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Helmet......the cool factor


Paulandjacquelyn

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OK, helmet, wrist guards, gloves, elbow and knee pads.

What about headphones or earbuds, are they counter productive to safety?

I use my ears as much as my eyes in traffic, but it's nice to have some tunes too.

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15 hours ago, davek said:

OK, helmet, wrist guards, gloves, elbow and knee pads.

What about headphones or earbuds, are they counter productive to safety?

I started to wear headphones a long time ago to improve my safety when cycling, no kidding! How so? I was regularly stressed and specifically scared by the noise of cars or trucks approaching from behind. I figured that there is no reasonable way to address this stress by controlling the situation, say by checking visually behind or by trying to decide from the noise whether the approaching vehicle will hit me or not (fortunately there are no true positive data points available). Hence using headphones helped me to be at a better (calmer) attention level and to focus my attention on what I actually have control over instead of being freaked out by the noise of approaching vehicles.

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Like many aging people I've noticed that my personal desire to care about looks has diminished over the years and safety is now much more important.  It can be a long transition, but once you're out of the dating pool (through marriage or otherwise) and have kids (that you want to play games with and need to provide for),  it's sensible to move toward safety and away from concerning yourself with the judgements of others people about such frivolous things.

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My first EU is set to arrive in two days, so I've been giving this a lot of thought. I used to do roller derby, so I'm quite familiar with going inadvisable speeds on wheels attached to your feet, and the padding that requires. I've got all the usual pads (and some unusual ones, thanks to krav maga training) so what should I wear?

In roller derby, after a while most girls practice with only knee pads. You train to guide your falls to land on your knees, so even helmets go out the window eventually. (This is, of course, speaking recreationally; for bouts and serious training it's full gear or go home.) I think the shape of EUs would make it a lot more difficult to guide all of the falls the might happen to your knees.

Right now I'm thinking I'm likely to go with a helmet, knee pads, and wrist guards. Some of that may change when I get a feel for the EU, but I will almost certainly always wear a helmet. 

I actually don't think safety gear looks uncool, as long as you get the right kind. Get the kind that says, "I need this gear because I intend to PUNCH THE EARTH WITH MY ENTIRE BODY," not the kind that says, "Safety first! And don't forget sunscreen!"

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36 minutes ago, goldenmeme said:

I actually don't think safety gear looks uncool, as long as you get the right kind. Get the kind that says, "I need this gear because I intend to PUNCH THE EARTH WITH MY ENTIRE BODY," not the kind that says, "Safety first! And don't forget sunscreen!"

Awesome Post!  Love it.

37 minutes ago, goldenmeme said:

Right now I'm thinking I'm likely to go with a helmet, knee pads, and wrist guards. Some of that may change when I get a feel for the EU, but I will almost certainly always wear a helmet. 

Maybe also Elbow Pads.  I don't ride with them, but my nephew shattered his elbow recently when falling from his long board not going too fast.  Hit it Just right.  I might need to consider adding those to my gear.  I really WON'T be happy if I break something.

Dang, I'm starting to sound old... :huh:

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44 minutes ago, goldenmeme said:

My first EU is set to arrive in two days, so I've been giving this a lot of thought. I used to do roller derby, so I'm quite familiar with going inadvisable speeds on wheels attached to your feet, and the padding that requires. I've got all the usual pads (and some unusual ones, thanks to krav maga training) so what should I wear?

In roller derby, after a while most girls practice with only knee pads. You train to guide your falls to land on your knees, so even helmets go out the window eventually. (This is, of course, speaking recreationally; for bouts and serious training it's full gear or go home.) I think the shape of EUs would make it a lot more difficult to guide all of the falls the might happen to your knees.

Right now I'm thinking I'm likely to go with a helmet, knee pads, and wrist guards. Some of that may change when I get a feel for the EU, but I will almost certainly always wear a helmet. 

I actually don't think safety gear looks uncool, as long as you get the right kind. Get the kind that says, "I need this gear because I intend to PUNCH THE EARTH WITH MY ENTIRE BODY," not the kind that says, "Safety first! And don't forget sunscreen!"

If your go over too fast, you won't have any time to react. Then again it depends on the EU you bought and how fast it actually goes max speed. You should start off by learning your wheel first. Before pushing it. I would wear everything, helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and grab some gloves with wrist guards. 

Do a lift test to see at what speed it cuts off. Use the your app. If you bought generic, you probably won't have an app for it. 

This is hard to explain, maybe I can do a video one day. I need to get a hold of different brands. Do a hand pressure test by putting force using both hands firmly on the pedals. Turn on your wheel, kneeling, Use your palms to push down on the side of the pedals closest to you. Be careful not to ram your wheel into yourself, lol. I know some of guys will. This is to stimulate your weight on the wheel to see if your wheel jerks or stalls. A lot of generic wheels fail at this. Also gives somewhat of an idea of how much leaning  force the wheel can handle. My Gotway MCM2s is strongest of the bunch, then it's the Rockwheel GT14, MCM4, rockwheel GR12, Fastwheel EVA pro, and last of the tested wheels, Mten. Didn't get a chance to test the Msuper or Rockwheel Gr16. I'm sure Msuper would be first. 

 

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I love the phrase " Punch the earth with my entire body". We need to get to the same level as motocross or Bmx riders. Every kid who wants to Bmx or motocross race wants not only the vehicle, but the outfit. It looks badass. We need a cool look for EU riders that is easy to put on and off and doesn't take up much room(easy to pack away when you get to work). We need simple padding, unlike motorcycle or roller derby, a good EU rider may never use it. I would think a pair of sleeves with wrist protection connected over the shoulder with temperfoam padding could be made to roll up in your helmet. Some knee pads and you are good to go.

@goldenmemeI would be careful about going to your knees when falling. The roller derby surface is glass smooth, so when you slide on your knees, there is no vertical aceleration. Now think of yours knees sliding on a sidewalk and hitting a slab an inch higher at ten miles an hour, that would be like a hammer hitting your knee with all of your body weight on it. The senario gets worse in grass or dirt because of dips and ruts can be a lot more than an inch. NASA years ago determined that an aircraft with no landing gear would suffer less damage landing on pavement than on the grass. The reason was the grass was never as smooth as the runway and the bouncing did more damage than the sliding on the runway. Use your Krav Maga training to roll and deflect your energy If you ever fall.

Mike

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Wouldn't mind keeping what's left of my teeth Supersport!

You're right - these helmets are very expensive, but hey, this is my latest mid-life crisis! Can't afford the Ferrari. Not allowed the Harley, and the French-Mistress is far too demanding!

Joking aside, don't mind investing a few quid to protect my few remaining brain-cells, and it would double as a cool new ski-helmet.

MBC:)

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