Okay- I'm going to get my two cents in here.

Sunday, May 15th, a fellow in my bicycle club crashed on the way down from the summit of Mt Diablo (a very tall mountain here in the SF Bay Area). Although we don't know all of the details, his wife said that if it hadn't been for his helmet he wouldn't have made it. As it is, he was in Intensive Care overnight and may still be in the hospital today.

We think (no one saw him go down) from seeing the front tire in the truck that brought him down the mountain, that he had a flat on that tire. If this is true, then the accident makes sense. If YOU LOOSE YOUR FRONT TIRE you are toast! Always have a GOOD TIRE on the front wheel of your bike.

When I ride, I try to remember to check my tires BEFORE descending for this very reason. I have avoided two front flats from this practice. Yes, he could have picked up something on the way down, we don't know. But it doesn't hurt to be on the cautious side. Also when descending it's a good idea to check the inflation of your tires to make sure no leaky tires- I just bounce the front and back tires while standing. (use that time to eat/drink. etc.)

I mention this in the California section as the women who look at that area of the Forums know where this occurred. I'll keep you all posted over on that thread.

P.S. Spazz- you are one of the experts here. Anything else to add?