Brake problem contributed to Wellington cyclist's death

The intersection where Nicole Sharp lost control of her road bike. Photo / Google Maps.

Bike retailers are being urged to make sure they properly fit a bike to their customer, to stop preventable deaths.

Nicole Alexandra Sharp, 27, was on an organised bike ride for novices in Wellington on September 20 2014.

As she came down a steep section of Brooklyn Road she appeared to lose control and pick up speed, eventually crashing into a wall trying to avoid traffic at the intersection with Webb St.

She suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash, and life support was eventually switched off.

On the day of the accident, fellow rider Greg Skelton was advising Sharp on riding techniques as the group cycled around the bays.

In evidence given to the Coroners Court at Wellington, he said that as they rode down Brooklyn Hill, he followed behind to coach her on cornering and speed.

While she started off slowly, Skelton said he became concerned about her speed, appearing panicky and wobbly as her bike pulled away from his.

A taxi then pulled between them, and made it harder for him to shout instructions to her.

He told the court the distance between them had increased to five car lengths by the time they got to the base of the hill.

He lost sight of her as she rounded the corner and heard a crash. When he came around the corner himself, he saw Sharp on the ground in the middle of the footpath.

In his just-released ruling on the death, Coroner Peter Ryan said there was no evidence that Sharp was a reckless rider.

"On the contrary, the impression gained is that she was a cautious and careful rider."

He said that certain parts of the fatal accident weren't preventable, such as the wet conditions.

However, Coroner Ryan pointed to evidence from the Police Serious Crash Unit, that Sharp's bike wasn't well suited to her.

The SCU analyst noted that Sharp had petite hands, and the brakes hadn't been adjusted to suit her.

There was also evidence that she preferred to ride with her hands on the 'hoods' section of the handlebar, rather than the curved 'drops' section.

Coroner Ryan said that should have been taken into account when she was sold the bike, and would have made it more difficult to apply the brakes in an emergency.

"The inference to be drawn from this report is that, when Nicole purchased the bike, it was not ideally set up to suit her stature and preferred riding position," the ruling said.

"It is unknown what Nicole said to the staff when she purchased the bike, nor what effort was made by staff to set the bike up personally for her.

"What is clear from the report is that Nicole would have had difficulty in using the brakes effectively as she descended Brooklyn Hill due to a number of factors: her preference to ride with her hands on the hoods, the positioning of the brake levers, and the size of her hands."

Coroner Ryan said there were no regulations governing what care needed to be taken by bike shops, but that there was responsibility with both the retailer and the purchaser.

He said that as bike retailers had more industry knowledge than novice riders, it was reasonable to expect the retailer would make sure the bike suited the physical needs of the customer.