Comments on: Talk time: Tomar – Sintra http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/general-posts/talk-time-tomar-sintra Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:22:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Peter http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/general-posts/talk-time-tomar-sintra/comment-page-1#comment-107 Peter Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:21:17 +0000 http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/?p=671#comment-107 @Richard Keatinge, Thanks for posting this, along with some interesting research. Uncomfortble and inconvenient sums up a lot. I've never worn a helmet and would feel no safer with one on. I'm in the rather awkward position of giving talks to young children so would hardly encourage people who do wear a helmet to stop doing so. @Richard Keatinge, Thanks for posting this, along with some interesting research. Uncomfortble and inconvenient sums up a lot. I’ve never worn a helmet and would feel no safer with one on. I’m in the rather awkward position of giving talks to young children so would hardly encourage people who do wear a helmet to stop doing so.

]]> By: Richard Keatinge http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/general-posts/talk-time-tomar-sintra/comment-page-1#comment-106 Richard Keatinge Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:05:18 +0000 http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/?p=671#comment-106 You're not sure why you don't wear a helmet? Well, I don't wear one because they are uncomfortable in inconvenient, because the actual risks are very low, and because there is no good evidence that they work and some good evidence that they don't. It appears that helmets break easily, but don't absorb the impact, see the engineers quoted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Criticism_of_current_standards.3B_new_designs. A broken helmet has simply failed, and the widespread anecdotes on the theme of "a helmet saved my life" seem to owe more to wishful thinking than to science. Helmet laws have stopped a lot of people cycling and have done nothing for head injury rates, see Robinson DL. No clear evidence from countries that have enforced the wearing of helmets. BMJ. 2006 March 25; 332(7543): 722–725. doi: 10.1136/bmj.332.7543.722-a. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16565131 (Robinson's work uses the best scientific methods, all available control groups and so on.) Helmet propaganda relies on overemphasizing the very small dangers of cycling and seldom seems to emphasize its large benefits. At my moderately advanced age it's far too dangerous not to cycle - regular cycling, Danish style, not too far, not too fast, nearly halves the death rate, see http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/160/11/1621 All-Cause Mortality Associated With Physical Activity During Leisure Time, Work, Sports, and Cycling to Work. Andersen et al, Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:1621-1628. Taking up moderate exercise is about as beneficial as giving up smoking. Bicycling is good for health, but bike helmets don't seem to be. I hope that a few facts and references are what you were looking for... You’re not sure why you don’t wear a helmet? Well, I don’t wear one because they are uncomfortable in inconvenient, because the actual risks are very low, and because there is no good evidence that they work and some good evidence that they don’t. It appears that helmets break easily, but don’t absorb the impact, see the engineers quoted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Criticism_of_current_standards.3B_new_designs. A broken helmet has simply failed, and the widespread anecdotes on the theme of “a helmet saved my life” seem to owe more to wishful thinking than to science.

Helmet laws have stopped a lot of people cycling and have done nothing for head injury rates, see Robinson DL. No clear evidence from countries that have enforced the wearing of helmets. BMJ. 2006 March 25; 332(7543): 722–725. doi: 10.1136/bmj.332.7543.722-a. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16565131 (Robinson’s work uses the best scientific methods, all available control groups and so on.)

Helmet propaganda relies on overemphasizing the very small dangers of cycling and seldom seems to emphasize its large benefits. At my moderately advanced age it’s far too dangerous not to cycle – regular cycling, Danish style, not too far, not too fast, nearly halves the death rate, see http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/160/11/1621 All-Cause Mortality Associated With Physical Activity During Leisure Time, Work, Sports, and Cycling to Work. Andersen et al, Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:1621-1628. Taking up moderate exercise is about as beneficial as giving up smoking. Bicycling is good for health, but bike helmets don’t seem to be. I hope that a few facts and references are what you were looking for…

]]> By: Lindsay Hill http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/general-posts/talk-time-tomar-sintra/comment-page-1#comment-105 Lindsay Hill Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:34:00 +0000 http://www.thebigafricacycle.com/?p=671#comment-105 You haven't named your bike yet? Outrageous! But I do agree with you about the Thorn being a "black behemoth of a tank" - I've been trying to use mine for commuting as part of warmup for my upcoming trip, but I keep falling back to my fast, (relatively) light MTB. Take it easy, no hurry to reach Africa You haven’t named your bike yet? Outrageous!

But I do agree with you about the Thorn being a “black behemoth of a tank” – I’ve been trying to use mine for commuting as part of warmup for my upcoming trip, but I keep falling back to my fast, (relatively) light MTB.

Take it easy, no hurry to reach Africa

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