pedestrian tunnel Alexandria (Telegraph Road)

[KLizotte]

So sorry this happened. Be glad you didn’t sprain or break anything.

Can’t offer any advice on 29ers.

I suspect the cause is a tunnel troll.

[Sunyata]

@anomad 156146 wrote:

So my question is about really light bikes. This was basically my maiden voyage on my new chinese carbon 29er. The front wheel went away like it stopped dead in its tracks. Is that an issue with really lightweight bikes that they want to change direction way too easily? Its lighter than any mountain bike I have had by a long shot. I own and have owned a bunch of under 20 pound road and cross bikes, but never experienced anything like this. No suspension on this, carbon rigid fork. I’ve been riding bikes and motorcycles for 30 years if that means anything.

What say you? Being a newb to lightweight mountain bike catch me off guard or just bad luck? Obviously I am going to be paranoid as hell when I get back on this thing, since clearly it tried to kill me.

Yep. Welcome to lightweight rigid mountain bikes!

My rigid is a Niner Air9 and weighs a whopping 17 pounds (I am also pretty light at about 130 pounds). Since putting the rigid fork on it (dropped about 2.5 pounds from the Fox Float 32 that was on it), I have noticed that the front end gets a little jumpy when going over stuff. If you are a seasoned mountain biker that is used to riding a heavier bike with front suspension, you will eventually learn to compensate for the lighter/stiffer front end. I am still working on this and have not figured out all of the nuances yet.

Perhaps if drevil pops his head in this thread he might be able to give some good tips, since he ran a rigid mountain bike for years.

[LeprosyStudyGroup]

That tunnel takes human sacrifices sometimes to keep the gateway to hell closed. I respect you for attempting to traverse it though… Sorry to hear you got hurt
I have nothing constructive to say.

[Crickey7]

I disagree with the leading hypotheses here, though I agree this is no accident. Kismet, the Fates, call it what you will, but the Universe dictates that every rider must crash every so often. You can delay it, but it will eventually catch up to you. Personally, I clear my cosmic slate every January 1 by riding straight into a tree.

[huskerdont]

My thought was that it was riding with Ms. Anomad what did it. If you aren’t feeling enough shame in your life, ride (or kayak/ski/run or swim a race, etc.) with your significant other. That’ll fix that.

Not that this has ever happened to me. :rolleyes:

[anomad]

@Sunyata 156162 wrote:

Yep. Welcome to lightweight rigid mountain bikes!

My rigid is a Niner Air9 and weighs a whopping 17 pounds (I am also pretty light at about 130 pounds). Since putting the rigid fork on it (dropped about 2.5 pounds from the Fox Float 32 that was on it), I have noticed that the front end gets a little jumpy when going over stuff. If you are a seasoned mountain biker that is used to riding a heavier bike with front suspension, you will eventually learn to compensate for the lighter/stiffer front end. I am still working on this and have not figured out all of the nuances yet.

Perhaps if drevil pops his head in this thread he might be able to give some good tips, since he ran a rigid mountain bike for years.

I’m feeling more tenderized than seasoned right now.

Sounds like I need to perform some kind of ceremony at the entrance of the tunnel to cleanse myself of evil spirits before I try this again.

[lawgrad12]

@anomad 156146 wrote:

Sunday I was taking Ms. anomad for tacos and went into the tunnel under the rail road tracks along the Telegraph Road bridge. About halfway through I hit some wet rock or something and my front wheel went one way while I continued on according to the laws of physics. No serious injuries, but I couldn’t ride very far once my leg started swelling up. I’m feeling a lot better today, but it will probably be next week before I am back on the bike. Haven’t been down that hard since 1999, so my number was definitely up. Bike doesn’t appear damaged at all. The best part was I came to rest in a puddle of tunnel filth, I probably glow in the dark after take a dunk in that.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8041205,-77.0741135,3a,75y,349.15h,81.91t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHP4k1mxv31IT4JTU7vkGsA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!5m1!1e3

So my question is about really light bikes. This was basically my maiden voyage on my new chinese carbon 29er. The front wheel went away like it stopped dead in its tracks. Is that an issue with really lightweight bikes that they want to change direction way too easily? Its lighter than any mountain bike I have had by a long shot. I own and have owned a bunch of under 20 pound road and cross bikes, but never experienced anything like this. No suspension on this, carbon rigid fork. I’ve been riding bikes and motorcycles for 30 years if that means anything.

What say you? Being a newb to lightweight mountain bike catch me off guard or just bad luck? Obviously I am going to be paranoid as hell when I get back on this thing, since clearly it tried to kill me.

It’s not a matter of bike weight, it’s a matter of bike geometry. Basically, as the headtube angle gets steeper, you’re steering will feel ‘twitchier’. This effect can be off-set or magnified based on fork rake. I imagine that most bikes you’ve ridden in the past have had shallower head tube angles.

[Sunyata]

@lawgrad12 156221 wrote:

It’s not a matter of bike weight, it’s a matter of bike geometry. Basically, as the headtube angle gets steeper, you’re steering will feel ‘twitchier’. This effect can be off-set or magnified based on fork rake. I imagine that most bikes you’ve ridden in the past have had shallower head tube angles.

Most modern mountain bike geometry is going to have a slacker (less steep) head tube angle than pretty much any road/cross/hybrid/city bike. This is not the issue here. The issue actually IS the lighter front end of the bike. In my case, I am riding the exact same frame with the exact same geometry as I was previously. The front end is just lighter (by almost three pounds) and stiffer due to removing the suspension fork and adding a carbon rigid fork (suspension corrected, so the head angle is the same).

The OP’s bike in question is a 29’er mountain bike. Which will have a slacker head tube angle than what he was previously used to riding (unless he was riding an all-mountain/enduro or DH bike). So I do believe the issue is the lighter/stiffer front end.

[anomad]

Today was the first day I’ve felt good enough to get back on the bike. Went back to the scene of the crime of almost exactly one week ago. I’m still pretty black and blue but I can actually ride better than I can walk, which made me happy.

I saw these rocks when I wiped out and thought I was well to the left? The only logical explanation I can come up with is that there was a troll hiding there that threw one of them into my front wheel. This time I built an elaborate teak spirit house at the entrance and put bowls of rice and incense in it. Rode through both ways no problem.

[KLizotte]

Augh. You may want to get a tetanus shot after falling in there.

[anomad]

@KLizotte 156350 wrote:

Augh. You may want to get a tetanus shot after falling in there.

Or hepatitis…

[Starduster]

@anomad 156349 wrote:

Today was the first day I’ve felt good enough to get back on the bike. Went back to the scene of the crime of almost exactly one week ago. I’m still pretty black and blue but I can actually ride better than I can walk, which made me happy.

I saw these rocks when I wiped out and thought I was well to the left? The only logical explanation I can come up with is that there was a troll hiding there that threw one of them into my front wheel. This time I built an elaborate teak spirit house at the entrance and put bowls of rice and incense in it. Rode through both ways no problem.

You rode this? Looking at that broken up concrete… You’re a braver man than I am, Gunga Din.

[bobco85]

That tunnel stuff is disgusting; I’d take a bath in a tub of sanitizer after going through that!

FYI, that tunnel also floods. I’ve had the misfortune of being on a hike that required me to pass through when there was 3-4 inches of water in the middle.

[CaseyKane50]

Alexandria commissioned a study last year on the Telegraph Road and Holmes Run Trail tunnels. Lots of pictures and recommendations on fixes, but meaningful fixes are probably years away.

Some recommendations – better maintenance, improved entrances and lighting and redoing the tunnels.

[anomad]

Interesting study. I love it when we pay a contractor to state the obvious “your tunnels suck”.

That aside I wonder if I told the City of Alexandria about my wipe out if it would help make it a priority for better pedestrian and bicycle use? There’s no way in hell I would go in that tunnel at night, its like a trap on the other side. I was riding with Ms. Anomad who said there’s no way in hell she’d go in there at any time without me for protection.

I actually like the Holmes Run tunnels, they feel more adventurous than scary. I guess I haven’t been through them many times though, if there were a bunch of gang bangers hanging around I would probably feel differently.

@CaseyKane50 156746 wrote:

Alexandria commissioned a study last year on the Telegraph Road and Holmes Run Trail tunnels. Lots of pictures and recommendations on fixes, but meaningful fixes are probably years away.

Some recommendations – better maintenance, improved entrances and lighting and redoing the tunnels.

[Author]

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