Don't ride on tram lines !

[cybug]

I used to ride on tram lines but with tires thicker than rail inner-width. This thiner one got stucked in a rail while a tram was coming. I was riding at 30km/h and jumped off the bike just in time. I'm lucky, I'am almost OK (some scratches, hurting shoulder).

Lesson learnt : Don't ride on tram lines !

 

[cybug]

Here's the bike the day before the crash :

 

[cal3thousand]

That's good advice! Why would a person ride on the tram lines anyway?

Kids in Southern California are dying left and right trying to cross the metrorail lines when trains are crossing.

 

[cybug]

That's good advice! Why would a person ride on the tram lines anyway?
....

To avoid traffic jam. Here in the "small" town of Montpellier tram lines are wide, there's not many trams, you can easily avoid trams when they're coming, the only trap are rails. One trap is enough to catch you ...

 

[wineboyrider]

Neptronix had a similar experience!

 

[neptronix]

Yes i did; just didn't expect the railroad line with the 4 inch wide gap in it.. i am still screwed up from that; recovering is very slow but it's kept me off my bike quite a bit since the crash. That's why i haven't been so active here this year.

 

[cal3thousand]

Yes i did; just didn't expect the railroad line with the 4 inch wide gap in it.. i am still screwed up from that; recovering is very slow but it's kept me off my bike quite a bit since the crash. That's why i haven't been so active here this year.

Was there a thread around here about that? Must have been during my stint of absence here.

EDIT: Found it...

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=48789

 

[cybug]

Yes i did; just didn't expect the railroad line with the 4 inch wide gap in it.. i am still screwed up from that; recovering is very slow but it's kept me off my bike quite a bit since the crash. That's why i haven't been so active here this year.

Was there a thread around here about that? Must have been during my stint of absence here.

EDIT: Found it...

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=48789

Very informative thread, a must-read for those who got tram lines or rail roads on the path.
I hoppe you recover soon neptronix.

Here's where sh*t happens :

It was 6:00 AM, a bit dark, I was looking at the tram and didn't noticed the rail changing path. I know the place very well but it didn't help. No light on this new e-bike was my mistake. It was its first test ride ...

 

[neptronix]

Aw damn, that is a definite hazard; as bad as what i deal with while riding around the industrial side of town.

How about some motorcycle tires or hookworms? they do make hookworms in 20" i think.. not sure what your wheel size is tho.

 

[neptronix]

those plus ultra wide rims.. 32mm internally.. it will make even a hookworm into the shape of an eraser head, i'm sure. That'll go over those damn things!!

 

[footloose]

Holy moly, that is one trashed wheel! Looks like the tram actually ran over it? Can't imagine that much damage otherwise. Glad you jumped clear and are ok.

Tram lines are scary. Only thing worse is those g.d. metal plates they use in construction zones... like hitting ice.

 

[Hillhater]

..Tram lines are scary. Only thing worse is those g.d. metal plates they use in construction zones... like hitting ice.

Hmmm ? ..I think i would rather land face first on a solid metal plate, than try to stop a tram with my spine ! :lol:

 

[cybug]

Holy moly, that is one trashed wheel! Looks like the tram actually ran over it?
...

Yes it did.

 

[cybug]

Aw damn, that is a definite hazard; as bad as what i deal with while riding around the industrial side of town.

How about some motorcycle tires or hookworms? they do make hookworms in 20" i think.. not sure what your wheel size is tho.

20'', a BMX tire is enough Thats what I got on my other folding bike an is OK (you feel the gap but the wheel doesn't get stuck).

 

[LockH]

Geee... I guess "tram" stands for "ouchie"... and I always thought it rhymes with "jam"... watt it turns pedestrians etc into when it runs them down (in my burg they are generally termed "street cars"...)
L

 

[dogman dan]

You really have to watch out for such hazards. If possible, avoiding that route completely could be a good idea. Crossing those diagonal tracks is a bitch.

I recall a fatality in Tuscon a few years back. Riding at night, a guy stuck a wheel in the trolley track that goes down the 4th ave bar and restaraunts blocks. The trolley wasn't coming, but a car following didn't expect the bike to stop so sudden, and hit the poor guy killing him. This happened at the top of the block, where the trolley tracks cross an intersection diagonally.

I can't remember for sure if it was a gas powered bicycle, or just a normal bike.

When I saw that picture, I wondered if somebodies legs looked like that wheel. Glad to hear you scampered out of there in time.

 

[wineboyrider]

Cattle Guards are dangerous here if you don't drive in a straight line over them you're toast.

 

[gogo]

Glad to hear you're not seriously injured. Its very easy to go too fast at low ambient light with electric assist. Any kind of metal is a danger for 2 wheelers. I might add to cautions posted above that you want to be done with any turning transition and going absolutely straight forward and perpendicular when crossing rails. Its such a hassle to do that Dogman's suggestion of avoiding them altogether makes good sense.

 

[The fingers]

I try to cross tracks only at right angles.

 

[dogman dan]

Good to ride that way, but the trouble with trams and trolleys is that they go around corners so there is sharply curved track all over the tram routes. Then you might have to dodge traffic to cross at a right angle.

Different route if at all possible of course.

 

[cybug]

I fixed it

New fork (RST Capa 20)
New front wheel (laced with a hub that accepts disk)
Disk brake on the front
New v-brake on the back
New saddle
New controller (inside battery bottle)
DC-DC converter (inside battery bottle) and front light
All stikers removed

And the most important : New 1.9'' tires !

 

[LockH]

Cool! But where that guy (in this thread, above) suggested running over cattle guards "in a straight line"... After all, some guards might be armed.