Another Day, Another Dumb Newspaper Article About Helmets

I can't deal anymore, I just can't.

First of all, read this tweet:

Reviewed: The new Terrain Dynamics AIRhub. An Australian invention that brings the indoor trainer, outside. https://t.co/neXVNRbGxN pic.twitter.com/ciYWC9gqRK

— CyclingTips (@cyclingtips) October 23, 2017

Oh come on.  What next?  Bringing solitary bathroom masturbation to dating?  Of course, we've seen the AIRhub before, but this article contains new and exciting information, such as how you control it with a smartphone:

The AIRhub is a wireless self-powered resistance unit designed to be used outdoors and on the road. The unit is controlled by a smartphone app that allows users to program how much resistance is applied during a training session.

In practice, what that means is that the AIRhub is designed to slow the bike down. While this effect is somewhat analogous to applying the front brakes, the AIRhub does it automatically and silently, just like a smart indoor trainer. In addition, there is a choice of five different modes for modulating the resistance of the AIRhub to different kinds of workouts.

There's also insight into the inventor's inspiration, which came from riding around with inner tubes full of water and doing group road rides on mountain bikes:

Another aspect that was important was the way that the system behaved on the road. “I had been doing funny things for a number of years, like using heavier tyres, adding weights to my rims, filling my tubes with water, or going on a bunch ride with a mountain bike.

“If I used a heavy tyre, it would give me a certain kind of road feel. If I added weights to my rims, the road feel would be completely different. Putting water in my tubes was different again, but it wasn’t until I developed the first prototype for the AIRhub that I found the road feel and load I was looking for. It still felt a lot like a racing bike but I could give it a few percent extra. And the faster I went, the harder it got

In other words, the is the polar opposite of an ebike--all for the low price of $1,500:

Terrain Dynamics sells the AIRhub direct to customers via its website for AUD$1,950 (~US$1,530), excluding shipping. That price includes the wheel along with all of the accessories described, plus a two-year warranty.

Speaking of onerous accessories, august commenter Leroy alerted me to the following article, and while I did my best not to read it I ultimately failed:

Even a careful cyclist is likely to crash about once every 4,500 miles and, based on personal observation, many city cyclists are anything but careful. Although reliable details are lacking on bike share accidents in New York or elsewhere, one shattering statistic reported by New York City for cyclists in general stands out: 97 percent of cycling deaths and 87 percent of serious injuries occurred to people who were not wearing helmets.

Yes, when making statements about public health policy there's no more persuasive phrase than "based on personal observation," though "reliable details are lacking" comes close.

I’ve been a cyclist for more than 70 years, most of them before anyone thought about wearing a helmet (protective helmets for recreational cyclists didn’t even exist until 1975). Although I’ve owned many helmets in the last four decades, I admit to occasionally not wearing one to avoid “helmet hair” before an evening out.

Great!  So what's the problem?

But a few weeks ago I learned firsthand how foolish it was to worry more about my hair than my head. Luckily, my helmet was securely in place when, for reasons unknown, I fell forward over the handlebars while riding slowly uphill a few houses from home. Although I suffered a mild concussion and have no memory of the accident (I also sustained a nasty cut on my chin, badly bruised ribs and a scraped knee), my helmet prevented a serious brain or facial injury.

I will never again mount a bicycle without the helmet on my head where it belongs, not in my backpack, bike basket or, worse, at home.

Funny how when bad things happen to people "for reasons unknown" they come to one of two conclusions: wear a helmet, or accept Jesus as your lord and savior.

There are laws requiring young cyclists to wear helmets in 21 states and Washington, D.C., and at least 200 localities, but very few cover adult riders. A common sight in my neighborhood: Fathers riding helmetless with their helmeted child on a bike seat behind them.

Oh please.  A common sight in my neighborhood: Fathers dining in regular chairs with their child in a high chair beside them.  And don't even get me started on diapers!

People love to get sanctimonious when it comes to riding with kids, yet I've never heard anyone even attempt to cite statistics indicating child-portaging is particularly dangerous, probably because it isn't.  If anything, riding slowly in an upright position while avoiding risks because you've got a kid on the bike is probably about as safe as pushing a stroller down the sidewalk regardless of what anyone happens to be wearing on their heads.

But let's not forget the teenagers:

Teenagers seem especially resistant to wearing helmets, yet with their still-developing brains they probably incur the greatest risks and have the most to lose from a head injury. “There’s often a rebellion aspect among teens,” Mr. Swart said. “They say, ‘All through childhood, my parents forced me to be safe. Now I want to make my own decisions about risk.’” College students and young adults often also think similarly, he said.

This is absolutely true.  Teenagers refuse to wear helmets in cars and it's a major problem.  That's why so many of them die in motor vehicle collisions.

I worry too about younger children, even those whose parents insist that they wear a helmet when riding a scooter, tricycle or bicycle. I see many such riders with parents in tow in my Brooklyn neighborhood, and in at least half the cases I’ve observed, the helmet is too big or is not on correctly and likely to provide little protection in a serious fall or crash.

I see that too.  That's why you should just spare the child the foam dome altogether.  Here's something I watched in a playground just the other day:

KID ON BIKE WITH TRAINING WHEELS WEARING HELMET SIDEWAYS:  "Mommy, I want to ride without the helmet."

MOMMY: "NO!!!  You have to wear a helmet."

KID ON BIKE WITH TRAINING WHEELS WEARING HELMET SIDEWAYS: [Takes of helmet and walks away from bike.]

THE END

And that's how we're creating tomorrow's Hyundai lessees today.

Thanks, Jane E. Brody, for doing your part.