Bike The Drive - Tell me about it...plz ?
Just signed up for Bike the Drive. There are going to be 5 or more of us doing it. Various skill levels and rides.
We tried to find out about trailers and/or Trail-A-Bikes (are they allowed, how much extra do we have to pay, do the children inside/on have to pay, how much, etc.?). Nothing on the website. Does anyone have any info on that?
Also, if you have participated in it previously, what kind of experience(s) did you have? Any recommendations?
All advice will be read, and we will sort out what we can to make it an excellent ride.
I will have my (by then) 10 yr old on his 20" bike, me on "The Beast", my wife on her Huffy Sea Pines (1974ish), an Army buddy on his Aluminum "hot rod" (that's what I call it), and George Vanderford on something that has 2 wheels (I hope).
Again, any advice will be helpful.
Thank you all in advance.
Respectfully,
Manny
Views: 3694
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I prefer not to risk my neck, I kinda like having a functioning spinal cord.
Helmets have never become a legal requirement for either cyclists or motorbikes because of a lack of evidence that they work.
All they seem to do is create a false sense of security, leading to more arrogant and dangerous cycling.
People boast about surviving spectacular accidents, that likely never would have happened if they hadn't been riding too fast, convinced that their helmet made them indestructible.
Try visiting country where cycling is the normal mode of transport, I have never seen anyone wearing a helmet in the Netherlands, and yet their safety record is second to none.
You just don't see arrogant or reckless riding there. People are safe and courteous. Go figure.
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Permalink Reply by Duppie on
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But the Netherlands does have mandatory helmet laws for motorcyclists and moped cyclists, something you say never happened because of a lack of evidence that they work. or does the lack of evidence only apply to the state of Illinois? I am confused now.
EDIT: I just checked and 19 states have mandatory helmet laws. In fact Illinois and Iowa are the only two states that have no helmet laws at all. (The other 29 have age based restrictions). What do Illinois and Iowa know that the rest of the states do not?
http://bikersrights.com/states/50state.html
Hilary Thorne said:I prefer not to risk my neck, I kinda like having a functioning spinal cord.
Helmets have never become a legal requirement for either cyclists or motorbikes because of a lack of evidence that they work.
All they seem to do is create a false sense of security, leading to more arrogant and dangerous cycling.
People boast about surviving spectacular accidents, that likely never would have happened if they hadn't been riding too fast, convinced that their helmet made them indestructible.
Try visiting country where cycling is the normal mode of transport, I have never seen anyone wearing a helmet in the Netherlands, and yet their safety record is second to none.
You just don't see arrogant or reckless riding there. People are safe and courteous. Go figure.
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There is no helmet law for cyclists. In fact I can't think of any country I've been to that requires cyclists to wear helmets. Perhaps there are some, but my point is that evidence is needed for laws to be changed.
Netherlands now has helmets for motorbikes, I believe it was not their choice, but a consequent of being under the law of the European Union, to bring them into line with the rest of Europe?
Europe requires motorbike helmets in all countries now, but each American states has its own laws, they are allowed to make their own decisions based on available evidence. Presumably there is insufficenct evidence to require it to be a national law?
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You are so adamant that helmets do not work, there surely must be some publicized medical research that corroborates your statement. I am looking forward to you posting some links.
(I understand that cyclists would make up a very small sample, so I research focused on motorcyclists is acceptable.)
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I don't have any links.
Like I say my belief is based on my experience of 20 plus years working in ER.
A group of us (ER docs and nurses) looked at this issue about twelve years ago, as we shared the same beliefs, but never actually got round to formally collating evidence, (as the Gulf War got in the way and we all went our separate ways due to half the team being deployed!)
Very few hospitals keep records of safety gear in use in road accidents, so its to difficult to find evidence.
It would be helpful if ERs across the country could use a standard reporting system to enable this data to be collected.
But how could you collect data on "non -events", meaning the accidents that did not happen because the cyclists did not have helmets and were therefore riding more sensibly?
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My bad. I missed the part where you had previous stated that your opinion was based on anecdotal evidence (that is really what you described). I’ll choose to ignore your opinion from here on.
I do not care whether you choose to wear a helmet or not. That is your personal choice. But what I do care about is you presenting your personal experience as medical facts. That is a dangerous thing to do, and one of the main pitfalls of public forums in general, since a lot of readers might see your comments and think it is a fact, based on how your frame it.
I am not aware of any organized ride that does not require participants to wear a helmet. Instead, you may want to look at some the more informal rides listed in the events at the bottom of the front page (the various Critical Masses, Midnight Marauders, First Friday ride, beer rides, other social rides, etc.) They generally have no helmet requirements.
Happy Riding!
Hilary Thorne said:I don't have any links.
Like I say my belief is based on my experience of 20 plus years working in ER.
A group of us (ER docs and nurses) looked at this issue about twelve years ago, as we shared the same beliefs, but never actually got round to formally collating evidence, (as the Gulf War got in the way and we all went our separate ways due to half the team being deployed!)
Very few hospitals keep records of safety gear in use in road accidents, so its to difficult to find evidence.
It would be helpful if ERs across the country could use a standard reporting system to enable this data to be collected.
But how could you collect data on "non -events", meaning the accidents that did not happen because the cyclists did not have helmets and were therefore riding more sensibly?
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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on
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The reason there is no motorcycle helmet law in Illinois is because of lobbies, pure and simple. The reason there is no national law is because driving is regulated by the states, not by the federal government. Ms. Thorne, you have no evidence either. If you choose not to wear a helmet, the rest of us will not care or worry. If you choose not to Bike the Drive because you do not want to wear a helmet, the rest of us will not care or worry. But there--so far--is no justification for your position and it does not make sense to continue to try to justify it with unsubstantiated opinion.
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Permalink Reply by S on
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Hilary Thorne said:I don't have any links.
Like I say my belief is based on my experience of 20 plus years working in ER.
Anecdotal information may suggest things but they really shouldn't be evidence for proving or disproving anything or as basis for policy. Just to give some examples, anecdotal evidence led to the belief that ulcers were due to stress and anxiety. It wasn't until the 80s when it was established that H. Pylori is the cause for the majority of peptic ulcers. Likewise, most homeopaths will say that they see that their treatments work in their practice even though there is no evidence that homeopathy does anything.
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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on
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The answer on helmet effectiveness is: it depends. If you have a crash where your head doesn't hit a hard object, then whether or not you are wearing a helmet may be irrelevant. I've heard a lot of different opinions on effectiveness - from medical professionals, cyclists, safe cycling instructors, friends who have had crashes, etc.
In all my years of wearing a helmet when I ride, I've had exactly one crash when my head hit the pavement. My head was the first point of impact. The helmet cracked. My head didn't. That's enough evidence for me. Your mileage may vary...
Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi said:The reason there is no motorcycle helmet law in Illinois is because of lobbies, pure and simple. The reason there is no national law is because driving is regulated by the states, not by the federal government. Ms. Thorne, you have no evidence either. If you choose not to wear a helmet, the rest of us will not care or worry. If you choose not to Bike the Drive because you do not want to wear a helmet, the rest of us will not care or worry. But there--so far--is no justification for your position and it does not make sense to continue to try to justify it with unsubstantiated opinion.
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I also have fallen such that my head hit the pavement only once. It wasn't hard enough to crack my helmet, but it was hard enough that I felt very glad I to be wearing one.
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Permalink Reply by Craig S. on
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Hilary,
You're banging your head against the brick wall of popular group-think that is the CLink Forum and woe to those who express an opinion that is outside the norm.
Better put your helmet on if you're going to continue on this thread.
Aside from that, Bike the Drive is damn fun, as I've already stated. It's one of my favorite organized rides, however, I have issues with ATA hence my reluctance to pay for it. If you've never ridden this ride, you really should and just deal with a helmet for a few hours. I won't tell anyone.
Hilary Thorne said:I don't have any links.
Like I say my belief is based on my experience of 20 plus years working in ER.
A group of us (ER docs and nurses) looked at this issue about twelve years ago, as we shared the same beliefs, but never actually got round to formally collating evidence, (as the Gulf War got in the way and we all went our separate ways due to half the team being deployed!)
Very few hospitals keep records of safety gear in use in road accidents, so its to difficult to find evidence.
It would be helpful if ERs across the country could use a standard reporting system to enable this data to be collected.
But how could you collect data on "non -events", meaning the accidents that did not happen because the cyclists did not have helmets and were therefore riding more sensibly?
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Craig, I'd like to see you start a separate thread wherein you make your issues with ATA crystal clear. I'm sure there are others here who'd love to take part in such a "discussion", too. Granted there are a lot of bad apples here, but there are also many intelligent and understanding folks, too. Point being, we're all adults here; let's act like it. So instead of using your helmet paranoia as a disguised outlet for your ATA hatred in a thread about BTD, just do us a favor and make something constructive out of this instead of being petty and taking every opportunity to slam ATA without giving up some good reasons. You just come across as a guy whose ego has been severely bruised.
I don't belong to ATA and don't care if anyone voices whatever opinion they have about them, but your act is really tired, even for a "troll".
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