Tim
Tell us how your broken ankle is doing after riding on it for 6 days with no pain killer drugs.
Wellll, I've got two fractures of the left tibia (shinbone) down where it connects to the ankle: one is a complete displaced fracture of the medial malleolus and a chunk of the tibia, and the other is a vertical fracture up into the tibia from where the tibia and talus (main anklebone) connect. So I've got to have surgery Monday, June 1st, to get a plate and screws put in to hold it all together so it will heal correctly.
Thank the good Lord that I was wearing my Alpinestar Corozal boots. They kept my ankle from being injured much worse. Plus, after wrapping my ankle with an ACE bandage, the Corozals stabilized my ankle well enough that I could continue the ride for 6 more days and then make it home. I took nothing but Alieve, aspirin, ibuprofen, and Tylenol. Kept rotating those to keep the pain in check.
Two things were major contributors to the spill that caused the fractures: first and foremost was that my gear was loaded too high on my bike causing the center of gravity (CG) to be too high. This caused the bike to be hard to control at low speeds, and when it did go over, it went fast and hard. Second, some of my gear is still too heavy and bulky. I made a great improvement over my first time out, but I've still got a ways to go.
I'm going to get some soft panniers so I can get my gear loaded much lower on the bike, thereby lowering the CG, making it easier and safer to handle the bike. And I need a lighter, less bulky sleeping bag. Also, a MUCH smaller tank bag that fits my Tenere better. And eliminate the tail trunk. And some other tweaks here and there.