Damage done to my bike by a pothole tonight - advice needed.
 

Literally less than half a mile from home tonight, and in the dark I hit a big pothole at 30. The bike jolted so much, it felt like I hit a curb as I was literally bounced upwards and forwards off the seat; and I also heard a loud "clang". I didn't drop the bike but stopped to see what I'd hit, and the hole was a really weird one - perfectly circular about 6 inches across at road surface, and like a tapering cone shape down to the centre which was about 4 - 5 inches deep. The road is a mish-mash of repairs and tarmac types, and the hole appeared to be in one of the newer repairs, as the tarmac was darker. Nearest I can tell there must have been an air pocket underneath, and the recent heatwave melted the tarmac to the point where it sunk down to fill the pocket, as the hole was exactly the same shape as water draining out of a sink. Because of the shape of the hole and the darkness of the tarmac, it never lit up in my headlights, so I didn't see it.

Anyway, my first concern was for my wheel, so I rode the bike home and checked it over, but couldn't see any immediate damage. I figured I'd leave it an hour and see if the tyre started to deflate. Went out about tennish and the tyre was fine, so decided to take the bike for a little low speed, local run to see how it was - I didn't wear gloves, and wore my MX helmet so I could feel and hear better. There is definitely a problem - at every small bump in the road I can hear a metallic noise and feel a small jerky movement through the bars - I've gone over the entire front end, and every parts seems solidly in place, but obviously it's dark so I'll get a better look tomorrow.

Obviously it's too dark to get pictures of the hole tonight, but I'm going up there first thing in the morning with a ruler to record it's width and depth, so I can try to claim off the council.

My first question is this - does anyone know what type of damage could have been caused to my bike?

The second is - Apart from the photos of the hole, what other evidence will I need to claim the cost of repairs from the council?

Cheers for helping, Matt.

e mail a picture to MCN i'm sure they would be intrested! i sent a pic of my belly pan today which had been shot to bits by a newly surfaced road of gravel glued to tar! £60 that colour match paint job cost me!
sorry back to your bike :oops: dont know much about front forks really?

Lord,
you want to come and ride around sheffield, all the roads are like that.
Some places you can count the decades by the patches on the road.

And I cannot believe that you have ridden your bike without gloves.

that is mental...

If you can't feel any pulsing in the brake, and your tire isn't loosing air, your likely ok

I bent my front wheel slightly in a pothole, I could only feel it at low speeds in the front brake

Go & take a picture of the pot-hole & take a picture of the damage to your bike & ring the council roads dept. on Monday morning... I'm sure you can put a claim in against them :!:

Re: Damage done to my bike by a pothole tonight - advice nee
 

I might be talking out of my ars........ sorry, hat, here, but if everything seems solid but you're getting something through the bars then could your head-bearings have been trashed?

This is definitely not B.A.S.A.T. compliant, just my musing to myself.

Either way - you might want to get your bike looked over and, if anything's wrong, get an estimate for the work and contact the County Council. Actually, contact the County Council anyway and they will want to know about the hole.

Claims against the Council are tricky. If the hole has been prviously reported then you are quids in. If this is the first report it may be more difficult.

Best of luck

Re: Damage done to my bike by a pothole tonight - advice nee
 

Also not B.A.S.A.T. approved, but I would tend to agree.

in your photos make sure you have a ruler, maybe the bike standing next to it, and a general view showing the location relative to buildings etc.

You may need to seek some advice, the council/highways dept will deny responsibility, whether that's right or wrong. They will work on the principle that few people will proceed with a case against them.

Make sure there are no cracks in the frame :shock:

i trashed a moped due to a large pot hole it was on a red route, so i had to complain to the highways agency i took pictures of the bike & the hole with my lid next to it. i got the price of my bike, clothing , lid & bus fares after lengthy talks (about 4 months) with the company responsible it takes time but u will get there.