Iride01 

We have that too. However thankfully in my case, the routes I ride are thankfully some of the better maintained or the road just doesn't seem to get potholes.

79pmooney

And - have a good grip on the handlebars. Hands slipping off rarely works out well. The old, cursed vertical brake cables emerging from the early brake levers saved many from bad crashes. Nobody ever talked about that rude awakening as that cable rammed our hand between thumb and index but we all did it once and knew our butt had just been saved.

In pothole country, I ride the drops a lot.

Iride01 

I did note that when I changed back to 38cm wide drops from the 42cm wide drops I'd been riding for about 4 years, that I was able to dodge pot holes and other road hazards seen at the last moment better. Though that's not the reason I went back to 38cm wide drops.

bikeman68

That is one of the hazards or obstacles, so ride vigilantly at all times, and avoid riding at night! If you truly want to ride, you must accept there are risks, but with smart riding you can beat these odds. Always use a helmet and all gear to give yourself the best chance for survival without bad injuries . Keep God in your life with much prayer and dedication, and you'll be blessed.

Eyes Roll

In my childhood, I used to carefully guide the thread through a needle's eye, and stitch clothing for fun. Today, I carefully navigate the bike through debris, stones, pointed objects, and potholes, for fun as well.

Never have I been more attentive and vigilant to the streets I am traveling on. Never has my focus and concentration been so high.

rydabent

Most cities, and I know mine should have signs when entering the city that say -----remove dentures and tighten bra straps, rough road ahead!!!

ScottCommutes

Another tip, also in the obvious category - don't ride through puddles that can hide potholes.

79pmooney

And, hit that pothole with a good, solid grip on the handlebars. Firm with the hands but not with locked or rigid arms. And because we do not always plan our pothole hits, this means doing the majority of our riding with that good grip. I had this drilled into my brain in my early racing days by the club vets. Because 1) that made their rides safer since I would be less likely to take them out and 2) crashes often negatively affect training and conditioning, often costing the rider the most important objectives of the season.

So, I was told to do some now unpopular things. Especially - ride the drops in all iffy situations; that it was far better to hit that unseen pothole and come out still riding and physically unhurt if our hands stayed on the bars and in positions where even if our grip wasn't enough; we still had bars in the crotch of our thumb-fore finger. (Modern brake levers; our hands can slip off completely unless the levers are mounted far back and near vertical. In the old days, levers weren't very comfortable and if we hit that pothole, we jammed that crotch on the brake cable. Rude awakening but our hands stayed on! And we all did that at least once.)

In the '90s and '00s I read how the modern thought (by some rather famous big names) was that you rode the brifter hoods with relaxed grip to maximize blood flow to the legs. My former coaches were probably reading that and cringing.

blacknbluebikes 

32 minutes of discussion on potholes and bikes? That's even better than a Larry thread.

mr_bill

In the land of Boston potholes, I have yet to grab the front brakes.

So your useful advice is more or less, really?

Get off your saddle if you can is the only, only, only, useful advice.

-mr. bill

FBinNY 

Gee, is this where I say, "in the land of NYC potholes, I've yet to ride through one seated".

So, by your standards, your triple "only" advice is no better than mine.

The reality is that we both endeavor to advise less experienced bicyclists, knowing that those who don't need our help will ignore it.

Chuck M 

I don't know about Boston or NYC, but Oklahoma potholes are as bad as anywhere. And in the little armpit of Kansas I grew up in, I was fortunate to learn about potholes at a young age on a heavy, balloon tired bike before I bruised easily and healed slow.

The ironic thing is where I ride my bike, I don't have a lot of problems with potholes. But my drive to work in the morning this time of year requires memorizing where the potholes are.

Korina

It's 32 minutes of discussion of the forces involved in hitting a pothole; how much force does it take to knock a bike rider over? How deep is that? The point is to give city governments solid data to base their repair policies on rather than "oh cars can handle that, no problem".

FBinNY 

I didn't read the complete study because it's of limited interest to me.

However, while the data may be useful, it still leaves a lot to subjective judgement because there are so many variables.

Do we design for the least skilled rider on the least stable bike, or seek a reasonable(?) cost benefit balance?

What speed do we assume for folks on bikes? How about E-bikes?

What is the wheel size mix?

These are important judgements that go beyond the physics of bikes and potholes. Critically important now with increasing numbers of small wheel (16-20") E-bikes in use.

Lastly, we need to make a value judgement about how much skill we want to expect of cyclists, who are rationally mist responsible for their own safety.

ericoseveins

I think it's great that someone is exploring this. Potholes are made by motor vehicles and the depth and size are commensurate with the pressure of a multi-ton vehicle over a contact area of something like 15-25 square inches. We all know that the hazards to a cyclist are very different from those experienced by a motor vehicle, yet there's little motivation in many cities to repair potholes until they pose a larger danger to motor vehicles.

axelwik

Broke a Campy Record axle many years ago hitting a pothole in southeastern Turkey. No flat or bent rim - just a broken axle.

FBinNY 

That's because Turkish potholes are different than the ones here.

axelwik

Yeah, those NY potholes are bottomless - probably wouldn't have survived!

Lucillle

I recently read a post elsewhere about a cyclist who biked into a water covered street, hit a pothole, damaged himself and the bike, and wanted to sue. Others were telling him that he should not have attempted cycling on a flooded street.

FBinNY 

Being an all season cyclist in NYC had its unique challenges. Water filled potholes were my number one cause of dented rims.

work4bike

Turn Around, Don't Drown

work4bike

We're lucky in Florida, don't see many potholes, but we do have a fair number of sinkholes

rumrunn6

hopefully not teeth

rumrunn6

can help but remind myself, night riding opens one up to road hazards, just like this

Calsun

The more common road hazard has been the grates (cast or using rebar) that can swallow a bike tire. Railroad track crossing are another hazard and often there is not enough room for bicyclist to cross safely at a 90 degree angle.

A universal problem is highway personnel filling potholes with dry patch and tamping it down. It lasts a week or two and then the hole is back again. I contacted my local official and he has placed a special hot patch machine in the county budget for the next fiscal year. He is doing it for the motorists but bicyclists will benefit as well.