Cycling to school - draft.



Peter Clinch wrote:
> Thanks Richard, that's now in place at
> http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/cyclecheck.htm


Your improvements are good stuff. Unfortunately I have no digital
camera here, so I can't contribute pics. I'll consider it again at
leisure to see what else needs saying. Now, here's my plan for
"Checking the Rider".

<begin blurb>

Checking the Rider.

Whilst cycling needs no specialised gear (other than the bicycle!) to
enjoy safely, there are a number of small checks that should be done to
enhance your child's riding experience. [That introductory sentence
should have its goolies cut off and then fed to rabid wolves, but
eloquence has temporarily deserted me and run off with the milkman.]

1. Gloves are potentially the most useful comfort aid. They keep the
hands warm in cold weather (remember, cyclists cannot put their hands in
their pockets to warm them up!) and provide protection against scrapes
and grazes in the unfortunate event of your child falling off the bike.
Cycle-specific gloves often have padded palms to make gripping the
handlebars more comfortable. Any gloves worn must allow your child to
easily operate brakes and gears.

2. Loose clothing should be secured so that it cannot be caught up in
the bicycle. Trouser legs should be secured with traditional bicycle
clips, reflective bands, or tucked into socks. Skirts, shirts, coats
and jackets should not be flapping loose, as they could be drawn into
the rear wheels. Shoes should be securely attached to the feet.

3. Cyclists, particularly children, are very prone to sun- and
wind-burn. On bright days, particularly in the springtime and around
noon, they should wear appropriate sunblock and a hat (secured, if
necessary, with a cord). They may find they are more comfortable in
bright sunshine wearing sunglasses, which have the added benefit of
keeping out dust and insects!

4. Cyclists can do more work than pedestrians, so their clothing should
allow for warming up. Conversely, freewheeling in cold weather can
rapidly lead to the cyclist becoming chilled. On shorter rides, this
will not be a problem. As your child becomes more experienced and goes
on longer rides, then they may be more comfortable wearing a wicking
base layer and a windproof outer layer, just as they would for any
outdoor activity. It is not necessary to buy expensive lycra!

5. Check the fit of your child's bike by asking them how they feel.
Numb, aching, or tingling hands may indicate that they are putting too
much weight on their hands; raise the handlebars slightly. Aching
knees can indicate that the saddle is too low (see Fitting). On longer
rides or in hot weather, they will need something to drink before and
during the ride.

[potential here for pointers to 'safety' section re: helmets, and
pointers to 'choosing a bike' re: backpack/panniers/carrier bags slung
on handlebars.]

[also potential somewhere for 'make sure your child carries 50p for the
phone/any essential medication/contact details', but maybe in safety?]
 
Richard <[email protected]> writes:

> (remember, cyclists cannot put their hands in
>their pockets to warm them up!)


Upright bike with coaster brakes works fine with one hand in a pocket :)

Roos
 
Roos Eisma wrote:
> Richard <[email protected]> writes:
>
>
>>(remember, cyclists cannot put their hands in
>>their pockets to warm them up!)

>
>
> Upright bike with coaster brakes works fine with one hand in a pocket :)


*mumble* me *mumble* upright *alternating hands* nearly fell off *mumble*

Yes, perhaps I should just drop that bit. :)

R.
 
Richard wrote:

> Now, here's my plan for "Checking the Rider".


Pretty good plan for the most part, thanks! I've put it up on the
site so you can check the pages, mostly just minor interjections.
Major hacks are swapping 1 and 2 (keeping stuff out the wheels is
primary safety, so I wanted that higher than the gloves) and I took
the scissors to the bit about wicking tops because I think we could
well be in /Department Of What Are They On About?/ territory with a
lot of folk there. Something the real enthusiasts will find out
for themselves and the majority needn't worry about.

Good point about cross-links, though for now I'm inclined to leave
them and go back when it's more complete and just add them in
retrospectively. Feedback on my hacks welcome.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
Peter Clinch wrote:

> Of somewhat less interest than the actual leaflet, I've done a bit of
> work on the rest of the rest of the pages around it. Comments welcome.


In relation to "Selecting a bike" you rightly refer to cost as a measure
of suitability, but I think to make this work you will need to put some
numbers in. I know it means some updating if it's to remain current,
but that could well apply to technical specs also.

I don't know enough about current childrens' bikes to suggest real
prices, but I do think you need to give a guide range, judging by the
number of parents around here who lumber their youngsters with massive,
heavy and pretty useless bikes, probably because a shiny new bike for
59.99 pounds seems like a good deal. "You get what you pay for" is fair
enough in principle, but "Expect to spend at least 200 pounds on a
worthwhile bike for a ten-year old" (or whatever) would be of more
practical assistance.


--
Brian G
 
Tom Crispin wrote:
>
> I've cropped it even tighter so that there's no need to blank the
> car's number plate. I've also taken the liberty of turning off the
> car's left indicator as I'm sure this was just an oversight on the
> driver's part and they didn't intend to turn left across the path of
> the cyclist.
>
> School3.jpg.


I tried a tighter crop but felt it changed the appearance of the car
from passing to being parked. The corrections were a touch on contrast
and brightness and anamorphing a touch horizontally to bring the cyclist
and car closer together.

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham
 
On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 20:57:25 +0100, Brian G <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I don't know enough about current childrens' bikes to suggest real
>prices, but I do think you need to give a guide range, judging by the
>number of parents around here who lumber their youngsters with massive,
>heavy and pretty useless bikes, probably because a shiny new bike for
>59.99 pounds seems like a good deal. "You get what you pay for" is fair
>enough in principle, but "Expect to spend at least 200 pounds on a
>worthwhile bike for a ten-year old" (or whatever) would be of more
>practical assistance.


Yesterday I spoke with the bikes' product manager at Halfords. I told
him that I wanted to buy four Raleigh Rot Rod bikes.

I can buy these:

http://tinyurl.com/njcm6

for £84.26 (no discount but I don't have to pay VAT).

However, if I buy from Raleigh, through Transport for London, I'll get
these:

http://tinyurl.com/rkgqp

for £75 (40% discount but I have to pay VAT).

I think I prefer the rigid aluminium frame for £85 over the front
suspension steel frame for £75.

What the guy didn't realise, and he's the bikes' product manager,
remember, was that once they have sold out of the 2005 Hot Rod,
Halfords will have no rigid 20" or 24" boys' rigid frame bikes. The
same is true of Raleigh.
 
Peter Clinch wrote:
I've put it up on the site
> so you can check the pages, mostly just minor interjections.


And very good ones there are.

Just a few things:

"Loose clothing (and bags etc.) should be secured so that it"
to
"Loose articles of clothing (and bags, etc.) should be secured so they"

"clothing should allow for warming up"
to
"clothing should allow the cyclist to warm up [comfortably?]"

Insert comma after "faster than walkers"

"while special cycle-specific clothing"
to
"although special cycle-specific clothing"

The last sentence of item 5. doesn't really fit in with the rest of the
item. I think it's very important (re)hydration goes in, and this
overall section is the obvious place, but the danger of a single
sentence is that it'll get forgotten. Um, maybe this?:

(final/new paragraph) Although it is not hard work riding a bicycle,
children have youthful energy that they can burn! It is therefore
important to remember that on longer rides or in hot weather, they
should have something to drink before, during, and after the ride.

R.
 
Tony Raven wrote:

> > School3.jpg.

>
> I tried a tighter crop but felt it changed the appearance of the car
> from passing to being parked. The corrections were a touch on contrast
> and brightness and anamorphing a touch horizontally to bring the cyclist
> and car closer together.


I'm more concerned about her hair which should really be tied back.

John B
 
John B wrote:
>
> I'm more concerned about her hair which should really be tied back.
>


Why?

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham
 
Tom Crispin wrote:

> On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 22:07:00 +0100, John B <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> >
> >I'm more concerned about her hair which should really be tied back.
> >

>
> Why?


Because long hair can obstruct vision when looking behind, or worse get
in the eyes and cause smarting.

John B
 
John B wrote:

>>>I'm more concerned about her hair which should really be tied back.
>>>

>>
>>Why?

>
>
> Because long hair can obstruct vision when looking behind,


The expression 'eyes in the back of your head' isn't meant to be taken
literally ;-)

> or worse get
> in the eyes and cause smarting.


If it does blow into your eyes, it's only temporary; hair today, gone
tomorrow.

R.
 
Richard wrote:

>
> If it does blow into your eyes, it's only temporary; hair today, gone
> tomorrow.


Its not so much blowing into the eyes, more that when looking behind it
can affect vision, in the same way that a hood does.
It is good practice to tie long hair back when cycling.

Not that I used to in the mumble mumble days....when I had some.

John B
 
John B wrote:
> Tom Crispin wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 22:07:00 +0100, John B <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I'm more concerned about her hair which should really be tied back.
>>>

>>
>> Why?

>
> Because long hair can obstruct vision when looking behind, or worse
> get in the eyes and cause smarting.


I've fallen off when pratting around with my hair long and loose, 'tis true.
--
Ambrose
 
Richard wrote:
>
>> or worse get
>> in the eyes and cause smarting.

>
> If it does blow into your eyes, it's only temporary; hair today, gone
> tomorrow.
>


<Anecdotal>
By sheer coincidence my daughter fell off her bike on the way to school
this week. There were a number of contributory factors as she explained
it to me one of which was she was riding one handed to push her hair out
of her face.

She had no helmet on but lived to tell the tail with no real harm done.
No other vehicles were directly involved. Oddly had she been wearing her
helmet (if we ignore the fact she would not ride to school) her hair
would not have got in her face so it would have reduced the risk of this
one accident.
</Anecdotal>

--chris
 
On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 22:59:08 +0100, John B <[email protected]>
wrote:

>> >I'm more concerned about her hair which should really be tied back.
>> >

>>
>> Why?

>
>Because long hair can obstruct vision when looking behind, or worse get
>in the eyes and cause smarting.


I expect that tight plaits are less of a problem.
 
Brian G wrote:

> In relation to "Selecting a bike" you rightly refer to cost as a measure
> of suitability, but I think to make this work you will need to put some
> numbers in. I know it means some updating if it's to remain current,
> but that could well apply to technical specs also.


Fair comment, though since I'm not in the market I'd appreciate it if
anyone who /is/ would forward some suggestions.

> "You get what you pay for" is fair
> enough in principle, but "Expect to spend at least 200 pounds on a
> worthwhile bike for a ten-year old" (or whatever) would be of more
> practical assistance.


I think "whatever" will be rather less than £200!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
Peter Clinch wrote:
> Brian G wrote:
>
> > In relation to "Selecting a bike" you rightly refer to cost as a measure
> > of suitability, but I think to make this work you will need to put some
> > numbers in. I know it means some updating if it's to remain current,
> > but that could well apply to technical specs also.

>
> Fair comment, though since I'm not in the market I'd appreciate it if
> anyone who /is/ would forward some suggestions.
>
> > "You get what you pay for" is fair
> > enough in principle, but "Expect to spend at least 200 pounds on a
> > worthwhile bike for a ten-year old" (or whatever) would be of more
> > practical assistance.

>
> I think "whatever" will be rather less than £200!


Having been looking recently,
About 130 GBP would be a good starting point. Don't forget that second
hand can be much cheaper - there seems to be a plethora on eBay right
now.

...d
>
> Pete.
> --
> Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
> Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
> Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
> net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/