GutterHugger Posted December 22, 2007 Share Tell you what' date=' if Gary Beneke or any other 'influencial' cyclist puts his head in an oven and gases himself, I am certainly not going to feel the need to do the same. You can't force someone not to be stupid, but if you have half a brain yourself, you are not going to be influenced by their stupidity either, and quite frankly, it is not your problem anyway. [/quote'] Amen CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamm Posted December 22, 2007 Share SwissVan - Number of years on the Hub does not an expert make, and I do not for one minute pretend to be an expert myself. I can also dig up conflicting findings on helmets, seatbelts, the benefits of driving at speed, HIV does not cause AIDS, the Existance of the Spaghetti Monster etc. And yes I have seen previous posts and arguments on helmets. Reality is that riding without a helmet is against the law. If you don't like the law, petition to get it changed. If you win, great, if not you still have to abide by the law. As mentioned previosly by a hubber, too many cyclists die because of the lack of respect for cyclists and cycling in general. We are perceived as arrogant law breaking nuisances. This has made the sport dangerous for me, and is why I feel strongly about this. We should do everything in our power to obey and abide by the rules, which means wearing helmets. I look forward to your enlightened submission and arguments to the CSA and the authorities. Until such time, forget Beneke. You, I and all other cyclsist are the role models not only to potential cyclists and kids, but everyone else out there and it is our job to look after each other. Happy Cycling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fandacious Posted December 22, 2007 Share why is it that Gary Beneke and co insist on riding to durban' date='and in and around the coast with no helmet.Surely they should be setting an example for the rest of us,besides I think it it is just plain stupid[/quote'] I often see Latrinus Emmer out here in somerset west, and he never has a helmet on. I think he has a semi valid excuse though... his dreadlocks dont fit under the helmet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fees Posted December 22, 2007 Share I often shout abuse at other riders who don't wear helmets and will refuse to ride with someone who does not want to wear a helmet. I would not want to scrape his head off the tar. You ride with me, you wear a helmet, full stop! What about these people that spend 10 grand on a bike but buy a silly polystyrene crap helmet to top off their fancy cycling kit. The helmet is the most important part of your kit. Don't cut corners!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissVan Posted December 22, 2007 Share SwissVan - Number of years on the Hub does not an expert make' date=' and I do not for one minute pretend to be an expert myself. I can also dig up conflicting findings on helmets, seatbelts, the benefits of driving at speed, HIV does not cause AIDS, the Existance of the Spaghetti Monster etc. And yes I have seen previous posts and arguments on helmets. Reality is that riding without a helmet is against the law. If you don't like the law, petition to get it changed. If you win, great, if not you still have to abide by the law. As mentioned previosly by a hubber, too many cyclists die because of the lack of respect for cyclists and cycling in general. We are perceived as arrogant law breaking nuisances. This has made the sport dangerous for me, and is why I feel strongly about this. We should do everything in our power to obey and abide by the rules, which means wearing helmets. I look forward to your enlightened submission and arguments to the CSA and the authorities. Until such time, forget Beneke. You, I and all other cyclsist are the role models not only to potential cyclists and kids, but everyone else out there and it is our job to look after each other. Happy Cycling.[/quote'] Jamm, stop overreacting and reading too much between the lines with regards my comment.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> For the record I support the wearing of helmets. As you are so looking forward to further submission and argument, do me a favour and search and READ through ALL the hub helmet topics, then give us a lecture on the benifets of helmets and helmet legislation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
widget Posted December 22, 2007 Share why is it that Gary Beneke and co insist on riding to durban' date='and in and around the coast with no helmet.Surely they should be setting an example for the rest of us,besides I think it it is just plain stupid[/quote'] I often see Latrinus Emmer out here in somerset west, and he never has a helmet on. I think he has a semi valid excuse though... his dreadlocks dont fit under the helmet! Hmmm, by the same token, perhaps he could consider some of the posts here and change......................maybe.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nellie Posted December 22, 2007 Share What's the whole point in the original post apart from the normal 'we must wear helmets' debate? Just a question... Because quite frankly...non-cyclists don't really give a hoot when they see a guy on a bicycle without his little piece of plastic on his head - if they hate cyclists they'll hate us regardless and we won't change their opinions by protecting/not protecting our skulls. And by pointing out that Gary didn't wear a helmet - yes, bad example,but really...we all (well...some more than others;-) have brains which we should use to form our own opinions. I'm not going to follow Gary Beneke, Lance Armstrong, Tom Boonen or anyone else's example without thinking it through and deciding for myself what will be best for me. Oh...and just one more question...what % of cyclists will actually be able to ID the "well known names" in SAcycling when they see them pedaling through the streets? I mean, hands up who will recognise Willie Engelbrecht, Chris Willemse, Mark&Gary Beneke, David Bellairs, Lawrence Whitaker and the Lemmer brothers (feel free to name more)...when you see them walking through town? We all know the names,but except if someone points it out to us, it will only be another random guy on his bike that does something (in this case not wearing a helmet) that we don't agree with. Normal people, forming their own opinions... Personaly i choose to wear my helmet whenever i go out training and i only ride with people who also do so. As for the rest...it's their own stupidity. And don't give me the "but helmets look dumb" bit...we've got some very cool looking shells around&it's gotten to be one of cycling's favourite fasion accessories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linnega Posted December 22, 2007 Share You guys have managed to raise three separate arguments - all contentious and certainly no side can claim they have all the answers.The first on "following the road rules" has been discussed in the last month or so, so I won't get into that. The second on legal enforcement of helmet wearing was so strongly opposed by CTC (the world's premier cycling advocacy organisation - where Phil Liggett was president at the time) that the proposed law was not passed. The reasoning is on their website (www.ctc.org.uk) and is well supported by an analysis of all available research (see www.cyclehelmets.org). Do yourself a favour and read a little. The balance of the research there deals with the third argument - whether helmets are effective (or whether you should choose to wear one). As for the w**ker you wouldn't ride with someone not wearing a helmet, I wouldn't want to ride with someone as close-minded. linnega2007-12-22 12:46:10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fandacious Posted December 22, 2007 Share I think guys who jump red robots / stop streets are taking far bigger chance than the guys not wearing a helmet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willehond Posted December 22, 2007 Share I am know this topic has been discussed LOADS of times on the Hub. Very emotive and very polarising. ...as for those UK 'organisations' linnega, I read through that gunk and if you start out WANTING to proove helmets suck, you will do it. Very subjective and just as convincing as those 'helmets save you in car crash' loonies. Anyway, how can you expect ex pro's who rode all their lives without helmets and were lucky enough to keep most of their braincells that they were wrong all their lives? Not going to happen. Plus they were good riders because they were fast on a bike, not because of their intellectual capabilities. Forgive them and move on, wear a helmet and everytime you see an ex "bigshot" without a helmet let it remind you that you should not put them on a pedastal and believe everything they say. Think for yourself; you got those braincells left, use them before you crash without your helmet. Else you can give Fabio Casartelli a call and ask him what he thinks... Like miss South Carolina I personally believe my helmet saved me from either a massive headache or serious head injury when I did a full 270 going downhill at 65km/hr Krakadouw and landed on my head/back. I crushed my helmet and landed on my Camelbak which cushioned the blow (hey, maybe we should make Camelbaks obligatory?!). I cracked a rib (I think) and had mutiple bruises, but managed to think straight. Convinced me to wear my helmet. I don't think that you should wear one because I think they help, make up your own mind. and if you decide not to wear one, get used to people shouting "nice helmet" or other sarcastic comments when you ride without one. Comes with the territory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linnega Posted December 22, 2007 Share Explain the apostrophes around "organisations"? CTC is about as respected an organisation as you will ever find in cycling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willehond Posted December 22, 2007 Share linnega, CTC is to cycling in the UK what the AA is to motoring. In true British fashion they fight any legislation they see as spoilong their fun or right to do whatever they want! They are not an independant organisation doing unbiased research, but rather a cycling advocacy group representing their member's interests, so I respect their user base and their representation, but I take their opinion with a grain of salt and not quite unbiased. Hence my sarcastic apostrophes. Yes, read their stuff, but see it in context with their objectives and support base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted December 22, 2007 Share There are statistics to prove everything and anything. I prefer to wear a helmet, just like I prefer to stop at red traffic lights. Not to do either is illegal, but people still do it ............ I also have no desire to play russian roulette. Its also widely believed that medical aid companies would prefer to see the the wearing of motorcycle helmets left up to the individual, like they would with seat belts because its cheaper for them when their member is killed instantly rather than spend weeks or months in hospital. Just like tow truck drivers fiddle robots so thy don't work or work strangely ...... it aids their turnover!! Its a wierd planet we live on and all I can say is that I have a deeply embedded sense of self preservation so I wear a helmet and ride cautiously. nothing beats the taste of airbags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linnega Posted December 22, 2007 Share Willehond, fair argument about the objectives of the cycle helmets website. However, I have yet to see any evidence other than wholly unreliable anecdotal evidence to support the use of helmets. Considering CTC's only goal is the promotion of cycling it is hard to see how their position on helmets would be biased. I also do understand that some people feel they have the right to criticise people for not wearing helmets - I of course, reserve the right to tell them to go ****themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casspir Posted December 23, 2007 Share Linnega, I was involved in an accident in October 2006. A bakkie suddenly swerved and stopped in front of me on my way to Stellenbosch. I rear-ended the delivery van. The trauma of the impact would have been extremely bad if I rode without a helmet. The helmet "burns" are visible. The helmet was cracked and replaced. My head took 90% of the impact. I will not cycle without a helmet! Regards and wear those helmets! Kinnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fandacious Posted December 23, 2007 Share Hmmm' date=' by the same token, perhaps he could consider some of the posts here and change......................maybe.? [/quote'] Why? Will more people start wearing a helmet because carinus is? personally i think if you want to take chances and not wear a helmet its your choice. same as smoking/shooting up heroin/slave trading/whatever. Again, I think cyclists who jump robots and think the laws of the road dont apply to them give us a bad name, not the guys who dont wear a helmet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now