A couple of years again I made a video with Terry Barentsen about my emotions regarding helmets:
One level I attempted to make concerning staying secure on the bikes is that, whereas something can occur on the market, there’s additionally quite a bit over which he have a substantial amount of management. You might not agree with my option to forego a helmet more often than not, however I do hope you agree that there’s loads we are able to and may do to significantly cut back our danger of falling off the bike within the first place, and that any security gear we could select to don on your journey must be a final line of protection after first exercising due care. Within the heyday of the fixie I’d typically see helmeted riders on monitor bikes with no brakes, and it at all times struck me that when you have been going to decide on between a helmet and a brake you’d be higher off with the latter–not solely from a security perspective, but additionally from a conceit perspective, since I believe helmets look far dorkier than brakes. [smileyface]
Now I’m not going to lie and say I by no means take pointless dangers whist bicycling; whether or not it’s rolling a lightweight to avoid wasting a handful of meaningless seconds or ready just a little longer to start out braking on a descent, sometimes I too succumb to the momentum that is without doubt one of the most seductive facets of biking. Nevertheless, each time I journey, I do not less than attempt to maintain the potential penalties of my decisions in thoughts always. Throughout World Warfare II, they used to ask folks to contemplate whether or not their journey was in truth obligatory:
Equally, if I encounter, say, a rocky part of path, I ask myself if it’s actually obligatory to aim to journey it:
I’ll determine to journey it or I’ll determine to stroll it, however the vital half is not less than being conscious that I’ve obtained full management over whether or not or not I determine to danger weeks off the bike as a result of an damage simply because I didn’t wish to endure the indignity of dismounting.
Driving within the metropolis requires related decisions, however the calculus is extra difficult as a result of the truth that, whilst you can management your personal conduct, you’ll be able to’t management the conduct of others. You might select to do one thing dangerous on the bike within the metropolis and get away with it since you’re a quick rider or a skillful bike handler, but when another person additionally chooses that very same second to interrupt a legislation or take a danger the probabilities of it ending in catastrophe improve exponentially. Contemplate the rider who decides to get a soar on the inexperienced solely to satisfy the driving force who decides to beat out the purple. Individually every might need pulled it off simply nice, however after they achieve this concurrently it in catastrophe.
Because it occurs, Terry lately uploaded a video which illustrates this phenomenon completely, and regardless of how sensible or skilled you suppose you’re I believe it’s helpful to see it in motion:
First, he runs a purple mild, which actually an skilled city bike owner can do a thousand instances and emerge on the different aspect of the intersection unscathed–particularly somebody like Terry who runs purple lights professionally:
However then you definately’ve obtained the truck driver unloading within the crosswalk:
This obstructs the view of the bike lane, and specifically the Electrical Scooter Salmon touring in it:
Alas, Terry doesn’t see him till its too late:
And so they collide:
Unleashing a number of gallons of tire sealant within the course of:
Fortuitously, no one is injured, and Terry takes the destruction of his wheel in stride:
May you anticipate the inexperienced mild like an excellent citizen and nonetheless wind up in a head-on collision with an Electrical Scooter Salmon? Definitely–that is New York Metropolis in any case. Nevertheless, you’d almost definitely be in a greater place to maneuver because you’re not additionally centered on beating out the oncoming visitors.
The purpose right here is to not chastise Terry, or the truck driver, and even the Electrical Scooter Salmon. We’re all people making our manner via a giant metropolis, and all of us behave selfishly within the course of. The purpose is merely that we might all do nicely to remember the fact that in relation to crashing it typically takes two to tango, and if you throw in a 3rd you get a full-on clusterfuck.
As for aluminum rims versus carbon and tubeless versus tubes, that’s a dialogue for one more day.
