Is this good, or bad in your opinion?
(would you prefer the conversations, or no?)
I don’t mind answering a few q’s, but it does get tiring after a awile when you just want to ride, I find.
I look hot in protective gear. I look hot in just about anything. I can’t help it … I make clothes look good.
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!
So when do we see a picture of you in a blue shift, Greg?
I swear that’s a pic of jeff danials
I swear it is a pic of Greg Harper. Let’s just say when I mentioned this pic to him, he said “If my wife knew I was going to post this all over the internet, she would have never taken it.”
Personally, first time I saw it, I didn’t really know what to think. After meeting Greg, I think it is pretty funny. Great guy with a great(strange) sense of humor.
Usually they say the helmet is the most important piece of gear. If you bang up your helmet more than a pair of kneepads or gloves, there’s a big problem. But the thing is, you can break your knees and wrists over and over, and still heal and be able to use them, though not necessarily as well. One good conk on the head that causes a brain injury, and you could be done. Permanently. Maybe you’ve never seen anyone who this has happened to. This is understandable, as those people don’t get out much.
Like many of us, you only got the message when it came in the form of your own personal pain. You’re not the only one. In this, you are probably in the majority. I hear similar stories over and over. Older beginners tend to be more safety conscious. This is because as you get older you are hopefully also wiser, and are better at thinking ahead. Plus you may already have experiences from other activities.
But you probably didn’t really learn about ankle protection at the time of that accident. That was just the time that you learned it applied to you too.
Stairs. Pretty harmless, ordinary things, aren’t they? Who gets hurt on stairs?
Dude, you have so opened yourself up for all of this. People say exactly the same thing all the time about wearing seatbelts. I won’t rehash well known basic facts of seatbelts and not getting killed. It is common knowledge and easy to look up. Same thing applies.
We have already “told you so.” Consider yourself told. Now you either will eventually smack your head in the next 5-50 years of riding, or you might not. It’s only a severe smack you need to worry about, and if you’re like most of us, it will probably never happen. But, like seatbelts, you never know if–or when–it will. And though you can take steps to minimize your risk, if you’re going off staircases, you aren’t doing that.
I’m amazed by the skateboarders. Not to say all skateboarders shun equipment, it’s just very rare to see on the street. Even though Max-X, Real TV, and every other TV show that shows video clips of people hurting themselves makes it painfully obvious that it might be a good idea.
And what science, may I ask, did you use to determine the similarity in injury rates between walkers/joggers and unicyclists? I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree with you there. How many joggers get their feet caught in their pedals when they trip? How many walkers get pedal gouges up the backs of their legs?
So if you’re just riding in the same places as the walkers and joggers, no big deal. But you did mention a stairway earlier. Or do you ever ride near moving cars? Do you think you can control what those cars are doing around you? It just takes one inattentive driver to suddenly turn into your path. If you ride on streets enough I guarantee you it will happen.
Here you say you “don’t do tricks that especially risk your head.” Neither do I. But couldn’t you have lost your footing when on those stairs instead of before them? Sudden risk to head.
I don’t do activities that especially risk my head either. But I occasionally practice stand-up wheel walk, and I really like to ride on singletrack trails. The local trails here have lots of rocks, and many of the rocks are sharp-edged and pointy. One slip of the foot, and a pedal up the back of the leg, and I don’t get a choice of how I’m going to land.
I’ve been riding over 20 years and this only happens to me very rarely. But I’m not dumb enough to believe I never could fall on my head.
I don’t think you are either. You just made it sound that way. We all take risks when we ride. I choose to wear my helmet when I ride around cars (commuting), on trails, or Trials. But I usually do not wear it when practicing tricks, riding indoors, or performing. Murphy’s Law says I’ll get hurt when doing one of those activities. But that’s where I strike my personal balance.
Never wearing anything, and accepting the higher risk, is your choice. A million skateboarders make it every day, along with many millions of unbelted drivers. That’s their choice as well, whether they are aware of the realities of the possible consequences or not. But don’t tell us how safe you are, based only on what’s happened to you so far.
Heads
FWIW:
I marshal for an Adventure Race in the UK.
Last event we had a lady have a pretty bad crash - which is quite rare thankfully. She ran over her partner and his helmet has impressions across it where her chain wheel rolled across his head at speed!
johnfoss-
That post sums it up really well, it’s great that you and others here go to the effort of creating such consise and informative posts; and it’s great that unicyclists as a community are encouraging sensible use of safety equipment.
KrashinKenny trained me well!
“Knee Pads, Elbow Pads, HELMET, Shin Guards, and Hand/Wrist-Thingies”
Re: “SUIT UP!” …or… a lesson in unicycle safety
THat’s an awsome comparison about the kitty.
Whenever I go on a trials ride I always wear a helmut, leg guards, and gloves. I can’t do much without them, because I just don’t feel safe or comfortable.
Logan is cool
don’t be a fool,
wear protection
a little subliminal messaging for ya
Logan 