Whats your Protection?

**Lao Jia Hou** · 03-09-2011, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by moilami

That has never happened to me. What has happened to me quite some time is that I forget to disable the sidestand when I begin to ride. It is hell annoying!

Yup - me too! I was going to disconnect the side stand switch but then I recalled the saying "most failures are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the seat." I guess that is why manufacturers put the side stand switch in.

But I've been thinking, hand protectors should also be standard equipment. I've never had this happen to me before, but wow, what a lesson for me - it is extremely dangerous getting one's five little fingers caught between a lever and a grip. I'm sure a finger could be very easily snapped in that vise. And it happens in a fraction of a second.

**slabo** · 03-09-2011, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by Lao Jia Hou

Yup - me too! I was going to disconnect the side stand switch but then I recalled the saying "most failures are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the seat." I guess that is why manufacturers put the side stand switch in.

But I've been thinking, hand protectors should also be standard equipment. I've never had this happen to me before, but wow, what a lesson for me - it is extremely dangerous getting one's five little fingers caught between a lever and a grip. I'm sure a finger could be very easily snapped in that vise. And it happens in a fraction of a second.

Hand protectors, I like to call them bark busters.. are, IMHO, more important than gloves. I've 'used' them 4 times so far (1 blue truck, 1 bus, and two minivans). 4 times I'm could have lost a hand, finger, or mangled something, even with gloves. For a brain bucket, I have a full face Nolan and a 3/4 Nolan helmet. Both very good quality, but fortunately, I never 'used' them before. The full face is a hassle for most of the short trips I do around town. The best would be to find a 3/4 with a detachable chin strap. Andre, pics of your helmet please?

Aggressive/Defensive driving for me in China means riding between cars like a ping pong ball, and cars are the pallets. Only there's a repulsive magnetic force between me (the ball) and the cars (red pallets). I can do this because a bike is much more nimble than a car. Also, thumpers are, again IMHO, the perfect engines for Chinese traffic. I don't really care very much about power high end revs, I don't expect to go anywhere fast in China, but I want it in 1,2,3,4.. . just enough to stay away from the red pallets. Accelerating/decelerating fast.. Traffic regulations, rules and just common curtsy, I completely ignore a long time ago; I expect anyone to do anything at anytime, and I try not to get worked up and just enjoy the ride instead of losing my lid everytime someone invades my space. I try to read drivers and anticipate their actions as much as possible. That ofcourse means being aware of my surroundings. Both my ears work well, infact, I have dumbo's big ears. And I forgot about mirrors long time ago, I just keep turning over my shoulder, a good habit from the days of riding the road bike. I only miss the mirrors when I was riding with andre last week; never rode with anyone before. This is just how I ride,
I don't consider myself an expert, and I'm open to any suggestions/criticism.

I don't suppose that's what you meant by protection, but for me riding style is as important protection as gear.

What I don't have is a proper riding suit. I just couldn't find anything in Kunming that doesn't make me look like an astronaut, or it all sorts of cheesy logos all over it.

**Gardo** · 03-09-2011, 07:39 PM

Slabo thats great. it makes me think out side the box when it comes to protection. Not just clothing and armor, but how to apply a science to it on the back of the beast and keep my attitude adjusted while riding.

This is all good stuff, now that i have been feeling my way back into the saddle, I tend to be a bit more relaxed but still conscious that I'm totally open.

with the gear that I listed before I forgot to mention the gloves
they are a set of Alpinestars SMX-2 with carbon fiber armor over the knuckles and heavy weight denim jeans

**moilami** · 03-09-2011, 09:45 PM

Originally Posted by Lao Jia Hou

Yup - me too! I was going to disconnect the side stand switch but then I recalled the saying "most failures are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the seat." I guess that is why manufacturers put the side stand switch in.

But I've been thinking, hand protectors should also be standard equipment. I've never had this happen to me before, but wow, what a lesson for me - it is extremely dangerous getting one's five little fingers caught between a lever and a grip. I'm sure a finger could be very easily snapped in that vise. And it happens in a fraction of a second.

I had that side stand switch disabled on day one on my Skyteam. Don't want to have that kind of fail safe systems prone to break on my bike.

**Fred** · 03-10-2011, 03:41 AM

I'll ride with quite a lot of protection, for a precise reason : I love bikes, but I also have a lot of things I want to do in my life, including riding many other bikes ! ;-))

So for me it is :
Gloves
Back Protector
Tex jacket with shoulder and elbow protection
Knee pads
Riding boots
and helmet of course...

**Gardo** · 03-10-2011, 04:03 AM

You know I hear alot of complaints by guys in the states about Helmets and having to wear them. i get ribbed a lot by my older friends who ride cause i have a full face.
I know its silly not to ride without the helmet but do some of you come across those machismo types that argue against it

**jape** · 03-10-2011, 06:08 AM

The argument against helmets is like seat belts, usually expressed that it is a personal choice and doesn't affect others. But it does, family and friends, first attenders, insurance rates, street sweepers!
Same with licenses. It can be seen as anti-social because it affects the community not just the perpetrator. I made that choice myself but I accept the consequences and know what I do. Same for other 'illegals', anarchists, rebels and criminals. All part of society and tolerated or not by those who have power. An always shifting ground of viewpoints about rights, opinions, freedom, responsibility. individual balanced against community, and shadowed by perception of abuses, over regulation, corruption.

Hence a forum and discussion, one of our few tools to have different viewpoints argued. Balance is the key. Chi and yin yang.yin yang.jpeg

**Fred** · 03-10-2011, 06:59 AM

Originally Posted by Gardo

You know I hear alot of complaints by guys in the states about Helmets and having to wear them. i get ribbed a lot by my older friends who ride cause i have a full face.
I know its silly not to ride without the helmet but do some of you come across those machismo types that argue against it

Why do you care ? It's your head in the helmet, not theirs. If they want to smash or tear their face on the concrete, it's their choice, they do what they want. If you want to survive injuries or death, live to enjoy your life, travel, discover, ride again, it's your choice, you do what you want and what others may say or think, oh well, you just don't give a s..t ...
Those kind of people really annoy me, they're wasting my time with their bla-bla... I don't come breaking their balls about wearing a helmet, so don't come breaking mine about not wearing it.
;-))

**euphonius** · 03-10-2011, 07:12 AM

Fred's right in saying that ultimately we're each individually responsible for our own safety (unless we have children or GFs or other loved ones riding pillion, and then we do have substantial legal and moral responsibility for them).

As a bicyclist, I was forever a no-helmet type -- until American Thanksgiving Day 2010, when I was taken out by a motorcyclist and knocked out cold (for the first time in my life) by a hard cranial landing on the very hard concrete flowerbox lining the lovely bicycle path. I was riding fast, and so was he, so it was over in the blink of an eye. A blink that in my case lasted about 30 seconds before I came to. I ride daily, often substantial distances, but I've not mounted my bicycle since that day without my skidlid on tight.

And among the tens of thousands of other riders on the road, on bicycles and motorbikes and scooters, I'm pretty much the rare exception. I'd say in Shanghai max 20% of scooter and motorcycle riders bother with helmets. Among bicyclists, I'm one in 10,000.

Darwin will have his way in a place like Shanghai, or pretty much anywhere in China.

Ride safe!

**moilami** · 03-10-2011, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by Gardo

You know I hear alot of complaints by guys in the states about Helmets and having to wear them. i get ribbed a lot by my older friends who ride cause i have a full face.
I know its silly not to ride without the helmet but do some of you come across those machismo types that argue against it

Can't really remember anyone ever saying stuff like "you should not wear helmet" or "you should not wear full face helmet". If I would hear something like that, I would probably take it like some random phrase saying nothing.