Re: [CR]Silly cycling moments

(Example: Framebuilders:Chris Pauley)

Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 10:48:40 -0700
Subject: Re: [CR]Silly cycling moments
From: "Greg Fletcher" <greg@fletcher.net>
To: <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
In-Reply-To: <20011017152524.62585.qmail@web10901.mail.yahoo.com>


All this talk about-over-the handle bars has me thinking over one of my silly bike moments - I was riding home from school one day on an indestructible Schwinn (those things really were built like tanks), the weather was warm and most pleasant- conductive for a fast pace. I was riding with two friends and as they were in the street I decided to ride up on the sidewalk (because I'm so smart) for a convenient 3 abreast conversation. Minutes later my front tire wavered off it's path, fatefully off the sidewalk into a concrete wedge, exactly the width of my tire, in front of someone's driveway. Really bad timing all around. It was as if a vise had suddenly closed on the front tire. I remember my friends telling me how amusing it was to watch me going from 15mph, then flying through the air, to 0mph impacting the sidewalk with my front teeth. It was a mess (of course the bike was fine), but in a way I was lucky as only one tooth was gone. I returned later to find my wayward body part, the most big-ass front tooth you can imagine had been cleanly (almost surgically) removed from my top row, totally intact, root and all. I still have that tooth somewhere and I'm reminded of this incident whenever I see my dentist, as he always comments on the excellent craftsmanship of my front bridge (it seems Germans are to artificial teeth what Italians are to bikes).

Greg Fletcher
Foothill Ranch, CA