No Gloves

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screenman

Squire
Just saw a guy on a motor scooter with no gloves on, total madness. I would not even consider riding the bike without them, have they no idea how quick skin goes down to bone when rubbed along the ground at 30 mph.

Dress for the accident not the journey.
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
Hah!

That's nowt.

Come the warmer weather and bare chested teenage motor scooter riders become a common sight in bit of Bradford. I wince when I see them.
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Just saw a guy on a motor scooter with no gloves on, total madness. I would not even consider riding the bike without them...

Dress for the accident not the journey.
On that score, you shouldn't venture out in anything less substantial than full body armour.

I don't usually wear gloves on a bicycle unless it's cold. I have scuffed other bits when I've come off, but never my hands.
 

Blue Steel

New Member
Location
Norfolk
It always makes me cringe come the summer when I see people dressed in little more that shorts and a helmet (and they are only wearing that because the law says they have too!), on motorbikes capable of out running the Millenium Falcon. Any accident is going to reduce them to a few pounds of raw mince in less time than it takes Chubby Brown to offend a party of nuns.

A few years back I had the 'interesting' experience of being punted off at 60mph by a kind gentleman in a Vectra. Having bounced, rolled, slid and swore for some considerable distance I walked away from it unscathed apart from a bruise from hip to knee in a dazzling array of colours. All because I was wearing full leathers.

I'm a great believer in allowing adults to make their own decisions. I hate the nanny state telliing me what I can and can't do for my own good, but sometimes you have to question people's choices.
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
left the gloves at home today. 71 miles in what felt like early summer. There's something a little more immediate about cycling without gloves - you feel just a little closer connected to the bike.
 

Noodley

Guest
If you fall "properly" off a bike, it should be you elbows, shoulder, knees and knuckles that take the impact, but also your palms will get a fair bit of impact. If you fall "like a twat" it will be your hands, wrists and shoulders which will be fecked. Big time.

Observe the rule: tuck and roll...dinnae try to save yerself by sticking hands out! Accept that your elbows and knuckles will get ripped to bits...and possibly your side. But there will be no breaks. Unless you hit something...or you shatter your elbow.
 

Maz

Guru
There's something a little more immediate about cycling without gloves - you feel just a little closer connected to the bike.
true...and your hands will feel a 'little closer connected to the tarmac' if you came off. :ohmy:
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
You may be right, Maz, but in nigh on fifty years cycling, and with six visits to A+E to my credit, including a jaw fractured in five places, a spoke through my leg, and a fractured pelvis, I've never really done any damage to my hands. I've no idea why, mind....although, thinking about a couple of crashes I don't think I let go of the bars.


bbbrrr - it's a lot colder this morning, so the gloves are coming out!
 

Mad Doug Biker

Banned from every bar in the Galaxy
Location
Craggy Island
If you fall "properly" off a bike, it should be you elbows, shoulder, knees and knuckles that take the impact, but also your palms will get a fair bit of impact. If you fall "like a twat" it will be your hands, wrists and shoulders which will be fecked. Big time.

Observe the rule: tuck and roll...dinnae try to save yerself by sticking hands out! Accept that your elbows and knuckles will get ripped to bits...and possibly your side. But there will be no breaks. Unless you hit something...or you shatter your elbow.

Yes, if you do Curling and other things on ice, then you learn VERY quickly how to fall properly.
Instead of thinking

'OH MYGODOHMYGOD I'm about to fall, WAAAAAAHHHHH!!'

Just accept it. If you recover and don't fall, fine, but if you are going to fall, you are going to fall and there is nothing you can do about it.
Once you have accepted this, keep thinking and overide your

'OH MY GOD!'

reaction and actually look where you are going to fall. Your vision might be blurred from the motion, but if you stay calm, then it is amazing what you can still see or at least make a guess at.
On going down, try and turn to the side whilst TUCKING YOUR HEAD IN so you don't bang the back of your head, I cannot stress that last part enough (although it might be difficult with a helmet) and land accordingly to where you will have the softest (relatively) landing.

I know Curling and cycling are poles apart, but I have managed to control a few slips and avoid hitting the stones in play, some still moving, landing in a funny body position instead, and all done in a split second. :becool:

In short, overide your brain, keep thinking, turn to the side and tuck your head in so you don't bang the back of your head, LOOK where you are going and calculate how best to land!!
If you are quick with it then you will still have time to move your body and limbs accordingly, in a maneuver any gymnast or stunt man would be proud of.

It could be argued that it soon becomes an instinct reaction, and yes, that is true up to a point in the sense that you won't be able to control absolutely everything, but at the same time, you can still move yourself up to a certain degree.

And finally, if you still fall badly, then at least you will have done all you can to minimise the damage.
 
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