Originally Posted by
JoeyBike
Because there was a hidden expansion joint buried under the leaves on a rainy Fall (no pun intended) day which rendered the deep groove invisible.
If I had some sort of psychic capability, as you must, then I might not wear my helmet most days except for those when I knew I would fall off. Actually, if I had psychic powers I would throw my bike in the dumpster and just walk to the race track from my house.
When things go south on a bicycle, they go south FAST. I had a grey squirrel jump through my front wheel one day - just popped out from behind a trash can. I didn't go down by some miracle but there was nothing I could do about that situation nor a few bent spokes. (I don't think the squirrel made it though).
Seems we have two basic types of riders on this thread. Those who wear helmets and will never have to wonder (no matter what the outcome of a crash) if they could have done better. Then there are those who might one day wonder (or their friends might have to wonder for them) if a helmet would have made a difference for them. Any day could be that day unless you truly have psychic power.
I have bolded the relevant point. Why was it hidden? Why did you ride into something where something could be hidden in? Seriously dude it seems to me you are the last person to preach about safety to others...
But you know what... I DO have such an amazing ability. It's called experience, eyesight and just not riding like a pillock. I don't take stupid risks like ride high speed into leaves especially if I have thin tires under me (I would never, ever ride into leaves with anything under 2.3 inches). This superpower keeps me safe and my noggin road rash free.
You do realize my point was that it's just dumb to ride recklessly into something you don't see. Our road code does have this principle that a vehicle must be stoppable in the visible road portion. In tight curves this means: drive/ride slow. I usually do that with every situation. If I'm unsure I slow down. If I feel like the road surface is something that might not be pleasant, I slow down. If I need to go into a wet corner with any kind of tires, I slow down. If I need to ride into a puddle I don't know, I stop and crawl through it. Of course if I had a helmet on I wouldn't have to do any of those things because helmet seems to give the ability to ride full speed into a pile of leaves on a unknown wet autumn road...
Do you maybe see some error in logic here...?