dwr1961

Yes, this probably ought to be over in A & S... But the article has some great (and humorous) quotes, and I figured I'd share it with you, my commuting brothers and sisters.

WARNING: If you ride helmetless and are easily offended, don't click the link. I'm not trying to pick a fight or be a troll...

https://www.idahostatesman.com/newsup...ry/823672.html

MMACH 5

"Crumple zone"

I like that.

imi

Yepp, I've got a slight "Crumple Zone" face... smashed forehead, cheekbones, nose, jaw, teeth, almost died... This was before helmets came along, but I was one of the first to use one when they did... and hopefully have been an influence on others to get fashionable "helmet hair"...

me mum still thinks I'm cute 'though

xenologer

The examples of people crashing in that story do not make me think they have much brains in the first place for those helmets to protect...


Panicking after merely dropping a chain so you go over the handlebars.
Taking a wrong turn in a race course into a pole.
Riding too close to someone and brushing their rear wheel.

ItsJustMe

It didn't say what kind of bike it was. As a kid I rode a singlespeed, and once the chain jumped because I was really flying, probably pushing 25, pedaling like mad, and the chain wedged between the frame and cog and the coaster brake locked up suddenly. I definitely lost control there.

I've also had a master link separate on my chain on two separate occasions, and one time the chain just dropped on the ground, but the other time it flew up into the rear wheel. It actually didn't jam the wheel that time but it could have.

Griffin2020

No offense meant, but when someone makes this statement in a post, they usually are.

dwr1961

Yeah, I know...

Honestly I thought it was a pretty good article - and I did get a chuckle out of some of the quotes (considering the subject matter). I knew some folks would question my motives, so I decided to make that preemptive statement.

If I wanted to get into a helmet vs. no-helmet fire fight, I'd head over to A & S. I figure people are gonna do what they're gonna do regarding this issue, so there's no point in raising the temperature in here. I just felt the piece was well done and that it was worth sharing.

Jonahhobbes

Totally, I've had a chain jam on a cheap bike and I went over the bars immediately, nothing I could have done due to the speed I was going.

Bat22

I don't need any excuses for the dumb ass 10 mph bike crash I did Sunday on a bike
path. Watching a woman pour water down a Corgis' throat like a water bag under a
faucet struck me dumb. Next thing I fall sideways off my bike bouncing and rolling for
6 feet or so. Gotta say I bounce and roll pretty good for fifty tree.
Credit still goes to Airborne training 30 years ago, not having to facilitate use of my
crumple zone.

JeffS

nick burns

What a dumb@ss thing to say. Hey, sh1t happens. Especially while racing. Wheel touches are not uncommon. And chain derailment can lead to an instant stop, depending how the chain falls.

Caspar_s

I have done both numerous times (my wife is not the most consistent rider) I have never fallen as a result.

A chain falling off and jamming up the rear wheel? So what. Maybe you need to go out onto some sand covered asphalt and practice controlling skids. My chain snapped and caught under the wheel - left a huge line in the asphalt and completely trashed the chain (and it was at the bottom of a hill so I wasn't going slow at all) Something happening to the front wheel, I can understand crashing, but the back?

Man, the description of the "crumple zone" is rather scary... although that would make me wear a full face helmet mountain biking.

nick burns

No two circumstances are exactly alike. Just because you haven't crashed from either of those types of events doesn't mean numerous other cyclists haven't.

bkrownd

You are definitely a n00b. You'll learn. (the hard way)

Jonahhobbes

Mine fell between the smallest front chain ring and the frame and stopped me instantly, back wheel went straight up, there was no time to do anything. One minute traveling at speed down a hill the next somesauting, (well one somesault as I landed on my knees ) through the air.

Looking back, even though I'm a better cyclist now, there is bugger all I could have done to prevent going over the handle bars. (Apart from not riding sh*tty bikes).

xenologer

Don't ride cheap bikes, or at the very least keep them maintained with derailers properly adjusted to avoid chain suck.
I am always wary of statements that a situation is unavaoidable due to speed; to me this suggests that ther person was travelling at an unsafe speed.

Were you standing up on the pedals at the time? A rear wheel lockup due to chain should skid and probably have you fall over to one side, but not fly forward. Standing up on pedals is another avoidable habit. I kinda suspect this is what the person in the article had happen... especially considering that was a chain drop(as in off a cog) not an actual jam.

Jonahhobbes

RE: cheap badly maintained bikes-I know that NOW! Can't remember standing but I must have had my weight forward to tip the back wheel up that far.

Hot Potato

"There were 653 bicycle crashes involving cars between 2003 and 2007 in Idaho, according to Idaho Transportation Department data. Cyclists died in four of those crashes."

I found that the most interesting part of the article. A 0.6% fatality rate for cyclist / car crashes in Idaho. That's a pretty interesting statistic. Of course, no mention about how many survived but were crippled, or had life altering permanent injuries.

nick burns

Don't be so small minded. Not everyone is a utility cyclist. There is a large population of cyclists who push the limits of their physical capabilities to ride a fast as possible. Cycling is also a sport, not just transportation.

The best maintained, highest quality equipment will still run the risk of failure. We do not live in a perfect world and nothing can be predicted with absolute certainty.

ItsJustMe

Try having the back wheel lock up while you're taking a corner. Sure, it's usually possible to maintain control if it locks up while going straight.

dwr1961

Yeah... There are some things worse than death.

tjspiel

I would say pretty much all crashes could be avoided by not making any mistakes, routinely going over your bike with a fine tooth comb, and never riding anywhere there's a remote chance that somebody or something might run into you.

For me though I can't guarantee that I will never experience a lapse in judgement or attention, nor can I guarantee that my bike won't have a mechanical failure, or for that matter, that a squirrel won't try to make it through my front spokes.

adaminlc

God on a trainer

DX Rider

After many years of riding without a helmet, I recently rejoined the helmet wearing fold.

I wear a helmet to protect against something I can't control, the stupidity and carelessness of drivers on the roads where I ride.

I've started riding in Rhode Island quite a bit, there are two things that conspire against safe cycling in Rhode Island.

1.) The drivers are consistently ranked as among the worst in the US based on annual surveys.

2.) The road conditions in Rhode Island were recently cited in a poll as the worst in the US.


Could have been worse, you could have been participating in a bike race and missed a turn because you weren't watching where you were going.

Bat22

Got doored a few years ago. 1st dumb bell crash in 20 years that I remember.
(selective memory?) Guess I'll never be accused of having a SMART crash!