Originally Posted by
acidfast7
Last comment from me:
But this whole thread is weird. People getting hit by cars and seemingly being more worried about how to manage to not scare the wife (so that they can ride again, which seems a tad selfish), rather than getting medically checked out. People filming commutes, re-watching and chronologically storing them like a professional sports team. Personally, I'd rather just save the time and not deal with the hassle. Also, a lot of post-purchase rationalization for cameras, what are these people ... wanna-be Major League Commuter (MLC) superstars. Perhaps, I'm just accustomed to dealing with more logical people who just want to have a bike replace an auto and not deal with all the extra crap that seems important here.
As for the selfish part, I am not sure who you are calling selfish, my wife or I, but in either case you are wrong. I want to ride and I understand her concerns and she has concerns about me riding and I appreciate that. The thread was started as a means of discussing how others have handled situations with their SO and an crash. I think we are bike riders get into the mindset that everyone knows what we know or think we know about commuting to work. The idea sounds inherently dangerous because it is out of the cultural norm and we look so vulnerable out on our bikes surrounded by all those heavy cars. Not everyone thinks or has the same beliefs as you.
I never claimed to be a sports team and I think the individual was using sports teams as an example of how to observe your actions and make yourself a better, in this case, rider.
eh...whatever. I wear a helmet because it makes me feel safer. The government butts into my business more often than not nowadays so if they pass a law that kids have to wear helmets, or adults for that matter I could care less at this point. If people don;t want to wear one because it makes them look goofy, silly, weird, odd, alien, or whatever other phrase one could put in there to why they aren't wearing one then whatever. I felt odd the first few days I put it on. Now I barely notice it.
The cam is a tool to me regardless how anyone else wants to look at it. It does not make me take extra risk knowing I have a "backup if I die". I still ride as defensively as I did without the cam. It just so happens that I got video of an accident I was involved in that is going to help me in the long run.
Originally Posted by
acidfast7
I agree 100% and the worst are guys like this
all i can think of when i see/hear this is small-dog-syndrome.
That guy is crazy and looking to make a scene. I have yet to make a scene with my camera running and I don't plan to. When I got hit I flew over the hood, landed, calmly stood up, walked over, grabbed the guys front license plate off the ground, walked in front of his car and picked up my bike, dragged it to a wall to lean it against and waved the driver over to park in the parking lot.
Just sayin'
Also you mention post-purchase rationalization. I did not buy the camera. My wife did for Christmas for our trip to Kauai back IN January. A few weeks after I bought the bike, in March I think, I thought to myself, "Hey, I should throw my GoPro on the helmet for fun." I also use the camera for when the kids are playing in the pool to capture moments I would never have seen, I have strapped an my youngest trail-a-bike to get a shot of her as I pull her around the beach path. I need no "post-purchase rationalization " for my camera. It just so happens I own a camera that is durable enough to take a "licking and keep on ticking", sorry Timex, that I can use to document my commutes.
Also regarding the 2000 mile MPU you were riding on that does not allow autos...does it allow other bikes, pedestrians, animals, tree branches, pot holes? Autos are not the only danger out there that can cause a wreck so before you try to tell me that I was watching my computer intently trying to grab mile 700 on my computer how about you monitor your own riding practices and not look around for things to take photos of and post them on the internet from a bike ride. If the 700th mile were so important why didn't I capture it after the wreck on my continued ride home? It just was not that important. It was more of an interesting coincidence than a factor in the wreck.
Originally Posted by
acidfast7
ok, i'm really out this time.
good luck OP
Thank you for announcing you were leaving. No I can expect not to get answers from the stuff I posted earlier in this post and some of the stuff I posted earlier about what your point was whether I had a family or not.
I thank you for your concern.
Originally Posted by
sauerwald
I had an accident, about 5 years ago, in which I went over the handlebars in the middle of an intersection - in retrospect, I should have called for an ambulance, but my first concern was what my wife would think.
The bike was not ridable, I was 10 miles from home, it was cold and raining, and I had several cuts and scrapes, and a couple of cracked ribs that hurt like hell. I called my wife to ask her to drive the car down and pick me up. I didn't want to alarm her, so in the calmest voice that I could muster, I said that I had a crash, and told her which street corner I was at. She replied that she would come and get me.
I must have sounded too calm, since she heard "I had a crash" as "I had a flat" and she thought that I was being a wimp not wanting to fix a flat in the rain, so she took her sweet time, and didn't come to pick me up until close to an hour later.
As to the original question - riding a bike is no more dangerous than driving, especially if you remain focused. Far more people die in this country from the effects of lack of exercise and overeating, so if your wife's concern is for your safety, thank her for her concern, and continue to ride - although you may want to express concern for her driving a car......
Thank you and bummer for your ordeal.
We have had several discussions since the accident. I did my best to relax her and tell her it is a freak accident and that I didn't stop her from driving when she got rear ended in our truck, she actually got a new car out of it. I told her accidents happen and I am just fine and no worse for wear. She seems alright now and I plan to continue riding on Monday, I wanted to give some time for any other possible bumps and bruises to show themselves before I headed back out anyway. I am sure the next few times I leave she will worry a bit more and I appreciate that.
To everyone else, I never intended this to be a debate on camera use while riding. I was merely trying to start a discussion on handling SO's and accidents. That is all. It would be just as easy to start a thread over in A&S to discuss the camera issue. I choose to wear one and that is how it is going to be. Like it or not. You may choose to do what you want with your riding. Just stay safe no matter what that is.