livedarklions

So I was riding on a state road that is mildly popular with cyclists last Saturday, and there were three banana peels laying on the breakdown lane looking exactly like the way they get drawn in the old comic strip gag where somebody goes flying when they step on one. I'm pretty sure someone did it on purpose as a sort of sight gag--they were too tightly arranged for it to have just been thrown there carelessly. It was way too obvious for it to be a serious threat, so I think it was actually kind of a funny joke.

It got me wondering, what would've happened if I had run over a banana peel? Would I have slipped? Are they really as slippery as they are in the slapstick bits? Do people walking ever actually slip on one? Where does the cliche come from?

indyfabz

Subscribed.

Doctor Morbius

Ah, the old banana peel on the cycling lane trick. See it all the time.

phile

can't say about effect of banana peel while cycling, but i can say from personal experience they they are incredibly slippery if you step on em.

bakerjw

When I see a banana peel on the side of the road, I know that a cyclist has been through the area recently.

livedarklions

Good point! In this case, it would have been three with a sense of humor. The sight gag was unmistakable.

HerrKaLeun

If you go straight and don't brake nothing will happen. This is how I go over 1 foot ice patches and make it work. So a banana wouldn't be more slippery than ice.

Things get screwy if you panic... but once the banana peel is dry, it is like any other leaves or debris. It is only slippery when wet.

jon c. 

I've run over them without a second thought. As long as you're not turning, they shouldn't pose a problem.

mcours2006

Banana peel footprint is too small to cause anything. If you're riding at speed you contact the peel in a matter of milliseconds. Not enough time for the tire to lose traction. Ride on.

downhillmaster

GailT

I see a lot of banana peels in the the bike lane. I suspect there have been multiple threads on this already, but why do people leave their banana peels in the bike lane? Why not just toss them off the side of the road.

Lemond1985

One banana peel is normal. Two banana peels is suspicious. Three banana peels that are deliberately arranged in the manner described above shows malice and some definite intent to cause a potentially deadly (but admittedly hilarious) pratfall. This was no accident. I would run this up the flag pole and see if local law enforcement or anyone at DHS salutes. "See something, say something" etc., etc.

People start innocently enough with banana peels and "kick me" signs, and work their way up to buckets of water over doorways and exploding cigars. They tell themselves, "I can stop doing these 'harmless pranks' whenever I want". Pretty soon they are decapitating people and burning them alive in cages, in order to get the same thrill. Slipping on a banana peel is no laughing matter.

phile

until someone else does it in front of you

indyfabz

And your carbon fibre bike will asplode.

livedarklions

I was on a state highway about 50 miles into a century and honestly don't remember what town I was in. This was done such that there was no way to hit the peels accidentally unless you were completely blind. There's no way I would take it seriously enough to interrupt my ride to call the cops, and I'm pretty sure the peels weren't slippery enough to take us down the slippery slope to decapitation.

Skipjacks

If Mario Kart has taught me anything...it's that banana peels are the weapon of choice for your motorized enemies.

livedarklions

I've actually stepped on banana peels intentionally to see if they were really that slippery, and it didn't seem like it. Maybe they have to be on linoleum?

Sort of more a folklore issue than a bike one, but I'm curious why banana peels became the symbol for all things slippery.
Right now, I'm leaning towards the "banana peels are to tripping hazards as pie in the face is to assault" theory. That, or maybe banana peels were actually slipperier when they were the gros michel variety.

phile

this is all i have to say

livedarklions

Damn you Mario!

himespau 

Is your bike carbon? If so, there is a compound in the banana (only released when the peel is crushed by being ridden over) that will cause the carbon in your bike to immediately, spontaneously combust. That's where all those rumors about carbon bikes asploding came from.

DrIsotope

As other have alluded to above, if I see three banana peels arranged on the path, I'm immediately on the lookout for blue shells. Banana peels can be a nuisance, a blue shell can ruin your whole day.

livedarklions

I have one steel and two aluminum frames, so I'm pretty safe from that. Of course, I have to avoid giant magnets on the steel bike, and the aluminum bikes get skittish when they see crushed soda cans. They usually calm down after a minute or two, but it can get kind of hairy.

livedarklions

That's why I carry a mushroom.

burnthesheep

I thought the same thing! On longer rides it is a preferred snack.

Doctor Morbius

So very true. This could be the work of an escalating fetishist. It's best not to take any chances.