Ilbiker

Well, had a very close encounter today with the aforementioned speed bump - AKA "squirrel". I ride country roads and various critters are part of the experience. Today, about seven miles into my ride I came across two speed bumps playing on the side of the road (my right). Speed bump one runs left and passes in front of me. Speed bump two hesitates and then goes for it. Well, I swerve slightly to my left, but it keeps on coming. OH s!@*&. Fortunately it bounced off of the spokes of my front wheel, with that twanging sound. I'm lucky it didn't get caught in my spokes and sending me head first to the road and possibly a trip to the ER. I hate squirrels.

FBOATSB

Even bushy tailed vermin suicidal pedestrians need love.

blakcloud

Not as much as the squirrel hates you! This time of year when I cycle on the bike paths I have to be careful for wild rabbits. I always remind myself that I am riding through their neighborhood and to be cautious.

Maelochs

That's why I bought wheels with aero spokes. I am a rolling Cuisinart.

SquidPuppet

I love squirrels. I have a couple feeder boxes mounted on trees on my yard. They are amazingly skilled acrobats. I enjoy watching them launch insane distances from one tree to the another while they are 70 feet in the air.

Ironfish653

If they're coming from the right side of the road, i'll try to fade right, so that I go behind them. That way, 'running away' from me is the direction they're already going. If they cut back at the last second, too bad.

I don't go for evasive manuvers for squirrels or small rabbits. Dogs or cats, sure, but i'm not dumping my bike to save a roof rat.

jefnvk

I bounced off a groundhog (IIRC, some sort of furry ground rodent in the couple pound range) once, caught his back leg. I stayed up, he scampered off. Scary for both of us, for sure!

I've been lucky enough to avoid two deer in my time, too, one I couldn't have been much more than a couple inches from. Doubt that'd have ended well...

Flip Flop Rider

ran right over a rabbit at night, he seemed fine

I also, don't evade, just stay straight and see what happens

Maelochs

Never hit a squirrel but had a baseball-sized frog or toad (it was night, so I don't know which) jump into my spokes. I felt bad, but nothing I could have done.

DomaneS5

A few months ago....I had a squirrel dart in front of me and hit the spokes on my front wheel, but fortunately it ricocheted off. I was moving at 15mph... so it would have hurt if the squirrel was caught in the spokes. Probably would have endo'ed broke a few bones, ER trip, the whold nine.

autonomy

I ran over one once, nothing I could do in time - came out of nowhere. Pretty sure I killed it though not instantly, as it staid on the path but kind of trying to move. Kind of felt bad for it.

Another time a squirrel FELL OUT OF A TREE feet in front of me - made a loud slapping noise too - and, shellshocked, went in a million directions until finally committing to one. Glad I didn't react there either.

Overall, those things are just freaking rats, I don't evade anymore (but I like Ironfish653's strategy)

mcours2006

I've had a few near close-calls with squirrels, but never run over one.

KenR

Was on small group ride in central Florida farm country where we were on a downhill section and traveling about 25 mph. A squirrel darted into the wheel of the rider in front of me and was literally spinning around on its back like a top when I came up to it a second later. It didn't take too much for me to swerve around the poor creature, but I do not think it took that collision too well.

BKE

Haven't had to dodge one on the bike yet but it seems that with squirrels in particular, swerving in a car to avoid hitting them once they've made the mad dash is what does them in. Just take your foot off the gas (if possible), keep going straight and when you look back they've disappeared.

WizardOfBoz

Yeah, but you didn't have to sharpen them.

WizardOfBoz

On second thought, sharpen your rear wheel spokes and you have a pedal-powered mandoline.

GeneO 

Squirrels are smarter than Chipmunks in this respect. But they are bigger and can do more damage. Rabbits are pretty bad too.
I am more worried about deer.

Wileyrat

Here in Tucson, it's mostly lizards and an occasional ground squirrel (about the size of a chipmunk). The lizards just don't have the survival instincts of the ground squirrels

A couple of weeks ago a dove flew into my front wheel. The bike and I are fine, but I doubt the dove made it.

Noahma

during the summer here its prairie dogs. They are annoying little creatures, at first they duck down to get low, then take off towards the closest hole.

Another time, one ran off jumped in a hole, which scared the rabbit that was in there out and he ran in front of me, Missed thank goodness.

In the fall we have little toads that look like little blobs of mud on the MUPS, they make a popping sound when you accidently run them over

Ilbiker

Looks like we've all got our own animal issues. The squirrel was a new one for me. I've had more run ins with snakes, both riding and running. They are starting to lay in the road to warm up. I've rolled over a couple without any issues and side stepped several more. Well, at least the road kill doesn't move.