Close call

[PHOBMAN]

I nearly dropped the bike today, going through a wash at about 35 with moss growing on the bottom. I thought I had hit it straight but lost both wheels until we hit the dry again, when it nearly high sided me. Both feet off the pegs and all that. Watch out for mossy washes!
I'm not sure I know what the strategy is for this occurence. Faster or slower?

[Lemonhead]

I used to bicycle on a path that eventually came to a sunken part where a stream crossed just low enough that it spread out across a concrete patch about 5 or 6 feet across. Slick as hell. Sometimes I'd walk up to the footbridge and cross that way. But slow I usually had to pedal which would induce spin/slide. Based on that, I'd say faster. But.

How wide and how deep is this wash ?

And good on ya for NOT crashing.

[CBRider]

glad you made it through ok. that's a tough one to call. i usually go slow through it on the rare occasion i find it, clutch in and ass puckered. it's like riding on slime. i hope someone has some good tips on this one.

[Blackheart]

I'm a "slow with the clutch pulled in" rider in really slippery stuff, too. I've seen some pretty bad crashes when people tried to zip through it....I'd rather make a mistake and have a crash at slow speeds.

[nine1nine]

When in doubt- you're going to fast.

[Lemonhead]

Crud. bicycles don't have clutches. I'd go with the others Phobe.

[adamjayp]

I slow down, clutch in and coast through it too.

[XRCajun]

The key is neither fast or slow. It's no acceleration or deceleration. Make sure you're straight up and not turning to either side. If these things are happening it doesn't matter what your speed is.

[FJ1200]

nice save

Similar issue in my neck of the woods. When I leave my house, it is downhill to a hard right, then up again to the stop sign for the main road.

The rain water overflows at the bottom all the time, basically in the middle of the corner.

When it rains at night, then dries, this leave a nice, nearly invisible coating of silt that is slicker than I ever imagined.

More than once I've have both wheels sliding out from under me.

Great reminder PHOBMAN for us all to ride attentive.

[brian]

Sounds like a similar feeling to sand, I have no experience with moss/slick stuff but I stay straight and coast through slippery/loose stuff. After learning a few lessons the HARD way.... real hard. basically pretend your on ice, no sudden movements/acceleration/deceleration just coast at whatever speed you're already at.

[hasbeenracer]

<<<< What that says.

Seriously though, glad you're OK Peter.

[PHOBMAN]

Thanks guys, the wash was about 6-10 feet wide ans 3-4inches deep. It had been awash all winter and spring so lots of algae and as slick as ice.
I saw a 10 speed tropical fish type guy picking himself up one time, madder than hell, after trying to cross a store driveway where runoff water and slime had pitched him off his bike, looked like he lost the front!

[gpzTurbo]

I was just about to say it reminds me of ice. You can coast across ice with the clutch in but as soon as there is any 'drive' to the wheel you're much more likely to lose it. Same on a bicycle. Peddling would be the wrong thing to do. As would braking.
Those steel plates at railroad crossings are also slick as hell when it's raining. Try to ride across one at low speed while driving the back wheel and it'll try to get away from you in a millisecond.

I hydroplaned both wheels once in a terrential downpour and that's a feeling you remember!

[myztical]

What is a mossy wash????

[xraso]

Originally Posted by gpzTurbo

I was just about to say it reminds me of ice. You can coast across ice with the clutch in but as soon as there is any 'drive' to the wheel you're much more likely to lose it. Same on a bicycle. Peddling would be the wrong thing to do. As would braking.
Those steel plates at railroad crossings are also slick as hell when it's raining. Try to ride across one at low speed while driving the back wheel and it'll try to get away from you in a millisecond.

I hydroplaned both wheels once in a terrential downpour and that's a feeling you remember!

+1 to this

I grew up riding in the Montana Rockies - where you can find an ice/snow patch somewhere for a good part of the year. Anything that increases the torque on the wheel (turning, accelerating or decelerating) is going to reduce the "grip" of your tire. Clutch in and no turning till you get to the other side.

If you HAVE to ride across something that slick, you want to be going just fast enough to keep you upright till you get to the other side. The only time excessive speed helps is beating a snowstorm home

i usually go slow through it on the rare occasion i find it, clutch in and ass puckered

Oh, and I am pretty sure that the ass puckering increases your traction quite a bit

[Lemonhead]

Originally Posted by myztical

What is a mossy wash????

I don't know if it's still there or not but highline canal trail winds around and comes up to Alameda ave in Aurora east of buckley road about a 1/4 mile.

It doesn't actually come up to alameda but it nears a bridge on alameda that crosses a stream. I want to say there's a small dam there.(it's been a while)

the path slopes down quickly and intersects the stream on a concrete patch about 10 feet across. the rough concrete gives perfect place for the moss to get long and stringy. gnarly crash if you do it wrong.

[Farab]

Glad you managed to save it, Peter. I would be inclined to agree with others, slow down (before if possible) and coast across.
As you know, down here we can have the same sort of thing, mossy roads, wet, damp corners with leaves, etc. etc. In winter, especially, I am very cautious of shaded corners and patches of road. The winter sun around here hardly gets time to dry up some sections of road. In winter I try and get out later on the roads to give them a chance to dry. Also look out for green tint on the side of the road, usually an indicator of moss.

[brian]

Originally Posted by gpzTurbo

I hydroplaned both wheels once in a terrential downpour and that's a feeling you remember!

Yikes!