This is on-topic. Aside from being a Riv fanatic, I also love old steel racing bikes. Over the past three months, I rebuilt a 1972 (i.e. pre-lawyer lips) Peugeot PX-10, using all original equipment (Simplex transmission, Mafac brakes, Campy hubs, Brooks Swift, etc.) and took it out for its maiden voyage two days ago. On my way back from the 40-mile jaunt, I approached a slight curb and jerked the front wheel up a bit to clear it. My next memories are a flash of me going over the handlebars and hitting the pavement, then being surrounded by concerned runners (I was on the Mount Vernon bike and running trail in Alexandria, Virginia) tut-tutting at my broken bike and bleeding knees, shoulder, and face. Fortunately, I was able to walk the bike about three miles to the nearest bike shop and called my wife to come pick me up. Looking at the bike and my injuries later that evening, I believe what happened was this: the old Campy quick release skewer on my front wheel got loose and, by jerking the bike up at the curb, I pulled the wheel out of the left fork, causing the wheel to pop off, digging my now wheel-less fork into the pavement, and flipping me for a 180. I hit on my knees and hands (fortunately protected by riding gloves), and my head (fortunately protected by a now-gashed helmet). I will eventually heal (assuming that my wrist is not actually broken, but only banged up, and that the slight headache I've had since will eventually dissipate), but the right tine of my fork is permanently bent at about a 15 degree angle. Otherwise, thank God, my bike is almost unscathed (except for the Brooks, which was deeply scored and which led me to conclude that I flipped the bike over completely during the crash). Although we often grouse about lawyer lips and helmets, this accident wouldn't have happened on my Hunq or Bleriot, graced as they both are with those annoying lips demanded by liability lawyers to prevent incidents like this. Also, if I hadn't been wearing my helmet, it's likely that I would have had a full-blown concussion, not to mention a deep road rash on my head to match the relatively light stuff on my face. Lesson learned. In the meantime, does anyone out there have a spare white fork for a 56cm PX-10? Kevin
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