So, last night, I had a meeting with a kangaroo

[jimoots]

He told me that he didn't like my c24's.

http://photos-g.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-prn/10358300_888053924553494_311230897_n.jpg

[EricEstlund]

oooph.

Hope you fared better then the hoop.

[rustychisel]

that'll buff right out.

Coming down the old freeway path?

[Dead Man]

That frameset is definitely compromised. Send to me for proper recycling.

What's your helmet look like?

[jtakeda]

Wow.

Hope you're alright.

[enr1co]

How's the kangaroo? jk ;)

Hope you are doing OK :)

[jimoots]

oooph.

Hope you fared better then the hoop.

Thankfully I'm in the land of the living.

I can thank the fact that it was a wet and windy day, and I was riding to the conditions. Loads of debris around, and this road was a low-traffic service road, so I was especially cautious.

Still, a big stationary kangaroo at 30kmph hurt a bit.

that'll buff right out.

Coming down the old freeway path?

Nah - I had ridden up TOF and was coming back home (Coromandel). Had a choice of Upper Sturt (busy) and Sheoak (descend that steep, poorly surfaced 20-25% section). Either are fine in the dry, but in the dark and wet I was feeling nervous.

Thought the service road through Belair National Park would be safer than those two - no traffic and not steep.

Wasn't even thinking I'd come across a roo (rookie mistake, I'm relatively new to the area) but I was riding very cautiously due to the above-mentioned debris on the road and there is heaps of bitumen filler on the road. And I had only ever descended those roads a couple of times, so very unfamiliar.

That frameset is definitely compromised. Send to me for proper recycling.

What's your helmet look like?

I am hoping the frameset is ok. Welds looked fine last night. Honestly haven't had the balls to look it over yet today.

Helmet is fine. Didn't even hit my head. I think I hit the roo at a slight angle, that washed off most of the speed, then i tumbled over to the left.

Little graze on my knee, and some more serious grazing and bruising on my arm/shoulder.

That said, the injuries aren't serious, I should be riding my Trek tomorrow morning without a worry. Only reason I didn't ride today was I wanted to take the Moots to the mechanic ASAP for a check over.

[jimoots]

How's the kangaroo? jk ;)

Hope you are doing OK :)

He hopped off into the distance, I doubt he even batted an eyelid at the incident. They're pretty robust creatures!

[rustychisel]

glad you're not hurt. A big roo is a big sackfull of muscle.

[ultraman6970]

WOW!

Hope all is ok.

[jimoots]

glad you're not hurt. A big roo is a big sackfull of muscle.

WOW!

Hope all is ok.

My wallet is going to be in tears when I tell it that he's gonna be significantly lighter.

I don't feel game to run those forks and bars.

...At least there's a C24 front wheel in the shed.

[Llewellyn]

Well, it's a change from the usual old "I hit a car.......".

Seriously, glad both you and the roo are OK. I passed one near the cemetry a few weeks ago. He was about 3 metres from a busy dual carriageway just grazing on the grass, not a care in the world. I walked my bike up to within a few metres, he looked at me, didn't care less and went back to chewing the grass!!

Lovely animals :banana:

[maxn]

wow! glad you're ok. That's one (!) advantage of living in France -- fewer Kangaroo collisions. There are a lot of Kangoo collisions, but that's something else entirely
:)

[rwsaunders]

And here I'm worried about hitting a squirrel or a deer, neither who would punch you off of your bike like Floyd Mayweather. This might be a Paceline first...glad you're ok as the story could have been much worse.

[AngryScientist]

OK, i have to admit, as i sit here drinking my coffee this morning, i cant help but laugh out loud - a kangaroo: really ?!?

truth is - i dont think i've ever seen a real live kangaroo, outside of the zoo at some very real distance, so i've got some ridiculous picture of a cratoon roo in my head that you road your bike into, and that picture is hilarious.

what does your typical adult roo weigh anyway?

glad you're OK, seriously. but thanks for the morning laugh.

http://www.clipartbest.com/cliparts/9Tp/e8E/9Tpe8EBXc.jpeg

[soulspinner]

Glad you r OK.

[rnhood]

Hitting a Kangaroo is about like hitting a deer. They don't "give" much upon impact. Glad you made it through mostly Ok and its good that your bike mostly survived too. Get another C24 for the front, nice wheels.

[Black Dog]

I would be very surprised of you damaged the frame or fork. The wheel took the force and a Ti frame is very very strong. The Enve fork is also very very strong. I do not know what kind of bars you are riding but if they are carbon and they took a hit look at them very closely.

[Llewellyn]

what does your typical adult roo weigh anyway?



A lot!!! I reckon you'd be looking at close to 80 - 100kg for a big boomer.

As Rustychisel says, they are a big bundle of solid muscle. So are wombats - but wombats are easier to avoid (if you ever see them, which is unlikely)

[jimoots]

I would be very surprised of you damaged the frame or fork. The wheel took the force and a Ti frame is very very strong. The Enve fork is also very very strong. I do not know what kind of bars you are riding but if they are carbon and they took a hit look at them very closely.

A new fork had been on my to-do list so I am happy enough to buy one.

I think you are right though. We looked over the bike tonight and there is no damage anywhere, except for the front wheel. Even the bar tape is mint, with just a little bit of dust on top of the hoods.

I have a funny knack for crashing and sacrificing the front wheel...

Oh well, bike christened. I don't think it's been on the road for much longer than a month!

[rustychisel]

what does your typical adult roo weigh anyway?



they'll get to 160lb easy.

Say hello to the champ
http://www.australian-information-stories.com/images/animals-emblems-red-kangaroo-close-up.jpg

Around here they're a sub species, Macropus robustus, but the clue is in the second name

[Llewellyn]

they'll get to 160lb easy.

Say hello to the champ
http://www.australian-information-stories.com/images/animals-emblems-red-kangaroo-close-up.jpg

Around here they're a sub species, Macropus robustus, but the clue is in the second name

Mmmmmm, steroid user methinks :eek:

[tiretrax]

Mmmmmm, steroid user methinks :eek:

I heard his name is Lance (sorry, couldn't resist). Glad you're ok. I'm surprised he wasn't bedded down somewhere. Are they active at night?

[Llewellyn]

I heard his name is Lance (sorry, couldn't resist). Glad you're ok. I'm surprised he wasn't bedded down somewhere. Are they active at night?

Lance Boomer - it has a certain ring doesn't it :)

[ColonelJLloyd]

Good on ya for bouncing back so quickly. Did you have lights?

Kangaroos are the white tail deer of Australia. They're everywhere and folks even have "roo bars" on the front of their cars and trucks. They taste an awful lot alike as well. Lean and tasty.

[93legendti]

I've been up close to kangaroos and they seem to be very solid...glad you're ok.

[tuscanyswe]

A new fork had been on my to-do list so I am happy enough to buy one.

I think you are right though. We looked over the bike tonight and there is no damage anywhere, except for the front wheel. Even the bar tape is mint, with just a little bit of dust on top of the hoods.

I have a funny knack for crashing and sacrificing the front wheel...

Oh well, bike christened. I don't think it's been on the road for much longer than a month!

Oh (i now get the kangoroo reference in another thread) wow what a story. Im glad you are okay. Thats 2 mootses down within a few days in a head on collision. Your bike seem to have more damage than mine as i protected mine with my face! What were you thinking? :)

If you are riding carbon bars or even if not, check them. Mine had a crack under the tape but luckily visible on the edge of the tape too.

Glad you are okay!

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2933/14311877023_d2ef166fdb_z.jpg

[dpk501]

Was he wearing a yellow mavic jersey?

[moose8]

I know it's horrible you hit a kangaroo and I'm glad you both were ok, but sitting on the other side of world I have to say everything about your post made me smile and even a little jealous that you had the chance to encounter a kangaroo. They seem pretty awesome (except maybe when you run into them). All I have to watch out for tonight on my ride are cars and squirrels.

[Rayomatic]

Fun read...#1: Dingoes vs. Kangaroos

http://www.cracked.com/article_19243_6-terrifying-predators-routinely-owned-by-adorable-prey_p2.html

[learningtoride]

...

[beeatnik]

In the last month, I've seen 3 comparable impacts:

R5CA w/ Cosmic Carbone SLRs t-bone a car at 30mph, rider tried to brake and turn a few feet before impact. No visible damage to front wheel or fork.

S-Works SL4 w/ Enve Smart 3.4s t-bone a car at 25mph, rider tried to brake and turn a few feet before impact. No visible damage to fork but wheel 4mm out of true.

Sycip with steel fork and handbuilt 32h al wheels t-bone a downed rider at 20mph, direct hit to the guy's torso. Sycip rider went over the bars about 10ft. Steel fork bent back a cm, no damage to wheel.

Materials science is interesting.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/14107002320_de485d77a1_h.jpg

[makoti]

Good on ya for bouncing back so quickly. Did you have lights?

Kangaroos are the white tail deer of Australia. They're everywhere and folks even have "roo bars" on the front of their cars and trucks. They taste an awful lot alike as well. Lean and tasty.

I went to Australia over Christmas. More than anything, I wanted to see a Kangaroo. Never seen one, except at the zoo. First day there, went to a beach about two hours outside Canberra. I saw my first Kangaroo. It was bigger than I expected. Took a bunch of pictures while my Aussie friend rolled her eyes. Then I saw my second. And tenth. And hundredth. And soon, I stopped even noticing them. I saw packs (herds?) of at least 50. It was cool, but they are like deer in the states. They are everywhere. Even the dogs ignored them.
And yes, they do taste very, very good. :)

[Llewellyn]

I went to Australia over Christmas. More than anything, I wanted to see a Kangaroo. Never seen one, except at the zoo. First day there, went to a beach about two hours outside Canberra. I saw my first Kangaroo. It was bigger than I expected. Took a bunch of pictures while my Aussie friend rolled her eyes. Then I saw my second. And tenth. And hundredth. And soon, I stopped even noticing them. I saw packs (herds?) of at least 50. It was cool, but they are like deer in the states. They are everywhere. Even the dogs ignored them.
And yes, they do taste very, very good. :)

Our city's main cemetry is only a couple of kilometres from us. It has a healthy population of kangaroos that feast very well on the flowers that are left after funerals have taken place.

[progetto]

I think we are the only country that eats the animals on our coat of arms.

[jimoots]

At least in Adelaide, in built up areas, Kangaroos aren't actually super common. But out of town on the highways you'll see them. And in less-built up, hilly, unmolested areas they hop about. It is a really cool sight to see a large, beefy looking 'Roo hopping around, bouncing over fences with ease.

The space I was riding through was a National park, so it's the definition of less built up, hilly and unspoilt. But for some reason I just wasn't expecting to come across a 'Roo. Luckily the conditions were poor (wet, dark, fallen branches, bitumen filller all over the road), and I was riding to the conditions... the piece of road I was travelling down is easily a 50kmph (30mph) section, but I was dordelling at 30kmph (19mph).

And yeah, it was a big one. Easily 6 foot tall in its natural hunched over stance and judging by how well it managed to stop me (and destroy my wheel), it must have been heavy.

On the note of wildlife in Australia... you do see far more koalas in built up areas, hangin out in gum trees gettin' wasted on the leaves. They're an incredibly cute and usually docile animal, but they have extremely sharp claws and make horrible noises when they're gettin' it on. And just like a Kangaroo, they're a ball of muscle... so if you see one on the road, you gotta do your dardnest to dodge it... or you'll be heading over the bars.

Good news is that I took the bike to a friend of mine who's a mechanic for inspection, and after a cursory look it would appear that the wheel sacrificed itself for the greater good. The hoods have the slightest scuff on them, bar tape is mint and I don't think I even managed to scratch the pedals. Even my Rapha Rain Jacket survived!

I will be replacing forks, and perhaps bars. I was always going to get a new set of forks, I guess this just accelerates that process.

And better news is that I hopped back on the Trek this morning, all is well. It was a little bit uncomfortable as I have some pretty bad bruising coming up on my shoulder and my hands are a little sore... but my lungs work, legs work and I managed to push pretty hard despite the discomfort.

[rustychisel]

Good news all up, bike is replaceable, you're not.

Please change your forum name to 'roo boy'

[William]

they'll get to 160lb easy.

Say hello to the champ
http://www.australian-information-stories.com/images/animals-emblems-red-kangaroo-close-up.jpg

Around here they're a sub species, Macropus robustus, but the clue is in the second name

This guy is the Champ!!:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPqvqPIGFts






William

[Netdewt]

I've only seen them in the zoo, but I like thinking of them like cows. I believe they are ruminants, and in the zoo they just sit there and chew on stuff. Australia is a neat place.

Glad you are ok!