Bike - advise following accident

[Hardy]

Hi again - I came off my bike at the weekend. Stupidly, I went over a kerb instead of waiting for a dropped kerb. On landing my front wheel came off. My brother in law put the wheel back on and rode it home no problem,
However, my confidence has been knocked a bit and now I am worried the front wheel will come off when start cycling again.
Basically - will it come off again? I will check it each time before I cycle but wandered if there is anything I should do/get bike checked?
Thanks for any help.

 

[Inka]

I’m surprised the wheel came off in the first place. Do you know what exactly happened eg did it unscrew itself, was something loose or broken?

I think for peace of mind I’d take it to a cycle shop and get them just to look it over. If the cycle shop is anything like my local one they’ll probably take a look for free. I found mine very helpful.

But it’s quite understandable it shook your confidence a bit. Maybe do gentle, shorter rides to build your confidence up again after the bike has been checked. No need to rush and push yourself if you’re still a little anxious 🙂

 

[Docb]

What bike is it? Can you post a picture?

I used to own a bike shop so may have something useful to say if I know what we are talking about. Alternatively take it to a proper bike shop (not Halfords) and ask them to check it over, as suggested by @Inka.

 

[Drummer]

My dad was a bike builder and in his retirement many of the local kids used to take their bikes to him to be fixed. After hitting curbs the classic consequence was bent forks - so you might be paying for a replacement set of front forks after getting a check done.
Dad's advice was always to stop, lift the bike over the curb and then set off again. I will be 70 years old next spring and have had many decades of trouble free riding.

 

[helli]

Do you have the option of attaching it to a bike trainer and regaining your confidence in the comfort and security of your own house?
You don't have to go full on Turbo trainer, there are some reasonably priced alternatives without the bells and whistles of automatically adjusting resistance.
My partner has one which he uses when the weather is not "fair" and I have jumped on a few times during the pandemic as an alternative to Spin classes.

 

[Hardy]

Thank you all for your replies 🙂
Its a "quick " release and obviously released quickly! The forks don't seem to be damaged.
The difficulty I have is that the bike is too big to fit into my car, even with the front wheel off, so I can't take it to a "local" shop. They are a bit too far way to cycle to. There is however a Halfords that is not far, only about a 20 minute ride. But I know that DocB and others have raised concern about Halfords quality.
I've attached some photos, DocB

 

[Docb]

OK, you have a basic hybrid with a quick release front wheel. In the pictures, the quick release is in the locked position which is as it should be to ride the bike.

I suspect that the wheel came out because the quick release had not been adjusted properly when the wheel had been replaced after the last time it had been removed. There is a bit of technique involved in refitting a quick release wheel which is hard to describe but easy to show and if you lived round the corner I would be only too happy to pop round and show you. Second best is to head for t'internet and look for a video showing you how to do it.

So, get googling and let me know how you get on. Properly fitted the wheel should not come out even on a basic bike like yours so once you have mastered the technique you should be able to get back on your bike with confidence.

 

[Hardy]

🙂 Thanks so much, DocB. I've had a look at a couple of videos and I'll check out the front wheel/release tomorrow

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about your bike accident @Hardy

Hope you get your confidence back and your bike is none the worse for the experience