Sad Spectacles

[tsarpepe]

I saw something today that gave me an idea for general discussion: What is the saddest thing you've seen to happen to a bike? As I was drinking my coffee on the street in Brooklyn, I witnessed the following: a pizza guy was out for delivery, riding a beautiful Colnago frame, on which he'd hung one of those heavy New York bike chains. The chain, which was nothing but exposed metal, was sliding up and down the top tube, scraping the delightful Colnago paint job. I felt as if someone was scraping my heart! I wanted to scream after him, but the SOB was fast!

May be there are sad misuses or other grotesque spectacles that you've witnessed and want to share? I'd read with interest (and pain)

[Kevan]

a pal and I were riding up over a rise on a hill and was greeted by a cop walking towards us as he headed back to his subtly marked car. He was carrying two mangled road bikes that had been seriously tagged in an automobile confrontation. Aside from the police car, all other emergency equipment appeared to be long gone. There were no riders standing on the shoulder. There wasn't even the demon-car. Just a lone cop and his car. The story was in his hands and his simple suggestion that we be careful out there added to the morning chill.

[Steve-O]

Years ago I used to commute from Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood to work in Niles, IL. This route used to take my through a good swath of the north side of the city. Every day I would see countless bike commuters pedaling to work and school.

One morning I came to a stop at a busy four lane intersection (Lincoln and Peterson for Chicagoans who might be reading). Next to me was a Hispanic guy in jeans and a flannel shirt. He had on a beat backpack and was pedaling a heavy, full suspension Huffy. When the light turned green he took off just before me and rode into the intersection. A car in the opposing lane came barreling through the intersection trying to beat the yellow light and was obviously too late. The poor guy on the Huffy never had a chance. The cars front bumper clipped the rider's rear wheel and spun him around. He fell over in the middle of the street. Traffic in our lane slowed and I rode up and helped him up. His rear wheel was completely tacoed. The car that hit him just kept on driving.

Luckily the rider was not hurt beyond a few scrapes. He was pretty shaken up though and really torn up about losing his bike. You could tell it was his primary means of transportation and without it he would be faced with much difficulty getting around. I mentioned to him about a co-op type bike shop that might be able to help him out but I doubt he understood my English very well.

The incident really made me think about what bikes mean to me versus the commuter that got hit. It also made me re-think my route to work to some lesser traveled roads....

[paulrad9]

These look like some of the saddest spectacles

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2009/07/06/1246917057266-jhoesb2qwb8u-500-90-500-70.jpg

[peanutgallery]

This one house out in the sticks had some fuzzy little mutts that would chase us whenever we went by, one day they got crushed by a car coming from the opposite direction. One deed and the other mangled and probably put down later, i had to break the news to the little old lady. The fuzzy guys were pretty much all she had and I felt pretty bad for her

[BumbleBeeDave]

These look like some of the saddest spectacles

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2009/07/06/1246917057266-jhoesb2qwb8u-500-90-500-70.jpg

. . . Tain't funny. :no:

BBD

[Bruce K]

Gee Dave, when I saw the title of the thread that photo was exactly what I thought it was going to be about (ie - the ugliest sunglasses you'd ever seen).

In keeping with the actual tone, about 20 years ago I was sitting in my car at a red light when a cyclist with no helmet, riding a road bike, came flying by on my left and rode out into the intersection only to smack square into the side of a delivery van.

My girlfreind (an EMT) and I got out and went to help along with a couple of nurses headed to the local hospital for the shift change but it was clear his "hairnet" was woefully inadequate and he had suffered severe head trauma.

We found out later when the police came to our houses to get witness statements that he had died.

BK

[Blue Jays]

"...We found out later when the police came to our houses to get witness statements that he had died..."Warrants a high reading on the Sad-O-Meter.

[William]

The one that got to me?

The story of a young boy and his dad going bike riding together. The dad was hit and killed by a drunk driver, his son witnessed the accident and then had leave him to ride his bike over two miles to get help.






William

[William]

On the lighter side?


Any bike without HandleBra on the bars. :(





William :)

[tsarpepe]

On the lighter side?

William :)

Yes, indeed. When I started the thread, I had in mind less funeral stories, than narratives of people abusing/misusing/mismatching their bikes. Less human tragedy, more human stupidity, please! (without pontificating on whether stupidity is not a tragedy in its own right)

[Bruce K]

So more like Darwin Awards for cyclists? ;)

Except those usually end with the termination of the gene pool specific to the award winner. :cool:

BK