Originally Posted by
UsedToBeFaster
This entire forum seems to be about accidents caused by vehicles.
But I was having a virtual dinner party with cycling friends and all six of us seemed to have had far more accidents due to mechanical failure (broken bars, stem, chains etc.) Sure they werent as serious as the car accidents but much much more prevalent.
Yet, I don't see hardly any threads due to mechnical failures.
Why?
Because I think they're comparatively rare. Yes, we all have had mechanical failures at some point or another, but very few/none of these has (in my experience at least, in ~45 years of cycling) resulted in an accident. As long as the wheels stay on the bike, the handlebars are intact and at least one brake operates, you can rescue yourself from almost any potential mishap. The great thing about a bike is that all of the essential systems are in plain view, so any bike that is (1) reasonably well maintained, (2) periodically inspected and (3) not crashed or abused, is
very unlikely to fail spontaneously