The Chainlink

your funniest ever moment on a bike

What's your funniest ever moment while riding a bike? Was it local or while traveling?

Mine was several years ago on a visit to Savannah, GA. I was riding on one of the main streets in downtown Savannah and was waiting at a red light, wearing my Tour de Stooges jersey. (Yes, I'm a Three Stooges fan.) As I waited, I heard "nyuk nyuk nyuk" from my left. I turned and saw a guy sitting in a pickup truck left to me, laughing a bit. I responded "woooo woooo woooo wooo." He laughed again. I laughed. The light changed. We both went on our way with a smile.

BTW, I thought Savannah was a great place to ride. They do have some bike events there (like this century). They also have a good network of bike lanes and signed bike routes, and drivers were generally reasonable.

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Permalink Reply by koala on February 24, 2009 at 10:35pm
When I first moved back to Chicago, I borrowed my brother's bike for the summer. He wasn't home when I went to pick it up, so he just described it (black, and the name started with the letter "R") and told me it would be unlocked in the garage of our parent's condo. I go over there, and score! A vintage black Schwinn Racer is unlocked. Its perfect. An adult-sized bike with one speed, a coaster brake, skinny tires, a really nice ratio for flatland Chicago and fenders. I ride it everywhere, usually humming the music from the Wizard of Oz when Miss Gulch is pedaling off with Toto. I think very fond thoughts of my younger brother for loaning me such a wonderful bike.

Many months later my brother visits my apartment and says, hey, great bike, where'd ya find it? I'm like, I found it right where you told me to pick it up, its yours, isn't it? He's all, no, my bike is a Ranger.

Ranger? Racer?

Oh crap.

I take the Racer back the next day and put it right where I found it. I'm too embarrassed to actually fess up to the owner, but word trickles back to me through my family that he is overjoyed at the unexpected reappearance of his bike.

I still miss the old Racer from time to time. It was a good ride.
Permalink Reply by Ali on February 25, 2009 at 1:28am
I have a few to add as well...

I was riding southbound on LSD Path just north of Oak Ave Beach. When I ride during the summer I try to stay away from the path but it was quite late and a particularly windy day so not that many people were out there. Wind is behind me and I am pedaling relatively easy but still keeping a decent pace, usually I warn people with a polite "Passing on your left." but since that part of the path is so wide I usually just steer a wide course around people. Well there was a group of 2 bike cops biking down side by side and just as I am passing them on their left the one of them clears his throat with a ferocity that I have yet to hear equaled and spits right at me without noticing me. I watch this humongous and quite contagious ball of spit sail between my top tube and my upper body without hitting me or my bike. Right then and there I was convinced that it was divine intervention...

Another one was when I first started training in the winter. I lost it on a ice patch just as I was sitting down from a sprint and laid it down. Slid on ice for about 20 ft and on concrete for another 15 or so. Rode home with assless chaps not because I was trying to make a fashion statement but because they were worn down from the friction...

-Ali
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on February 25, 2009 at 9:03am
Hilarious!!!!!

koala said:
When I first moved back to Chicago, I borrowed my brother's bike for the summer. He wasn't home when I went to pick it up, so he just described it (black, and the name started with the letter "R") and told me it would be unlocked in the garage of our parent's condo. I go over there, and score! A vintage black Schwinn Racer is unlocked. Its perfect. An adult-sized bike with one speed, a coaster brake, skinny tires, a really nice ratio for flatland Chicago and fenders. I ride it everywhere, usually humming the music from the Wizard of Oz when Miss Gulch is pedaling off with Toto. I think very fond thoughts of my younger brother for loaning me such a wonderful bike.

Many months later my brother visits my apartment and says, hey, great bike, where'd ya find it? I'm like, I found it right where you told me to pick it up, its yours, isn't it? He's all, no, my bike is a Ranger.

Ranger? Racer?

Oh crap.

I take the Racer back the next day and put it right where I found it. I'm too embarrassed to actually fess up to the owner, but word trickles back to me through my family that he is overjoyed at the unexpected reappearance of his bike.

I still miss the old Racer from time to time. It was a good ride.
Permalink Reply by DanaW on February 25, 2009 at 11:21am
Ok. I have 2 quick ones. One gross, the other a testament to my dumbassery.

1.) On an crazy blustery day southbound on the LSD, I was drafting a biker for a few moments before slingshotting around him. Just before I made my move he turned his head to the right and blow a snot rocket that smacked me right on the kisser. I shudder to recall.

2.) Leaving the warehouse district late at night I noticed a rattle coming from my front hub. In the dark, I quickly (and erroneously) diagnosed loose bearing cups or whatever and continued on my way trying to figure out when I'd have the time to overhaul the clanging hub. Six miles later and 1.5 blocks from home, I hit a speed bump. I watched my front wheel, which apparently was dangerously loose on the fork, bounce down the street without me as my bike and I headed for a somersault on the pavement in a tangled pretzel of leg and steel. Standing up slightly concussed, I found my helmet shattered from the forehead outwards, and one very sure diagnosis: a broken left hand. The reason I was so sure it was broken was becasue my RIGHT hand was only 50% healed from a fracture suffered in a near wreck 4 weeks prior. The doctor confirmed my diagnosis the next morning. But, on the upside, though I had two broken hands, my front hub was in perfect order.
Permalink Reply by Chi Tour de Cure on February 25, 2009 at 5:36pm
My FIRST weekend at college, I'm bombing around campus on my new Trek 970 Singletrack. I crest a hill (this is New England - hills!) and see the soccer fields stretched out before me. As I fly down the paved path on the downward slope, I notice there's a women's game getting started. Wow... look at all those pony tails and white shorts and.... WHAP!

I didn't see the rope they had stretched across the path where they were charging admission to the game. The rope caught me under the jaw, and my bike flew onward without a pilot, in direct view of hundreds of spectators. My momentum went to Zero, and I landed right on the keester... and went to my first week of classes with rope burn on my neck and my cheek.
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 4, 2009 at 9:52am
This didn't happen on a bike, but as opposed to starting a new discussion I thought I would put it here. I have a habit of giving a shout out to bikers when I'm walking or driving. Today I got caught. I was on Ravenswood on my way to a body shop to fix up my car (to sell) and saw a cyclist. I rolled down my window, and as I passed him shouted "GO BIKER!"... It just so happened that cyclist was our very own JustJason, founder and creator of the group Eat to Ride, Ride to Eat. We tried to talk but realized that it wasn't such a smart idea as there were cars behind me. Good to see you man even if it was just in passing.
Permalink Reply by justJason on March 4, 2009 at 10:00am
Ha! That was awesome! I'm digging (only took 4 years!) seeing familiar faces while out riding, whether from the Chainlink or just the same folks out there every morning and afternoon trudging to work.

P.S. Julie, did you happen to notice my Chainlink sticker on my helmet? ;-)

Julie Hochstadter said:
This didn't happen on a bike, but as opposed to starting a new discussion I thought I would put it here. I have a habit of giving a shout out to bikers when I'm walking or driving. Today I got caught. I was on Ravenswood on my way to a body shop to fix up my car (to sell) and saw a cyclist. I rolled down my window, and as I passed him shouted "GO BIKER!"... It just so happened that cyclist was our very own JustJason, founder and creator of the group Eat to Ride, Ride to Eat. We tried to talk but realized that it wasn't such a smart idea as there were cars behind me. Good to see you man even if it was just in passing.
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 4, 2009 at 10:13am
Jason- no I honestly didn't notice your sticker, but that's great! I was busy trying not to hit you... I have shirts in my trunk if you want one.

justJason said:
Ha! That was awesome! I'm digging (only took 4 years!) seeing familiar faces while out riding, whether from the Chainlink or just the same folks out there every morning and afternoon trudging to work.

P.S. Julie, did you happen to notice my Chainlink sticker on my helmet? ;-)

Permalink Reply by Mike Bullis 5.5-6.5 miles on March 4, 2009 at 12:51pm
Years ago, back when I was doing 24hr TTs and ultra-distance events, I had a really nice Bianchi that I was riding on the Fox River Trail towards Cyrstal Lake. While waiting for the light at the trail and Rt 31 to change, I started riding loops across the trail when my front wheel dropped off the edge and I went down, in slow motion and in team kit, in front of a group of weekend riders.
A few folks rushed over to help me up but before they got to me, I jumped up, brushed myself off, and said, " I meant to do that."
Permalink Reply by jlj on January 18, 2011 at 4:21pm

5 am auto show time of year about 2 years ago.

  I was riding to work at the eastbound on division in the bike-lane a police car joins me at western on the empty early am road traveling a bit faster than me.  The cops overtake me and I follow them about three car lengths behind.  As we approach Innjoy, the cop car starts to gradually slow and I begin overtaking them in the bike lane.  Bad Idea.  The cops don't notice me and quickly start moving into the bike lane almost crushing me into the parked cars on the right.  I slam my fist four times on the rear quarter window, causing the car to screech to a stop and allowing me to zoom past on the right.

  While the screeching and zooming is going on, I look into the squad car and see the non-driving officer crush his totally full steaming hot xl 7 11 coffee in his hand, the rapid stopping splashed it all over the passenger cop.  I get about a half a block before sirens and the sound of a rapidly accelerating squad car make me stop my bike.  The driver pulls in very fast and very close to me, blocking my already stopped bike, rolls down the passenger window and starts screaming at me about banging on his vehicle, what is my problem, I am going to be arrested, etc.  Meanwhile his poor partner is cleaning coffee from himself and looking embarassed.  I dismount my bike to lean in over him to better scream and point at the driver and tell them why exactly I slammed on their car, why they are assholes and repeating their badge numbers over and over saying I am filing a complaint.  Screaming and accusations go on for a while passenger cop calms his partner, I tell them I need to go to work, they tell me threateningly that I am gonna have to watch myself around here and I say apology accepted and get back on my bike.  Felt great about it for a while.

Kinda scary though reading what happens to other bicyclists with the cops round these parts.  I guess these were just two good guys who made a mistake.  Didn't need any coffee after that adrenalin rush though.

Permalink Reply by knowbody on January 19, 2011 at 12:45am
last outing of the "pitching a tent" crowd, had us camping at the indiana dunes. as luck would have it the north wind practically blew me all the way down the coast from zion as i tried to hit as many surf breaks as i could with camping gear in tow. it was the weekend after holloween and it started snowing when i got lost somewhere in gary. things only got worse rounding the bend of the lake when the wind was no longer at my stern as it quartered then developed into a full on broadside gale. then the snow turned into frozen rain (tiny ice balls) making it impossible for me to see or be seen by the traffic on the dunes highway. as night fell into darkness even the headlamps rear blinker and reflective fabric provided little warning or attention. people were getting quite irate as they swerved in surprise suddenly seeing my vehicle when their approach practically put them on top of me. little or no shoulder had my trike half in the grass and too close to traffic most of the time. at some point i noticed a state trouper shadowing me for a ways. the officer pulled me over and upon realizing that i wasn't under the influence, called in another car so that they could escort me for the last three or four miles of the trip. sure must've been a ridiculous sight to have two squad cars with mars lights flashing and sirens blaring one leading as the other followed with my recumbent pedicab lumbering along in between!
Permalink Reply by Michele on January 19, 2011 at 12:44pm
I'm biking under the "el" tracks on Wells, and a pedestrian - a young man - walks out in front of me, and I hit him. He's fine. But, we're both pissed. He starts ranting about inconsiderate cyclists, and I'm yelling about why he didn't look both ways before entering the street. We are both completely overcome with road rage. It was like we were possessed, transformed into unrecognizable monsters. Then, in unison, we both realize how ridiculous we're being, that we're projecting our years of traffic frustrations onto innocent accidental strangers, and we both start apologizing over and over again: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. No, it's my fault. I'm sorry. And, it becomes a love fest. It been awhile now but I think we might have even hugged. At any rate, we both went our separate ways smiling.

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