More helmet lies



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Richard Burton

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I was given the Haynes book "The Bike Book" for xmas, lucky me, and the sections on bike maintenance
are excellent.

Unfortunately, it also has a section about personal safety, which includes the statement "Helmet
wearing is voluntary, not a legal requirement, but very few bike riders are now bold enough to
venture on to the roads without one." With the exception of the legality of helmets, this
statement is apparently a deliberate lie. The majority of road cyclists do not wear a helmet, and
the implication that a helmet is of any use whatsoever in collision with a motor vehicle is
arrant nonsense.

I have visited the Haynes website and after trying to use their response service, emailed their
webmaster, who has passed my comments on to the author. Please feel free to do the same.

For those of you who have read some of my previous posts, and have taken exception to my
description of some of the pro-helmet lobby as "fascists" this is a perfect example of what I mean:
the deliberate dissumulation of complete nonsense, because the facts don't fit with their own
logic-less beliefs.

A helmet will give you only two things: a false sense of security, and a hole in your wallet.

Rich - helmetless and proud of it!
 
> A helmet will give you only two things: a false sense of security, and a hole in your wallet.
>
> Rich - helmetless and proud of it!
>
...and possibly, a life (but what would that be worth?).... ...or possibly not...
 
Richard Burton <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> A helmet will give you only two things: a false sense of security, and a hole in your wallet.
>

...and a tiresome thread about helmets

Tony

http://www.raven-family.com

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place" George
Bernard Shaw.
 
Richard Burton, in news:[email protected] scribbled ;

> A helmet will give you only two things: a false sense of security, and a hole in your wallet.

I disagree. I was wearing a helmet (Halfords £25) while riding along a canal towpath. When I woke up
from the crash (which I couldn't remember) I had three pieces of gravel embedded about an inch into
the foam of the helmet, and the foam structure had split, obviously absorbing some of the impact. My
back, arm, leg was all cut up and abraded, but my head was fine, sore, but not cut or bruised .. ;)

I now always wear a helmet, but that's maybe 'cos I also ride motorbikes ... ;)

> Rich - helmetless and proud of it!

Hopefully, if you ever crash in such circumstances, you'll live ..

--
...................................Paul-*** Seti 1316 wu in 9166 hours
 
Sorry, but why are you so caught up about a comment in a book /suggesting/ people should wear a
helmet. I wear one, and generally think it's a good idea but if I saw a publication saying it wasn't
a good idea I wouldn't take it as some sort of personal insult. I agree with you though that to
force people to wear one is wrong, it's up to the individual to make the decision.

Why go out for a nice cycle to calm down.

Allen

On Sat, 11 Jan 2003 19:28:28 -0000, "Richard Burton" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I was given the Haynes book "The Bike Book" for xmas, lucky me, and the sections on bike
>maintenance are excellent.
>
>Unfortunately, it also has a section about personal safety, which includes the statement "Helmet
>wearing is voluntary, not a legal requirement, but very few bike riders are now bold enough to
>venture on to the roads without one." With the exception of the legality of helmets, this statement
>is apparently a deliberate lie. The majority of road cyclists do not wear a helmet, and the
>implication that a helmet is of any use whatsoever in collision with a motor vehicle is arrant
>nonsense.
>
>I have visited the Haynes website and after trying to use their response service, emailed their
>webmaster, who has passed my comments on to the author. Please feel free to do the same.
>
>For those of you who have read some of my previous posts, and have taken exception to my
>description of some of the pro-helmet lobby as "fascists" this is a perfect example of what I mean:
>the deliberate dissumulation of complete nonsense, because the facts don't fit with their own
>logic-less beliefs.
>
>A helmet will give you only two things: a false sense of security, and a hole in your wallet.
>
>Rich - helmetless and proud of it!
 
Sorry, Rich, one helmet thread at a time is more than enough. This one goes in the filter. Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.
 
Paul - *** wrote:

> Richard Burton, in news:[email protected] scribbled ;
>
> > A helmet will give you only two things: a false sense of security, and a hole in your wallet.
>
> I disagree. I was wearing a helmet (Halfords £25) while riding along a canal towpath. When I woke
> up from the crash ..... my head was fine, sore, but not cut or bruised .. ;)

But by insisting on continuing a helmet thread it is clear you suffered some brain damage ;-)

John Buckley
 
John B, in news:[email protected] scribbled ;

> Paul - *** wrote:
>
>> Richard Burton, in news:[email protected] scribbled ;
>>
>>> A helmet will give you only two things: a false sense of security, and a hole in your wallet.
>>
>> I disagree. I was wearing a helmet (Halfords £25) while riding along a canal towpath. When I woke
>> up from the crash ..... my head was fine, sore, but not cut or bruised .. ;)
>
> But by insisting on continuing a helmet thread it is clear you suffered some brain damage ;-)
>
> John Buckley

Dammit .. ;)

--
...................................Paul-*** Seti 1316 wu in 9166 hours
 
"Gordon BP" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Richard Burton wrote:
> > I was given the Haynes book "The Bike Book" for xmas, lucky me, and the sections on bike
> > maintenance are excellent.
> >
> > Unfortunately, it also has a section about personal safety, which includes the statement "Helmet
> > wearing is voluntary, not a legal requirement, but very few bike riders are now bold enough to
> > venture on to the roads without one."
>
> I had an argument with Halford Sales dept some years ago concerning very large posters in their
> shops which said "A Helmet makes Cycling Safer"!!!!!!!!!

Amazing, noone could possibly have guessed that Halfrods make money from selling helmet. Never seen
such a thing in a proper bike shop, mind.
 
"David Damerell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:HIy*[email protected]...
> Dave <[email protected]> wrote:
> >Tell me David, how many hours a day do they let you play with the
computer
> >?...Is there a nice gentle soothing tune playing over the PA system
during
> >'waking hours' ?
>
> Perhaps you should devote your attention to not posting drivel, rather than abusing those who
> point out that you are doing so. Switching from your current incoherent stream of consciousness to
> coherent English would be a step in the right direction.
> --
> David Damerell <[email protected]> flcl?
One man's drivel is another man's facts....
 
Richard Burton wrote:
> I was given the Haynes book "The Bike Book" for xmas, lucky me, and the sections on bike
> maintenance are excellent.
>
> Unfortunately, it also has a section about personal safety, which includes the statement "Helmet
> wearing is voluntary, not a legal requirement, but very few bike riders are now bold enough to
> venture on to the roads without one."

I had an argument with Halford Sales dept some years ago concerning very large posters in their
shops which said "A Helmet makes Cycling Safer"!!!!!!!!!
 
"Chesney Christ" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> A certain Richard Burton, of uk.rec.cycling "fame", writes :
>
> >A helmet will give you only two things: a false sense of security, and a hole in your wallet.
> >
> >Rich - helmetless and proud of it!
>
> I don't wear a helmet, but I'm not so proud of it so that may change soon.
>
> If I hit the ground at any sort of speed - whether it involves a car or not - how well am I going
> to come off if the top or side of my head hits the ground ?

Worse still, all the ear ache you'd get afterwards.
 
On Sat, 11 Jan 2003 20:23:51 +0000 someone who may be Allen Foster
<bigal@REMOVE_THISnewtownbreda.demANDTHISon.co.uk> wrote this:-

>Sorry, but why are you so caught up about a comment in a book /suggesting/ people should wear
>a helmet.

He was commenting on a lie. The lie is, "very few bike riders are now bold enough to venture on to
the roads without one".

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E I will always explain revoked
keys, unless the UK government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.
 
Richard Burton wrote:
>
> I was given the Haynes book "The Bike Book" for xmas, lucky me, and the sections on bike
> maintenance are excellent.
>
> Unfortunately, it also has a section about personal safety, which includes the statement "Helmet
> wearing is voluntary, not a legal requirement, but very few bike riders are now bold enough to
> venture on to the roads without one." With the exception of the legality of helmets, this
> statement is apparently a deliberate lie. The majority of road cyclists do not wear a helmet, and
> the implication that a helmet is of any use whatsoever in collision with a motor vehicle is arrant
> nonsense.
...
> For those of you who have read some of my previous posts, and have taken exception to my
> description of some of the pro-helmet lobby as "fascists" this is a perfect example of what I
> mean: the deliberate dissumulation of complete nonsense, because the facts don't fit with their
> own logic-less beliefs.

Maybe, but isn't "back covering" a better explanation?

--
Patrick Herring http://www.dcs.shef.ac.uk/cgi-bin/makeperson?P.Herring
 
On Sat, 11 Jan 2003, Chesney Christ <[email protected]> wrote:
> A certain Richard Burton, of uk.rec.cycling "fame", writes :
>
> >A helmet will give you only two things: a false sense of security, and a hole in your wallet.
>
> If I hit the ground at any sort of speed - whether it involves a car or not - how well am I going
> to come off if the top or side of my head hits the ground ?

Precisely. What's best - hit the ground with your head in a helmet, or not hit the ground at all?
Personally, I'd prefer the latter, QED best not to waer a helmet.

[Please note, this is not a serious argument, but it is as logicaly coherent as Chesney's]

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|
 
Dave <[email protected]> wrote:
>>A helmet will give you only two things: a false sense of security, and a hole in your wallet.
>...and possibly, a life (but what would that be worth?)....

It is exactly that kind of drivel that characterises what are rightly called "helmet lies".

>...or possibly not...

... and if you know it's drivel, why are you posting it?
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> Kill the tomato!
 
Richard Burton wrote:
> I was given the Haynes book "The Bike Book" for xmas, lucky me, and the sections on bike
> maintenance are excellent.
>
> Unfortunately, it also has a section about personal safety, which includes the statement "Helmet
> wearing is voluntary, not a legal requirement, but very few bike riders are now bold enough to
> venture on to the roads without one." With the exception of the legality of helmets, this
> statement is apparently a deliberate lie. The majority of road cyclists do not wear a helmet, and
> the implication that a helmet is of any use whatsoever in collision with a motor vehicle is arrant
> nonsense.
>

In another place, a Haynes manual is commonly referrred to as "the Haynes Book of Lies" - perhaps
they're trying to live up to the nickname.

--
Andrew Pattle
 
"David Damerell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:-4v*[email protected]...
> Dave <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>A helmet will give you only two things: a false sense of security, and a hole in your wallet.
> >...and possibly, a life (but what would that be worth?)....
>
> It is exactly that kind of drivel that characterises what are rightly called "helmet lies".
>
> >...or possibly not...
>
> ... and if you know it's drivel, why are you posting it?
> --
> David Damerell <[email protected]> Kill the tomato!

What has this poor tomato ever done to you ? Tell me David, how many hours a day do they let you
play with the computer ?...Is there a nice gentle soothing tune playing over the PA system during
'waking hours' ?
 
Dave <[email protected]> wrote:
>Tell me David, how many hours a day do they let you play with the computer ?...Is there a nice
>gentle soothing tune playing over the PA system during 'waking hours' ?

Perhaps you should devote your attention to not posting drivel, rather than abusing those who point
out that you are doing so. Switching from your current incoherent stream of consciousness to
coherent English would be a step in the right direction.
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> flcl?
 
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