Squirrel

[tlarwa]

I’ve been riding bikes for 30+ years, and hit a squirrel today for the first time ever. Actually, the poor bastard hit me ... did a last second 180 right into my front wheel. Luckily it didn’t go through my spokes. Not sure how he fared ... I didn’t want to look back and see the carnage. Didn’t see any blood on my wheel though, so I’m going with the thought that he survived the encounter.

Pretty amazing that this is the first time I’ve hit an animal in all these years. Plenty of bugs and bees, but never a mammal.

[kppolich]

I had a squirrel take me out in a cross race last year. Took my front wheel out and I went down in a sh*t heap.

General rule of thumb for the squirrel situations is aim for where they are when you see them, as they will most likely get spooked and move when you get close.

[verbs4us]

Years ago one shot out and into my front where before I could react. He (or she?) went around a few times in my front wheel and shot out the other side. I braked quick, certain I decapitated the beast. There was no evidence of him anywhere. I think their bones are made of rubber. Squirrels, and cockroaches, will inherit the earth.

[tlarwa]

Originally Posted by verbs4us

Squirrels, and cockroaches, will inherit the earth.

And here I always thought it was the meek ... at least that’s what Geddy tells me.

[Ronsonic]

No squirrel trouble in my life. I just hold my line and they eventually choose to live.

Armadillos. Twice. Both times the stupid bastiches were browsing near a trail and panicked when I got close and shot off in the wrong direction. Wrong as in right into me. Both times going off the back of my front tire and under the bottom bracket. They were okay after these encounters.

But me, I survived except for having heard the sound of an aluminum chainring scraping across armadillo shell. It is a noise that would give blackboards the heebeejeebees.

[makoti]

Originally Posted by tlarwa

I’ve been riding bikes for 30+ years, and hit a squirrel today for the first time ever. Actually, the poor bastard hit me ... did a last second 180 right into my front wheel. Luckily it didn’t go through my spokes. Not sure how he fared ... I didn’t want to look back and see the carnage. Didn’t see any blood on my wheel though, so I’m going with the thought that he survived the encounter.

Pretty amazing that this is the first time I’ve hit an animal in all these years. Plenty of bugs and bees, but never a mammal.

This just happened to me two weeks ago. He was safe & then...not. I watched as my front wheel went right over his neck. I felt awful. I did look back & he looked like every other dead squirrel I've ever seen on the road.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by kppolich

General rule of thumb for the squirrel situations is aim for where they are when you see them, as they will most likely get spooked and move when you get close.

Good advice. A squirrel's defense/self-preservation instincts are all based on being unpredictable (unlike chipmunks, which can reliably be expected to make a non-stop beeline in whatever direction they started moving regardless of what's bearing down on them and from where). The squirrel may go forward, backward, left, right...there's no way to second-guess that. But they will almost assuredly not stay where they are.

btw, this past April I saw a one-in-a-million carom shot when a squirrel tried to cross the road just as our 4-person paceline was hauling ass downhill at ~40mph. Squirrel started moving from right to left in front of the line, causing our line to disperse; squirrel hit the rear wheel of the front rider and was jettisoned hard back in the direction he'd come from...right into the front wheel of the second rider, causing him to be jettisoned back towards the left. It all happened so quickly that no one was certain whether the critter survived, or even remained in one piece, but everyone was amazed -- and grateful -- that all the riders remained upright.

Squirrels are crazy muthafukkuzz

[Ralph]

One plus for hi spoke count wheels.

[thwart]

... just waiting for mr. squirrel to chime in here...

[mtb_frk]

I had one decide a good time to make a run for the opposite side of the road was when I was coming down a gravel hill, with a car about to pass me. I was lucky as he went between my wheels and didn’t take me out, but he was not so lucky and didn’t survive his encounter with car based on the crunching noise I heard. I didn’t look back, I was just thankful the crunch wasn’t me under the car.

[fmradio516]

No squirrel but I was once riding alongside of my old boss who had a like an 8 spoke count front wheel. We were going really slow, just talking about stuff; and a butterfly goes right through his front wheel. Completely unharmed. Crazy stuff.

[cmg]

had one hit the back wheel of the rider in front of me. could have sworn the creature rolled on it's back shot "the bird" at me and ran off. amazed that it survived the encounter.

[Mr. Squirrel]

dear mr. tlarwa, my plantigrade phalanges shall survive. I was skittering to and fro too fast to see your wheels but they carried the scent of Neuvations.…nuk nuk nuk!

Mr. Squirrel

[Spaghetti Legs]

Glad you’re not hurt too bad Mr Squirell

I experienced the attempted jump through the front wheel about 10 years ago. He went round and round 5 or 6 times. I had squirrel bits all over me and my water bottle and the squirrel definitely did not survive; he looked like a wrung put dishrag. Bent a spoke on my Campy Protons but able to ride home albeit thirsty as there was no way I was drinking out of my water bottle.

Squirells and I are both pretty jumpy around each other now.

[Buzz]

A few years back I nailed a squirrel- about half the size of normal- with my front wheel. Turned around to seem him twitch for a few moments before succumbing to his injuries. A couple of hours later on the return some type of scavenger bird was ripping up what was left of him. Cruel world.