Bad bunnies

16/08/24 20:19 Filed in: Riding

Lots of animals freeze when exposed to a headlight. I've had close encounters with deer and other large mammals on the road when my car headlights scared them into not moving.
But the Canberra rabbits are totally unpredictable. They might freeze. They might bolt. And if they run, it might be away from you or perhaps towards you. The other night on the bike path along the river I was riding along in the dark. Two rabbits ran straight at me and turned as I met them so as to hit my front wheel.
Bunny number one bounced off the spokes and kept running. I assume he is OK (I say he because these were both big rabbits - but maybe not?). My front wheel is a Campagnolo wheel with G3 spoke pattern. That means that the spokes run in parallel triplets from hub to rim with large gaps between the 3. The second rabbit followed the first but didn't bounce off of spokes. Instead the mudguard was pushed into the tyre and it crumpled up against the fork crown. And I ended up with rabbit fur everywhere on the bike. But zero blood. So the spokes didn't cut into the poor creature; merely abraded off clumps of fur which ended up stuck to my wheel, my fork, my downtube, my seat tube, my bottle cage, my shoes, my pannier and rack and even my rear mudguard. Like everywhere!

I had to stop. The front tyre didn't roll very well in this state. I was able to stretch the guard back out and while it was quite twisted, the wheel was free to spin. So I rode home. I removed the mudguard and using a pair of spanners, bent the metal pieces back into shape so that reinstalling the guard found it sitting almost in the correct location again. Yes it had a twist in it, and marks from where it acutely folded. Also, the tip that protrudes from the fork had a burn mark on it from the top touching the moving tyre tread under it - I don't know how that occurred.

I fear the second bunny ran off into the brush and died. Rabbits are quite fragile. This one had a heck of a fright. Someone I know with a pet rabbit lost the lovely bunny when a dog barked at it too aggressively, it died of fright. Maybe the river rabbits are made of sterner stuff than this pampered pet, but I haven't seen any bunnies with a big bald patch running around on the path in the ensuing days.

I will replace the mudguards with new ones now. The rear already had a lot of marks on it from mounting it quite differently on the first Checkpoint. And now that the front is disfigured, it is time for a fresh pair. These Bontrager mudguards have been the best ones I've ever had for durability. On my Cannondale I used to lose pieces of the mudguard regularly. The first to go was the small piece that sticks forwards of the fork crown. It would vibrate so badly that it shook itself free in about 6 months. I had numerous warranty replacements and eventually gave up. Sometimes the rear would also split in two where the brake bridge support piece hangs it up - I think that is a position that usually alters the arc of the unit (the slotted hole that connects it to the brake bridge is never long enough to get it where it needs to be). No issues with the Bonty mudguards after 4+ years of use. I even had some Esge fenders that rolled up around the bottom stay attachment point when a stick ran up the back of the front tyre and pulled the guard into the tyre.

I don't like the aesthetics of the "no cut stays" because there are 2 plastic blocks on each fender stay. They look awkward and unaero. But they sure are easy to adjust and like the name, you don't have to cut anything to make them fit.

Michael Hanslip Coaching

If you want to go faster, you have to pedal harder

Bad bunnies