CroBorg Super Commuter

There are some amazing flashlights out there, for certain. I recently got one that has 2,600 Lumens. :shock:

That would really piss the drivers off if the pattern was into their view.


Back on the Road Again

I had a flat last thursday due to a nail at work, so I took the tire off and had the tube replaced at a friend's motorcycle shop. They did a good job at a reasonable cost, it was nice to not have to fight the tire. I still had to unmount/mount it, but that is fairly routine. I put the wheel back on this morning and rode to work on a very pretty morning.

I'll have to get more tubes, I don't think the local shops carry these tubes, I offered to buy a tube but they chose to install mine. Or perhaps he was just trying to save me a few dollars, in any case I need to have them on hand if I have to change one.

Anyway, it is nice to be able to change the tube, but it is also nice to be able to have it done.

And one more thing - now the tire is on with the tread in the right direction. :)
 
i got hold of long lights using Cree XM-L2 and tested them [not on the bike yet]

they are amazing ! best thing about it is that it DOES NOT BLIND drivers... a bit bulky but works really well long distance.
 
Well, I'm pretty angry at myself right now.

On my way home tonight I made a mistake and fell down riding the Croborg. It has been a looong time since I did something stupid like that, probably more than 30 years.

The front wheel came up as I accelerated from a stop both pedaling and throttle, and I was too crooked for a good landing.

Left knee and elbow hit pavement, right shin hit something, probably the pedal. Clothing took some damage too.

I checked the bike, straightened the rack and handlebars a bit, and rode 12 miles home. Thank goodness I didn't need to pedal hard. I did pedal some to keep the knee moving. Lying down at home with bandages and ice and ibuprofen and angry at myself. :evil:
 
sorry to hear that! hope you feel better and will recover soon 8)
 
Ouch, sorry to hear about the fall. A couple of weeks ago, riding in the rain, I took a hard fall and I am still taking ibuprofen. Usually my bike seems so stable, even in the wet, but when things go bad, stuff can happen so fast. I was going down hill around a sharp corner on my usual commute route and the next thing I know I am on my side, head/helmet on the pavement and pain in my shoulder and hip. Fortunately the helmet protected my head and no bones were broken, but lots of bruising to my hip, leg and shoulder. Be careful out there.

Rich
 
Thanks for the kind words and thoughts.

I'm refraining from riding for a few days, and until I can closely inspect the bike and batteries, and check/tighten the fasteners. I rode it home so the batteries are about 50% charge state, a good place to let them rest a few days. I want to inspect them for damage and verify balance. Perhaps I'll even balance charge them, I've started to notice up to 30mV of difference at full charge.

Today I'm feeling better than expected, the most annoying thing is the left big toe which got hyperextended upward so is tender when walking. It also bruised along the side, so it got whacked a bit. The knee is also sore primarily on the surface as there is a good bit of scraped skin.

My helmet never touched the ground, and my jacket provided good padding for my shoulder and elbow, so the shoulder is fine and the elbow hurts if I touch just the right spot. The right shin looks bad but no pain from there. I haven't even taken any Ibuprophen today, we'll see how tomorrow goes, but it looks good so far, thankfully.

My music flash drive popped out of the bicycle music player when the bike hit and I didn't notice till 5 miles down the road. I remember seeing the color of it on the pavement under the ebike, but didn't register it as mine at the time. Today I stopped by there on the way into work and collected it. It is now flat and missing the covers. I had some fun asking the IT support folks if they could recover it. :) (nothing there that I don't have several copies of)

Ride safe,
 
There is no gravity. The Earth sucks :twisted:

Been down twice on my 'Borg, Alan.
They crash pretty well.. unfortunately the original canopy tends to crack-up when the fork reaches full lock.

Sorry you got hurt, man. popping wheelies is ALWAYS fun ..until you do not stick the landing :oops:
 
Alan B said:
Need to figure out a steering stop before they go on. :)
Click to expand...

Yep, that - and a way to fit a rear disk brake -- would bring your 'Borg closer to perfection.

Have you considered automotive type wraps for the covers? Could be photographic, and would certainly add structural integrity.

Heal quickly, brother.
 
I reviewed the bike a bit today, and I see the left side canopy is crushed where the fork tubes hit it, and the fork tubes are twisted, so the tubes are no longer parallel and things are not lined up. I've never straightened them out before, but I would guess that loosening the upper clamps would allow that to be done without forcing anything. These are the DNM Volcano forks. The only force on the bike was falling to flat pavement on the left side. Is there likely any damage to the forks from the twisting of the handlebars?
 
Almost a week out from the fall, xrays show no bone damage, but still foot and knee are quite tender. Be another 1-2 weeks I'm told, don't plan to ride until things feel solid again.

Still need to find out how to straighten out the twist in the forks, presumably the tubes rotated in the triple clamps, hopefully not really bent.
 
9 days out:

Checked the battery tonite, just quickly with the medic type meter. All cells 3.80-3.81 volts, not bad at all. That after pulling about 9 amp hours of the 20 amp hour pack on the way home that day. Have not charged, need to watch carefully on this next charge.

Knee, shin and elbow healing well. Left foot is still swollen and tender. Tendon issues slower to heal than surface scrapes.

Not going to ride again until things are healed better.

Drove the CRV to work again today, for some reason traffic was awful. Normally takes 10 minutes on the highway to get to the halfway point, today took 50 minutes or more, totally missed my first meeting of the day. A bicycle, six motorcycles and a car passed me in the bicycle lane, only legal one was the bike.

It is getting colder and the days short, so ebike riding season is not so good now.

Thinking I need to get better riding gear, something that will handle the scrapes and pad the legs better. Have to look into that.
 
13 days out. Knee is much better, most of the surface is healed. Foot/big toe is still tender. Not ready for riding yet.

Wonder if anyone has any comments on Bohn Bodyguard Adventure armor Pants? Basically like well padded long underwear - hips, thighs, knees and shins? You wear them underneath your loose fitting pants, and they keep the pads where they are needed. Wish I had something like that on when I spilled. Need to get better shoes also.
 
Here is a link to the "Body Armor" pants:

http://www.bohn-armor-pants.com/catalog/

They provide padding under standard clothing - pads at knees, shins, hips, thigh and tailbone. Full leathers would likely be better, but for commuting?

I'm planning to try a pair when my foot gets better (and some better shoes as well). These items could have reduced the damage considerably from the recent fall (14 days ago this afternoon).
 
Reset the forks today. Loosened a few things and straightened both the forks and handlebar, and retightened. Seems to be okay now.

Found a few more small signs of damage: left side covers under seat, left side cromotor nut (good thing the wires don't come out through there). Nothing major.

Now at 2.5 weeks after fall. Knee looks great outside, still tender inside, but doesn't bother me; left foot still slightly swollen and doesn't feel normal. Walking with a slight limp is helpful to keep from making the left foot hurt.

Has anyone tried pedaling in motorcycle boots? I don't have any, but am wondering what is the best protection for my feet and ankles. Suggestions?
 
For somewhat different reasons, I wear high top, insulated hiking boots during the winter. This is mainly to reduce cold feet and the high tops extend up inside rain pants blocking entry of water into the boots. But they also offer a lot of support and considerable foot protection. That said, they feel more than a little clunky for pedaling and I always look forward to leaving them behind in the spring.

Rich
 
Pedals Bite!

I'm looking at fairly high top motorcycle boots, I used to wear and liked high top hiking and motorcycle boots, but have mostly slip-on shoes these days. The old motorcycle boots I still have are harness type leather with creme vibram soles, not all that protective compared to today's high tech offerings. I suppose I might try them, but I think they are a bit small now.

I tried on the armor pants last night, they fit fairly well. I noticed that the armor doesn't cover the shin hit I took from the pedal, so the boots would ideally be high enough to take that. The armor pants are quite padded in many places, even more when the removable thigh pads are installed. It remains to be seen how practical it will be to wear them, but they will stay well hidden under work pants. They might be a tad warm on warm days, but my commute is fairly short, and in the afternoon it is mostly downhill after the one big uphill at the start.

I ordered the riding jacket last night, but I think I need to physically try on boots, getting something that fits well is just too hard via the internet. There is a Cycle Gear I could go to, that's where I got the gloves I wear.

The jacket is a Tour Master Transition series 3 Hi-Vis yellow and black. I see some others (Kingfish) use this type of jacket. He has done a lot of research, so that seems a sound choice. Hopefully it won't be "too much".

My light yellow-green bicycle type riding jacket is damaged, rubbed a hole near the elbow. My medium work jacket underneath doesn't show any damage, it wasn't much of a sliding event.

My foot is feeling better after a weekend of resting it, not the whole weekend, but did give it some good rest and easy workouts.
 
With the cold setting in, I wear a fully padded motor jacket gloves and MTB shoes that have protection at heels and toes. When winter comes, I will add a fully padded motor hose as well.
 
You would probably call it a "trouser".

d034e3fc1f543766e90347c24a66741c.jpg
 
OK Thanks, looks like padded pants. Trousers yes, that fits also, hose is not used much but when it is it usually refers to women's nylons as far as I know.

I picked up some BILT Tempest H2O motorcycle boots yesterday, they right one fits well but the left one is tighter - the left foot is still swollen a bit, so this may resolve. In the meantime I won't wear them so I can take them back if necessary.

Today the jacket came, a Tour Master Transition series 3 in Hi-Vis yellow and black. Very nice, and has some excellent armor built in! This gear is also set up for riding in the rain, not that I plan to do that, bu most of the high end gear seems to be rain-ready.
 
I sent back the under-armor pants and ordered some exterior armored pants that match the jacket, and will attach when desired. The Jacket looks good, so I'm completing the system. They are Tourmaster Caliber Pants, with removable liners, armor, waterproof, etc. I wasn't really looking for waterproof gear, but most touring type gear is, and as long as it has venting and removable liners hopefully it won't get too hot.

My knee looks great, my foot is still tender. Giving it another week. Bummer, but it is also getting dark very early now. So riding is great in the morning but not fun on the way home.
 
5.5 weeks after impact

Knee looks pretty good, left foot is still a little sore, but it is slowing me down less and less. I did a lot of walking yesterday, and it is a bit sore today. Still a ways to go there before it is totally recovered, but it is good enough.

I stopped in last week at Cycle Gear and exchanged the boots for size 13. The 12's were just too small. So I'm ready to go in the armor department. Need to fully charge the bike and check it over, we may be ready to fire it up for the commute this short week, weather permitting.
 
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