Ouch! 'Ring rash!

Ahh, wonderful chainring rash!

As you can see, I still have scars from a similar run-in with the chainring of my first commuter bike, the cheapo Wal-Mart NEXT DS-26. The new scrapes came from my haul-ass bike ride to meet an earlier bus near the last downtown stop instead of simply waiting at a nearby bus stop before riding it all over town. I was zipping down Broadway Blvd going at least 30 MPH when a light changed to yellow. I probably could have made my nose into the intersection before the light went red, but didn't want to chance it. I hit the brakes hard. Aided by a lot of speed, my squishy front suspension, and a pretty steep downhill grade, I did a mild (albeit unintentional) stoppie that probably lasted some 4-5 seconds. Since the stoppie was under control, I went ahead and rode it out rather than letting my rear wheel fall and trying to brake again properly. Unfortunately, when I landed, my right foot hit the ground first, and then the chainring hit the back of my leg.

Going full-out down Broadway totally drained me. I took it pretty easy from the bus back home.

In case you wonder how it happened last time, I was riding my bike down a long, shallow grade of steps and lost my footing.