First crash...now what

Good to hear you haven’t broken a bone or don’t have a concussion or the like.
I had a similar crash recently, which also was my first. Took the bike to the shop and they fixed everything up that needed fixing (which really wasn’t much, the rear mech hangar was bent, and a few things were scratched up, which they painted over quite well).

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I’d agree with the advice above.

Aside from that tegaderm is amazing for road rash if you don’t already have some. It has become easier to find, too.

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agree on everything…swap the bars and heal up

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The only notification it gives for speed is how fast the dot is moving along the side of your head unit (on a garmin head unit, anyhow). I’ve found that to be enough (also, it lets me know if I’m being shadowed by a car because the dot(s) just stay in one place). The notification time has to do with the terrain as much as speed; on a straight road it can see a car that’s pretty far back.

As far as how it changes my riding, if I get an alert I’ll ride as far to the side as I reasonably can until I know the car is passed. I wouldn’t use it to move into the middle of the lane without also looking, though (that said, I can’t remember it giving a false negative notification, but I still look).

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@Aeroiseverything My hair doesn’t look as good after a crash as yours :rofl: Glad your shop got everything back up and running nicely!

@KorbenDallas The Varia is absolutely worth it. It’ll start beeping when something’s approaching @ 400 ft back (I think…don’t quote me) and you can see the dot progressing on your bike computer to help give you a sense of the speed. It’ll also beep when you’re clear. It’s still smart to look behind you when turning, etc. but it does help with your overall awareness I think. In my case here, I knew the truck was coming and give him too much room. Should have held my ground instead of getting pushed into the gutter…live and learn. Still happy to have had the radar!

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So no new bike day?? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I emailed Enve this morning about the bars and they’ve already gotten back to me with a return authorization number. It sounds like they’ll evaluate the bars and then let me know of next steps.

As anyone gone through this process with Enve?

Some devices give red/yellow for speed indicator - and the beeps can be modified.

Its worth the investment - the newer ones with the camera maybe moreso.

For me it has changed my behavior as I look down at the head unit before checking over my shoulder (don’t trust one without the other) - when in a larger group and multiple people have one the beeping is enough for ‘car back’ that we all react w/o speaking. If I see an obstacle in the road ahead - I can glance down and decide how to react (slow, go shoulder, or move into the roadway more safely)

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Not according to the overwhelming number of reviews….poor video quality and low battery life.

But regular Varia is damn near essential equipment, IMO.

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I just read through everything and wanted to chime in to say I am glad you are as ok as you are and hope you heal quickly. I’m also glad the incident detection worked well - what actually happens with that? By which I mean what did your wife see? I have picked my husband up from two of the three bigger crashes he’s had and often he has the incident detection turned off since it gives false positives sometimes when he brakes hard. He then has to scramble to turn it off before it notifies me. So I’ve never gotten an actual notification… Is there some feature in it that lets the person getting the message know you’re basically ok?
Good luck with your bike and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

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First off, I’m glad you’re ok. The bike, from the little I can see looks superficial damage. Get it checked by a LBS. I’ve had a few crashes on my Felt F3 and the frame still going strong after 12 years and didn’t get an X-ray. Well the ribs were x-rayed and cracked.

Right, it’s a decent first attempt at a wound. you’ve let the blood run nicely. If you haven’t done so already stop at lights and fail to unclip to finish it off. As @FrankTuna says… n+1.

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Glad you’re mostly okay. Crashes suck, even when just skin damage.

Have not read other posters responses but wanted to share 2 cents.

My perspective and bias, FYI:

  • I rode a Trek 1200 for a decade before I knew what chain lube was. Beat the snot out of that bike. Same with my Trek 4300 MTB. Ages 15-25-ish. Abused them like heck.

  • I neglected my bikes horribly in a past life. Lack of awareness, no guidance, laziness, no care for performance, and no money.

  • I can now do all maintenance and repairs on a stable of 6 carbon race bikes from TT to XC MTB, 4 of which perform well at the national level.

I now believe that things last, and are safe, for a LOT longer than they are fast/clean/pretty. Like 100x longer. They’re just terribly slow/loud/ugly. Anyone on a bike forum online likely has standards 10x higher than safety standards alone. Performance is a whole 'nother ballgame.

Here’s my 2 cents with that perspective.

If they work, they work. I’ve used multiple-crashed di2 shifters and hacked them together with tape and bits of metal scrap for multiple years. If they stop working, replace them. Who cares if they’re ugly.

They’re most likely safe. Carbon can take a beating. But if you ask the internet you’ll end up replacing them. I’ve crashed carbon bars countless times, scratched all to dickens and never replaced them. Any cracks though, and definitely replace because carbon takes a beating until cracked, at which point it’s wildly dangerous.

If the wheel’s true and has no cracks, ride it. If it comes out of true, take it in to be trued and inspected, otherwise probably fine. Treat this as “internet advice” :slight_smile:

I used to think that it was standard practice to whack shifters back into place after a crash. I didn’t know they were held on by a bolt and ring clamp structure and had never considered that mechanical failure could be a thing. I did this for 10-15 years, with the last 3-4 of those years being on light weight carbon bars.

Either I am extremely lucky, or catastrophic mechanical failures due to damaged bike components are substantially less common than the internet might have you believe. I think it’s the latter.

Virtually everyone on the internet is incentivized to make you believe such, because of liability. If they say otherwise, and you happen to take their advice and claim injury as a result, it feels awfully vulnerable from a liability perspective, since it’s publicly written for everyone to see. Certainly companies are incentivized in multiple ways in the same direction.

I posit that things are safe for a lot longer and with greater degrees of damage than are reported broadly on the internet.

The age group that damages things the most and experiences their non-failure, are also probably not likely the age group that spends loads of time detailing such things on the internet. Age 18-25 males aren’t known for their prolific use of forums and thoughtful consideration of nuanced topics. But they make great test subjects for “it’s broken, but I’m gonna ride it anyway cuz I’m reckless and broke.”

(I did snap a chain once during steady road pedaling without a shift, because I hadn’t lubed it in 7 yrs).

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Yes, and there are amazon knockoffs that come in rolls which are easier to apply and at least as useful, for 1/3 the price. Super cool stuff.

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@BethK Thanks for the kind words!!

When the incident detection was activated, it beeped like crazy so I knew it was going off and it sent a message to my wife (as my emergency contact). The email had gps coordinates so she knew exactly where I was. Luckily it was maybe 6 miles from home, but it’s nice to know she could find me if I’m in unfamiliar territory. I’ve never set it off before with hard braking or other false positives luckily.

@Dr_Alex_Harrison I’m sure you’re right about things being more durable than we think, but I definitely want to be a bit more cautious than I would have back when I was young and clueless (now I’m old and clueless :rofl:). Enve will inspect the bars and replace if warranted, and my LBS will be able to inspect the bike/fork/wheels. I was in full panic mode yesterday and luckily there are some wise folks around here with good advice and perspective!!

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The Varia knows the approach speed. Actually, that is how it works, it measures closing speed, not just senses objects and Only things with a certain closing speed or above relative to you and your bike trigger warnings. (Thus no alarms when riding in a group)

For approach speed there is a dot on the right side of your head unit representing vehicles ( and it will show multiple). The dot(s) move from bottom to to top as the vehicle approaches and the faster it’s closing on you the faster the dot moves. After seeing just a few it’s pretty easy to judge.

I do most of my riding on roads where the cars are going 45 or under. The radar picks up vehicles well before you hear them. I use the time to decide where I want to be. If the far right or shoulder rideable I move right. If the shoulder is narrow and or I’d have to ride through potholes, covered with debris etc, I move left and make the car see me and give me space (within reason of course).

For me though the biggest benefit in knowing there is no vehicle approaching… Many of 5he roads I ride on suck and the radar allows me to pick my line and ride anywhere in the whole lane I want to but still gives me plenty of time to get over when a car is coming. Seriously, the knowing no car is back there is just as awesome as getting a warning when one is back.

After 30 years of riding I got a Varia last year and quickly decided I’ll never do another ride without it.

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That‘s a good piece of advice. Otherwise a lot of drivers are tempted to squeeze by. I also try to fastidiously avoid white lines, broken patches of road and sewage drains.

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I don‘t own one yet, but it is one of the few upgrades of my road bike. Everyone I know who owns one swears by them. (Apart from the new 715 with built-in camera, of course.)

The radar measures the speed of approaching objects, and if the approach speed exceeds a certain threshold, it‘ll warn you. So, for example, you can ride in a peloton and your fellow cyclists will not appear as their speed is close to yours. But it‘ll warn you of a car that overtakes you. In case the speed differential is very large, you‘ll get a stronger warning (I think the screen flashes red). By all accounts it just works.

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Good info. Thanks!!

As a 23 year old, I am offended: I do use and read this forum religiously and I think that I may have the mental capacities to consider different viewpoints on nuanced topics.

As a 23 year old, I also have to admit that I rode six months with a dent in my carbon handlebar because I couldn’t afford to replace it (it held up just fine until I ultimately switched bikes).

P.S. Your advice on fueling in other threads has helped me tremendously! Thanks for that!

Absolutely, riding well away from the gutter (in my case within British cycling guidance) and getting the odd horn (rarely happens) tells me I am riding as safely as I can. I totally cringe at the people I see almost hitting pedals on the kerb, or jumping or swerving around drain covers. Some people seem to play cycling lotto and get away with it, others make themselves as safe as possible and shit still happens. That’s the way the world works I’m afraid, but you got to do the easy thing to keep yourself as safe as possible (in theory.)

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I can’t seem to figure out your post, you seem pretty mad but then support his post.

I think Dr Harrison is just trying to be a voice of reason. Our bikes are pretty freaking durable. Do your due diligence to inspect your bike after a crash, but we don’t need to replace a 5K+ bike just because it got laid down.

@FrankTuna I am glad you are mostly okay! I think you took all the reasonable precautions with your equipment and I agree with most of the advice you were given.

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