathers, the next best thing is jeans. There was a guy at the crossroads just outside my street who slide at 20 mph, and had bones showing at the end of it, with permanent damage - just makes me cringe a little how such a slow off, can damage so much. It however, doesn't stop me riding, it if anything, makes me respect it even more. Everyone has to be a hooligan sometimes

I guess it's whatever you are comfortable with. Personally, I would rather go with a well known brand as if it didn't do it's job - everyone would know. Thing of it is, no gear would save you in a head on collision with say a lorry, unless you are very lucky.

IC3 · 6 Jul 2017 at 12:31

Out of interest whilst on the topic, I had a look at the suits to see whenever any of them have leather protection for the back of your leg. I wasn't able to find any, I'm guessing it's a very unusual burn, as in the part of the body it happened on. Gear helps definitely, I'm happy with how my gear saved me. I can't imagine what a mess I would be, if I didn't wear my leathers. I had standard armour in my leathers, but it looks like it worked. My knees, back and shoulders are in one piece, they were bruised up going yellow/purple colour. But I've been on morphine and laughing gas most of the time, so didn't really feel it.

Edit:
I'll get some pics of the boots too

AndyCr15 · 6 Jul 2017 at 12:49

russell664 said:
There was a guy at the crossroads just outside my street who slide at 20 mph, and had bones showing at the end of it, with permanent damage - just makes me cringe a little how such a slow off, can damage so much.

Really? How on earth did he do that? At that speed there shouldn't even be much 'slide'. One of mine was around that speed (maybe 15mph) in suit trousers. I tore them and had a couple of marks and that was it... as I say, I didn't really slide going so slow.