Protection - always ?

[winterwheel]

6 minutes ago, /Dev/Null said:

I think it's funny how people (from the posts above) think they are perceived if they wear a helmet.  They are "scared"...why?  It is the responsible thing to do.

I can't tell you how many people (here at least) are the opposite and think you are just an irresponsible hooligan or careless if you don't wear one.  That goes for bicycling, motorcycling, and EUC'ing.  First thing people ask when I tell them about EUC'ing is "YOU DO always wear a helmet, right?"  EVERYONE does...

Cultural differences I guess. I've had conversations while riding and not, given demos to probably a couple of hundred people, and otherwise had too many interactions to count with people interested in my mode of transportation, and *not once* has anyone said this. On rare occasions a busybody cyclist will yell something in passing, but that's it.

[Rywokast]

11 minutes ago, winterwheel said:

Cultural differences I guess. I've had conversations while riding and not, given demos to probably a couple of hundred people, and otherwise had too many interactions to count with people interested in my mode of transportation, and *not once* has anyone said this. On rare occasions a busybody cyclist will yell something in passing, but that's it.

my grandparents are the only ones who have ever told me I should wear gear lol, and one spandex wearing cyclist on a bike trail at a light but he was just jealous that he couldn't keep up lol

[Cory Brown]

I forced myself to gear up from the beginning to make it a habit since a decent bit of my commute is on Denver roads, and I definitely don't trust people driving. Now I feel naked without a full face helmet, wrist guards, and usually knee pads.... Even the helmet mirror feels awkward when it's missing.

[Darrell Wesh]

Full gear but no helmet. Knee pads, moto gloves, moto jackets and pants. I don’t like how half shell helmets look and full face no one wants to socialize with you. All my gear is inconspicuous except the gloves so I make the hobby not look dangerous.
 

Because of this I regularly get older people smiling and waving as I’m riding helmet less at 30mph next to them on the road. 

[PLEASE_DELETE]

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[PLEASE_DELETE]

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[winterwheel]

 

31 minutes ago, /Dev/Null said:

Are motorcycle helmets required there? 

Motorcycle riders are required to wear motorcycle helmets where I live, yes. I'm okay with the odd scratch or two if the trade-off is riding in a way that makes me happy.

Edited January 24, 2020 by winterwheel

[Cory Brown]

I never get the feeling that my gear is intimidating to anyone. I think most people here realize that there is a wide range of how you can approach safety when it comes to any type of transportation. Especially if you are riding with traffic at all.

[vasuvius]

6 hours ago, /Dev/Null said:

Are motorcycle helmets required there?  They are not here....If they are required there, how is falling at 20-30mph on a motorcycle different than a unicycle?  I've been down 2-3 times on a motorcycle at those speeds with full armor & walked away without a scratch.

while the comparison makes sense it's hard to follow motorcycle protection on other vehicles. on my roadbike i'm wearing lycra shorts and jersey and all i have for protection is a helmet - and often we hit 40-50mph on downhill sections. i can't possibly wear my motorcycle suit and helmet while riding the roadbike. to me the same applies to unicycles. 

 

[mike_bike_kite]

I started off by always wearing a bicycle helmet and wrist guards. I wore them every time I got on the wheel and now it's just become a habit. I don't ride fast but I still cruise along at around 20mph so, if I fall, I'll probably end up getting a bit scratched up but I'm OK with that. It seems a fair compromise to me.

[RockyTop]

I have said it before. My wife and daughter compete in triathlons. A group of them ride bicycles together for training and I tag along on my EUC. They tend to use a local 13 mile loop. After two laps my wife will switch from bike to EUC. If my daughter’s training does not line up with the groups rides we still go and ride EUCs. The EUCs carry water and fist aid for the group. I have been keeping track of the crashes bike vs EUC for two years. After adjusting for mileage numbers on each. The bicycles crash almost 3 times as much per mile. And what’s worse, the bikes have endured more severe injuries. 

bicycle- broken hip, broken wrist. Several got road rash on legs side and face, Bumps and bruises. 

EUC  - cracked  rib, Daughter - pedal shin strike. She was hurting for a day. Bumps and bruises. 
 

Edited January 25, 2020 by RockyTop

[vasuvius]

3 minutes ago, RockyTop said:

I have said it before. My wife and daughter complete in triathlons. A group of them ride bicycles together for training and I tag along on my EUC. They tend to use a local 13 mile loop. After two laps my wife will switch from bike to EUC. If my daughter’s training does not line up with the groups rides we still go and ride EUCs. The EUCs carry water and fist aid for the group. I have been keeping track of the crashes bike vs EUC for two years. After adjusting for mileage numbers on each. The bicycles crash almost 3 times as much per mile. And what’s worse, the bikes have endured more severe injuries. 

bicycle- broken hip, broken wrist. Several got road rash on legs side and face, Bumps and bruises. 

EUC  - cracked  rib, Daughter - pedal shin strike. She was hurting for a day. Bumps and bruises. 
 

I bike ride in a group and commute as well. We tend to ride within 1-2 feet behind the wheel in front otherwise the draft is reduced. 

Tri -bikes are different. I would never ever draft a tri bike as when they're down on the aero bars they have zero maneuverability and control. Road bike groups don't crash as often unless you have novice riders. Then again, novices are not drafting over 25mph.

But to your point, unicycles are safer than bicycles :-)

 

[winterwheel]

1 minute ago, RockyTop said:

I have said it before. My wife and daughter complete in triathlons. A group of them ride bicycles together for training and I tag along on my EUC. They tend to use a local 13 mile loop. After two laps my wife will switch from bike to EUC. If my daughter’s training does not line up with the groups rides we still go and ride EUCs. The EUCs carry water and fist aid for the group. I have been keeping track of the crashes bike vs EUC for two years. After adjusting for mileage numbers on each. The bicycles crash almost 3 times as many per mile. And what’s worse, the bikes have endured more severe injuries. 

bicycle- broken hip, broken wrist. Several got road rash on legs side and face, Bumps and bruises. 

EUC  - cracked  rib, Daughter - pedal shin strike. She was hurting for a day. Bumps and bruises. 
 

This is another one of those posts I wish I could give multiple likes to. We participated in a community bike tour (on our wheels) over the summer and an older lady fell off her bike half way down a hill. With our wheels we were much better able to render assistance than the bikes were.

[RockyTop]

39 minutes ago, winterwheel said:

This is another one of those posts I wish I could give multiple likes to. We participated in a community bike tour (on our wheels) over the summer and an older lady fell off her bike half way down a hill. With our wheels we were much better able to render assistance than the bikes were.

True. 
 I always carry a backpack with first aid, protein  bars and water for anyone that needs it on the long rides. I have carried broken bicycles and parts. I even carried a small girl that got hurt. 
 

I keep trying to get my little brother to ride on my shoulders but he won’t do it. We used to ride a bicycle like that when we were kids. Why not now.  (He is 46 years old) 

[Circuitmage]

I also came from mc riding and I am now more than 2 years into EUC riding, have been on 3 different wheels, and here is what I have settled on;

My 2.1 mile ride to the train is full gear, usually higher speed (~20-25mph). By full gear I mean; bicycle helmet (not full face), good wrist guards and good knee pads. Sometimes I wear elbow pads, but rarely. I have good sidewalks and several long stretches.

My 0.5 mile ride downtown to the train is only helmet, at much slower speeds, usually 10-15mph...maybe 20 mph on the short stretches. Too much congestion and I am much more careful.

and same thing on the return each day. Overall, ~5 miles a day.

I would say it REALLY depends on your experience and confidence in your wheel. When I went from a slow 12mph max wheel to my KS16S, it was a big jump in speed and I had to make sure I wore gear a lot, as I took several falls. On my 18L it's not that much of a change, but I still have to be a little careful. 

And, always remember...these are just man made thingies....so someday, at sometime, they could give out. So it's better to be safe in any respect you can (gear, tire/battery maintenance, etc.)

 

[winterwheel]

I wonder if people who come from motorcycle or helmet-wearing-cyclist background are more likely to default to helmet wearing. I never wore a helmet in my bicycle riding days and wasn't ever a motorcycle guy.

[Cory Brown]

1 minute ago, winterwheel said:

I wonder if people who come from motorcycle or helmet-wearing-cyclist background are more likely to default to helmet wearing. I never wore a helmet in my bicycle riding days and wasn't ever a motorcycle guy.

I've never worn protective gear for anything before riding my EUC, but with all of the different factors that can cause a cutout combined with the stupidity of people driving, it seemed like a good habit to make.  I'm very thankful that I found a full face helmet and some nice knee pads at the thrift store. I imagine if I hadn't started the habit from the beginning, I would probably be riding without gear.

[Rywokast]

17 minutes ago, winterwheel said:

I wonder if people who come from motorcycle or helmet-wearing-cyclist background are more likely to default to helmet wearing. I never wore a helmet in my bicycle riding days and wasn't ever a motorcycle guy.

same.. used to bike everywhere, never once wore a helmet.. dont know anybody who does.. its completely foreign to me lol

[vasuvius]

18 minutes ago, winterwheel said:

I wonder if people who come from motorcycle or helmet-wearing-cyclist background are more likely to default to helmet wearing. I never wore a helmet in my bicycle riding days and wasn't ever a motorcycle guy.

I went from motorcycling to biking to euc. My first few years on a motorcycle I didn't wear a helmet (grew up in India). Bought my first helmet when a got a motorcycle in NYC when I was 28. I have never paddled whitewater without a helmet. I'll never ski or snowboard without a helmet. EUC just feels like I can take an acceptable risk. I am riding a 14D though which maxes out at 18.x mph and my commute with bad roads, traffic and people has me riding under 15mph.

I do know that I'm taking a risk. The probability of risk not turning into issue is what I'm betting on. I may change my mind when I get a larger faster wheel and ride more.

[winterwheel]

14 minutes ago, vasuvius said:

I went from motorcycling to biking to euc. My first few years on a motorcycle I didn't wear a helmet (grew up in India). Bought my first helmet when a got a motorcycle in NYC when I was 28. I have never paddled whitewater without a helmet. I'll never ski or snowboard without a helmet. EUC just feels like I can take an acceptable risk. I am riding a 14D though which maxes out at 18.x mph and my commute with bad roads, traffic and people has me riding under 15mph.

I do know that I'm taking a risk. The probability of risk not turning into issue is what I'm betting on. I may change my mind when I get a larger faster wheel and ride more.

Counter-intuitively, the risk may be bigger with the smaller wheel; we've had three faceplant-style incidents in our group and all were on small wheels; two on a no-name wheel that was a death-trap to everyone except its owner () and ... a 14D that had just come out of the box and was being tested in the local arena. I ride small wheels a bit cautiously; big wheels I just ride at whatever speed is comfortable, normally in the 35-44kmh range.

[rainystateguy]

19 minutes ago, vasuvius said:

.I do know that I'm taking a risk. The probability of risk not turning into issue is what I'm betting on. I may change my mind when I get a larger faster wheel and ride more.

I am just beginning to learn to ride an EUC, but I have been riding motorcycles for 50 years.  For the first 4 decades most of my riding was with minimal equipment, mainly to satisfy local helmet laws.  What changed my mind, about 10 years ago, was when I went down at a fairly low speed on a gravel turn.  That happened to be one of the very few rides when I was wearing a full face helmet.  I usually wore just a half or 3/4 helmet. 

Needless to say the accident deeply gouged the chin piece of that helmet.  Looking at those gouges and reaching up and rubbing my hand over my uninjured chin made a huge impression on me.  I don't wear all the equipment all the time when I ride my bike now,  but I sure wear a lot more than I used to.  I don't think that it is the size of the equipment we ride that changes our habits, but rather the accident, or hopefully near miss, that we are in that does that.

[Skecys]

Been riding for about 4 months now (800km) and never had any serious injury apart from busted (blue) ankles from pedal strikes during learning. I use my Euc's on my daily commutes and recreational.

When riding to work I only wear wrist protection. When riding in my free time I always wear full body protection; motorcycle shoes, vest, kneepads, wristprotection and sometimes my full face helmet (Only when I'm not interacting with people like going to a store).

The thing is you are on one wheel, inherently unstable. If the motor cuts out at any speed you WILL faceplant. And this is something you can't control. Imo, when not wearing full protection, do not ride faster then you are able to sprint.

[lirva]

On commuting I wear full face helmet with upperbody armour and gloves. If going to ride offroad or faster than 25km/h then i'll add kneepads also. 

Some of my riding is with kids and mostly walking pace, then just helmet. 

Usual faceplant on my experience is hitting palms, elbows and knees.

If wear kneepads I get few days of swollen knee and no cuts. Falling without I had pain in knees few months and bruises couple of weeks.

 

[Espen R]

13 hours ago, rainystateguy said:

I am just beginning to learn to ride an EUC, but I have been riding motorcycles for 50 years.  For the first 4 decades most of my riding was with minimal equipment, mainly to satisfy local helmet laws.  What changed my mind, about 10 years ago, was when I went down at a fairly low speed on a gravel turn.  That happened to be one of the very few rides when I was wearing a full face helmet.  I usually wore just a half or 3/4 helmet. 

Needless to say the accident deeply gouged the chin piece of that helmet.  Looking at those gouges and reaching up and rubbing my hand over my uninjured chin made a huge impression on me.  I don't wear all the equipment all the time when I ride my bike now,  but I sure wear a lot more than I used to.  I don't think that it is the size of the equipment we ride that changes our habits, but rather the accident, or hopefully near miss, that we are in that does that.

Funny how us old-timers, who grew up in a time where safety gear was either totally absent or viewed as a bit unnecessary, still carry a reluctancy towards waring safety gear. 

My girlfriend had to persuade me to wear a helmet when I bought the Onewheel. I bought a cheap skateboard helmet and felt like a complete fool, but I didn't take it of because of all the children who used to watch me.

I switched to EUC's because of range and off-road capability about 1.5 years ago, and added better wrist guard, gloves, knee- and elbow-pads to my safety gear. Last winter the cheap skateboard helmet saved me from a more serious injury. The roads were either hard packed snow or ice, but a new layer of snow had been wet enough to stick to the surface underneath, so the riding conditions were safe. I came down a hill, at not much than walking pace, and at the bottom of the hill the wheel slid out underneath me. I fell backwards and smacked the back of my head/helmet in the ice. Cold air had gathered there, and the snow was dry and light, not sticking to the black ice. I only got a light concussion, but had to spend two weeks in bed listening to audiobooks. The cheap helmet went to the bin and replaced with a new full-face flip-up helmet, and now I wouldn't even consider riding without a helmet. 

[vasuvius]

9 hours ago, Espen R said:

The cheap helmet went to the bin and replaced with a new full-face flip-up helmet, and now I wouldn't even consider riding without a helmet. 

OK. You changed my mind. I just ordered a mountainbike helmet with a chin guard as none of the 10 other helmets I have have a chin guard other than the motorcycle helmets which are too heavy for the EUC.