Caution: Watch Out For Cooking Grease on NYC Streets

[eolson124]

Just a word of caution for those who ride the streets of NYC.

While riding in Manhattan last weekend, I took a hard spill at the corner of 5th Avenue and 23rd Street. While heading south on 5th Ave, I attempted to slow down for an SUV making a right turn onto 23rd Street. The moment I touched my rear brake, my bike flipped out from underneath me and I landed hard on the small of my back. While lying in the gutter, I realized that I was covered with cooking grease. As it turns out, the street vendors (who grill some version of mystery meat on their carts) had discarded used cooking grease directly into 5th Ave.

[fiamme red]

Sorry to hear about your spill and thanks for the warning. I will forward this to a friend who rides that way on his commute.

The same thing happened to me a few years ago on Broadway just north of Houston St. It was like hitting a patch of ice. I was told by a sidewalk vendor (I hope not the one spilling the grease!) that I was the seventh cyclist he saw go down that day.

[MattTuck]

Sorry to hear about you spill and thanks for the warning. I will forward this to a friend who rides that way on his commute.

The same thing happened to me a few years ago on Broadway just north of Houston St. It was like hitting a patch of ice. I was told by a sidewalk vendor (I hope not the one spilling the grease!) that I was the seventh cyclist he saw go down that day.

This reminds me of that chinese photographer who found a hole in the street and then (rather than call attention to it or call the police or something) waited until a cyclist hit it an then took the picture of them flipping over.


As if there aren't enough hazards in NYC... :eek:

[Not the Slowest]

I had the same problem...well in NYC 3 years ago.

You will find this as happened to me from Garbage sludge when dragged from the curb to the
the garbage truck.
Also Car Washes..soap
Also... Car repair shops that work to the curb
Also near Gas Stations
Also near outdoor Garbage cans, from Soda etc
Also near any A-hole that uses the street as a dumping ground or sewer.

In anycase when I went down I told the super of a school who was there and 3 of us went down. His answer was..not my job.

[Nautilus]

This happened to me recently too, amazingly though it turned out all right.

I was making a right turn at the corner of vanderbilt and fulton right in front of a cute girl who was waiting to cross the street.

Right as I started to lean into the turn I made a hard stab with my right foot to the pedal and to my amazement this shot the rear end of my bike around in a complete 180º. Somehow I managed to unclip my right foot and slide it across the ground stabilizing the rest of my bike as it slid into the cars rushing by on fulton.

As the sliding stopped and I regained my composure my eyes met with the girl who had just whitened the whole thing. I said something stupid like "be careful, it's slippery there", clipped back in and rode off.

[54ny77]

ewwwwwwwww been there, done that!

lower east side, en route to race in prospect park, slip slidin' on the fringe of the bowery, wheeeeee!

there's nothing like the smell & feel of rotten partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in the morning...:p

[maxdog]

Come on Olson, that excuse for poor bike handling is wearing mighty thin.

[Tin Turtle]

In Beijing they throw that out, plus mop water in January. Makes for some really hazardous areas.

[67-59]

A nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to ride there....

[monkeybanana86]

oh man i hope you weren't wearing your favorite shirt

[LegendRider]

You will find this as happened to me from Garbage sludge when dragged from the curb to the the garbage truck.

Tell me about it. I was finishing a Saturday morning training ride years ago and hit some of that smelly grease that occasionally pours out of the back of a garbage truck. The result was a broken hip, two surgeries, three days in the hospital, six weeks on crutches and opiates...

[temeyone]

A couple of years ago, I was riding through Bed-Stuy (Brooklyn) in the rain, headed to work. A fuel truck had apparently lost a significant portion of its load all over the road on a downhill. I didn't crash, but I've never felt as out of control on a bike as I did then. I literally took 3 blocks just to slow down, running an intersection in the process. It was some of the craziest $hit I've ever seen. Tons of cars were sliding all over the place too.