Calling all road cyclists

[Loz]

I would have though the helmet would provide its main protection from downward forces (i.e. head hitting the road) than horizontal forces, so your road speed would not be the primary factor.

[DJKillaQueen]

Yes I agree with the downward force thing.

Just on a slightly different tack though.....when is TFL going to do something to make major intersections safe for cyclists? Vauxhall and Aldwych are terrible road systems to negotiate and those who designed the lane system on Blackfriars (where a cyclist died around 8 years ago whilst in the cycle lane in the MIDDLE of the road) want shooting. Buses are particularly bad around cyclists. I can't think of any vehicle that has caused me to brake hard more than busses.

[Thomas Micklewright]

I always pull ove for buses.

Since reading this thread I now manically smile at all cyclists.

Tom

[Huguenot]

I too wear a helmet, although I fear it affects my pulling power.

To be fair, I'm marginally more successful than I would be with a debilitating brain injury, eating through a tube.

Sensibly, since there is no downside (apart from the injury to a fucking massive ego), I can't understand why anyone wouldn't wear a helmet.

I'm sure DJKQ will come out with some spurious argument about the restricted view of homicidal pterodactyls.

[Loz]

DJKillaQueen Wrote:

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> Just on a slightly different tack though.....when is TFL going to do something to make major

> intersections safe for cyclists? Vauxhall and Aldwych are terrible road systems to negotiate and

> those who designed the lane system on Blackfriars (where a cyclist died around 8 years ago whilst in

> the cycle lane in the MIDDLE of the road) want shooting. Buses are particularly bad around

> cyclists. I can't think of any vehicle that has caused me to brake hard more than busses.

To be fair, they've made both those junctions pretty terrifying for everyone. I take up a new religion every time I take on Vauxhall from the north trying to get down to Camberwell New Road in the car. As for Aldwych, that's scary enough from upstairs in a bus.

[Applespider]

Oooh - I find taxis worse than buses. At least with buses you have some idea of when they are going to pull in and they don't generally do U turns in random roads.

[Annette Curtain]

DJKillaQueen Wrote:

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> Where's the evidence of that? I can listen to

> headphones at a safe volume and cycle perfectly

> safely....done it for 20+ years without any

> accident that was my fault. A cyclist has a far

> greater chance of injury because they are on a

> cycle, that's all.

Never had an accident but left dozens in her wake, has our DJ.

::o

[DJKillaQueen]

LOL...Nette...that reminds me of that famous piece of 'Police camera Action' footage where some manic crosses lanes on a motorway, losing a little bit of control, but manages to speed away, while around 60 cars piled up in his wake.....

I'm sure DJKQ will come out with some spurious argument about the restricted view of homicidal pterodactyls.

Well funny you should say that because I have always wondered what the point of the pointy plastic bit attached to the front of some helmets was......It can't be aero dynamics (as you trundle along at 15 mpr) because they have holes in them (which also counts out rain and sun shields)...so it must indeed be the wanting to look like a pterodactyl factor????

[mikeb]

I'm with DJKQ on headphones, in moderation. Although to be fair, today's episode of the Archers almost had me under a bus through sheer boredom.

[Applespider]

The pointy bit on my helmet doesn't have holes although the rest of the helmet does -which makes the whole thing more or less useless when it comes to rain protection. But the pointy visor does stop rain dripping into your eyes... it makes it drip off the edge and down your neck instead.

Of course, to get the full pterodactyl look, you really want a rain cape so that you make swooping wing-like movements when you signal to turn.