Railroad tracks and my rode bike??

[annie]

One other thought - as much as possible, unweight your bike as you cross at that 90 degree angle. Stand up and think of floating over the tracks and absorbing the shock with your legs, more than your upper body.

Annie

[Torrilin]

Wider tires can help some too. Tire pressure also helps. I usually hit railroad tracks as close to perpendicular as I can (which often is not very). I don't brake for tracks, but I do stop pedaling while I go over them. Easier for me to float over if *I'm* holding still. The bike does not need to be still

Practice also helps. There's a fair bit of track through downtown Madison, and a lot of it is at tough angles.

[Hammer]

That's EXACTLY what happened to me when I crashed on the Tour de Kota. The tracks were at an extreme angle and I did swing wide to try to cross at a 90 degree angle... But I must have mis judged, because my tire jerked left (I think) and got caught in the tracks. I ended up with 8 stitches in a gash near my right elbow and two in a gash on my left knee. I'm still not sure how that all happened. Oh, and I broke my collarbone too. I think that I had too much stuff in my trunk pack and maybe the weight shifted and contributed to my injury. Who knows.

That was in June and I've only ridden 10 miles since. Maybe part of it has been paranoia, but it took awhile to heal and I was busy with wedding stuff. My wedding has come and gone...

Hopefully I can catch back up to that wagon!

[twiggjlm]

That's EXACTLY what happened to me when I crashed on the Tour de Kota. The tracks were at an extreme angle and I did swing wide to try to cross at a 90 degree angle... But I must have mis judged, because my tire jerked left (I think) and got caught in the tracks. I ended up with 8 stitches in a gash near my right elbow and two in a gash on my left knee. I'm still not sure how that all happened. Oh, and I broke my collarbone too. I think that I had too much stuff in my trunk pack and maybe the weight shifted and contributed to my injury. Who knows.

That was in June and I've only ridden 10 miles since. Maybe part of it has been paranoia, but it took awhile to heal and I was busy with wedding stuff. My wedding has come and gone...

Hopefully I can catch back up to that wagon!

Wow! I'm glad you are okay now! Maybe I should consider some serious padding before my next ride! I cross railroad tracks in my jeep lately and I cringe! I am sure you will get back on that wagon again and Good luck!

[Kano]

I've been known to unclip just one foot, and roll across with that foot ready to hit the pavement -- maybe even use it to boost myself along, if needed -- when I come to something like a badly placed railroad track or some other nasty road hazard. It's faster getting going again when I've passed the obstacle, but somehow feels a bit safer!

Karen in Boise

[bikerHen]

One other thought - as much as possible, unweight your bike as you cross at that 90 degree angle. Stand up and think of floating over the tracks and absorbing the shock with your legs, more than your upper body.

Annie

Just don't let up pressure on the handlebars. That's part of the reason I fell. The tracks were VERY bumpy and I took the pressure off to save my hands and upper body the jarring. Without that pressure the wheel just settled right into the track groove. Live and learn. bikerHen

[twiggjlm]

I’ve been anxiously waiting since I posted this thread to go out and concur those darn tracks. But it’s been raining since yesterday and has hardly let up. The sun is supposed to come out tomorrow. Is it strange to daydream about riding your bike all day when you should be working?

[bikerHen]

. . . and, just so you know, they can be extra slick when they're wet!
bikerHen

[tygab]

yes, I nearly had a wet track undoing this summer. Just be careful out there! Tracks are a part of the landscape of the roadie, as are cars, gravel, nasty skinny tire eating drains (I still see too many facing the wrong way)...