The other day I took a break from working on the build for my Morini powered imitation board tracker and took it for a short ride to the corner store, which is only about 1/4 mile away. Hadn't gone more than a couple of blocks and had the bike "wound out" hauling ass down a short hill. I saw a car, on the next side street ahead, pull up and stop at the stop sign. A little voice in my head said, "I bet they're gonna pull out in front of me"...little voice was right...that's just what they did.
Back pedaled my coaster brake and pulled hard on the hand lever for my front roller brake. The front of my bike lurched up in the air then came right back down like I had just run over a dog or something. Scared the CRAP outta me, but all was cool. I didn't lose control and was able to slow down enough that the car got past me before I hit it.
Had no idea why the bike had lurched up like that but seemed to be riding just fine so I continued the rest of the way to the store, got what I needed then rode back home. Once home and wondering why the bike lurched like it did I grabbed the hand brake and started rocked the bike back and forth. Hrmmm, thinking to myself, those fork blades sure seem to be bending forwards and backwards an aweful lot...then *SNAP* the steerer tube snapped right in half the forks just dropped right out of the frame.
OMG! I am SOO friggen lucky!! I that steerer had snapped like that while I was riding I would have been launched right over the handlebars for a most "Gawd Aweful Flying Faceplant" that it still makes me shudder to think about it.
I made my home made monarch style forks using the steerer and crown from a Worksman bicycle. Worksman bikes are built tough and I'm surprised the steerer tubing snapped in two like that. I have no idea what made it snap like that other than some probably some ID-Ten-T error on my part, if you know what I mean.
Oh well, whatever the reason it happened, at least I know my brakes work GREAT!
Back pedaled my coaster brake and pulled hard on the hand lever for my front roller brake. The front of my bike lurched up in the air then came right back down like I had just run over a dog or something. Scared the CRAP outta me, but all was cool. I didn't lose control and was able to slow down enough that the car got past me before I hit it.
Had no idea why the bike had lurched up like that but seemed to be riding just fine so I continued the rest of the way to the store, got what I needed then rode back home. Once home and wondering why the bike lurched like it did I grabbed the hand brake and started rocked the bike back and forth. Hrmmm, thinking to myself, those fork blades sure seem to be bending forwards and backwards an aweful lot...then *SNAP* the steerer tube snapped right in half the forks just dropped right out of the frame.
OMG! I am SOO friggen lucky!! I that steerer had snapped like that while I was riding I would have been launched right over the handlebars for a most "Gawd Aweful Flying Faceplant" that it still makes me shudder to think about it.
I made my home made monarch style forks using the steerer and crown from a Worksman bicycle. Worksman bikes are built tough and I'm surprised the steerer tubing snapped in two like that. I have no idea what made it snap like that other than some probably some ID-Ten-T error on my part, if you know what I mean.
Oh well, whatever the reason it happened, at least I know my brakes work GREAT!