do hi viz vests/jackets work ?

[hackbike 666]

I think you live in cloud cuckoo land sometimes BM.

 

[BentMikey]

I think you live in cloud cuckoo land sometimes BM.

Just back from your local?

 

[pwh91]

Gives you some idea of the number of cyclists in Copenhagen:

http://www.copenhagenize.com/2007/12/copenhagen-bike-rush-hour.html

I'm bloody envious of the Danish - safety in numbers, no percieved need for hi-viz or hemlets, cycling just a simple way to get from A to B. Can anyone ever seeing the UK population getting that comfortable with cycling?

I'd like to think the 22 million pounds or so to be spent on cycling in Bristol would make a difference but I regret to say... I'll believe it when I see it. The Copenhagen streets are wide and well-designed for multi-use. Too many of our roads in Bristol are narrow, twisty and lined with parked cars, and I can't see an easy fix. Not to mention the hills which will put off a lot of the population right out of the blocks.

 

[HJ]

Halogen I assume?

LEDs, who uses halogens these days

 

[Eat MY Dust]

LEDs, who uses halogens these days

er.....me! What's wrong with that. I've got 15 watts on the front. Bright enough to whizz down coutry lanes at 30 mph +, and bright enough for cars to flashing their lights at you if they are pointing up a bit.

 

[botchjob]

but I do think you should place less value in the safety of magic foam hats, and more in teaching your kids good cycling and roadcraft.

I shall certainly be teaching my kids good cycling and roadcraft. But until they get a bit older than 1 and 3 they'll be wearing magic foam hats on their way to nursery.

I'll also be teaching them that studies by Dr. Quack-Quack and his colleagues need to be looked at very carefully indeed and that, perhaps, the instinct for self-preservation should be listened to over anything else. All i know is that if i came up against a kerbstone or lamp post i'd rather be wearing a helmet than not. My only proper spill resulted in a completely cracked and dented helmet. And it only takes one.

But we all know the arguments and counter-arguments so let's not go on. Darwinism will prevail and the gene pool will improve over time.

 

[HJ]

er.....me! What's wrong with that. I've got 15 watts on the front. Bright enough to whizz down coutry lanes at 30 mph +, and bright enough for cars to flashing their lights at you if they are pointing up a bit.

Nothing wrong with they if you have got one (apart from the short battery life). It is just that most of the new lights are using LEDs as they are less power hungry, so smaller, longer lasting batteries and they are getting cheaper.

 

[hackbike 666]

Just back from your local?

1) I cant remember the last time I drank in a British pub but it's well over two years.
2) I havent touched a drop of alcohol in almost 8 weeks which admittedly is good for me.
3) I haven't touched drugs in over twenty years*
* unless it's Bisodol.
4) Im just tired of you telling people they should read Cyclecraft all the time because you know best.Do you get a cut from the sales of this book or what?
5) Ironic that you had to make the pub quip when due to health reasons and my workload I thought it best to cut down drastically.
6) Please do not take this personally.Cheers.

 

[hackbike 666]

I shall certainly be teaching my kids good cycling and roadcraft. But until they get a bit older than 1 and 3 they'll be wearing magic foam hats on their way to nursery.

I'll also be teaching them that studies by Dr. Quack-Quack and his colleagues need to be looked at very carefully indeed and that, perhaps, the instinct for self-preservation should be listened to over anything else. All i know is that if i came up against a kerbstone or lamp post i'd rather be wearing a helmet than not. My only proper spill resulted in a completely cracked and dented helmet. And it only takes one.

But we all know the arguments and counter-arguments so let's not go on. Darwinism will prevail and the gene pool will improve over time.

Got to agree.You should do what you think is best for your kids.

er.....me! What's wrong with that. I've got 15 watts on the front. Bright enough to whizz down coutry lanes at 30 mph +, and bright enough for cars to flashing their lights at you if they are pointing up a bit.

Fantastic.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Nothing wrong with they if you have got one (apart from the short battery life). It is just that most of the new lights are using LEDs as they are less power hungry, so smaller, longer lasting batteries and they are getting cheaper.

Dynamo.

 

[Origamist]

14) Im just tired of you telling people they should read Cyclecraft all the time because you know best.Do you get a cut from the sales of this book or what?

I doubt BM gets a cut, but his review of Cyclecraft is on the inside cover...

 

[BentMikey]

I shall certainly be teaching my kids good cycling and roadcraft. But until they get a bit older than 1 and 3 they'll be wearing magic foam hats on their way to nursery.

I'll also be teaching them that studies by Dr. Quack-Quack and his colleagues need to be looked at very carefully indeed and that, perhaps, the instinct for self-preservation should be listened to over anything else. All i know is that if i came up against a kerbstone or lamp post i'd rather be wearing a helmet than not. My only proper spill resulted in a completely cracked and dented helmet. And it only takes one.

But we all know the arguments and counter-arguments so let's not go on. Darwinism will prevail and the gene pool will improve over time.

Like you, I used to be a helmet religeonista. Unlike you, I was eventually convinced that they are not a useful safety addition to cycling, and I now put my efforts where they will have a real and measurable effect on cycling safety.

All I can say is that you have unwarranted faith in the ability of helmets to save lives. Silly comments like the above don't relate to the very real evidence that shows helmets and particularly mandatory helmet laws do nothing measurable to increase cyclist safety.

I'm sure you've spent no time looking at the various studies that contradict what you want to believe to be true about helmets, because they don't match with your hopes and wishes. I hope, but doubt, that you'll spent time on www.cyclehelmets.org to cure your ignorance on helmets.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I hope, but doubt, that you'll spent time on www.cyclehelmets.org to cure your ignorance on helmets.

To be fair, that looks to me very much like a site dedicated to proving helmets are bad. In other words, they appear to have decided on the conclusions they want to draw and dedicated themselves to finding data which support them.
I'm not bothered whether other people wear helmets or not, all I require is that other people aren't bothered whether I wear one or not.

 

[BentMikey]

To be fair, that looks to me very much like a site dedicated to proving helmets are bad. In other words, they appear to have decided on the conclusions they want to draw and dedicated themselves to finding data which support them.
I'm not bothered whether other people wear helmets or not, all I require is that other people aren't bothered whether I wear one or not.

I think that's more than a little unfair - the site is probably the least biased in either direction. Perhaps you forgot to mention all the pages which show and discuss helmet studies that show benefit to wearing them, or the fact that at least one of the contributors is an ardent helmet wearer?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I think that's more than a little unfair - the site is probably the least biased in either direction. Perhaps you forgot to mention all the pages which show and discuss helmet studies that show benefit to wearing them, or the fact that at least one of the contributors is an ardent helmet wearer?

To be fair (and I should really have mentioned this in my last post), I haven't had the time to read it all yet. But at first reading (and a second skim through the whole site), it doesn't look unbiased.