Originally Posted by
canalligators
Rather than worrying about minimizing injury after the incident, address minimizing the chance of an incident. On a more stable bike, you’re less likely to lose control. So the aforementioned English three speed gets my vote too. An American clone like a Schwinn Breeze or Columbia Tourist might be even better, duller handling.
Many years ago, my friends and I would do things to adjust our consciousness then have a slow race - last across the line without going sideways, wins. I would always win on my Raleigh Superbe.
Along those lines - the Raleigh DL-1. My story (having nothing o do with alcohol but very applicable here) ... head injury fall of 1977 when I was an active racer. That winter, back in my city apartment, I went to the bike shop that was an after hours hangout. On this particular visit it was time to go home, roughly 10 pm Friday night but his was no ordinary Friday. Tuesday the city saw a massive blizzard. Main streets were still 10" deep in random, hard packed snow. (There was simply no place to put that much snow. I watched a huge National Guard cat fill a parking lot 30 deep with the stuff.)
Now, I hadn't ridden a bike since my crash. The shop mechanic, unknown to me, had taken it on as his job to see to it I was safe and cared for. (I barely knew him and he did this like a true friend.) Anyway, time to go home. Most of 3 miles. I'd walked there and thought nothing of walking back. But Jim, the mechanic, said "Why don't you take the DL-1?". Pulled it out and checked the tires. And I rode off, escorted by the mechanic of the shop I'd worked the summer before, an excellent off-road rider on his trusty 3-speed.
The DL-1 - what an easy ride! The fact that I was on that thick layer of bumpy very hard packed snow with potholes to the pavement in places meant nothing. The bike with its huge wheels and huge tires simply didn't care. Only issue - I had to keep stopping and waiting for my skilled friend who was struggling to manage his skimpy, lightweight 3-speed!
And unrelated post-script: My love of riding was back! And this was obvious to Jim. Knew I wanted to race again. So he arranged to have me bring my fix gear to his brother' place and ride his rollers until they judged I was road worthy again. I did, they did and in three weeks I was back on the winter roads training. Raced the spring frostbite series and the rest of that summer. Jim and his brother did the work to land me a job assembling bikes at the shop that had just taken on sponsorship on my club. I got to re-learn how to use my hands and tools with a very patient Greek mechanic. Took me many years to see just what Jim did for me. When I called to thank him after 33 years had passed, his reply was just "That's what friends do."