Now i feel like ive been hit by a car :-(

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

That is a bloody nice looking bicycle mate

Hope she gets well soon

Sent from the astropathic choir.

[Taxi Dad]

I'm not particularly swayed one way or the other on this topic, and obviously having one on help Paul today, but there are arguments against the wearing of helmets: http://bicyclesafe.com/helmets.html

As I said; I'm not remotely anti-helmet, but I do think it should be a case of personal choice rather than totally mandatory.   

I'm VERY happy that you were wearing one today.
[/quote]
+1 to all of that 

[Breezy12]

holy smurf! horrible chain of events, but I'm really glad to hear you're ok, Zed!

I don't care if helmets are mandatory or not, but I will always wear one... I wouldn't be around today if I hadn't been wearing my helmet 20 years ago.

oh, and on a related note -- for my sons, helmets are ABSOLUTELY MANDATORY.

[Zed]

Im the same with my kids and helmets  cheers mike i love this bike and its evolved over the last 4 years,ive bent the chainring back and put some tape over the damaged bar tape,just need to true the wheel  angela has come home to look after me 

[enki_ck]

Glad you're ok, Paul.

As for helmets, around here kids up to 16 I think have to wear them, for adults it's not required.

[dks]

Well, I got a bicycle helmet a couple of months ago... still feel like a nerd wearing it..... 

[sawman]

Well, I got a bicycle helmet a couple of months ago... still feel like a nerd wearing it..... 

If I ever get another bike I will be wearing a helmet whenever I ride. Way too many nuts on the road these days and they're all on a smurfing cell phone while driving. I don't care how nerdy I look 

[Zed]

Well ache even more now and tired,Angie sent me to bed but said she will check on me later,night folk and thanks for the kind words 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Hope you bounce back well tomorrow mate

[J-sews]

I'm glad you are here to tell us about it Paul. Sounds like things could have easily been a lot worse.

[Top-Gear-24]

Whow, how much bad luck could one person have in one day ... ?

Glad to hear you're ok my friend  .

[bmot]

First, glad you're ok, Zed!

It's funny how different cycling-culture is in other countries, compared to here. Maybe we're more used to cyclists or something 

[AimlessWanderer]

Well, I got a bicycle helmet a couple of months ago... still feel like a nerd wearing it..... 

Don't worry D, you'll look a lot less stupid when you get the bike to go with it 

Paul, glad you survived your ordeal without more injuries. I know you're well practised in the art of bike crashing  but that could have been a lot worse 

Take care buddy, and heal soon 

[Zed]

Thanks again everyone for the kind word well ache this am plus had trouble sleeping,head still a bit sore,im on orders to relax today by my boss (the wife)  so sleeping and mto and possibly the rebar will get here for me to play with surely i cant get hurt by that   

[Gareth]

"The Boss" is right mate, take it easy.

[Zed]

"The Boss" is right mate, take it easy.

She usually is Gareth 

[Gareth]

"The Boss" is right mate, take it easy.

She usually is Gareth 

Generally a safe assumption mate.

[Zed]

"The Boss" is right mate, take it easy.

She usually is Gareth 

Generally a safe assumption mate.

  she is great though,she's made me a pack lunch and strict orders to sleep 

[Taxi Dad]

"The Boss" is right mate, take it easy.

She usually is Gareth 

Generally a safe assumption mate.

she is great though,she's made me a pack lunch and strict orders to sleep 

sounds like you might have to crash a bit more often    I'm off to skateboard down the local motorway  now were did I put my 'blindfold' 

[lowtech]

Sounds like she´s a keeper, Zed.
On the Rebar: Be cautious! There have been pinchings reported as of late - Don´t hurt yourself. 

[Whoey]

In Spain, you are required by law to wear a bike helmet, however, they tend to turn a blind eye in built up areas (which I believe is where it's needed more) and you are exempt in extreme heat conditions (to prevent baking your brains).

I believe this is all new here, and people are still adjusting.

[Taxi Dad]

Sounds like she´s a keeper, Zed.
On the Rebar: Be cautious! There have been pinchings reported as of late - Don´t hurt yourself. 

ware your helmet !!!

[ducttapetech]

Damn dude!!! Hope you get to feeling better.

That's us mobile.

[Zed]

When i did road racing i had to wear a helmet but while racing but never wore one training as prefered a cycling cap this was a fashion statement as back then helmets was not wore by pro's,but i always wore a helmet mtb'ing as pro's had to wear them,as time went on i thought more about my health and less on fashion, 
Michael the post hasnt come yet but ive a box of plasters on standby 

[jzmtl]

Ouch, glad you are okay. I don't bike on street because of this, only separated bike path if I could.

[Zed]

Ouch, glad you are okay. I don't bike on street because of this, only separated bike path if I could.

I mainly ride off road,sadly there are not in enough cycle paths in the uk ,

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Nope there's not and it can be bloody hair raising at times as a result

Sent from the astropathic choir.

[Zed]

Nope there's not and it can be bloody hair raising at times as a result

Sent from the astropathic choir.

Ive done many petitions for more cycle lanes but sadly cyclists are treated like 2nd class citizens even though the goverment push for people to cycle to work 

[derekmac]

Nope there's not and it can be bloody hair raising at times as a result

Sent from the astropathic choir.

Ive done many petitions for more cycle lanes but sadly cyclists are treated like 2nd class citizens even though the goverment push for people to cycle to work 

They are here as well, but most of them act like they own the road.  Hwy # 2 (back road) is HORRIBLE for bikers not following the rules.  It very common to go around a turn, and find a group taking up the whole bloody lane!  I can't even count how many times I've almost hit someone on a bike.  It's a windy road, with trees close to the road, bad visibility, and the speed limit is 80kph.

I have seen the RCMP with groups pulled over a few times before, which is great, but doesn't really seem to help the matter much.  I'm really surprised (glad) no one has been killed yet, but it's bound to happen. 

We are starting to see more bike lanes pop up though, and I think that's fantastic!  I enjoy biking, even though I don't do it nearly as much as I used to.

When I was young, helmets were not really common, but as they became more popular, I started wearing one.  One time, when I was jumping in and out of ditches, I flew off my bike and went head first into the corner of a metal mailbox.  It cracked the helmet pretty bad, so I'd hate to think what it would have done to me if I wasn't wearing one.

I think it's great that it's law to wear one here.  It will save lives, and save taxpayers money from medical bills.

[hiraethus]

Running away from the problem doesn't make it go away - more cycle paths don't necessarily make things safer.  Better education (for both drivers and cyclists) and more empathy between groups would help.

Riding defensively (taking the lane, using primary position, etc) isn't a crime, at least not in the UK.  Increasing your visibility and road presence can help with drivers, but as a cyclist you need to be responsible for your actions.

As a driver, you should drive according to the conditions particularly if it's twisty or the visibility is poor.  It's a speed limit, not a target.  If you know that cyclists use a particular road, take that into account when driving along it.

And remember, the plural of anecdote is not data.