nervgs

This commute is from Encino to Agoura Hills, which if you've ridden around there, would know that the only two ways of getting over the hill are Mulholland or Calabasas Rd to Mureau. Though I guess you can add PCH if you have a ton of time and want to climb more than usual for a commute.

Funny enough, I used to commute from Encino to Pasadena a ton last year, riding through your neck of the woods.

-glenn

nervgs

I filled out the claim form last week........ We'll see how far it'll get me.

I used to commute from Encino to Pasadena a lot last year (Burbank blvd, bike path, short stint on Magnolia, Glenoaks, Central, Broadway, Colorado) though almost never ran around a bad hole like this....... I was more scared of bad and/or rude drivers (especially through Glendale) which prompted me to start riding with a camera (and carrying bear spray).

Thanks for the tip of the yellow paint. I saw the yellow color as I was approaching it which made me take the street longer (and then the pothole happened), I had no idea what the yellow was and didn't want to run it over - I had a terrible incident years ago when I ran over some unmarked street paint that someone didn't cone off or warn and it got all over my bike. Luckily it was able to clean off quickly.



-glenn

f4rrest

Yep, I've ridden mureau a number of times. Used to work on Agoura rd.

You're lucky to live in arguably one of the best cycling areas around.

I went through a similar exercise with the car and pothole damage in a nearby city. No luck.

Glad you weren't hurt. That can be a sketchy descent in rush hour if the 101 is backed up.

ooga-booga

my first thought reading the headline was that the op hit the crater on westbound sunset blvd. near ucla.

the pictured pothole/pothole in question doesn't look like much as far as socal potholes go. then again, i don't
crack 20 mph as much as i'd like on the flats. ya hit anything fast enuff...boom.

nice bike btw.

ColonelSanders

I'm surprised that people with road bikes and "light" wheels don't encounter these sort of problems all the time, especially if they really rack up the mileage.

Pro11yN0taZeus

Good luck, and glad you were not injured (seriously, anyway). Yeah, we have potholes like this everywhere. One of the reasons I am riding my hybrid mostly these days.

mr_bill

Plan B was to avoid the pothole. What was your plan C if you couldn't avoid the pothole?

(At the very least, get out of the saddle, keep a firm (but not death) grip on the handlebars, keep your elbows and knees bent, and stay loose and absorb the impact. And yes, someone will reply bunnyhop.)

Don't get me wrong. Last time I flatted on a pothole was January a couple of years ago. I thought I could ride through a cluster of five potholes. Missed four of five.

Two Star Wars quotes came to mind as I fixed my flat, for the first four potholes:

"I missed them. I MISSED THEM!"
"Great kid, don't get cocky."

What should have been going through my mind when I saw the cluster of potholes:

"Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating a pothole field is approximately 3,720 to 1."

And of course, the song "Out of the Saddle Again"


-mr. bill

ThermionicScott 

I'm sure I'd be pretty upset if a nice set of wheels imploded under me, too.

But a couple things seem weird. Could be an artifact of cell phone photography, but that pothole doesn't look all that deep or unusual to me. Heck, long stretches of Paris-Roubaix go over jagged pave where the road surface dips and rises sharply by a couple of inches each way, and everyone's wheels don't collapse at once. Is there any chance that your rims are worn out from braking, and it didn't take much to crumple them?

I'm also not sure how this event could cause a brake cable to snap. Probably a coincidence.

This is the kind of thing that gives me pause when descending on an unfamiliar road, though.

mr_bill

Don't want you to get your hopes up on the yellow paint. It's just surveyor's marks for a natural gas line.

-mr. bill

trailangel

LA County.
Not Los Angeles, CA
Nice bike... maybe Masi is telling you it doesn't like those carbon aero rims and just wants regular alloy!

adablduya

right, good luck with that.
first, you'd have to prove negligence (of reasonable road repair) on the part of LA. next, you'd have to prove that it was the pothole that caused the damage to your wheels AND that there was no other damage existing on the wheels OR no visible wear-and-tear. remember, carbon is not bullet-proof.
you're toast on this one. get new wheels, be more aware of hazards in the road, and get wheels robust enough to use for daily commuting. good luck.

Leebo

Try bunnyhopping at speed.

rumrunn6

Wifey trashed two tires on her new car last month, cost her $500

Chris0516

You asked about filing a claim against the city, and winning.

Several years ago, I was riding on the sidewalk of an East-West six-lane arterial. When I crashed after hitting the previous concrete base of a traffic light. The city moved the pole, and the light. But not the concrete base. I called the city and told them I would go back to the location where it happened to take pics of the problem, then send them to the city. I went back to the location, and took several pictures. I sent the pictures, along with a picture of my bikes' damage, and a copy of the bike repair bill to the city. They reimbursed me 100%.

Pilot321

I live in Pennsylvania, the home of the highest gasoline tax in the country, which was promoted to FIX the roads, but we continue to have the worst roads in the country. Yes, those potholes are nothing. That doesn't mean they can't cause a road bike problems. As someone else said, focus your eyes on the path YOU WANT, not what you want to avoid.

nervgs

I'm tempted to go out and measure the depth of it, but that means putting myself in the way of automotive and cyclist traffic. After taking the picture of it, I thought it was a pretty dumb move because if someone was descending that road I'd be in their way - not very safe or cool.

Regarding the brake cable, I'm not sure either, maybe when the brake track got crushed it did something to the caliper arms? I have NO CLUE. All I know is I had no rear brake to stop with when I was pulling over (the video confirms this as I'm pulling on the lever and it goes all the way back), and if you thought stopping with two Delta calipers is hard enough, try one on a -2% grade.

Trust me, I have a video and I want to post it to show you all, but also don't want to ruin any claim stuff. I'll post it after I'm done.

-glenn

nervgs

Ha, they weren't on it.

The pictured Gran Crit did have tubs mounted though. That was a rough day.

-glenn

nervgs

The Santa Monica Mountains aren't far from me, but I honestly don't take advantage of them - I ride in the Hollywood Hills a little too much since I'm closer.

Thanks. The road has never been bad to me east or west except for this incident. I've had more close calls from cars entering and exiting the Commons. If you remember how it is, it's going west after riding over 101 and passing the school/signal going downhill.

-glenn

Chinghis

Haha, OK, you win!

trailangel

What I mean.... identify the gov that is responsible. File a claim at the appropriate office. It will automatically be denied, then go through appeals process. More chance of collecting with permanent bodily injuries.

63rickert

That looks like what I ride through daily in order to avoid the big potholes. I ride stuff so much worse than that all the time on 60 year old Fiamme Reds. If those minor blemishes in the pavement can ruin your whole day - and trash your bike - it's rider error. All my bikes can and do swallow worse than that at speed all the time. The oldest bike here in regular use was built in May of 1950 and slams straight through little road blems without a care or a worry. If you require perfection 100% of the time in order to operate a bike-------

ColonelSanders

Wouldn't it more likely be a case of people riding bikes/have wheels, that in their design, have prioritised lightness over ruggedness?

63rickert

My wheels are lighter than OPs wheels. Race bikes are capable bikes. It happens routinely in group riding that rough pavement just like what is shown in photos gets hit and most in the group have no possibility of seeing what is coming. And no one has a problem. Purely a matter of rider technique.

dedhed

Getting the City to Pay for Damages : LAPotholes

dedhed

Not quite surveyor's, but utility locate marks.
Given their proximity to the pavement deficiency, it "may" be an indicator that repairs (or other work) were already planned at the time of the incident.

You should be able to (don't know about CA) call the locate agency, give the location, and get any recent "locate tickets" for that location giving a basic idea of who requested the locate and what work they had planned.

Call811 |