Matthew's Journal

There are some cattle grids on the towpath in Cambridge, and they have fairly narrow fencing. My bike has wide handle-bars, so I can just about cycle over the cattle-grids without my handlebars touching the side-fences.

On Friday night, as I was cycling home, there was a large bit of dead tree on the path just in front of the cattle grid (it's been windy here a lot recently). I cycled over it, and it displaced my front wheel a little to the side. This caused the end of the handlebars to clip the side-fence, which caused the front wheel to turn sideways, and slot itself into the cattle grid. I go over the handlebars at 20mph, and come to rest some distance away, leaving the bike slotted into the cattle-grid vertically, with the front wheel FUBAR.

Thankfully, years of judo caused me to breakfall, so I just have a bruised hand, sore arms, and the shoulder of the jacket I was wearing has a hole worn in from skidding along the ground.

So, I need a new front-wheel built (dynamo hub), and a new DJ. Not good :-(

Still, Nick Cranfield is preaching at chapel tonight, and I get an invite to high table afterwards. It'll be good to see him again. Now I just need to make the spare bike usable again...