NYC XYZ said:The only issue I could think of having with any body armor is the
much-increased heat during summertime.
Not just in summer. Armour is not typically very air-permeable so you'd
find it very sweaty any time other than bitter cold if you were doing
anything approaching work. It's only for using in places where comfort
is a total non-issue (i.e., downhill MTB).
Quoted message said:But wristguards, unless they
hamper handling, I'd thought of since the instinct of just about any
fall is to reach for the ground with one's hands.
Then wear them the whole time... that's a ridiculous suggestion, you
know they're not worth it, even though people break their wrists in
falls. Do you use them at the moment on other bikes? If not, why start
now? After all, you're closer to the ground to start with so there's
less energy to take.
By all means try them, but I'll practically guarantee you don't use them
for long. I'd save the money, unless you're going skating on rough
pavement or think you'll take up unicycling.
Quoted message said:Yeah, I know, and I feel the same way about helmets myself. But, heck,
if all these damned club rides are gonna insist on 'em, then why not go
whole-hog...
Because the "whole hog" is expensive (much more expensive than not
buying it), unnecessary and uncomfortable, and probably won't do you any
good.
Quoted message said:it'd suck if I had a helmet on but broke my arm instead!
First up, body armour is not proof against breaking an arm. What it
will tend to help with is punctures and lacerations, breaks are simply
energy that overloads the bones, and while you may well save broken ribs
with an armoured vest in a whole-body wipeout, if your arm tries to take
a load that's too much for it, it'll break even with armour.
Second up, that argument can be carried any distance. Are you wearing
protective glasses? If not, what if a bee hits you in the eye at 20
mph, or what if a stone thrown up from a car does the same. So you'll
need glasses. And what if you swallow a wasp? Best wear a facemask.
And you'll need some heavy boots as well. And so on, and so on. If
you're going to be paranoid, get a car.
Third up, the same arguments apply to walking. Cycling is comparably
dangerous to being a pedestrian in terms of serious injuries, so
anything you feel you should wear on a bike will apply to cycling. You
can break your arms or head on stairs, you probably use stairs quite
often, so are you wearing them there? Fact is that An Average Cyclist
negotiates the roads without any special protective equipment, just as
the average pedestrian does.
Quoted message said:And this body armor is surprisingly cheap (of course, it's just
plastic, too), so I was like, hmm, why not, could keep me warm in
winter too, besides...!
There's comfortably warm, with breathable clothes that let vapour from
sweat escape, and there's uncormfortably warm where it all gets a bit
sticky and smelly. Body armour will be the latter.
Quoted message said:The trike is typically wider, it seems, and even lower...if you know
NYC you'd see how impractical it is, unfortunately. It can be done,
but it can be done much more easily by bike, even with a 'bent!
But to ride a bike optimally safely on roads takes typically just as
much room as a trike, and if it's icy then it needs a lot /more/ room
than a trike, because you need enough space to fall off in. I prefer
bikes as they're more practical for me more of the time, but if the road
is icy a trike (held in addition to the bike) is a better answer.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
