# I crashed at 25mph and broke my helmet 30 minutes ago...



## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

...and I'm here at work to type about it after riding the rest of the way to down. Wear your helmet :thumbsup: 

I was cruising on the only moderate downhill section on my very rural commute in the dark (cateye EL500 headlight survived the wreck just fine), and there was a huge chunk of asphalt just sitting right on the white line (sure wasn't there yesterday). I smacked it without ever seeing it at all. It was right where another road meets the road I was on, and there was a guy in a truck waiting at the stop sign...I supermaaaaannnnnned right through his headlight beams and he came running to see if I was OK. Afterwards he said "I thought I was going to get a free bike." :lol:

The damages:

One Bell Slant Helmet, cracked in half: $80
One Columbia Softshell Jacket: $150
One Jersey, which was under the jacket and still has a pancake-sized hole in it: $15 (nashbar  )
One Fi:zi'k Plateau Saddle: $80 (time for a Brooks)
One brake hood: now ugly but still functional.
Manzella windstopper softshell gloves (this was the first time I've worn them): $30
Slightly tweaked front wheel. I cannot believe I didn't pinch flat or completely destroy the wheel. Schwalbe Kojack 35mm tires, Mavic A317 Disc 29er wheel, rigid forks. 

My body: 

My right ear hit pavement ever-so-slightly. It's a bit red, but no road rash. The helmet is cracked from directly above the ear, straight up to the top.
My right shoulder has a pancake-sized road rash, which is now oozing goo into the gauze I found to pack under my undershirt at work. I was sure I broke my collarbone when I first sat up...I was scared to lift my arm, but when I did, it worked. phew. 
My right knee is starting to feel a bit bruised. I should quit typing and walk around. 
My right hand has a dime-sized road rash on a knuckle (new gloves did their job, but they are destroyed)

Lessons Learned:

1. WEAR YOUR HELMET
2. Slow down in the dark. Duh. I've been pushing my luck on that stretch of road for 4 years.
3. Consider more headlights. I never even saw it coming.
5. Rubbermaid tupperware containers full of spaghetti will remain closed in your backpack through incredible turbulance. A very ripe pear with no protective covering will not. 

Be careful out there :thumbsup:


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## Matt 891 (Apr 23, 2007)

glad you are ok man..


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## HardyWeinberg (Aug 3, 2007)

whew, glad you came out OK


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## Zen_Turtle (Sep 22, 2005)

From your write up seems like you're ok and in good spirit. Sometimes we are lucky enough to learn from our mistakes.

I definitely need new lights as last night going back home from work I was riding faster than I could see...
ZT


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

Yeah I'll be OK... shoulder will be sore for a while, that's about the extent of it. I'm trying to hide it at work...I feel like a secret agent who was hurt on a covert op, and is trying to keep anyone around him from knowing. All of the carnage is under my clothes...so far so good :lol:

I was just looking at my gear and I relized that the ear-warmer headband deal I was wearing actually has a hole worn through it from skidding on the pavement, and yet somehow I have no road rash on my ear. It hurts, but no rash. What the?


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## pursuiter (May 28, 2008)

WOW, glad you're OK! Good thing you were well protected by your gear. A new $300 LED light is cheap compared to what you could have lost.



CommuterBoy said:


> I was just looking at my gear and I relized that the ear-warmer headband deal I was wearing actually has a hole worn through it from skidding on the pavement, and yet somehow I have no road rash on my ear. It hurts, but no rash. What the?


Heat from the friction?


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## fmdj (Nov 7, 2007)

Glad you're ok. Must have had your guardian cat watching over you 

BTW, Bell should give you credit on the lid for a new one, if you decide you want to go with them again. Best wishes on healing and getting everything fixed up. Bummer crashes can be kind of expensive.


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## emtnate (Feb 9, 2008)

Good thing you're okay. Maybe you should be in an ad for tupperware containers.


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## Schmucker (Aug 23, 2007)

File an insurance claim with the city/county/township. They have a responsibility to maintain the roads.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

There's something to be said for cold weather gear...definately saved me some serious road rash. Compared to what I have, I couldn't imagine what I would be dealing with if I wasn't wearing so much clothing. 

Thanks for the reminder on the Bell helmet...I've heard they would replace them free if you managed to destroy one in a crash. I'll look into it.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

FYI, Bell's replacement deal is that you have to pay to ship yours in, give them $30, write up your best description of what happened, and they'll use your old one for research and send you a replacement. That's a decent deal, except that they also want your original purchace receipt. Like anyone keeps thatut: 
I'm exchanging emails and trying to get around that part of the policy. 

I will definately go with Bell again after this experience. It performed perfectly. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be at work right now if I didn't have it on. 

...I was whining to myself this morning about how my chin strap was a little snug when I was wearing my ear-warmer under the helmet. I will be going with the snug chin strap from now on.


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## emtnate (Feb 9, 2008)

That's a pretty good deal, hopefully you can get around the lack of receipt. The only reason I have the receipt from my current helmet is because I bought it at the same time as the bike. Thanks to you, I'll have to remember to keep them all.

For what its worth, I crushed a Bell helmet years ago - It too performed perfectly, preventing serious injury. The ER kept it to promote helmet use.


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## 1994Trek930 (Oct 6, 2008)

Hey, sucks about the wreck, but the good thing is that you're still alive to talk about it, without major injury... Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to ice your knee for a while, to help keep the swelling down.

Anyway, I may be a convert soon from Giro over to Bell, after seeing your report. My helmet is pretty old, but hasn't been used much, since it was a little loose on the head when I bought it in 1992, and I sorta lost interest in biking in 1996, only to regain interest this year. Finally fits my head perfectly, but there is some blistering of the outer shell, which I don't like.

-J


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## byknuts (Aug 9, 2008)

we'll chalk the skip from "number 3" to "number 5" to a mild concussion...  

glad to hear you've survived in as perfect a shape as can be hoped for!
preach the "wear yer helmet!" brother... i always do and seem to have way less accidents than my friends who don't 
(karma at work?! fate trying to tell them something as subtly as possible? who knows!)


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## PCC (Sep 5, 2005)

1994Trek930 said:


> My helmet is pretty old, but hasn't been used much, since it was a little loose on the head when I bought it in 1992, and I sorta lost interest in biking in 1996, only to regain interest this year.


While it is true that any helmet is better than no helmet, your 1992 helmet is way overdue to be replaced. Helmet and manufacturing technologies have improved in leaps and bounds in the 16 years since that brain bucket was designed.

CommuterBoy, glad to hear that you're in (relatively) one piece. Sorry to hear about your accident. This was definitely a case where you out-ran your headlight. I don't know how the HL-EL500 compares to the HL-EL510 but my NiteRider Minewt USB has a spot that is about as bright as the EL510's but is roughly 4 times the diameter so it puts out a lot more light on to the road. The ability to charge it from any computer or USB wall charger is a bonus to me.


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## 1994Trek930 (Oct 6, 2008)

PCC said:


> While it is true that any helmet is better than no helmet, your 1992 helmet is way overdue to be replaced. Helmet and manufacturing technologies have improved in leaps and bounds in the 16 years since that brain bucket was designed.


Yep, I know that... I'm just using it until I find a current generation brain bucket that's suitable.

-J


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## ar1981 (Oct 11, 2006)

damn, lucky you're ok... Wish I had that much luck when I crash.


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## FLMike (Sep 28, 2008)

Schmucker said:


> File an insurance claim with the city/county/township. They have a responsibility to maintain the roads.


are you serious?


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## dewthedru (Nov 8, 2004)

dude. be more careful. good pears are hard to come by!


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## KINBOY (May 23, 2004)

Yes this time of year its the pear I would be worried about. 

On a a serious note glad you are are okay. It will keep a few of us in line for a couple weeks I am sure. 

KIN


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

Thanks for the encouragement...

I've had some thoughts since yesterday. The first is that I seriously don't know why I skipped from number 3 to number 5 in my original post.  :lol:

The second is "Don't you wish everything was made like rubbermaid."

I gave the bike a good once-over and went ahead and rode home yesterday. I was pretty stiff. I rode the fully suspended mtn bike this morning to give myself a bit of a cushion. Riding in this morning I realized that if I was running front suspension on the commuter I might not have gone down.... just a thought.

My knee never got too swollen...I have a nice bruise right on top of the kneecap that makes it pretty stiff after either sitting or standing for too long. My left palm is seriously bruised. I must have hit that first when I executed my superman dive-roll off the bike. The road rash on my shoulder resembles the state of texas (post hurricane). It's a good one.

I also realized that I said this last week in the 'winter commuter support thread' about my softshell jacket:


CommuterBoy said:


> You'll be thanking me later (after you pay for it)... nothing better in my opinion. I'm kind of hoping I crash in mine soon so that I can rip it an buy another one. They are only getting better in terms of wind/rain protection and function, and mine's a few years old now.


  

I just got run over by karma.

I'm helmet shopping. I wore my old one today...it's not from 1992, but I don't feel completely confident in it. For the guy shopping for helmets, I've found that Bell's design fits my fairly round head better than Giro's design...Giros are a bit more oval, at least the ones I've tried. They pinch me funny and give me a headache after a while.

I'm waiting on a reply from Bell's customer service about a discounted replacement, but in the meantime I'm going to see what kind of a 90 dollar lid I can pick up for 40 at nashbar or pricepoint...it will cost me 40 to send mine in and get a replacement anyway...


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## byknuts (Aug 9, 2008)

FLMike said:


> are you serious?


dunno 'bout where you are, but yeah!
roads are the city's problem... big hunkahunka asphalt ripped up and sitting around is a big deal!

you could sue them for damages, mental anguish etc etc etc... but really, if you mention what happened and that you're CONSIDERING legal action (and hopefully you have the witness's name and number) they'll try and settle something with you.
accept nothing less than damages and the road repaired asap!!

anywho, I was going to mention the front suspension thing, but it's a moot point after the fact! onyl relevant when planning the next one... 

You survived (shoulder roll landing! THE way to crash...), all's well, pain is temporary, full face helmets for commuting look better all the time!
Glad your wrist is only bruised, I broke one of the TEENSY stupid bones in my wrist avoiding a speeding caddy. 
Had somehow convinced myself that my arms alone were able to hold up my entire body weight from landing too hard when my feet were the highest point of my body (read: damn near perfectly inverted).
Wish I'd been riding long enough to know to roll my shoulder on impact back then.


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## Tweezak (Aug 24, 2008)

Glad you're still with us, dude. A guy from where I work just got killed when he was run over by a log truck last week.

Regarding the old helmet...check the stickers. I have an old Troxel from '95 that I just replaced with a Bell Triton. I was curious about the ratings so I did some research. The Troxel has a Snell B90 sticker in it whereas the Bell has only a statement saying it complies with the Consumer Product Safety Commission standard (CPSC). Turns out the Snell B90 is more stringent than the newer CPSC rating.

Oh, and for what it's worth, Bell bought Giro a while back.

At any rate, it sounds like your helmet did its job. I kinda like the new helmet I got because it has a large shell and the cinch-up head basket thingy will fit over my jacket hood. Then I just tighten it down and I'm good.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

byknuts said:


> dunno 'bout where you are, but yeah!
> roads are the city's problem... big hunkahunka asphalt ripped up and sitting around is a big deal!
> 
> you could sue them for damages, mental anguish etc etc etc... but really, if you mention what happened and that you're CONSIDERING legal action (and hopefully you have the witness's name and number) they'll try and settle something with you.
> accept nothing less than damages and the road repaired asap!!


I'm married to an attorney  I've been whining about the condition of that road for a while, but maybe it's time for a letter... I don't want to clog the small town legal system or anything, but I would like them to fix the bike lanes. The last time they paved this road they stopped right at the white line, leaving the cracked old bike lanes untouched. A hunk of the old bike lane is what was sitting on the white line (where I am forced to ride because of the condition of the bike lane). It would be nice to have a full bike lane like they must have had in 1974 or whenever they last paved all the way to the shoulder.

PS: Bell Metro commuter helmets are on sale at nashbar. $39 bucks (50% off!).


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## FireBallKY (Apr 15, 2004)

CommuterBoy said:


> ...
> 
> Lessons Learned:
> 
> 5. Rubbermaid tupperware containers full of spaghetti will remain closed in your backpack through incredible turbulance. A very ripe pear with no protective covering will not.


That's super funny. Glad to hear all is well physically. Now, how 'bout some pics of that oozing shoulder? SHARE THE WEALTH MAN!!!


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## jflurett (May 7, 2008)

Sorry to hear about that, but...

Is there any chance that you could sew in a big Superman "S" in the hole?


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## TrekJeff (Oct 12, 2006)

DUDE, you lost the Pear? I can't understand people saying you're Lucky..DAMN!!
I took a spill two weeks ago myself. Crusing down a main drag and approached an intersection. The cross road had the stop sign. I made eye contact with the car that was approacing the sign and continued through the intersection. SHE blows the stop sign, I swearve and catch an 8" curb square on. Flew about 20 feet in the air. Messed up right ankle, bruised shoulder, cut forehead. All that with no other head injury. I didn't even need to be wearing a helmet, and I wasn't that day.....moral of the story.......My ass got Lucky. Helmet was back on the next day!


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## Tweezak (Aug 24, 2008)

TrekJeff said:


> DUDE, you lost the Pear? I can't understand people saying you're Lucky..DAMN!!
> I took a spill two weeks ago myself. Crusing down a main drag and approached an intersection. The cross road had the stop sign. I made eye contact with the car that was approacing the sign and continued through the intersection. SHE blows the stop sign, I swearve and catch an 8" curb square on. Flew about 20 feet in the air. Messed up right ankle, bruised shoulder, cut forehead. All that with no other head injury. I didn't even need to be wearing a helmet, and I wasn't that day.....moral of the story.......My ass got Lucky. Helmet was back on the next day!


I had a similar near-death experience yesterday too. I was on my way to - of all things - a breast cancer awareness ride. I was on my regular commute route and traffic was light since it was Saturday morning. I was approaching/into a place where a road comes to a T with the highway I was on. I had my Dinotte 200L flashing and as this woman approached the intersection, she was looking behind me to see if cars were coming. I aimed my headamp right at her but she never once looked in my direction. I could see what was about to happen and I started cranking because stopping would have left me right in front of her. Sure enough...she blew the stop and damn near clipped my rear wheel. I think she finally saw me because it was several seconds before she passed me on the highway. Needless to say I let her know of my displeasure with her inattentive driving as she went by.

That was one time I wished for the typical heavy traffic on that highway...then she would have had no choice but to stop.

Despite the near miss, the rest of the day was cool...the breast cancer awareness ride was fun and there were lots of more intelligent (and fit) women present. :thumbsup: Props to Trek for sponsoring it and our local Trek dealer (Peak Sports) for hosting the event. They even gave participants 20% off accessories. Not to mention we got some free schwag (water bottle and socks) which I appreciated because I've been using my original Fisher water bottle that came with my bike in 1989 (nasty).

One thing that was funny...I was the only mountain/commuter bike that went on the longer 25 mile route. The rest were roadies and a couple of cross bikes. I was really relieved I wasn't dragging down the group. I had a full pannier and I still cranked up the hills faster than most riders.

But I digress....back to the topic at hand...let's see some damage pics, Commuterboy!!


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## seawind161 (May 1, 2008)

Glad you're OK! Ya didn't break the new cyclocomputer, didja?


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

^^ Don't worry, you didn't jinx me...it's not installed yet. I think I did do some damage to the barely-working one that was on there though... it's being even more stubborn now. I'm hoping to get the old one off and put the 'new' old one on tomorrow.

...your money for shipping is ALMOST in the mail, by the way. thanks again :thumbsup:


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## 1994Trek930 (Oct 6, 2008)

Tweezak said:


> Glad you're still with us, dude. A guy from where I work just got killed when he was run over by a log truck last week.
> 
> Regarding the old helmet...check the stickers. I have an old Troxel from '95 that I just replaced with a Bell Triton. I was curious about the ratings so I did some research. The Troxel has a Snell B90 sticker in it whereas the Bell has only a statement saying it complies with the Consumer Product Safety Commission standard (CPSC). Turns out the Snell B90 is more stringent than the newer CPSC rating.
> 
> ...


Yeah, the Giro Hammerhead SC that I have from '92 also has the Snell B90 sticker on it. That said, I'll be brain bucket searching within a week or so. Am missing the two pads that go at the front of the helmet, so it begins to rub on my forehead after a while.

-J


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

If anyone's interested, I (finally) got a response from Bell regarding their replacement policy...this is the official word, from Bell customer service:



> Thank you very much for your recent inquiry. The following is
> information on our current Bell Crash Replacement program, which is 30%
> off of suggested retail prices. These prices are for the US only. If
> you live in Canada please call Outdoor Gear (our Canadian distributor)
> ...


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## Buster Bluth (Sep 11, 2008)

I gotta stop cycling naked.


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## Doggity (Mar 27, 2007)

Watch that shoulder.....I got what I thought was just a sprained shoulder from rocketing off my MTB and landing on some dirt (non commuter accident). Arm started stiffening up, lost range of motion. When I started getting severe painful spasms when I moved it the wrong way, my denial finally vanished. Upshot:severely torn supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles (2 of the 4 muscles that comprise the notorious 'rotator cuff'). It
has taken about a year of PT for it to heal. So, if you get symptoms like this, see a PT, sooner rather than later! Glad yer brain is OK; that's the hardest thing to fix, if it gets messed up. I can heartily recommend a Bell Metro or City as a replacement helmet. Nashbar's got 'em on sale for cheaper than you can replace yours from Bell.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

^^ Thanks for the heads up. I'm at 3 weeks from the accident, and the shoulder seems A-OK. It was definately stiff at first, then it just started to feel bruised, and for the past 4 or 5 days I've finally been able to sleep in whatever position I want without waking up with pain. The only real lingering pain from the accident is the palm of my left hand. It must have taken quite a shot when I landed...no road rash due to my gloves, but some pretty good deep bruising. My knee was stiff for a few days, but that went away probably within a week or so. 

As far as the helmet goes, funny you should mention it...I bought a Bell Metro from Nashbar and I'm really liking it. I've been wearing it for a week or so. Good design, and the adjustment and retention system feels like it is more secure then the Slant that I crashed in...it feels like a 'deeper' helmet, if that makes any sense. The retention strap in the back is lower on my head and makes it feel like it's giving me more protection.


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## threebikes (Aug 27, 2007)

Great post , glad your ok.


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## BoxCarPhoto (Oct 25, 2008)

so, they're letting you do the replacement without the receipt?

oh, and go for the Influx. i lurv that helmet to death.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

I didn't pursue it once I saw the prices. With shipping both ways, replacing it through them is more expensive than just buying a new one at Nashbar or Pricepoint.


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## Funrover (Oct 4, 2006)

Glad you are okay man..... and that Karma thing is kinda interesting.. WOW


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## racerdave (May 12, 2007)

Jeez.. I think I paid less for my Sweep R than the "30% off price" when it was new. Good deal yes, but I think Bell's deal should be better for their "crash policy" helmet replacement.

PS -- Glad you're ok!!


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