So I binned my bike on the way to work this morning. No serious injuries or damage, but I could use some help understanding what went wrong.
Scene: Albany - Turning right at roundabout from Bush Rd. into William Pickering Dr. 6.30am, dark, road wet from brief shower ten minutes earlier.
I ride this way every day, so after the rain was expecting the road to be slippery as a bastard. I slowed right down and entered the corner at steady speed of maybe 15kph. Halfway through, was looking through to exit (still leaning but mostly upright, starting to accelerate but ever so gently) and felt the front slide to the left. Next thing I was on the ground.
Attached is a photo looking to the exit, halfway through corner - you can see the scratch marks in the middle of the pic.
Other than a few bruises and a sore neck I'm fine. Felt a bit dazed from hitting my head though. Gear did it's job fine. Bike has bent bars, bent brake pedal and a few scratches, all superficial.
I can only deduce that it was one or more of:
a) I took a bad line through either the smooth tar patches, or oil and shit that gets deposited on that roundabout. It's well known for being bad in the wet
b) I was going too slow and the bike was destabilised
c) It was a localised gravitation anomaly (LGA - well documented by Vifferman)
d) I expected to crash and so did.
So, what could I have done differently? I was expecting it to be slippery and so was being ultra careful, but binned anyway.
Feedback appreciated...
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