Two of my friends had bicycle accidents this summer. One minor, one very major. While I think cycling can be a safe way to get around your city, the potential for accidents is quite high, and the potential severity of those accidents is worrying. Regardless, I think you should keep riding.

Bicycles are also amazingly repairable machines (if this site didn’t make that obvious already) and it’s generally possible to not only get back in the saddle, but to get back into exactly the same saddle that you left. A crash that totals every part of a bicycle is a rare thing. If it can’t be repaired, it can at least be salvaged.

The Pink Norco Scene 3

The first accident wasn’t a serious one, though it was a close call. I got a message from a friend saying that she had been hit by a truck while out for a bike ride. She was fine - almost no damage to her, but her bike was no longer rideable. Luckily the driver of the truck accepted fault, and offered to drive to a local bike shop and replace her bike on the spot. She was kind to him - accepted his offer, got a newer version of the exact same bike, and forgave & forgot. They parted ways with nothing but a spike of adrenaline and a sobering reminder that we are never as safe as we assume.

She messaged me asking if I wanted the “wreck”. She didn’t know if it would ever ride again but assumed (correctly) that since I volunteer for a community bike shop, I have the means to make sure what was left of it got as much life as it possibly could.

A quick inspection showed the damage was manageable. It was a fabulous bright pink Norco Scene 3 step-through cruiser bike. The most immediate thing wrong with it was the front wheel - it was completely bent. I’ve heard this type of wheel failure referred to as “pringled” and I think it’s apt. Looks like the main impact was to the side of the front wheel, and it caused it to buckle. Something within the hub must have broken as well, since the wheel wasn’t spinning well and the quick release skewer was difficult to pull out. The brake rotor was also slightly out of true, and rubbing on the brake pads.

A funny detail here - though the wheel itself was pretty totalled, the tire and tube were perfectly intact. The tire hadn’t been visibly damaged, and the tube hadn’t so much as deflated. It was fully intact and re-usable.

The rest of the bike wasn’t too bad either. The frame was aluminum, with a steel fork. Aluminum is sort of a scary material to reuse post-crash since it’s so brittle and prone to fracturing. But if the damage to the wheel was superficial enough that the tire was intact, I was pretty optimistic.

I inspected the frame visually, and took a good look at all the components. The only damage I noted besides scrapes and scratches was around the front cranks - the chain guard had been totally bent out of shape and the front chainring had a ton of wobble to it.

I removed the front crankset and threw a spare wheel on the front, did some minor adjustment, and headed out for a short test ride, going slow and inspecting as much as I could. Listening for strange noises, feeling for irregularities in steering, etc.

The bike actually felt quite nice - the upright geometry was comfortable too. The tires themselves were practically brand new, and still had those injection moulding sprues on them. It wouldn’t be wrong to say this bike survived its accident, and only required the following repairs:

1. Needs a new front chainring
2. Needs a new front wheel and brake rotor

It was a 1x drivetrain as well, so the chainring replacement would be easy. I headed to the bicycle co-op and quickly found a compatible front chainring with the correct spacing and the same number of teeth, and installed it. Drivetrain repair complete!

The front wheel was a little more difficult - this bike uses 650B (Aka 27.5") wheels, which are a newer standard. Most of the bikes we get at the bike co-op are over 10 years old. There was no 650b front wheel with a disc rotor mount at the shop.

But as I’ve said before, good things come to those who wait. I kept my eyes open and two weeks later, a compatible wheel arrived at the shop. It was mine for $15. Another $5 got me a secondhand good-as-new 160mm disc rotor, and after some tuning and tire installation, the bike was ready to go.

I was pleased - most local bike shops didn’t have any wheels that matched this criteria in stock for less than a few hundred dollars, and they were all being sold as pairs. I’m glad I waited rather than biting the bullet. I love it when waiting idly for an opportunity is the winning move.

I gave this bike to my partner - it fits her a lot better than the old trash bike I gave her. Her old bike has since been sold at the bicycle co-op. So this minor accident worked out positively! Very little was wasted.

The Tin Can

The second crash, on the other hand, was a serious one. You’ll remember this bike from The Tin Can, and earlier from Trug. Its owner has been consistently riding it for a couple years now. It might even be his primary mode of personal transportation!

But one Friday afternoon, we got a call from his family saying he had crashed.

Surveying the Damages

When we first heard the news, my friend’s family requested that we go and pick up the bike. They were at the hospital, waiting to see him - it made sense for us to grab the bike and try to figure out what happened. If nothing else, it would be one less thing for them to think about.

We found the bike at the top of a hill, where the road terminated in a small cul-de-sac for cars, and opened onto a steep descent down a multi-use pathway for all other modes of transport. Evidently my friend had crashed while going down this hill, and someone had immediately called emergency services. Thanks, whoever did that. I don’t think we ever found out who you are but you have our gratitude.

Emergency services went above and beyond - they chained his bike up using his lock, and even left a note. I had his spare key, so we were able to unlock it and take a look. To me, the damage seemed fairly superficial, but I would learn more as I went.

From the condition of the bike it was apparent that the bike had gone down on the right side. The right handlebar had wedged in the ground, hard against the right side of the front wheel. This is probably what caused the stem to twist.

From the condition of my friend himself, he probably went flying over the front of the bike and landed on the pavement headfirst.

We walked up and down the hill, looking for signs of the crash, and found a very very obvious bloodstain. At first I was… really not sure that’s what it was. I remember saying to my partner “No way does it look that much like the movies.” It looked like someone spilled a drink or something, there was so much of it there. She told me that head wounds bleed a lot. We walked up and down a couple times, but didn’t find any other signs of the crash.

We never did find his glasses.

Click here to view - CONTENT WARNING, picture of a bloodstain

We threw the bike on my carrier, took a bunch of pictures just in case we’d need a record of the crash, and headed home. The next day we were able to see him at the hospital - he had already received time off work, and was admitted into short term care. He’s diligent when it comes to following medical advice, and a generally healthy guy - he bikes around a lot, works out, and eats good. I think this is the main thing that contributed to his swift recovery.

He was in a lot of pain and the next few days were pretty terrible, of course. Towards the end he was getting sort of restless, wanting to return home. All in all, it was so much better than it could have been, and whenever I think about this I’m so grateful it wasn’t worse. The scar on his face even looks pretty badass. Small wins.

Now both of us have had crashes where a helmet probably saved our lives. I was already a solid helmet advocate, but consider me further entrenched in that camp now.

Rehabilitating the bike

A couple weeks later, I decided I’d rebuild the bike. He’d already made it clear that he wasn’t going to stop riding, so I figured I may as well fix it up sooner rather than later. That way he could return to biking at his leisure. I went to his place with a spare wheel, intending to survey the damages by riding it home.

I had assumed the ride would be slow-going, grindy, and would probably end up with me walking, but it went better than expected. The thing was still structurally sound, it seemed.

I made it home with very little protest from the bike. It felt more like it was maladjusted than broken, but despite some grinding noises and difficulty finding certain gears, it was behaving alright. The grinding was rhythmic, and on closer inspection it seemed it was because the front chainring was off kilter. Later I found out that the bottom bracket also had a bit of a wobble to it.

A full diagnosis revealed the bike had these issues:

1. The front wheel was slightly pringled and the axle was bent so it didn’t rotate freely.
2. The stem was twisted
3. There was gravel and dirt embedded in the bead of the tire and on the right brake / shift levers.
4. The front chainring was slightly bent
5. The bottom bracket was off kilter and grinding badly.
6. The brakes were almost gone (Potentially a reason for the crash)

I ended up digging through my parts bin and giving this bike a new bottom bracket and set of cranks. This was fortunate - both of these parts were badly worn out and probably didn’t fit the bike that well anyways. The front derailleur had its high limit screw maxed out and still occasionally had trouble shifting upwards. After installing new cranks and adjusting, it shifted a bit nicer.

It also had the bicycle equivalent of cuts and bruises. For example, the barrel adjuster on the front shifter was bent at almost 90 degrees. This was another thing that I simply didn’t try to fix - I had a spare set of 3x7 combined brake/shift levers. This was also probably a welcome upgrade, since the old levers and shifters were mismatched. One of the old brake levers even used to be a brake/shift lever, but the shifting component had been snapped off, leaving a jagged plastic edge. This was a great opportunity to upgrade as well as to use some of the parts cluttering up my basement.

And that’s about it! I gathered the old parts up and donated what still had some life. The rest got scrapped. I returned it to my friend, who eventually continued his daily commutes with it.

Aftermath

Unfortunately, not everything lasts. He kept riding the bike for a couple more months after his recovery, and had a few more technical hiccups. The first was that one of his crank arms fell off while he was going through an intersection. I have a hunch that that was my mistake - you really need to tighten those on, and I tend to liberally grease them since I’ve dealt with a number of stuck ones over the years. A combination of too-loose installation and way too much grease was likely the cause. I picked him up and drove him the rest of the way to work, and got the crank arm attached a little more reliably.

The second hiccup was to do with the rear rack. This one is special - I’ve never seen a mounting bracket fail like this before. Usually they’re steel and fairly flexible, and they aren’t even under that much stress to begin with. But… his bracket failed, all the same. I was too busy to come down and work on his bike, but he continued riding by using his lock to hold the rack in place. I admire the dedication but that’s probably a bad idea…

The third and final issue was a flat rear tire. This was unsurprising - those tires were secondhand when I installed them, and after years of riding, they were completely bald. The location of the puncture had no rubber left at all, and the tire felt like I could poke through it with my bare fingers. Still, it’s satisfying to see a component get used until there’s literally nothing left, and I salute my friend for giving it a good life.

I’m sure the bike is far from trash, but it might be time for an upgrade for my friend. Something bigger and better, something that fits him correctly, something that’s more comfy and handles smoothly and can carry all his stuff. Maybe most importantly, something with strong brakes.

Recently the shop just got a donation bike in, and I snagged it for a couple hundred dollars. It’s a perfect candidate. And just in time for an early birthday present for him. We just need to swap his favourite bits from the old bike onto it, and then begins the long and indulgent process of tuning and finding the right components and adjustments.

In the meantime I’m getting his old bike ready to be sold at the shop, and we’ll eventually pull his favourite bits off it and move them to the new one. He’s been riding a borrowed cruiser bike for his commutes, and I think he’s a convert to cruiser bars and wide seats, so maybe that’s in the cards for this new bike. It’ll be a fun upgrade! And like everything, a constant work in progress.

Apologies for the huge timespan between updates. I’m still doing bike stuff all the time, what with volunteering and maintaining my own bikes. I have a small backlog of posts to write, but I won’t set myself any deadlines - I have enough of those at work. Just know I’m still riding and tinkering, and I don’t have any intention of stopping.