# Hi, I was doing a search on crashing a Trek 8500 and found this place ....



## Dr. Tweedbucket (Aug 27, 2010)

I love my Trek, but the thing is the most squirrly bike I've ever ridden. Maybe the frame size is too small for me, but I wanted enough bar clearance to afford me some room if I get out of shape up hill. It's a 16.5. I also have a 90s Trek 8000 that seems a lot more stable, but it's an 18 size frame with no suspension and no disc brakes.

Anyway, last year the front end suddenly let go around a corner and I broke my clavicle and cracked some ribs. I've hit the front brake too hard before and went over the bars.

Last night I had to go to the ER Trama Center.... 
It's kind of like Guitar Center, only no guitars and absolutely NOTHING is on sale! :???:

I crashed the 8500 and landed on top of the handlebar, and the brake lever punched into my inner thigh I thought I broke my leg. It felt like it was being crushed!! Then it looked like it was being pinched between the handlebar and brake lever. I kept trying to pull my leg out from between there, and then realized that the brake lever was sticking in my leg :eekster: .... I was kind of on top of the bike and couldn't get my leg unstuck, but finally did, and then the blood came. 

Blood

Blood

Blood

I thought I was going to bleed to death right there. :nono: I didn't know if I hit that artery or not (later found out there would be no doubt if I did).

Luckily I had my cell with me and dialed 911 ...

Just try and get an ambulance to find you on some dirt trail somewhere.

Anyway, I made it out to some opening where my neighbor was mowing his field with a tractor and he gave me a free tractor ride back to my house which was only 1/4 mile away. The ambulance ER d0ods took me to the hospital. On the way there, something fell off a shelf right onto my wound!

Anyway, that completely sucked!

Here are a few nasty pics >


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## Stupendous Man (Jan 12, 2004)

Jeeeeez.....heck of a first post!
Glad to see your alright after that...


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 





Glad your alright .


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

I thought this was going to be a lame post at first. That's a wicked puncture. I'm glad it all turned out OK.


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## tshulthise (Apr 23, 2010)

Injury pics are always interesting.

I've had similar injuries but not bike related. It should be just fine. You are lucky you didn't hit an artery. I can't imagine how much force it takes to ram a brake lever through your jeans and your skin like that. Freak accident.


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## 00sable (Oct 28, 2009)

That'll take a while to heal. OOOwwch


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

00sable said:


> That'll take a while to heal. OOOwwch


Gonna leave a mark too .


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## Garagemonkey (Jul 14, 2009)

Glad you didn't die, but when I saw you were riding in full jeans it kinda made me think of this guy:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showpost.php?p=7240574&postcount=1


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## UEDan (Apr 11, 2010)

Luckily for me, I JUST finished eating =D


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## mondaycurse (Nov 24, 2005)

YEOUCH! I had a friend do that to his elbow and while nasty, it didn't look nearly as nasty as your jeans. 

So, time for a new bike that fits you better  ?


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## julioardz (May 29, 2008)

Sorry to hear that and I hope you're doing well. I did this to my Trek 6700 and they replaced it with an 8500 frame. There wasn't much they could do about my collar bone, but luckily I had no puncture wounds. It happened on a Thanksgiving morning. I was in and out of the ER in time for Thanksgiving lunch.


























I later built that 8500 and it's been one of my favorite bicycles ever.


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## insanitylevel9 (Sep 23, 2009)

ow that looks painful


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## slayer27 (Nov 22, 2007)

Thank god you didn't hit your artery and be happy the lever missed your junk. Now you will have a scar in a interesting place. Chicks dig scars


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## Jon8500 (Aug 31, 2009)

Firstly get well soon that looks painfull. I have a 8500 and have found the front abit twitchy but I've gone through a few sets of tires and it's now good. So how tall are you? I'm 5'9 and find my 17.5" frame a decent fit.


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## Dr. Tweedbucket (Aug 27, 2010)

julioardz said:


> Sorry to hear that and I hope you're doing well. I did this to my Trek 6700 and they replaced it with an 8500 frame. There wasn't much they could do about my collar bone, but luckily I had no puncture wounds. It happened on a Thanksgiving morning. I was in and out of the ER in time for Thanksgiving lunch.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


YeOW !! I know exactly what that feels like! :eekster: Believe it or not, I did the same thing in June of 09 on the SAME FREAKING BIKE ! :madmax:

I wonder if there is something wrong with the 8500 series where it likes to slap it's riders around just for the fun of it? :???:

Mine was shattered and I had to have a titanium bar put in there.  If I can find my xray pic, I'll post it later on.


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## GNR (Oct 16, 2004)

Glad you're OK...I'm trying to picture how that happened in my head...your levers ends aren't sharpened by any chance are they? Seriously, what brand are they?


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## GFAthens (Sep 10, 2009)

Wow those jeans look intense. Glad you're OK man! How tall are you to address bike fit?


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## Flat Ark (Oct 14, 2006)

Wow! That's pretty crazy!

Consider yourself lucky though. I know a guy who crashed and hit his "junk" on his stem. His "slong" was completely SEVERED! True story.


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## highdelll (Oct 3, 2008)

WoW! now, _THAT'S_ an introduction!


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## Dr. Tweedbucket (Aug 27, 2010)

highdelll said:


> WoW! now, _THAT'S_ an introduction!


oh, yeah, sorry I almost forgot!

Hi 

I'm new here  



 

hi 

ok, well back to bidness ....... I got the bike back today :eekster: and here are the facts!

Here is the bike. I think the frame is too small for me. I'm only 5'6" and it's a 16.5" frame... but it's like the wheelbase is on the short side, that with the super fast disc brakes make it a handful.









You can pretty much see how much of the lever was sticking in my leg. I didn't measure, but I think it's about 2.5 inches. :???:










A little blood on the frame just adds some character 










Here is my other bike, it's a 90s model and 18" frame, but it's always been a nice stable bike. I put road tires on it and it's been a good bike for that kind of thing


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## highdelll (Oct 3, 2008)

well, you aren't the first to be stabbed by a lever...

https://www.spokemagazine.com/2010/04/hand-brake/


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## Dr. Tweedbucket (Aug 27, 2010)

highdelll said:


> well, you aren't the first to be stabbed by a lever...
> 
> https://www.spokemagazine.com/2010/04/hand-brake/


Holy crap!! That looks painful!!

Here is what I did last year on the same bike 










They had to piece it all together again.


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## Lawson Raider (Jul 24, 2006)

That is just plain nasty! There was a guy who went OTB where I ride at and impaled his thigh on the brake lever. I saw the ambulance drive up on the paved trail close to where they guy went OTB at. Freaky stuff there.


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## julioardz (May 29, 2008)

I should have gotten a plate for my fractured collar bone. I was given the option, and since neither option was going to help me get back on a bike any quicker, I decided to let it heal on it's own. It didn't line up properly, so I have a sharp point sticking out of my collar bone now. If you look back at the xray I posted, you can probably guess where the point is coming from. I use to rock climb a little and it hurt for a long time after my accident. I haven't tried it again, but if I do certain pulls with my left arm or shoulder, I feel some discomfort. 

Your older bike looks to be steel, and that 8500 is aluminum. That may help explain why you are feeling slapped around on the 8500. My 8500 does have a more rigid ride than other bikes, but the geometry works great for me. It's very responsive and fast in the turns. I can fly through most rock gardens in my area, but it does knock me around a lot more than my steel 29er.


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## Ska (Jan 12, 2004)

Holy crap! Uuhh...........welcome? That's one hell of an intro! 

LOL

p.s. highdelll, that's sick too dude.


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## JPinFL (Jun 6, 2010)

Wow! Glad you're okay.

Good thing your neighbor was out mowing his lawn. I'm sure he was a little freaked out by someone coming out of the woods all bloodied up. He's has one hell of a story to tell now..."So I was mowing the lawn, and coming out of the woods...."

Great pics too. I actually shuddered more when I saw the close up of the lever than the hole in your leg.
Happy healings, bro.


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## Dr. Tweedbucket (Aug 27, 2010)

julioardz said:


> I should have gotten a plate for my fractured collar bone. I was given the option, and since neither option was going to help me get back on a bike any quicker, I decided to let it heal on it's own. It didn't line up properly, so I have a sharp point sticking out of my collar bone now. If you look back at the xray I posted, you can probably guess where the point is coming from. I use to rock climb a little and it hurt for a long time after my accident. I haven't tried it again, but if I do certain pulls with my left arm or shoulder, I feel some discomfort.
> 
> Your older bike looks to be steel, and that 8500 is aluminum. That may help explain why you are feeling slapped around on the 8500. My 8500 does have a more rigid ride than other bikes, but the geometry works great for me. It's very responsive and fast in the turns. I can fly through most rock gardens in my area, but it does knock me around a lot more than my steel 29er.


Well, surgury isn't much fun. My shoulder is still slightly numb from where they cut all the nerves. My was broken in 3 pieces, so I had no option, it would have never healed right on it's own.

The 8000 is aluminum also. It's a great bike, but I use that one as a road bike believe it or not. I have some road worthy Continentals on there and even though a real road bike is better on the pavement, I'm into it for the workout, so if I have to work the mountain bike a little harder, that's fine with me. Plus the fat tires give me more confidence than those skinny jobs.


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## RBowles (Jun 1, 2010)

Hi Tweedbucket! Good to see you here!

-Rich


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## mightymouse (Sep 15, 2009)

Dr. Tweedbucket said:


> Here is the bike. I think the frame is too small for me. I'm only 5'6" and it's a 16.5" frame... but it's like the wheelbase is on the short side, that with the super fast disc brakes make it a handful.


Remove the toe clips....yikes. You'll greatly reduce your chance for injury when you crash if your body can separate from the bike as you fall.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*don't they weld...*



julioardz said:


> Sorry to hear that and I hope you're doing well. I did this to my Trek 6700 and they replaced it with an 8500 frame. There wasn't much they could do about my collar bone, but luckily I had no puncture wounds. It happened on a Thanksgiving morning. I was in and out of the ER in time for Thanksgiving lunch.


... the inside part of the top tube? I know you don't see it, but that adds to the strength of the joint, doesn't it?


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## julioardz (May 29, 2008)

pimpbot said:


> ... the inside part of the top tube? I know you don't see it, but that adds to the strength of the joint, doesn't it?


I inspected the frame after it broke. It looked to me like the top tube was complete all the way to the head tube, but the down tube was cut and formed to wrap around the bottom part of the top tube at the joint. Then that entire joint of the top tube/down tube was welded to the head tube, minus the bottom part of the top tube. I'm not sure it really adds strength vs having a longer head tube and individually welded top tube and down tube. Either way, it was a hard crash that would have probably done the same to most bikes.

I was at the top of a hill and from there it looked like I could go down and launch myself over a big rut that was cut by water runoff. I took the downhill with lots of speed then realized there was nowhere for me to jump. I did what I could to catch air over the rut, but my front tire buried itself in the ground. My frame snapped and I flew over the bars into a mound of hardpacked dirt and rocks. I hit with the left side of my head, neck, and shoulder. My front wheel didn't fare too well either. Surprisingly, the only pain I ever felt was when I tried to pick up the pieces of my bike and later when I would cough, sneeze, or laugh, but other than that, I think I was pretty lucky.



Dr. Tweedbucket said:


> ... The 8000 is aluminum also.


Oh yeah, now I see it. It says so right on the frame. That fork and rear triangle and drop outs made me think it was all steel.


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## trailblazer62808 (Jun 22, 2010)

Wow, that kind of scares me now. I have a '05 3700 Trek that I have just been riding till I get my FS bike. I ride it hard. Messed up some rims, broke the rear axle/bearings. I see this and makes me wonder if I should even be riding that bike on the trails. I have already maxed out the 80mm front shocks mutiple times.


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## 92gli (Sep 28, 2006)

You can start by adjusting your levers to they are angled downward a bit. Sit on the bike, put your hands on the grips and look at the angle of your arms, they aren't horizontal are they ? You might be able to modulate your brakes better if your fingers can pull the levers at a natural angle.


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## p.doering (Aug 1, 2008)

Post of the year!


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## julioardz (May 29, 2008)

p.doering said:


> Post of the year!


It is pretty amazing and disturbing at the same time. I've heard of core sampling from unplugged bar ends, but brake levers through legs and hands... those are both new to me.


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## De La Pena (Oct 7, 2008)

Welcome.


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## deoreo (Aug 26, 2005)

Tweed - Man, you have had some bad luck with the mountain bike :eekster: 

Maybe you should stick with the guitars, cars, and motorcycles....you're safer around them  
Just kidding...keep Mtn. biking, and stay safe out there!


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## Dr. Tweedbucket (Aug 27, 2010)

deoreo said:


> Tweed - Man, you have had some bad luck with the mountain bike :eekster:
> 
> Maybe you should stick with the guitars, cars, and motorcycles....you're safer around them
> Just kidding...keep Mtn. biking, and stay safe out there!


Hey Steve ... whats going on?

Well, you can look at it this way, I've had a lot of good rides where nothing has happened, it's just in the last year I've had a few bad ones. (I get the feeling I kind of freaked you out with the busted collarbone thing  ) .... you would have really flipped out over this one!

Anyway, that bike to me seems overly squirrely so I'm going to shop around for something different with maybe a larger frame. Too those disc brakes seem to be trouble .... or at least when I am so used to conventional brakes.

Oh well, waddayagonna do? :???:


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## Frozenspokes (May 26, 2004)

Dr. Tweedbucket said:


> Well, surgury isn't much fun. My shoulder is still slightly numb from where they cut all the nerves. My was broken in 3 pieces, so I had no option, it would have never healed right on it's own.
> 
> The 8000 is aluminum also. It's a great bike, but I use that one as a road bike believe it or not. I have some road worthy Continentals on there and even though a real road bike is better on the pavement, I'm into it for the workout, so if I have to work the mountain bike a little harder, that's fine with me. Plus the fat tires give me more confidence than those skinny jobs.


Your after surgery collarbone pic looks exactly like mine. It was in three pieces also. I have the same experience post surgery as well four years out. Still glad I did it as the Orthopedist told me that I would most likely lose some mobility with it.

Hope you heal up soon.


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