H survey

In "]news:[email hidden],
Peter Storey <[email hidden]> expounded sagaciously:

Quoted message said:

I can't help noticing that, based on responses to this thread, compulsion (at least of the
domestic variety) does not seem to lead to a decrease in cycling. > Peter Storey

Peter, when your significant other can dictate your headgear, as can mine, increased cycling time is
almost inevitable. The freedom of the open road, etc.
--

Martin Bulmer

Pie Conservation Threat

"Zog The Undeniable" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dave Kahn said:

[email hidden] (Sam) wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I wear a helmet for competition where it's required. I also wear one on club runs as it's an
insurance requirement.

I'd find a new club, or get them to find a decent insurer!

I reckon that's what's going to swing it soon.... Insurance companies will insist you wear one or
invalidate your insurance.....of course, legislation will require cyclists to be insured in the
first place but...mark my words etcetc.... Dave.

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter Storey said:

I can't help noticing that, based on responses to this thread, compulsion (at least of the
domestic variety) does not seem to lead to a decrease in cycling. Maybe the Aussies are just
plain different (well, yes, but . . .)

It wouldn't stop me riding, but I (and I think most of the denizens of
u.r.c's regular posting core) probably don't represent A Typical UK Transport User (i.e., the
General Public, where getting about is

concerned).

Quoted message said:

Pete.
--

yeah but.... The typical UK TU, ain't interested anyway...much...Don't think helmets would make much
difference in their reasoning one way or t'other...much more likely to worry about the wet and cold,
cars, dangers - lack of luggage space, passenger room, ashtrays, stereos (sorry - ICE! ;-), loud
exhausts, trick lighting, ally wheels etcetc..... Dave.

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter Clinch said:

Plus, of course, general comfort is not exactly high on the agenda off road: a sweaty head
doesn't make a major difference if you're caked in cack from tip to toe and have a few minor
scrapes from incoming vegetation.

A few minor scrapes from incoming vegetation has included being hoiked backwards off my bike when
the end of a branch stuck in a vent on my

helmet.

Quoted message said:

Tony

yeah...if only you hadn't been wearing a helmet, eh ? ;-)

"Tony W" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"davek" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I wear a helmet. I was always under the impression it was a good idea. Having read a few of the
threads here and followed a few links, now I'm not so sure. I'm used to it now though and the
wife would probably give me grief if I stopped wearing it,

That sounds like the first good reason to wear one set out in this thread (or any of a squillion
other helmet threads).

Quoted message said:

so I'll probably continue.

Good choice. The earache for not doing so could prove fatal.

T

...but I bet it's been left out of the pro-compulsion lobby arguement..... "...and in addition to
saving one's life, it could also help prevent earache...." That'd do it for me ;-) Dave.

In "]news:[email hidden],
[Not Responding] <[email hidden]> expounded sagaciously:

Quoted message said:

On 2 Feb 2004 03:07:54 -0800, [email hidden] (Peter Storey) wrote:

Has anyone ever seen *any* provision for secure storage of

Quoted message said:

cycling ancilliaries (waterproofs, lights etc)?

I leave my helmet dangling on the handlebars. If anyone wants to nick it, they can. Would you?

Quoted message said:

Here's another Q. How do you clean the things and keep them hygenic?

I take the sponges out and squeeze them a bit in the bath, much as I do with my shorts, but
not as often.
--

Martin Bulmer

Pie Conservation Threat

In "]news:[email hidden],
AndyP <[email hidden]> expounded sagaciously:

Quoted message said:

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Ironically the BeHIT bill may have the reverse of their intended effect, in that by the end of
the process most MPs will be much more aware of the contrary evidence.

Or another possible outcome might be that they look at the evidence that cycle helmets as they are
aren't up to the job of protecting against serious impact and try and force people to wear
something more akin to a full face motorcycle helmet.

And seatbelts.
--

Martin Bulmer

Pie Conservation Threat

John Mallard said:

On the occasions that I am out on a ride at the week end or away on a tour I am more likely
to wear a helmet. Decending hills at 40+ on unknown surfaces seems to suggest it might be a
good idea.

Risk-compensation in action? ;-)

--
Daniel Auger

Please remove "_nospam" from address to reply.

Daniel Auger said:

John Mallard said:

On the occasions that I am out on a ride at the week end or away on a tour I am more likely
to wear a helmet. Decending hills at 40+ on unknown surfaces seems to suggest it might be a
good idea.

Risk-compensation in action? ;-)

no. risk compensation in an unconcious thing the above is concious choice to accpet higher risk
given higher protection

pk

AndyP said:

Don't you have coalmen who deliver around your way? The coalman who goes around where my parents
live is just about the last of the home deliveries.

My fuel merchant of choice does deliver if I ask him. But I simply prefer to do it myself as it's
good for me both physically and financially, and the environment's a little better off too, plus
I enjoy it. Same goes for most things locally: I collected my fridge by bike, anything much
bigger I'd borrow a car or van or have someone else deliver, but where I can I prefer the DIY
approach to cargo.

Quoted message said:

When I used to live there we had a milkman, a few general grocers, a chip van, a beer and soft
drinks van, a bread van, and butchers and fishmongers van that I can think of but the coalman is
the last of them.

I've certainly seen milk and fish delivered in the lane where I stay, and the local organic farms
collective deliver grocery boxes across the area. And of course, the Tesco delivery vans are
frequently seen all across town.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

AndyP said:

Don't you have coalmen who deliver around your way? The coalman who

goes

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

around where my parents live is just about the last of the home

deliveries.

Quoted message said:

My fuel merchant of choice does deliver if I ask him. But I simply prefer to do it myself as it's
good for me both physically and financially, and the environment's a little better off too

Because you don't need the heating on for the rest of the day when you've been riding a bike loaded
with coal?

"Sam" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm always heartened by the vigorous defense put up by the anti-compulsion lobby whenever the
subject comes up, but long ago I noticed that 9 times out of 10 they say they wear helmets

themselves.

Quoted message said:

Don't get me wrong - I'm not claiming anyone is a hypocrite here. Obviously a personal decision
has nothing to do with making a stand

on

Quoted message said:

principle. This is simply a lead-in to a small survey, if anyone is interested in replying: What
is it that decided you in favour of wearing a helmet yourself?

Sorry, I can't answer. I don't wear one. A couple of decades ago I was on the board of the
Washington Area Bicyclist Assoc' in Washington DC, at the same time as the guy who founded the
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, but he didn't convince me.

As a matter of fact, now that the helmet taliban seem to be harassing the whole world with their
Munchausen by proxy syndrome, I think it's getting more and more important not to wear one

Jeremy Parker

Carol Hague said:

Ian Smith said:

Carol Hague said:

As a rider of a recumbent trike, I feel that in most circumstances which would cause me to
part company with my vehicle such that I hit my head, what I was wearing on said head at the
time would likely be the least of my worries....

Evidently, you should be doing more hand-brake turns.

I *could* flip my trike of course, but I'd have to work pretty hard at it or be doing something
pretty silly. Or be assisted in doing so by another vehicle, in which case my original
statement holds.

I can imagine scenarios where one could flip without doing something too daft. I don't actually know
how fast Carol rides, but given that some success in hpv racing is involved (I think I remember that
right) I imagine it may not be quite so slow as it is presented, and the trike would presumably be
not monstrously wide.

I imagine riding at moderate speed (perhaps downhill) into a bend where ice has formed could result
in travelling sideways at similar speed to that previously travelling forwards. If you strike the
kerb while going sideways I think you'd flip (that's more-or-less what I did, though I deliberately
put myself sideways and then hit a pot-hole rather than a kerb).

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

vernon levy said:

I won't be wearing a helmet at all for exactly the same reason when I start commuting in
the spring

Mine has a nice reflective bit at the back, which adds to the visibility at this time of year. As
for comfort, its unnoticable to wear over a wooly hat.

It gives reasonable benefit for little extra effort, so I wear it pretty well every journey, but its
not a problem if I forget it.

- Richard

--
_/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ Richard dot Corfield at ntlworld dot com _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/ _/ Time is a
one way street, _/ _/ _/_/ _/_/_/ Except in the Twighlight Zone.

Richard Corfield said:

As for comfort, its unnoticable to wear over a wooly hat.

Which, the makers will tell you, stops it working :-)

Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

Martin Bulmer said:

In "]news:[email hidden], [Not Responding]
<[email hidden]> expounded sagaciously:

Quoted message said:

On 2 Feb 2004 03:07:54 -0800, [email hidden] (Peter Storey) wrote:

Has anyone ever seen *any* provision for secure storage of

Quoted message said:

cycling ancilliaries (waterproofs, lights etc)?

Yes. We had some racks in our town with integral locker. Open the locker to access three bolts which
slide through the wheels and frame of your pride and joy into the other side of the rack. Place
ancilliaries in the locker and close it. Secure it with your own padlock.

A good idea let down by poor design: When empty the locker was accessible to all and sundry of
course, which also gave easy access to the sliding bolts. These were held in place by a bit of
aluminium strip with the consistency of finest Brie ((c) Larrington Productions) and therefore not
very resistant to the local yoofs.

The racks have been replaced by sheffield stands.

Tim

you know? said:

Richard Corfield said:

As for comfort, its unnoticable to wear over a wooly hat.

Which, the makers will tell you, stops it working :-)

Keeps the head warm though. I don't have the hair I used to.

How is a wooly hat covered head worse for a helmet's function than a hair covered head? It would
rotate around quite well on either without the straps I'd expect. Its size adjustable so can be made
to fit either (or no hair at times of no hair a year or so ago, now thats not so comfortable. Hair
makes quite a difference to hat size)

- Richard

--
_/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ Richard dot Corfield at ntlworld dot com _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/ _/ Time is a
one way street, _/ _/ _/_/ _/_/_/ Except in the Twighlight Zone.

Ian Smith <[email hidden]> wrote:

<recumbent trikes and the flipping thereof>

Quoted message said:

I can imagine scenarios where one could flip without doing something too daft. I don't actually
know how fast Carol rides, but given that some success in hpv racing is involved (I think I
remember that right) I imagine it may not be quite so slow as it is presented, and the trike would
presumably be not monstrously wide.

I ride a Greenspeed GTO, with a wheelbase of 97cm.

This is both my everyday and race machine.

As for my "success" at hpv racing, I have never won a race, and am only high in the multitrack
rankings because I turned up for more races than most of the other trike riders (you get points for
turning up and finishing). Basically I only race at all because I have to drive Rob to the races,
and I reckon I might as well get some exercise out of it :-)

You can look my average speeds up on the race results page at <http://www.bhpc.org>. I think I hit
the dizzy heights of 10.5mph at Leicester, where I came a stunning....last.

I can also call as witness, one Mr Larrington of this parish, who has seen me "race" and *may* have
stopped laughing by now :-)

I believe Danny has also witnessed my outstanding performance at Castle Combe and can corroborate my
eligibilty for the Racer Least Likely To Worry Lance Armstrong Trophy....

On the other hand, Rob rides much faster than I do (he was fifth in the Open category last year) and
he has never flipped his race trike.

He did upturn his commuting trike recently, but there was another party involved in that. He had a
nasty bruise on his elbow, but no worse.

Quoted message said:

I imagine riding at moderate speed (perhaps downhill) into a bend where ice has formed could
result in travelling sideways at similar speed to that previously travelling forwards. If you
strike the kerb while going sideways I think you'd flip (that's more-or-less what I did, though I
deliberately put myself sideways and then hit a pot-hole rather than a kerb).

Well clearly it's possible, because it happened to you (and I hope you weren't hurt too badly), but
it would worry me a lot more on two wheels than three.

I'm not daft enough to think I'm invincible on the trike, but I honestly think the chances of me
flipping are small enough not to be overly concerned about.

--
Carol "Speedy" Hague "...it's not normal if you don't like cake..." - Sean Yates

Carol Hague said:

On the other hand, Rob rides much faster than I do (he was fifth in the Open category last year)

Ahem! btinternet.comtables03.htmlOpen ↗

--

Dave "The /real/ 5th" Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

Carol Hague said:

I believe Danny has also witnessed my outstanding performance at Castle Combe and can corroborate
my eligibilty for the Racer Least Likely To Worry Lance Armstrong Trophy....

Sorry, "senior moment" there, it was Thruxton.

--
Carol Hague "...it's not normal if you don't like cake..." - Sean Yates