Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Fifty Plus (50+)
Reload this Page >

Bike Riding During an Earthquake

Notices
Fifty Plus (50+) Share the victories, challenges, successes and special concerns of bicyclists 50 and older. Especially useful for those entering or reentering bicycling.

Bike Riding During an Earthquake

Old 08-09-20, 11:08 AM
  #1  
jppe
Let's do a Century
Thread Starter
 
jppe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 8,316

Bikes: Cervelo R3 Disc, Pinarello Prince/Campy SR; Cervelo R3/Sram Red; Trek 5900/Duraace, Lynskey GR260 Ultegra

Mentioned: 59 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 651 Post(s)
Liked 879 Times in 408 Posts
Bike Riding During an Earthquake

NC experienced a fairly significant earthquake this morning. I was just a couple miles into a ride and never really noticed it. I think I was riding on a fairly smooth road but if I hadn’t gotten a lot of texts from my family I’d wouldn’t have known. We live about 100 miles from where it occurred and folks here really noticed it.

Has anyone ever noticed one while riding?



https://abc11.com/weather/51-magnitu...al-nc/6362392/
__________________
Ride your Ride!!

Last edited by jppe; 08-09-20 at 07:10 PM.
jppe is offline  
Old 08-09-20, 05:58 PM
  #2  
Carbonated
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 111
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 55 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
I felt it...

It happened before my ride but here in Raleigh -I was the only one among several neighbors who felt it. Some were walking and didn't feel it.
I was on the second floor just getting out of bed when I felt a gentle shake that lasted for a few seconds.
But a friend 8 miles south had a water pipe burst in his house and has significant damage! I don't think his insurance will cover it.
I would imagine earthquake insurance in this part of the country is relatively cheap - might not be a bad idea. Hard to believe only 15% carry it in CA!
Carbonated is offline  
Old 08-09-20, 06:14 PM
  #3  
Tony Marley
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Houston area
Posts: 549

Bikes: Catrike 700; Bike Friday Llama single; Bike Friday Tandem Tuesday; Easy Racers Ti-Rush recumbent; Catrike Expedition; Rans Seavo tandem

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Liked 43 Times in 29 Posts
I grew up in southern California and apparently rode during several minor earthquakes, but never noticed them.
Tony Marley is offline  
Old 08-09-20, 06:17 PM
  #4  
big john
Senior Member
 
big john's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: In the foothills of Los Angeles County
Posts: 25,107
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8191 Post(s)
Liked 8,851 Times in 4,396 Posts
Never noticed one while riding but big quakes are pretty rare. If a bigger one, like a 6.5 or so, were to happen you wouldn't be able to ride. My father was shaving in 1971 and the big quake threw him off of his feet. He tried to grab the toilet to keep from being tossed into the glass shower and ripped the seat off the toilet. I was in bed sailing around my room. I couldn't have stood up.
big john is offline  
Old 08-09-20, 06:25 PM
  #5  
jimincalif
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Meridian, ID
Posts: 2,331

Bikes: '96 Trek 850, '08 Specialized Roubaix Comp, '18 Niner RLT RDO

Mentioned: 56 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 569 Post(s)
Liked 123 Times in 83 Posts
July 4 2019 I was riding on Glendora Ridge Road approaching Mt Baldy Village when the magnitude 6.4 Ridgecrest quake occurred. I think about 100 miles as the crow flies. I did not notice it at all on the bike, but my wife said it was a pretty good shake at our house, about 135 miles from the epicenter.

BTW, I do have quake insurance here, but given that it is all through the California Earthquake Authority created and run by the state, I’m not that confident it will be able to pay all the claims when the big one hits. I seriously consider dropping it each year. I’ve lived in SoCal my entire 62 years, we’ve had a lot of quakes, but other than crooked pictures and a few minor items that fell over, never had any damage. The deductible is 15% of the home value, so there must be a lot of damage before insurance kicks in.
jimincalif is offline  
Old 08-09-20, 06:29 PM
  #6  
caloso
Senior Member
 
caloso's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur

Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times in 1,417 Posts
100 miles from a 5.1? I’m not surprised that you didn’t feel it.
caloso is offline  
Old 08-09-20, 07:33 PM
  #7  
DrIsotope
Non omnino gravis
 
DrIsotope's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: SoCal, USA!
Posts: 8,553

Bikes: Nekobasu, Pandicorn, Lakitu

Mentioned: 119 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4905 Post(s)
Liked 1,731 Times in 958 Posts
A Californian wouldn't feel a 5.1 unless the epicenter was directly under their feet. I've slept through sixes. The fun starts at 7.0.
__________________
DrIsotope is offline  
Likes For DrIsotope:
Old 08-09-20, 08:13 PM
  #8  
jimincalif
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Meridian, ID
Posts: 2,331

Bikes: '96 Trek 850, '08 Specialized Roubaix Comp, '18 Niner RLT RDO

Mentioned: 56 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 569 Post(s)
Liked 123 Times in 83 Posts
Originally Posted by DrIsotope
A Californian wouldn't feel a 5.1 unless the epicenter was directly under their feet. I've slept through sixes. The fun starts at 7.0.
Well, sorta. Distance is the key. I was in my office maybe 30+years ago, almost right on top of a 4.5. It was the most violent shaking I ever felt in a quake. Once you get some distance it’s mostly rolling. Except Sylmar ‘71, that was shaking, even all the way out in Riverside.
jimincalif is offline  
Old 08-09-20, 08:18 PM
  #9  
DrIsotope
Non omnino gravis
 
DrIsotope's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: SoCal, USA!
Posts: 8,553

Bikes: Nekobasu, Pandicorn, Lakitu

Mentioned: 119 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4905 Post(s)
Liked 1,731 Times in 958 Posts
Landers '92 felt like a Bigfoot snuck into the house, grabbed the foot of the bed, and tried to throw the bed through the ceiling. That was about 35 miles as the crow flies.
__________________
DrIsotope is offline  
Old 08-10-20, 06:25 AM
  #10  
CAT7RDR
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Hacienda Hgts
Posts: 2,083

Bikes: 1999 Schwinn Peloton Ultegra 10, Kestrel RT-1000 Ultegra, Trek Marlin 6 Deore 29'er

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 811 Post(s)
Liked 1,946 Times in 936 Posts
I was driving into my work parking lot in the City of Industry when the 1994 Northridge 6.7 quake hit. At first I thought I had flat tires until I looked at the SCE towers and saw the flashing, swinging cables and arching. I imagine that if you are near a major quake on a bike, you better have a full suspension or you are being tossed.
CAT7RDR is offline  
Old 08-10-20, 07:32 AM
  #11  
skidder
Pennylane Splitter
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 1,873

Bikes: Yes

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1751 Post(s)
Liked 1,422 Times in 973 Posts
Originally Posted by DrIsotope
Landers '92 felt like a Bigfoot snuck into the house, grabbed the foot of the bed, and tried to throw the bed through the ceiling. That was about 35 miles as the crow flies.
Northridge quake: I had just sold and moved out of a condo into an apartment and was about 70 miles away . About 4AM the place shook a little, but stopped, so didn't think anything of it. Got up about an hour later thinking it was just a normal day, turned on the TV and !holy crap! look at all the damage in the San Fernando Valley!

Landers 7.2 quake: Happened early on a Sunday morning in 1992. I was spending the night camping on top of Mt. San Gorgonio (about 25 miles away from the epicenter as the crow flies) and the place shook violently at about 4AM. Two other guys in a neighboring tent let out a loud 'WTF?' we all popped out of our tents and just stood there in the morning darkness waiting for something else to happen, but nothing did. About 1.5 hours later another quake (6.5) happened over near Big Bear Lake. Craziest thing was looking down the sides of the mountain in all directions you could see a lot (and I mean A LOT!) of dust kicked up from all the small landslides that occurred on the slopes. No damage when we got back down the mountain later on that day.
skidder is offline  
Old 08-10-20, 09:51 AM
  #12  
Altair 4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Along the Rivers of Pittsburgh
Posts: 1,255

Bikes: 2011 Novara Forza Hybrid, 2005 Trek 820, 1989 Cannondale SR500 Black Lightning, 1975 Mundo Cycles Caloi Racer

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 291 Times in 157 Posts
I was living in West Chester PA in the early 1980's and there was a reported earthquake that I think was centered in Delaware. Didn't so much feel it as heard it. I lived in an apartment complex that had a speed bump right outside my place. I heard a noise sort of like a large, heavy truck going too fast over the bump. I looked but there were no vehicles outside. When I heard the news that evening, it was all abuzz about the earthquake and the timing matched exactly.
Altair 4 is offline  
Old 08-10-20, 09:56 AM
  #13  
Wildwood 
Veteran, Pacifist
 
Wildwood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 13,305

Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?

Mentioned: 284 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3876 Post(s)
Liked 4,781 Times in 2,206 Posts
A 20 year veteran of coastal central California, i've ridden thru many. Never felt any, but on one ride I wondered why the suspended street lights were swinging on a windless day. It was 6point something.


Our (relatively new) house was about 1/2 mile from Loma Prieta, think 1989 Giants/As World Series, no structural damage in a 7.2 - 7.4 rumbler
__________________
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Wildwood is offline  
Likes For Wildwood:
Old 08-10-20, 10:48 AM
  #14  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,059
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 15,299 Times in 7,231 Posts
A friend of mine lives in Greesnboro, N.C. She texted me about the earthquake. Said it was a 5.1.
indyfabz is offline  
Old 08-10-20, 10:59 AM
  #15  
caloso
Senior Member
 
caloso's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur

Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times in 1,417 Posts
Originally Posted by Wildwood
A 20 year veteran of coastal central California, i've ridden thru many. Never felt any, but on one ride I wondered why the suspended street lights were swinging on a windless day. It was 6point something.


Our (relatively new) house was about 1/2 mile from Loma Prieta, think 1989 Giants/As World Series, no structural damage in a 7.2 - 7.4 rumbler
I was in the upper deck of Candlestick. We definitely felt it. For a moment, I thought we might get tossed down into the lower deck. Then I thought there was a possibility that the lights might come down on top of us, so that was fun.
caloso is offline  
Old 08-10-20, 11:04 AM
  #16  
berner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bristol, R. I.
Posts: 4,340

Bikes: Specialized Secteur, old Peugeot

Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 663 Post(s)
Liked 496 Times in 299 Posts
Originally Posted by Tony Marley
I grew up in southern California and apparently rode during several minor earthquakes, but never noticed them.
What tires do you use that laugh at earth quakes.
berner is offline  
Old 08-10-20, 12:44 PM
  #17  
OldsCOOL
Senior Member
 
OldsCOOL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317

Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times in 313 Posts
Originally Posted by Wildwood
A 20 year veteran of coastal central California, i've ridden thru many. Never felt any, but on one ride I wondered why the suspended street lights were swinging on a windless day. It was 6point something.

Is that because of the minimal contact patch with bikes? Or the rider not being able to feel the vibration in the handlebar?

I’m thinking the Cannondale Criterium guys would feel that.
OldsCOOL is offline  
Old 08-11-20, 08:09 AM
  #18  
Altair 4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Along the Rivers of Pittsburgh
Posts: 1,255

Bikes: 2011 Novara Forza Hybrid, 2005 Trek 820, 1989 Cannondale SR500 Black Lightning, 1975 Mundo Cycles Caloi Racer

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 291 Times in 157 Posts
Originally Posted by OldsCOOL
I’m thinking the Cannondale Criterium guys would feel that.
I'd guess you are correct. I swear if you run over a dime on my Black Lightning, you can tell whether it was heads or tails. It's laterally stiff, vertically stiff, just stiff all over.
Altair 4 is offline  
Likes For Altair 4:
Old 08-11-20, 09:48 AM
  #19  
OldsCOOL
Senior Member
 
OldsCOOL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: northern michigan
Posts: 13,317

Bikes: '77 Colnago Super, '76 Fuji The Finest, '88 Cannondale Criterium, '86 Trek 760, '87 Miyata 712

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times in 313 Posts
Originally Posted by Altair 4
I'd guess you are correct. I swear if you run over a dime on my Black Lightning, you can tell whether it was heads or tails. It's laterally stiff, vertically stiff, just stiff all over.
I have that very frame and nothing feels better riding on smooth fresh black asphalt....and nothing feels worse when you aren’t.
OldsCOOL is offline  
Likes For OldsCOOL:
Old 08-11-20, 10:12 AM
  #20  
Altair 4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Along the Rivers of Pittsburgh
Posts: 1,255

Bikes: 2011 Novara Forza Hybrid, 2005 Trek 820, 1989 Cannondale SR500 Black Lightning, 1975 Mundo Cycles Caloi Racer

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 291 Times in 157 Posts
Originally Posted by OldsCOOL
I have that very frame and nothing feels better riding on smooth fresh black asphalt....and nothing feels worse when you aren’t.
Well stated. Black top like you describe is rare as hen's teeth in my neck of the woods. Some years ago, one of our river trails was newly paved. I was excited hearing about it and took the BL out for a ride. It was the worst ever! Instead of being "top coat" smooth, they used as a rough aggregate mix. I simply gave up after a couple of miles for fear of losing my dental fillings.
Altair 4 is offline  
Likes For Altair 4:
Old 08-11-20, 11:19 AM
  #21  
rydabent
Banned
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lincoln Ne
Posts: 9,924

Bikes: RANS Stratus TerraTrike Tour II

Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3352 Post(s)
Liked 1,054 Times in 634 Posts
I was in the Navy around 1960 at Moffett Field in Ca. I was giving a hop in our flight simulator when it started to shake. The pilots remarked that the simulator really felt like they were flying. I ran out and the Chief and first class were trying to keep the simulator computer cabinets from tipping over.
rydabent is offline  
Old 08-14-20, 07:51 PM
  #22  
KJK
Junior Member
 
KJK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 101

Bikes: 2022 Trek Domane SLR 7, 2017 Ridley Fenix SL Disc, 1982 Bianchi Super Leggera

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Liked 14 Times in 10 Posts
Everytime I would visit LA for work, the whole time I'm driving, when I go under a bridge I think, don't have an earthquake! And Every time I go over a bridge, I think, don't have an earthquake!
KJK is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.