Right, I am one step closer to cycling in to work.

On Saturday I bought this...


Been out for a couple of rides this weekend and I'll be training up to hopefully, eventually ride the commute to work.

It'll also be awesome to be able to get a couple of panniers and go off for a weekend every now and then.

Also, I have never felt such speed from a bicycle before! I used to have a 125 motorbike but the speed on this thing feels so much more than it ever did on my motorbike!

You've not mentioned safety gear... Please tell us you've got some sort of cycle helmet, at the very least. And a decent lock and chain!

Roadie...... you’ll be shaving your legs next and wearing spandex.

Nice looking bike though, Bit of an Orbea fan really but Trek are cool.

Nah, didn't bother...

Not really!

I already have a mountain bike so I have a helmet already. From my running and general trainin I have several technical tope and a couple of high vis tops.

With the bike I also got...
Gloves
Shorts
Lights
Pump
A spare inner tube
and a decent Camelbak bag.

I haven't bought a lock for it yet as I keep it in the flat at home and I'm not planning on taking it anywhere and leaving it unattended.

Even cycling to work I think I'll prob be leaving it in the boot of my car during the day and leaving my car at work over night (if that makes sense). Still not fully decided on this though.

I dont cycle much but still do some and don't have a cycle helmet - While I have no problem with anyone wearing them I do not want them made compulsory

There are a number of people who cycle the route I drive to work.

The road is the A61 and it's probably the buisiest section of that road with a speed limit of 60mph and people often break that and overtake dangerously etc...

A few of the guys cycling don't wear a helmet. If they were hit by a car on that road it would more than likely be game over for them. They wouldn't have a chance.

I think wearing a helmet should be mandatory if you cycle on the road. Otherwise it's up to you. If you want to go mountain biking without then thats up to you. Any accidents you have are more than likely going to be caused by you going too fast etc...

On the road, most accidents will be drivers who didn't see you and hit in to you.

I have to say it's a bit of an oddity we enforce helmets for motor cyclists but not for pedal cyclists. Surely the justification for doing so in the former case applies just as well to the latter?

Jon

Agreed, even more odd is the fact that it's a legal requirement to have lights on your bike if you cycle on the road... but still not a helmet.

Man, I hate those style of handle bars.

They definitely take a bit of getting used to.

There have been a number of studies (based on the compulsory helmet law in Australia) that show that by putting people off cycling (esp the casual user) it could costs extra lives through the loss of the benefit that cycling brings (Exercise etc). Also that for lots of accidents a helmet would make no difference.

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1012.html
and
http://www.cla.asn.au/Article/081125BikesHelmetPolicy.pdf

(others avl)

There is also the whole nanny state issue as well – If as a adult I decide that I am willing to take the risk in not wearing a helmet then I should be allowed to make that decision. After all I’m sure that more cyclists get injured in the wet than in the dry – so lets ban all cycling in the wet!

So do you support the fact that you must wear a helmet on a motorbike? Or that you must wear a seatbelt in a car?

I can see how for a lot of accidents a helmet isn't going to help. If you get hit by a lorry at 60mph then there isn't much that's going to help you but a helmet isn't going to make it worse. If a car was to pull out of a road and send me flying head first over its bonnet I'd definitely want a helmet and I'm willing to bet that without one I'd end up with serious head injuries or worse.

The fact that it isn't compulsory doesn't bother me as I will alwasy wear one. I just can't understand how some people will cycle along busy A roads where they have no control over every other road user and not wear a helmet.

The way I see it, the cost of a helmet (i.e. £20) far outweighs the consequences of not having a helmet when it is needed.

As for the seat belts law. When that was introduced yes fewer motorists died but there was a surge in pedestrian deaths. Because drivers felt safer they drove faster and so caused more pedestrian fatalities.

I am against both of them in principle