"Phil W Lee" wrote in message ...

Blackblade considered Tue, 3 Jun 2014 09:27:55
-0700 (PDT) the perfect time to write:

Edward Dolan wrote:
[...]
The reports are numerous enough and widespread enough to
convince me - and anyone else with half a brain in his head.

Well then clearly you don't understand probability. If millions of people do something then even a low risk activity will throw up some untoward occurrences.

He also doesn't understand reporting bias.
Journalists do not report on the commonplace, because it isn't news.
Most people hauled off mountains by mountain rescue teams don't even
make the local paper, unless the circumstances are extremely unusual,
despite the fact that many would have died without that aid.

If mountain biking were safe we would not be reading anything about accidents and deaths related to it.
[...]

You are actually Ed. Your hypothesis is "mountain biking is extremely dangerous" so you trawl the web for reports of accidents and injuries. As millions of people ride, every day, unsurprisingly you find reports of such events.

You then conclude, erroneously, that you've found support for your position.

It's called cherrypicking.

If I were reporting on hiking deaths that would indeed be cherrypicking because they are are so few and far between. Mountain biking accidents are so numerous and common that no cherrypicking is necessary.

Mountain bikers are barbarians and have no right to be on any trail used by hikers – unless they want to get off their god damn ****ing bikes and walk like everyone else. When they crash and injure themselves, I rejoice! If and when they manage to kill themselves, I say good riddance to bad rubbish! Death to mountain biking!

“Tread softly! All the earth is holy ground.”
~ Christina Rossetti (Psalm 24),
from "A Later Life: A Double Sonnet of Sonnets"

Mountain bikes have wheels. Wheels are for roads.

Trails are for walking. What’s the matter? Can’t walk?

Ed Dolan the Great
aka
Saint Edward the Great