[James Romeyn]

Bikers may know that an "edge trap" is a groove or uneven portion of pavement (a tram or train track can be an edge trap) aligned parallel w/ one's path of travel.  It's advised to avoid edge traps & if they must be crossed, to cross them at right angles whenever possible.  Steering a two-wheeled vehicle is only possible when the front wheel can be turned, which results in the bike leaning in toward the direction of the turn (not getting into counter-steering here).  The edge trap prohibits turning because it locks the wheel parallel to the trap.  While the rider is locked in such a trap, ANY shift of weight or pressure on the handlebars that would otherwise produce a minor or major change of the bike's direction will result in an almost immediate crash.  End of lecture.

Question ONLY for those who have experienced the effects of being locked in an edge trap: Is it possible to be locked in an edge trap at approximately 21 mph for 2-3 seconds & NOT crash?  1mph = 5280'/3600sec = 1.46666 ft per sec x 21 (mph) x 2.5 seconds = 76.99 ft traveled in the above drama. 

As someone w/ about 300k miles on motorized bikes & several thousand miles on bicyles, I vote, flatly, no.  In my experience going over 2 or 3 ft would be virtually impossible w/o crashing.

Of course, if the edge trap is shallow enough that some steering is allowed, it may be possible.  This would be experienced as the vehicle jumping in & out of the edge trap, alternately being steered & being locked.     

   

[Daygloworange]

Yes, it's possible. As a long time motocrosser, I can recount many times encountering deep ruts (sometimes 6 or 7" deep) hard packed like they are made of concrete. They are wicked dangerous, and it's pretty much a "hope for the best" scenario. Even cutting across them on a diagonal is no guarantee. Safest is obviously somewhere between diagonal, and perpendicular.

Sometime's you can jimmy your way out of them safely, sometimes it causes as crash. Sometimes riding it out can be done safely, sometimes riding it out results in a crash.

It's a crapshoot. I not aware of any technique that works to save yourself. To me it's similar to the death wobble that streetbike riders experience. Way scary.

Cheers

[AB]

It is possible but you need first to give up any hope and belief that you can get out of the rut or the groove.
Then you must go with the rut, stay in the rut, the center of it if possible.

Body english is the key. By moving your center of gravity from side to side you can keep the bike in the rut until you either bleed off enough speed and stop or the rut offers an exit.

Forcing anything once you are in the groove will lead to trouble. It's all very Zen.

[Folsom]

If you turn sharp enough when you start to go into it you can pop out of it as long as you did not go too deep into it. There is a STUPID bridge on a bike/ped path around here that has wood beams that go straight across and on a road bike you can seat your tires and wheels in pretty easy. I almost got caught but I turned real quick and it pushed me up out of it so I road diagonal across it. Granted there are deeper and wider ones that can trap you even more, but that is my experience.

Bunny hop out?

The best way to slow down and not crash if you are stuck is to not look directly in front of you with your front wheel in view, look ahead a little ways and you will be more stable. This is what you do when you ride single track with a mountain bike, or you crash.

[James Romeyn]

Check my edited math above & correct if necessary.  If I finally got the math correct: Does anyone still think you could ride 77 feet at 21 mph w/o high-siding with your wheels LOCKED in an edge trap?  I want to SEE that...........in slow-mo!

[fajimr]

there are so many variables here:  how wide is the 'trap' (although I've never heard the term in my 20 odd years of cycling, much of which was in competition), how sharp the lip, the material (asphalt, loose dirt, hard dirt), how fast you are travelling, size of tires, skill, etc...

I've gotten out of them- both on the road and mountain a few times, probably by sheer luck than anything else.  Leaning is a reflex for turning a bicycle and definitely plays to your disadvantage (especially if the rut is narrow) because once the side of your tire makes contact with the inside edge of the trap- you're a goner.  I would advocate either trying to: 1) ride it out (especially if you are going fast) and relax, 2) slowing down, or 3) turning sharp to get out un-weighting the bike and praying at the same time....

but then again, I've went down pretty hard on a few occasions being caught in a rut (mainly because I tensed up)- luckily only on dirt.  I've also seen guys do down on the road, trying to cross railroad tracks (even at a right angle)..

best advice- avoid them... always keep your eyes focused on the trail ahead, not much you can do once you are in the trap so there is no reason really to look directly in front of you (unless you are following someone's wheel)

happy trails
jim

[fajimr]

Does anyone still think you could ride 77 feet at 21 mph w/o high-siding with your wheels LOCKED in an edge trap?

try it on the street following the divider line... ride on the line for 3 seconds- it's easy.  not so when you are freaking out, thinking how much it is going to hurt when you crash

jim

[Daygloworange]

Jim,

At that speed, you'd scrub off a lot of speed in quite a short distance.

Cheers

[fajimr]

Jim,

At that speed, you'd scrub off a lot of speed in quite a short distance.

Cheers

DGO

I don't follow this?  why would this be- unless you are hitting the side of the rut with your tires there is nothing really to slow you down.  or maybe I didn't understand the situation in the first place 

jim

[Daygloworange]

Ya, I'm thinking along the lines of a deep rut. Obviously, the deeper the rut, the more speed you scrub off. But even in a shallow rut, 70+ feet is a long way to travel at 21mph.

Cheers