Had a bit of a messy bike ride home from Ward's Island last night. I had decided to stop by my old sailing club and see if my stuff was still there. Surprisingly enough, after nearly two year's absence, it was. I ended up biking home with my Rollerblades strapped to my already over-loaded backpack and my life jacket slung over a picnicking bag that I had dangled from my handlebars. After a few beers on the disc golf course and a 1/2 bottle of wine at dinner, I certainly did not need to be any more top-heavy than I already felt!
Needless to say, I took a tumble while (thankfully!) stopped at a red light. Landed smack-dab on my right arse-cheek. Ouch! Hurt my pride a little too, as there were a bunch of teenagers walking by right then, who laughed openly at my yard-sale spill.
"Gimme a break.! I just played a round of disc-golf and rode back and forth across the Toronto Islands", I felt like yelling back. But I didn't; instead I got up, loaded up my crap and rode (very slowly) on home.
If anyone has a used trailer or panniers for sale, please let me know! As I now know from personal experience, top-heavy or off-balance on a bike can be recipe for disaster.
Comments
tino
Ouch!
Thu, 06/14/2007 - 11:40Just that, ouch!
Road Runner (not verified)
too much stuff on a bike
Thu, 06/14/2007 - 11:58Who hasn't taken a tumble? Yesterday, as I sat in a restaurant on the Danforth I saw a guy hauling an armchair on the back of his bike, just balancing it on the tiny rack with one hand while he wheeled through rush hour traffic, holding his handlebar with the other hand.
This morning I encountered a woman cycling Danforth, again in rush hour, with a big latte in one hand, which left one hand to steady the bike. Fortunately she was toodling along at a snail's pace, forcing the rest of us to merge into traffic to pass her.
Balance is a precarious thing. Pannier's are a godsend. I always balance my load between the two with a bit of extra space on the rack if need be. You can get a pair of Sakaroo's for $70.