Helmet Advice

Well, all helmets meet the same standards, and I don't think those
standards have changed since the "Which" article was written.

The Which article noted a tendency for helmets that meet the European
std not to meet the American standard, and vice versa, but some did meet
both.

The best rule is NOT to get a "good one". What makes a helmet "good" is
usually being lighter and cooler than a cheap helmet. This is achieved
by using as little styrofoam as possible, so an expensive helmet is
probably even less protective than a cheap helmet, even though both meet
the same stds.

There is some question about whether it really is necessary to replace a
helmet every x years as some people recommend. In practice the
styrofoam is unlikely to degrade from UV radiation. However, one
current theory about why helmets are so ineffective in practice is that
they are not kept tightly enough in position. It might be, so the
theory goes, that putting on and taking off a helmet over and over again
gradually compresses the material inside, thus making the helmet loose.

The same theory emphasizes that the chin strap MUST be kept tight. If
you can open your mouth to talk, the strap is probably too loose.

Adding a helmet to your head makes it larger and heavier than normal,
thus upsetting your reflexes that move your head out of the way of
impacts. Thus you will hit your head more with a helmet than you would
without. This doesn't matter though, because of that very helmet. Don't
assume, though, that in the impacts you are now having the helmet is
saving your life.

Jeremy Parker

In article , Mitch Haley wrote:

Trudi Marrapodi wrote:

In article ,
(Frank Krygowski) wrote:

Helmet fans say "Any fall off a bike can kill you."

Not necessarily. I fell off mine but good today--but despite being badly
scraped up, was nowhere near being killed. For one thing, I fell sideways,

Sounds like you know how to fall. (a skill worth more than any bike helmet, as
falling without bashing your head negates any need for the helmet)

Well, I don't realy recall having time to think about how to fall, but
maybe something about how I positioned myself instictively when I fell
made a difference. I did learn "how to fall" when skating, and what you
learn about that is that a) going limp is the best way to resist injury
and b) it is better to fall on your butt, if at all possible, than to fall
on anything else. In this case, I couldn't fall on my butt, and I did
instictively put my hands out and that could have resulted in bad things
for my arms and wrists, but in the end all I got was some light hand
abrasions, and as a result my head was nowhere near any sort of impact.

I know of at least one young woman who died after a club ride. She rode
into the
parking lot, and tipped over onto flat pavement. Hit headfirst and died.
I don't
know if she was wearing a helmet.

How awful. Maybe she didn't have time to react at all when she went down.

Another example, somebody I knew:
Elderly couple (~80 yrs) on tandem. Dog took out front wheel. Fell over
sideways,
stoker pretty much had her skull shattered, spent weeks in the hospital. Was
promoted as a "helmet saved a life" incident in the club we were in at
the time.
The helmet was, IIRC, a Bell Tourlight. You simply can't find anything
as effective
as that helmet marketed for road cycling today. I can't see where it did
her any
noticeable good, a fall without it would have broken her skull, as did a
fall with
it.
Mitch.

This stuff is frightening. I guess I was luckier than I thought.
--
Trudi
"Closed Due to Blackout. Pray for the Chocolate!"
--sign in Cleveland store, 8/14/03
____
Say NO to secret judging and corruption in skating --
support SkateFAIR!
http://www.skatefair.org

In article et, "Rick"
wrote:

...stuff deleted

It was not fun. My chain had come off the spokes and I had to put it back
on (did I have wipes handy for the grease? No). And I was scraped up and
bruised unpleasantly, although fortunately nothing bled.

Must be that time of year (i.e. hard riding in summer means tune-ups in
fall).

Not to mention which, my bike is frankly rather cheap. I've been told that
unless I invest in a pricier bike, this will probably happen quite a bit.

I threw a chain yesterday as well. I've learned to remount them using
the toe of my shoe. I have some godawfully ugly shoes, but clean handlebar
tape (grin).

Can you teach the technique? There must be an art to it. I'd love to know;
chain grease has to be one of THE toughest things to get off hands (not to
mention what it does to your handlebars).

Fortunately for me, I was sitting at the time, not standing on
the pegs and came off with only the routine calf bruise. I've let the
maintenance lag a little too long, for once.

Sounds like a long sit in a hot tub will help a lot Trudy. Mend quickly.

Rick

Thanks. I plan to give it a try. Right leg looks like hell today!
--
Trudi
"Closed Due to Blackout. Pray for the Chocolate!"
--sign in Cleveland store, 8/14/03
____
Say NO to secret judging and corruption in skating --
support SkateFAIR!
http://www.skatefair.org

....stuff deleted

Can you teach the technique? There must be an art to it. I'd love to know;
chain grease has to be one of THE toughest things to get off hands (not to
mention what it does to your handlebars).


It isn't hard, but it takes a little patience to learn. Put the toe of the
shoe on the underside of the chain and pull the chain toward the front of
the bike. As the chain reaches the apex of the smallest sprocket, lower it
so that it engages on the top. The tricky part follows in that you have to
release the chain from the toe of the shoe without dislodging the chain from
the sprocket. At this point, the chain is usually half-on (though in rare
instances, it works perfectly) and needs a spin to completely engage the
chain. Took a few tries to get it down and always takes 2 or 3 attempts as I
often bump the crank and dislodge the chain, but it does work.

Rick

etent (Trudi Marrapodi) wrote in message ...


This stuff is frightening. I guess I was luckier than I thought.

Not at all, Trudi. There are probably tens of thousands of minor
falls off bikes for every fatality. Sure, a fall is no fun, but the
idea that every fall is a near-death experience is absolute nonsense.
A minor fall is just a minor fall.

Don't let the rare horror stories worry you. Just exercise reasonable
caution, and get on with enjoying life and cycling.

- Frank Krygowski

In article . net, "Rick"
wrote:

...stuff deleted

Can you teach the technique? There must be an art to it. I'd love to know;
chain grease has to be one of THE toughest things to get off hands (not to
mention what it does to your handlebars).


It isn't hard, but it takes a little patience to learn. Put the toe of the
shoe on the underside of the chain and pull the chain toward the front of
the bike. As the chain reaches the apex of the smallest sprocket, lower it
so that it engages on the top. The tricky part follows in that you have to
release the chain from the toe of the shoe without dislodging the chain from
the sprocket. At this point, the chain is usually half-on (though in rare
instances, it works perfectly) and needs a spin to completely engage the
chain. Took a few tries to get it down and always takes 2 or 3 attempts as I
often bump the crank and dislodge the chain, but it does work.

Rick

Thanks! I'll give it a try next time.
--
Trudi
"Closed Due to Blackout. Pray for the Chocolate!"
--sign in Cleveland store, 8/14/03
____
Say NO to secret judging and corruption in skating --
support SkateFAIR!
http://www.skatefair.org

In article , Mitch Haley wrote:

Trudi Marrapodi wrote:

How awful. Maybe she didn't have time to react at all when she went down.

I just assumed she was the typical young American who had such a protected
childhood that she never really learned how to fall. I'd like to see
all the little couch potatoes enrolled in karate or gymnastics classes
somewhere around 6-10 years of age. Another possibility is that she was
busy trying to unclip her shoe all the way down.

Well, I wasn't wearing clips...actually, I threw a sandal!

This stuff is frightening. I guess I was luckier than I thought.

Well, people have been falling down for thousands of years without
often dying, but there is a fair amount of energy involved. I think
both the examples I mentioned were mentionable because of their
rarity. I suspect that Emily's bones were old enough to be a lot more
fragile than they once were, and you do seem to go down hard and fast
when a dog takes out the front wheel.
The other incident was described to me as a new rider who forgot to
unclip when stopping. I've done the same, but both times it happened
to me I mainly landed on my hip and shoulder, although I lost some skin
on my knee and elbow the time I did it on tarmac.
Mitch.

How exactly *does* a dog take out the front wheel? Why would a dog just
run right into someone's bike? I know that's probably a dumb question,
but...
--
Trudi
"Closed Due to Blackout. Pray for the Chocolate!"
--sign in Cleveland store, 8/14/03
____
Say NO to secret judging and corruption in skating --
support SkateFAIR!
http://www.skatefair.org

Trudi Marrapodi wrote:
How exactly *does* a dog take out the front wheel? Why would a dog just
run right into someone's bike? I know that's probably a dumb question,
but...

Chasing dogs are sometimes more sucessful than they intend to be. The
ones with herding instinct will try to push your front wheel if they
get the chance.
I've had a couple run into my back wheel with no real problem, you just
feel the bike twitch when the dog's shoulder bumps the tire. If they
try to run in front of you and hit the front wheel, the bike steers
out from under you on the side away from the dog, and you fall towards
the dog. I'm afraid of losing my front wheel (I once did a major face
plant when I broke a fork, had to wear a neck brace for a while and
still have the scar on my forehead) so I hit the brakes if it looks
like the dog can head me off.
Mitch.