Eric,

I've broken my clavicle three times so I share that
pain and I hope have a quick recovery. Considering
your questions; I'm 6'4" 185 and I ride several types
of bicycles-- one for the commute, a crusier for the
beach & w/the kids, and a road for touring. I bend
rims but usually the back rim; I'm on my third set due
to accidnets, curbs, holes, or whatever. My commuter
is a Trek 7200 (retail $375) any bicycle retailing
below $500 is well a cheap bicycle which maybe poorly
assembled back in China. I bought a Performance
Mountain Bike 1999 which did not have enough greese on
the crankarm that caused and awful squeak after about
200 miles. So considering your discription of the
accident and your mentioning that you inflated the
tires, did you over inflate them? Check the rim for
cracks because if the rim is only bent the compination
your weight (at 275lbs you need to get back out on
that bike!)the inflation of the tire, and a small bump
or even a road reflector mark could have caused the
rim to buckle. The manufacture will fall back on this
and the idea use of a bicycle is an assumtion of the
risk because it is; you will need to prove a
manufacture defect in the product; these are tough,
expensive cases to win.

--- Eric Griffith <ehgriffith@...> wrote:

> I realize that this message is not an exact match
> for the purpose of
> this group, but since it is a group I have followed
> for a while, and
> have contributed to, I would appreciate the advice
> of fellow members.
>
> I have been riding casually for a couple of years,
> mainly for fitness
> to get into shape. Mostly neighborhood rides and
> trails close to the
> inland empire. I am a 43 year old male, about 6'2
> 275.
>
> Last year, as I was enjoying cycling very much, I
> decided to buy a new
> bike. I purchased a Diamondback Edgewood 19" from
> Sport Chalet. Apx
> $300, this was a hybrid bike that should have been
> well suited for the
> type of riding I was doing. In speaking to the
> salesman, he assured me
> that this was a properly sized bike for me. I had
> the pre-delivery
> checkout of the bike and started riding it last
> summer and fall. I
> have put about 500 miles on it.
>
> A couple of weeks ago, as the weather was warming up
> and getting nice,
> I decided to take a ride. I checked the bike, put
> air in the tires,
> made sure all was well and set out. I rode about 10
> miles, and then
> headed about a mile up a moderate hill, and turned
> around to come
> down. On the way down, at about 22 mph, I suddenly
> lost control and
> went flying over the handlebars. Ended up with lots
> of road rash,
> cuts, scrapes, and a broken clavicle (one of the few
> that required an
> operation). I am recovering and will be okay and
> want to ride again.
>
> My problem is that I don't know what happened. My
> front wheel is bent
> about 30% in a smooth curve for 1/2 of the wheel,
> with the spokes all
> mangled. I don't think I hit anything like debris or
> a pothole. I am
> thinking that the wheel collapsed and that is what
> caused the accident
> (as opposed to the accident causing the wheel to
> collapse). But I am
> really not sure. The people in the car behind me saw
> me, and said that
> I just suddenly went flying...nothing else was
> observed.
>
> The questions that are in my head:
>
> 1. Was I too big of a guy for this bike?
> 2. Could the wheel have been defective?
> 3. Do wheels sometimes just collapse without
> warning?
> 4. Is this perhaps a poor quality bike in the first
> place?
> 5. Is there any recourse with the manufacturer?
>
> I know I am lucky I wasn't hurt worse, but it is
> important for me to
> understand why/how this happened (if not for any
> other reason, to
> avoid recurrence).
>
> I would really appreciate any advice or comments
> from other members.
>
> Thank you in advance.
>
> Eric
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


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