Have a look at my Michigan Circle Tour blog post back in December of a tour I did with some friends from the Bike for Bibles ride to see the new bike in action.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Surly Long Haul Trucker
After the accident I thought it wise to upgrade to a more reliable bicycle. Bicycle touring really appealed to me so I did some research on the net into the various bikes available. After test riding a Trek 520, a Marin Muirwoods and a Surly Long Haul Trucker I decided that the Surly Long Haul Trucker worked best for me. I bought the bike from the guys at Revolution Bike Shop on Blackwell Road and highly recommend them as they provided top notch service. Here's some pictures of the new bike and the old.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Bicycle Accident
My commute to work is really a great ride. It takes me through the downtown area of Sarnia and follows the St. Clair river through Corunna, Mooretown and Courtright to my work at the Lambton Generating Station. We have showers at work as well which is all the more reason to get some exercise.
Last August I was returning home from work on my bicycle after working a night shift and made it all the way home but somehow I crashed at the bottom of my driveway. I can't remember falling but what I think happened was my front tire came off and sent me over the handlebars. I landed on my head and was knocked unconscious. Here are some pictures of my helmet. You can see in the top picture how it is cracked where most of the force from the fall was absorbed. The bottom picture shows the abrasion from the fall.
I must have suffered from amnesia as I cannot remember falling or waking up. My watch was damaged and stopped working at the exact time of the fall 07:35. I also remember checking my time as I came up the street and it was around this time. My first recollection was stumbling into the house and going the bathroom to check myself out and wash my wounds. After getting a bag of peas from the fridge to apply to my face to keep the swelling down I went back outside to collect my bike. My wife Trish found me at this point when she came back from a run. It was 08:05 so I must have been laying unconscious at the bottom of the driveway for at least twenty minutes.
She took me to the hospital where I received stitches to my cheek and nose where my glasses had cut me. After several x-rays the doctor pronounced that I had not broken any bones. Here's a picture taken after the fall. You can make out a faint red spot on my fore-head where I must have received the blow that knocked me out. I had abrasions all over the place as you can see from the picture below so it must have been quite a fall. My neck and back muscles were sore and would take quite a number of visits to the physiotherapist and some time to heal. It was early on a Sunday morning which probably explains why nobody saw the fall or me lying there.
When I arrived home from the hospital I asked Trish to look for the lens from my glasses which were missing from the frames. After she couldn't find it I went down and had a look but couldn't find it anywhere. Later that day I found them in my fanny pack where I must have placed them earlier but I had no recollection of putting it there. It could have been much worse - I could have broken my neck!
Last August I was returning home from work on my bicycle after working a night shift and made it all the way home but somehow I crashed at the bottom of my driveway. I can't remember falling but what I think happened was my front tire came off and sent me over the handlebars. I landed on my head and was knocked unconscious. Here are some pictures of my helmet. You can see in the top picture how it is cracked where most of the force from the fall was absorbed. The bottom picture shows the abrasion from the fall.
She took me to the hospital where I received stitches to my cheek and nose where my glasses had cut me. After several x-rays the doctor pronounced that I had not broken any bones. Here's a picture taken after the fall. You can make out a faint red spot on my fore-head where I must have received the blow that knocked me out. I had abrasions all over the place as you can see from the picture below so it must have been quite a fall. My neck and back muscles were sore and would take quite a number of visits to the physiotherapist and some time to heal. It was early on a Sunday morning which probably explains why nobody saw the fall or me lying there.
Bike For Bibles 2011
My brother Don works for the Canadian Bible Society (CBS) and every year he organizes a bicycle tour called Bike for Bibles. The CBS website describes the event as "...an annual CBS event that brings cycling enthusiasts of all ages and walks of life together for a time of fellowship on the road - with one purpose in mind - to help raise funds for Bible distribution and translation projects."
Last year I finally made it to the event which was taking place in Southwestern Ontario and was raising money for a Bible called The Key to Freedom Bible. After meeting up with the other riders at a church in Cambridge my old Norco was parked next to the other bikes in the gym. It seemed a little out of place next to the other more modern bicycles costing much more than my humble ride. It was purchased four years ago at a garage sale for $80 and judging by it's condition was probably sitting in someones garage for several years. The tires were worn and cracked and were replaced with a new set. After a checkup from the local bike shop and a few modifications it was ready for the road.
Up to this point I had used my bicycle mainly for commuting to work and for exercise. It had served me well but I soon learned it's limitations during the week long ride. The shifting levers were located on the down tube wich was not the safest place since you needed to take your hands off the handlebars to shift. The gearing was also not the best for climbing hills which had not been much of a problem in the past with little or no hills back home.
By the end of the week I had learned how to draft behind others to make the riding easier, especially if there was a wind. I also learned how to signal to others of dangers on the road like gravel or potholes. It was also necessary to signal if you were stopping or slowing down. I made lots of new friendships and am looking forward to this years ride which will be in Eastern Ontario. Here's a video of last years ride.
Last year I finally made it to the event which was taking place in Southwestern Ontario and was raising money for a Bible called The Key to Freedom Bible. After meeting up with the other riders at a church in Cambridge my old Norco was parked next to the other bikes in the gym. It seemed a little out of place next to the other more modern bicycles costing much more than my humble ride. It was purchased four years ago at a garage sale for $80 and judging by it's condition was probably sitting in someones garage for several years. The tires were worn and cracked and were replaced with a new set. After a checkup from the local bike shop and a few modifications it was ready for the road.
By the end of the week I had learned how to draft behind others to make the riding easier, especially if there was a wind. I also learned how to signal to others of dangers on the road like gravel or potholes. It was also necessary to signal if you were stopping or slowing down. I made lots of new friendships and am looking forward to this years ride which will be in Eastern Ontario. Here's a video of last years ride.
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