apparently my city literally literally banned public rail funding, and people online love jerking off about how good biking is, so i figured might as well try. I have come up with:
pros:
- good for mental health / exercise / endorphins
- arguably quaint
- feel like an old timey guy taking his wares to market
- feel european
- can annoy others
- less of a police state around them vs cars
- more flexible parking, routes
- capacity to be peaceful
- nice in summer
cons:
- look like an annoying dork (esp w neon - which also hurts the quaint factor)
- have to wear a helmet (^)
- getting sweaty, potentially “unpresentable” for work
- still have to find safe parking
- still takes a while
- have to find new routes to places
- can’t listen to music or might die
- little meaningful protection against severe injury
- can only carry so many groceries/etc
- sucks in winter
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Rebuttals to a few of the cons:
- don’t dress like an ‘annoying dork’- unless that’s your vibe, no need to change anything to ride a bike.
- you don’t ‘have’ to wear a helmet. Though there are some less bulky, big, or wherever this cons comes from. Probably best to wear one.
- no need to go fast and work up a sweat, or e-bike as other have mentioned. There may be financial rebates available. Other commuter tips include: bring extra clothes, and wet wipes to clean up once getting to.
- until a matter transporter comes along, it takes time to go anywhere.
- you get to find new routes. Find new shops, new neighborhoods, new parks. Feel like a part of you community. Not locked in a metal box or tube.
- bone conduction headphones, or other non noise canceling headphones
- there are bikes, racks and bags in any combination that can carry all sorts of groceries.
- no bad weather, only bad gear. I’d say heat of summer is worse than winter.
Nope, always wear the helmet. To not wear one is just stupid.
I don’t disagree. I’ve worked on an ambulance, I’ve seen what the results of improper protection does to a person. But also how it affects everyone else involved- from the people scraping you off the street to the family that has to take care of you. The unseen injuries of head trauma. At the end of the day, it’s a personal choice- just think about the possible consequences to yourself and those around you.
Think of it this way- don’t wear a helmet because you ride a bike, wear a helmet because everyone else is in a car… they don’t look for you, they don’t care about you. Only you can care about you. It’s car culture pushing the responsibility of safety onto the cyclists to avoid culpability.
Two fairly interesting videos arguing each point and may help yall convince others to wear a helmet better than calling them stupid.
https://youtu.be/rhzH6mEpIps?si=UGH6OVQVYDOH7oLf
https://youtu.be/1JfbTwrtOWU?si=WF7RlOLg4h_uv58e
Be safe, anything can happen. Wear a helmet, even for the ‘safe’ rides so it becomes second nature.
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100%. When one of the cons is no meaningful protection against injury, a helmet should be a huge pro. It absolutely saves lives.
A helmet is only needed if you intend to spend significant time in traffic. Most of the world doesn’t use one.
The math behind using one is a lot more on the margins than people realize. In order for it to save you, it first has to prevent a head injury, and then prevent one that is in the range of severity that makes it useful. The vast majority of bike injuries won’t fall in that range, they’ll either be related to another part of the body, or in the case of high speed crashes from a car, too severe for a helmet to matter. But helmets do give people a false sense of security. Statistically people ride faster and take more risks with a helmet on. Lastly, again statistically, the visibility gear you put on yourself while riding does more to keep you safe in traffic than a helmet. Lights, reflectors, reflective vest, etc.
All this to say, the religiosity with which people proselytize helmets is misplaced. I still wear one, but I don’t judge people who choose not to.
A helmet is only needed if you intend to spend significant time in traffic.
The worst wreck I’ve ever had on a bike was without a single car in sight. Pinch flat while carrying speed through a steep downhill curve. I split an expensive MIPS helmet in two and still hit hard enough that I had a minor concussion, road rash up one side of my body, and cracked the face of a week old watch just to pour salt in the (metaphorical) wound. I mostly landed on my head and that helmet is the reason I didn’t have drastically more severe head injuries.
Helmets aren’t just for traffic.
I don’t doubt anything you are saying, but it’s worth mentioning that (iirc) 80%+ of severe injury and death on a bicycle is caused by motor vehicles, or complications of motor vehicle involvement. People very rarely have severe injury or death on dedicated bike infrastructure. The primary risk on bicycles is motor vehicles. If you remove motor vehicles, there is still risks, but someone might decide that risk is low enough to forgo a helmet. I don’t feel those people should be called stupid for their choice.
There is considerable evidence that everyone wearing a helmet in a car would save vastly more lives and prevent severe head injury, and yet pretty much no one even considers that as a normal thing to do. The bike helmet thing is therefore just as much a cultural attitude, as it is about safety.
I still use a helmet, and more importantly, visibility gear, on my bicycle in 100% of my rides. I’ve never worn a bike helmet walking or driving in a car, even though my cousin died from a head injury getting hit by a car while walking and my grandma-in-law died of a head injury in a car…
There is also this interesting dutch study, where somehow helmeted cyclists were 25 times more likely to end up in a hospital. Of course the reason for that never comes up as something problematic from the side of our solely safety concerned citizens, they will congratulate you for your new speed record down that hill.
80%+ of severe injury and death on a bicycle is caused by motor vehicles, or complications of motor vehicle involvement.
Which would mean ~1 in 5 have absolutely nothing to do with a motor vehicle. That’s significant.
There is considerable evidence that everyone wearing a helmet in a car would save vastly more lives and prevent severe head injury
Then that should be an easy [citation needed] for you because my searches are coming up blank for actual studies. Lots of assertions of it, but I’m not finding anything in terms of actual data.
It’s very easy, on the other hand, to find comprehensive meta analyses on the efficacy of helmet use.
It’s also worth noting that the introduction makes a point of calling out another common online assertion that you repeated – that helmets make people engage in more risk-taking behavior – as false:
There has already been an extensive peer-reviewed literature review conducted by Esmaeilikia et al.5, which found little to no support for increased risk-taking when cyclists use helmets and if anything, they cycled with more caution.
I don’t feel those people should be called stupid for their choice.
I don’t think they’re stupid. I think they’re bad at risk analysis. That’s a pretty inherent feature of humans. It’s the reason I want to see actual data.
the religiosity with which people proselytize helmets is misplaced.
It feels very much religion like, but also an online phenomenon only. IRL the helmet discussion goes like this for me: “You don’t wear a helmet?” “No.”
The topic coming up is super rare too, while on every picture of a cyclist without a helmet on the internet you got all these comments from helmet fundamentalists going nuts over it.
Personally, I have cracked open a helmet once. On a quiet country lane, with no traffic. Pot holes can catch you any time.
I don’t remember the crash, just the slide.
That is what makes me tell people to wear helmets.
And your friends don’t get annoyed?
I hope you also posted one of those wonderful “today the helmet saved my life” topics on reddit so the community could get together for their daily service.
My cycling club mandates helmets, so not a problem. Only really come up with the hire bikes in cities etc.
Nope, I was to busy being miserable about having a broken collar bone.
Broken collar bone, the classic.
Sorry if i came off rude, i am just so over people claiming that every kind of cycling is dangerous and all that can save you is a helmet.
I mentioned in another comment that there is a dutch study that finds the helmeted rider to be more than 25 times more likely to end up in a hospital. 25 times more likely. Obviously roadies and MTBers. I am absolutely not saying people should stop road or mountain biking, even that is not all that dangerous and practitioners don’t all end up dead or crippled sooner or later.
But if a person is just casually cycling without a helmet, they are doing much more for their safety than those sporty riders with helmets. Somehow this then always gets countered with “i know someone who fell on his head while stationary and is now being spoonfed by his loved ones. No, he didn’t have clips / clipless pedals”. Made up bullshit in 99.9% of cases, i have seen this in almost every helmet topic i have read.
No it’s not. Believing the helmet is the sole saviour is stupid.
The helmet is not the sole saviour. But If I can eliminate or even highly reduce any risk, especially high risk brain injuries just by wearing a helmet, why wouldn’t you?
Seems silly to tempt fate when a helmet is so easy and mitigates a lot of risk.
I also don’t wear a helmet when i walk down the stairs of my appartment. Is that stupid and silly too, or for some reason just fine? I don’t think riding a bicycle, which you learn at three years old, is necessarily a dangerous activity.
Not if you are taking a nice leisurely ride by yourself around rolling hills and the occasional butterfly.
No I’m talking about riding a bike into town with a dozen other riders, pedestrians who dont look, dogs that’ll just wander in front of you, cars passing 1 foot too close over the line… Ya, not exactly how I learned to ride a bike. I’ll wear the helmet in the risky situation.
Makes you wonder why skydivers bother to wear a helmet at all.
Wear a helmet for whatever activity that you’d like one for, just don’t call people stupid and silly if they have different experiences and conclusions.
I don’t believe I did
there are bikes, racks and bags in any combination that can carry all sorts of groceries.
Paper and liquid products are not cooperative with two-wheeled transportation, so there’s still a tangible limit
Where there is no will, there is no way.
If it’s a Costco monthly trip, no. On your carbon road bike, no. Full suspension downhill bike, no. Holding a 2liter bottle of Shasta Cola and three rolls of TP? Rethink some things.
If you know it’s going to be a utility bike, yea. Easily done. If it’s a zippy get about thing, consider a little trailer for the hauling trips- buy used, even the old ones roll fine.
I’ve been going for about a year, with two panniers and a front rack, for weekly groceries for a family of 3. Milk, eggs, toilet paper, no problem. Back when Mission Workshop just split off from Timbuk2 I got their expand-o Marry Poppins backpack (the rambler)which is awesome- though I wouldn’t buy it at the current price (eye watering)…it does fit A LOT, like 12kg bags of dog food and still has room. It can carry the weirdest things.
The worst part is getting the panniers up the flight of stairs to our apartment…which would be the same struggle regardless of transportation.
I have a trailer that I attach to my bike whenever I have to haul a lot of stuff. It’s very convenient. You can add a little wheel at the front to use it by hand with its handle. It carries 40 to 60 kg and is foldable to take less space if needed.
I love my bike trailer. I added an aluminium box to make it water proof and I use it almost weekly for groceries.
Bikes are a scam perpetuated by big tire. Run at full speed for all of your travel.
Pros:
- Green (non industrial footprint)
- No bike to get stolen
- Harkens back to primitive man chasing gazelles
- Fantastic for heart health
- Just as fast as biking if you run as fast as you bike
- No need for safety equipment (raw)
Cons:
- Others will be intimidated by your presence
- May require barge poll to fend off potential suitors
pros:
- I don’t sit in a cage in the middle of a traffic jam 2+ hours a day
- When I get to work, I’m awake and in a good mood, when I get back home, I’ve left the work stress behind
- I’m actually faster door to door than in a car in rush hour traffic on my 8 mile commute
- It keeps me fit even if I don’t do any other sports
- It’s fun
- I can fix everything myself with a toolbox I bought for 40€
- My bike cost 1000€, 4 years ago, and I think I spent another … 30€ on it in all that time, for lube and tubes
cons:
- It can’t fully replace a car. Around once a week I need public transit for longer routes. Around once a month I have to rent a car, too.
- Bike lanes don’t exist or aren’t usable everywhere. In places without them you need some thick skin to deal with the incoherent rage of strangers who feel like your choice of vehicle threatens their entire lifestyle.
- Biking has become a political statement for some reason
From your con list, the only one that is actually true in my opinion is:
- little meaningful protection against severe injury
(which is mostly a problem due to cars on the road)
All the other ones either simply aren’t true, or are only an issue if you’re starting out and haven’t figured out what’s important yet.
The sweat thing is important imo. I don’t want to show up to work or school or whatever drenched in sweat. Sometimes it’s too hot outside, or you have to ride against too strong a wind, or the terrain on your route is difficult. Either way you can easily arrive at your destination soaking wet. Unless you have an e-bike, there is no easy or convenient solution for that ç. A very real consideration that most certainly has made me not choose my bike on many occasions.
While we’re on the topic of wet, weather is also an important consideration. Keeping yourself protected against the rain on a bike is not easy.
Somehow I’ve managed to commute to work on a bike year round for 10 years now, and I’m in a customer-facing role.
When it rains I wear rain clothes (jacket, rain pants and over-shoes). I also have full fenders and a chainguard on my bike.
If necessary, I ride in cycling clothes, carry my work clothes and some deodorant in a pannier, and quickly dry off and change in the bathroom when I arrive. It takes 5 minutes.
I wear the same clothing when I am biking and not biking. The clothing is by no means a requirement.
wow. just wow. what an american hot take. tell me the cons of fresh vegetables please.
Tastes worse than junk food. Need to chew forever to get the number of calories required to survive. No dopamine hit for eating a bite of radish. More expensive than frozen/canned alternatives.
🦅🇺🇲
Pros
- cheap
- fun
- doesn’t pollute
- much lower chance of accidentally killing someone compared to driving
Cons
- might get killed by someone
- get wet if it’s raining
- hills
Music: use bone conduction headphones
are there like gold standard ones I can start looking at?
Shokz ig? Idk if they’re the absolute best but generally up there
I’ve been using Shokz for a decade now. They’ve replaced a couple sets at no cost. I wear mine every day. Even for the occasional swim.
Listening to podcasts definitely gives longer battery life than listening to music. Though even the odd time I’ve drained the battery in a day, I charge it with a battery pack for fifteen minutes and it’s charged again.
Not many products I’d say are worth every cent, but from the quality to the customer service, Shokz are great.
For rain and stuff in the Netherlands (we have some rain) you can get a rain suit I causing pants you can just wear over your normal clothes to work.
Make sure the rain suit has reflector strips or patches… your lighting and reflectors are key in Beiing seen.
Depending on the commute distance getting an Ebike helps keep your speed up without becoming massively sweaty. You can still exercise but you do it at a steady 25kph.
For groceries you can get cargo bags for on the back of the bike. Depending on the type you get they can store a lot.
Listening to music… put in one earbud only and have the volume low. But in the Netherlands we have mostly separate bike infra (protected bikebanes and such) so this might still be dangerous if there is no good bike infra.
Lastly, you can choose other routes that would normally not work by car. If you find a cut through somewhere, you maybe can avoid the dangerous stroads all together.
One con not mentioned: Exposure to the elements. Being able to ride a bike comfortably in the weather depends on where you live. Prolonged exposure to the sun even with sunscreen is not good. Also, air pollution.
Edit: Lol at the downvotes. I invite you all to bike in my state in the almost 5 months of sweltering heat in our summer. I’m not anti bike at all and I wish more people would do it. I just wanted to remind people that you also have to be equipped for the weather of the place you will be biking at. Also, I do not like melanoma.
Bad faith argument. The topic of discussion is reasonable in city trips, not cross country slogs. Op is frustrated his city banned public funding for trains, ergo his question is about getting around his city. Your statement, exposure to the elements, is made more eloquently elsewhere, due to things like rain and snow.
I’m sorry, but I’m not arguing in bad faith. City trips and (not country biking) doesn’t automatically mean you’re not exposed to the elements. I live within city limits and it’s a 10 mile bike ride to get to downtown. According to maps, it’s a 1 hour trip, which is manageable, but 95% of the time I would biking directly under the sun. I will only be able to avoid exposure in limited spurts as I get near downtown with all the overpasses. As of this comment it’s 95F and 70% humidity. Elements does not just mean rain and snow. A lot of people underestimate how bad prolonged sun exposure is.
But for that you can also wear protective clothing, no?
Hard to wear clothing that both keeps sun off and heat out.
I have many friends in the Seattle area, which is supposedly relatively bike friendly compared to other places in the US. Of those friends, only 2 bike to commute. In the last year, both of them have gotten hit by a car and hospitalized.
I know that’s just anecdotal, but I don’t see bikes as a safe way of travel US unless there is significant change in infrastructure for them.
Bikes are popular in Seattle, but I’m not sure I’d call it a bike-friendly city. Tons of rain, tons of hills, tons of bridges, tons of crappy roads. We put bike lanes in a bunch of places, but a lot of them still have to go through confusing intersections or only cover part of your commute. Add on the new trend of no-hands driving, it’s still pretty dangerous.
Tons of rain, tons of hills, tons of bridges, tons of crappy roads.
Have you ever been to the Alps? That’s cycling heaven for most people apparently
Not really for casual cycling and commuting.
You have the elitist weekend cyclists on 15-20k bikes and the casual commuter folks all rolled up in one list. Not the same crowd.
I’ve been riding bikes for more than 50 years and never wore a helmet. Now I got an ebike - and a helmet. And I actually like it. It provides a bit of shade, the airflow is still good (it has many air holes), and it keeps almost all sweat from running down my face.
Do you live in a city or an are with a lower population? I strap the helmet on in the city or doing some speed, but when we’re out visiting with family in the country or a small town, we usually go without it.
I live in the city, but with the ebike I now can also go to the surrounding country side. I still like the helmet there, because shade for the head and a lot less sweat in my face. And it’s not a high end helmet, it is a cheap one from Aldi.
apparently my city literally literally banned public rail funding
How to say you’re in America without saying you’re in America
Con: not suitable for elderly or hanicapped people.
Trike! Or recumbent trike. Or an e-trike.
Nice toy, but nothing my wife could actually use. Apart from that, it is way to wide and would cause loads of issues on most of the bike paths here.
You can say disabled, it’s not a bad word! :) there are quite a few bike options for disabled people actually. From 3 wheeled bikes to handbike/ebike hybrids. It’s awesome.
Source: I’m a wheelchair user from The Netherlands
Have a look into E-Bikes, theres a great Micromobility community on Lemmy.
My dad has one with saddlebags and says its more like owning a small motorbike. Sure he has to pedal but he never has to pedal hard. If you’re worried about looking like a dork Mercedes make ones that look cool AF.
cargo bikes are getting really practical if thats your bigger worry.
Buy a good lock and put an air tag on it though.
