Re: Thoughts on industrial design

Am Fri, 2 May 2025 14:12:19 -0400 schrieb Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>:

On 5/2/2025 2:28 AM, Wolfgang Strobl wrote:

Am Wed, 30 Apr 2025 16:17:50 -0400 schrieb Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>:
 

These rides make up the bulk of annual riding for almost all members of
our club. The group on this ride were almost all retirees, and it seems
to be their main form of recreation. I'm unusual in that I have other
outdoor activities I also do regularly.

 
There are bicycle clubs in Germany, almost all of them members of the
national biycle club and bound to its rules
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Cycling_Federation>
("Bund Deutscher Radfahrer", BDR), a member of the UCI.
 
When our children where young, we considered getting a club membership
in a local club for them. We lost interest when we where told about a
strict helmet law: nor helmet, no rides - at a time when only the very
small minority of organzized bicyclists in Germany and other European
countries used bicycle helmets.

I wonder if that was before or after the UCI rule mandating helmets.

Years before that.  UCI tried unsuccessfully to promote Bell's business
for the first time in 1991, but was unfortunately successful the second
time, in 2003. After that, all reluctance to make bike racing more
dangerous disappeared. 

This is a picture from our cycling vacation in the northern part of
Germany in 1992. The helmet worn by our youngest went into the trash,
without replacement, a few years later. So did the helmet of his older
brother.

Our unpleasant contact with a local cycling club was probably shortly
after their helmets went into the trash.

<https://www.mystrobl.de/Plone/radfahren/fahrten/urlaub/emsland1992.jpeg>

Our
club still has no rule mandating helmets on normal rides; but I'm one of
very few who will attend a ride without the special hat.

Unfortunately, without such a role model, someone will soon come along
and argue: “since everyone is doing it anyway, we can make it
compulsory”.

>
Cycling attire is very much a fashion thing! There's certainly benefit
to comfortable riding shorts, aero jerseys etc. for fast or long rides.
But the other day, one member led a leisurely 15 mile ride followed by a
wildflower walk in our nature preserve. I showed up in normal
lightweight slacks and shirt, normal shoes, as I'd wear to ride to do
some shopping, visit a friend, etc. Everyone else was attired as if to
ride 75 miles.

Not using clothing built for a purpose sometimes is a fashion, too.
While I commuted by bike, I made a habit of wearing civil looking
cycling clothes, for the simple reason that I wanted to avoid the
impression and accusation: "that person is doing his dangerous sport
during rush hour on _out_ roads!".

Nowadays, being retired for some years, I am free to chooose where I
ride an how I ride. Leisure rides became much longer and now I prefer
the common specialiced cycling clothing, bib short shorts, mesh shirt +
trikot, bike shoes with SPD cleats, short-fingered gloves, for these
rides. I'm still using a white cycling cap (no helmet) for these rides.
In general, I prefer high-contrast, simple colors without any
advertising symbols.

For short distance everyday rides my own or rented conventional
bicycles, I still wear my normal everyday clothing.


--
Thank you for observing all safety precautions