Re: Helmet efficacy test

Zen Cycle <funkmaster@hotmail.com> wrote:

On 3/25/2025 10:36 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 3/24/2025 9:26 PM, cyclintom wrote:

On Mon Mar 24 13:12:49 2025 Frank Krygowski  wrote:

 
I agree that the afteraffects of concussions might be commonly
underestimated.
 
I disagree that ordinary bicycling's risk of concussion is significantly
higher than other activities'. Society would do better by stopping the
scare tactics regarding bicycling, and by convincing motorists or
pedestrians to wear helmets.

 
 
 
 
Frank, most of the people posting here ride a great deal faster than
you. There's nothing wrong with riding any speed you like. But faster
riders have more of a chance of not just falling but being out of
control when they fall.

First, I don't know that's true. Based on your claims here, I think my
typical riding speed is faster than yours. I'm sure I couldn't keep up
with Zen or Mark, but I suspect most of us old guys here would ride at
similar speeds. I know that on the club rides I attend (I'm typically
the oldest of the attendees) I usually finish in the front half of the
group, and often first. Not that they're races. I just enjoy speeding up
at times.
 
Not that it matters. I dispute the implication that faster riders
naturally crash more.

 
Yeah, I don't buy that either.

Indeed seems a poor argument, certainly on road one can ride fast and hard
with frankly zero extra risk as risks are things like corners or junctions
and so on, which are unlikely to be taken at the edge of traction/skill
level as group which tends to be the case for roadies.

Even racing I’m told that the beginner levels tend to be the crash happy
races, and even then if one is fast enough to outperform the others that
tends to keep one out of trouble.

I’m one of the faster Gravel riders due to my experience/technique I’m much
less likely to have lie down in the mud than others, if I crash it’s a
Roger crashed? Really? And due to my MTB background I’m good a rolling and
so on.

MTB again I’d suggest that while some areas ie folks who do jumps and so
on, the risk is much higher but also the faster better riders tend to crash
less than beginners, that particular type of MTBer will almost always be
wearing protection ie be that shoes with reinforced toe sections, to shin
guards, body armour ie chest and back, and the helmets they wear will be
full face, and gloves will have some armour to them as well.

It’s way beyond my personal comfort level and also something one would be
unwise to do alone!

 

It takes miles of riding to get fast, and people
with miles of experience tend to be more skillful.
 
You may be an exception.
 

 
 

This group is somewhat of a outlier, with what a handful of people with one
confirmed brain injury from cycling (myself) and one other claimed ie Tom,
that isn’t representative of the population at large not by a long shot!

Roger Merriman