Although I expected my homemade bracket to be totally mediocre, it's actually not bad. I used a flat piece of aluminum, cut to length, deburred, and drilled for mounting. It works pretty well, except it really needs square holes and carriage bolts or two mounting holes to help square the alignment. I like the way it looks, and as long as I keep the bolts tight, it will function properly.
I installed all of this hardware and equipment last Wednesday night in preparation for a Thursday commute, but that night my oldest daughter took a trip to the ER. All is good now, but I had to postpone my 2nd commute to Tuesday. On Monday night, I loaded the panniers with notebook, clothes, toiletries, and shower shoes, then woke up early Tuesday morning and was on the road by 5:45a.
I immediately appreciated the panniers. It is much more comfortable to ride without a backpack, and except for when turning, I really didn't notice that the panniers were even there. I kicked them a couple of times when clipping in, but after a few stops I figured out how to engage the pedals without ever touching the panniers.
At one point in my ride, I have no choice but to travel on a busy road. There's just no way to get to the office without choosing the lesser of multiple evils. It's busy enough that today I decided to ride on the sidewalk. As I made a left turn on to the busy road, I had to execute a very sharp s-shaped series of turns in order to get on to the sidewalk. The weight of the panniers took me by surprise as I started the turn. As I quickly unclipped and attempted to transfer my weight and rebalance, I crossed up the front tire. I hit my knee pretty hard on the bike, and came to a complete stop at the entrance to the sidewalk. I pushed the bike over to the sidewalk and had a look at my knee.
The knee didn't hurt much, but blood was already dripping down my leg and into my sock. What the heck? It was dark, but from the street lamp I could tell that I didn't have a big injury. It looked like a puncture wound. I inspected the bike, and found the source of the damage. When my knee hit the fender of my crossed-up front wheel, I hit it hard enough that a protective cap on the end of a fender stay was punctured by the fender stay, which then punctured my leg. Check the black caps in the below photo.
I made sure nothing was rubbing on the bike and that the bleeding had stopped, and then rode on to the office. Once there, I snapped this photo of the injury:
The wound is only about 3/8" long, but it's pretty deep. The end of the fender stay gouged a little channel into my leg, but I'm happy that it wasn't just a straight puncture. I cleaned and dressed the little wound, and it feels fine now.
I learned the hard way not to underestimate the impact of panniers on bike handling. I'll think twice before I try to make another series of sharp turns at low speed. I almost forgot -- even with the injury, it was another great bike commute in Houston!
10 comments:
Looks like those Planet Bike Freddy Fenders. I have a set of those on my bike and yes, I've caught myself on them once or twice. Those little rubber stoppers on them really don't stay on too well. I've found a good way to avoid snagging yourself (either your clothes or, as you've found, your skin) is to wrap some duct tape or electrical tape around the end. Not attractive, but it's better than doing that too often.
@Jamie Fellrath -- yes, they're Plant Bike Cascadia MTBs, which are similar to the Freddy Fenders. I may try the tape suggestion. A buddy recommended the plastic tool dip stuff or plastic beads with a bit of adhesive.
I have thought about commuting over the years but I never seem to work close enough to home to be practical. I have a 42 mile drive now so I would need to start about 5 AM. Way too early.
Your experience shows how delicate the balance is on the bike.
I remember reading years ago (Bicycling I think) about a guy using a scale to weight each item and keep each bag balanced.
Sorry about your injury. Glad it was not too severe.
Sometimes we get so concerned about traffic and others around us (which is good) that we forget about the injuries our own bikes can inflict. Glad it wasn't worse, and even happier you had a good commute!
I try to be really careful about what I carry in my panniers. On the way to work, I have a five mile stretch that is almost all climbing, not super steep, but 2-3% grade. Then on the way home, I have four very steep climbs, between 10-13% each. At times, I have to carry my laptop computer home, or my shoes. It is remarkable how much harder those climbs are with a computer on board. And the computer affects the balance of the bike, which is dangerous.
The up side is that when I'm on the Madone, I feel like I am floating on air.
My only injury came on my second commute as well- I did an endo' over the handlebars and did a faceplant into the pavement. Cracked helmet, sore jaw, a little road rash.
As for the stays: Do you even need the upper set of fender stays on the front? I only have stays at the very bottom of the fender in the back, plus the attach point on the fork. Maybe you should just lose the upper pair.
Rick Ankrum- One solution is to take your bike to the office (with your car), then ride it home. Ride it in the next day, then drive home, and alternate so you're only doing the commute one way each day. Yeah, when you ride in you're still having to wake up really early, but it's worth a try.
Those bikes are a different animal with loaded panniers aren't they? I only use one, so you can imagine the effect it has when I load it down, especially since I'm currently commuting with a carbon fiber road bike (yeah, not the best choice, but I'm saving my pennies for a dedicated commuter). It really starts wiggling at the back end on standing climbs.
It's good to see the conversation about the Planet Bike fenders. That's what will be on the new bike and I never would have considered those fender stays to be a hazard.
Thanks for posting.
Ouch. I haven't ridden with fenders and panniers in many many years but I know that I can feel only the smallest change on my bike straight away. Be careful and I hope the cut heals quickly.
Those PB fenders are like the old Bluemels, only with the addition of the rubber caps. I'm not surprised the caps don't do much. They do make the fenders look nicer so they're not totally useless.
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