The anti Helmet on this news group

in message , gareth
price ') wrote:

Are they roadies or mountain bikers? It's just the within the MTB
community the wearing of helmets there is no debate just everyone wears
them and I don't know what the roadie opinion is.

There are no anti helmet people, merely people who can read the science
and form a judgement of their worth. I'm both a mountain biker and a
roadie; among other things I'm organiser of the 7/24 - the event over
all seven 7stanes centres in 24 hours. I'll wear a helmet when I'm
riding a black route section that I haven't ever ridden before, or on
stages where I think there are particular technical features that merit
it; but 90% of my singletrack riding is without a helmet.

It isn't going to save your life, and a fall from a mountain bike (except
on crazy downhill sections) doesn't normally hurt very much.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
,/| _.--''^``-...___.._.,;
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in message .com,
') wrote:

elyob wrote:
snip

This is the debate that makes cyclists look like pedants. And we're
not, mostly.

It is not neccesary to wear one every time you ride a bike.

"necessary"

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Never eat chips, eat smoked salmon and remain young.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Human history becomes more and more a race between
;; education and catastrophe.
H.G. Wells, "The Outline of History"

On 16/08/2006 19:49, Simon Brooke said,

It isn't going to save your life, and a fall from a mountain bike (except
on crazy downhill sections) doesn't normally hurt very much.

I'm glad you said "normally", and a helmet wouldn't have stopped me
pulling a muscle in my shoulder as I fell :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Simon Brooke wrote on 16/08/2006 19:49 +0100:

There are no anti helmet people, merely people who can read the science
and form a judgement of their worth. I'm both a mountain biker and a
roadie; among other things I'm organiser of the 7/24 - the event over
all seven 7stanes centres in 24 hours. I'll wear a helmet when I'm
riding a black route section that I haven't ever ridden before, or on
stages where I think there are particular technical features that merit
it; but 90% of my singletrack riding is without a helmet.


I gather that 7stanes have been carting quite a few cyclists off to the
local A&E, some with fairly serious head and neck injuries.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=684892006


--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

On 16/08/2006 21:13, Tony Raven said,

I gather that 7stanes have been carting quite a few cyclists off to the
local A&E, some with fairly serious head and neck injuries.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=684892006

Uh-oh! "Safety campaigners say mountain bikers should be compelled to
wear helmets..."

Mind you, a bit of common sense amongst riders wouldn't go amiss. You
wouldn't tackle the Fort William downhill course on a Raleigh Mustang,
for instance. When I go to N. Wales next month, I'll be treading very
carefully! From 1986 to about 1996, I was a very good mountain biker
(even if I say so myself!!), but 10 years later I had a rude awakening
when I discovered that a lot of my off-road skills had evaporated under
a cloud of caution! Better to have found that out now than halfway
around one of the Coed-y-Brenin trails, I guess.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd wrote on 16/08/2006 21:38 +0100:
On 16/08/2006 21:13, Tony Raven said,

I gather that 7stanes have been carting quite a few cyclists off to
the local A&E, some with fairly serious head and neck injuries.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=684892006

Uh-oh! "Safety campaigners say mountain bikers should be compelled to
wear helmets..."


I liked the bit (other than the seriousness of it):

"Paul Taylor ... attempted a jump and fell and broke his back. ...

Taylor... said riders should be forced to wear proper protective gear
and be given more explicit warnings on the potential risks.

"I tried to make it as safe for myself as I could by wearing a proper
cross-country safety helmet - ordinary cycle helmets won't do. But when
I came off, my head was OK but I injured my spine""

So he wants people to be forced to wear proper protective gear despite
the fact that he thought he was wearing it and it did him no good.


--
Tony

"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using
his intelligence; he is just using his memory."
- Leonardo da Vinci

Response to Tony Raven:
"I tried to make it as safe for myself as I could by wearing a proper
cross-country safety helmet - ordinary cycle helmets won't do. But when
I came off, my head was OK but I injured my spine""

So he wants people to be forced to wear proper protective gear despite
the fact that he thought he was wearing it and it did him no good.

And would he have been doing what he did if he wasn't wearing a helmet
he thought would protect him?


--
Mark, UK
"If you believe the doctors, nothing is wholesome;
if you believe the theologians, nothing is innocent;
if you believe the military, nothing is safe."

elyob wrote:

"gareth price" wrote in message
...
Are they roadies or mountain bikers? It's just the within the MTB
community the wearing of helmets there is no debate just everyone wears
them and I don't know what the roadie opinion is.

Anti-compulsion across the board. That's it.

If you want to take part in a race, you have to wear one.

If you are hacking down unfamiliar countryside, it's your choice.

If you are popping to pick up some eggs and milk, it's your choice. I'd call
it overkill.

This is the debate that makes cyclists look like pedants. And we're not,
mostly.

It is not neccesary to wear one every time you ride a bike.

Especially when picking up stuff like eggs and milk, which are more
dangerous to your health than bicycles.

--
Chris Malcolm DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]