Should have known better!

[1817cent]

After reading Steve's story of his broken crank and seeing Tyler's response as to a probable cause, i thought it would be great to share any accident stories we have had since we became collectors of these artifacts.
Several years back i owned a late 50's Huffy that i got at a local antique store. One day i decided to ride the bike to work and was coming down a hill behind my office, standing up on the pedals and doing about 18 mph when the right crank are broke off. This sent me and my 240 lb body into the handle bars (which bent) and over the front of the bike. When i picked myself up, i had cracked ribs and a nasty gash on my forearm and an abrasion on my face. I walked the bike the remaining 50 yards to my office and then tried to get my keys out of my pocket to get in the back door but was unable to do so because 3 of my fingers on my right hand were going in the wrong direction!

Lucky for me my secretary arrived soon and took me to the hospital emergency room. I remember when we came in the nurse was not too interested in my cuts and bruises. She was writing info down and asked me if anything else was wrong and i held up my right hand and said "just this". She let out an "oh my God" and then put me through to the Dr.

What did i learn from that experience? Never to ride a Huffy again AND never pedal standing up.

 

[catfish]

WOW! I'm glad you are ok now.

 

[A.S.BOLTNUT]

Brings back memories of when I was in the neighboring gravel parking lot doing burn outs on my yellow stingray (standing up of course) when all the sudden my chain broke! I believe it took me awhile too get back up but I can't recall which uncrossed first , my legs or my eyes? Owww....( circa 75-76 )

Rafael ~

 

[Tim the Skid]

@1817cent re: standing up on the pedals
Good advice Jay, on standing up on the pedals. I was on a ride with some of our fellow CABE members, and everyone was getting off their bikes to walk them up a hill. I was riding a early 50's B-6 and thought I could stand up on the pedals, rock the bike side to side, and zig-zag up the hill like we did when we were 12. Bad idea. The right pedal snapped off and I was slammed into the top crossbar and tank severely bruising a sensitive area of my body.😱

 

[A.S.BOLTNUT]

Ouch ,,I can certainly relate ..

Rafael ~

 

[loon36u]

I used to have a sticker on my airplane panel
” If Huffy made an airplane would you fly it?”

 

[vincev]

Huffy was made in America,I wonder if they were made by homeless drug addicts.

 

[mrg]

Just last week out on my Klunker in the hills above LA/USC and the combination of standing pushing hard up hill, low gear and a slightly rusty skinny 5 spd chain, I was lucky with just a small gash on my knee ( goose neck bolt ) and a bruised/pulled thigh but didn't hit the ground, right in front of a couple of collage girls coming down the hill so could have been worse!, I've ridden regular chains that looked much worse but won't do that again on a multi gear chain!

 

[GTs58]

Just last week out on my Klunker in the hills above LA/USC the combination of standing pushing hard up hill, low gear and a slightly rusty skinny 5 spd chain, I was lucky with just a small gash on my knee ( goose neck bolt ) and a bruised/pulled thigh but didn't hit the ground, right in front of a couple of collage girls coming down the hill so could have been worse!, I've ridden regular chains that looked much worse but won't do that again on a multi gear chain!

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As ole Clint says, "A man needs to know his bike's limitations." 😂

 

[Andrew Gorman]

"If Huffy made an airplane would you fly in it?" Those things are only fit to be cut down into pipe cheaters. On sight. Some people love their "Huffmans" but the crap they built on their long downhill slide have poisoned the well for me. And for everyone else, take care of your chains!