Helmet Wearing

So in New Zealand, the law dictates that you have to wear a helmet whilst on a bicycle.




I find it peculiar that this is the case here, as a country that is the home of extreme sports (mountain biking, quad biking, skiing, snow boarding, windsurfing... to name a few) that the only sport that it is law to wear a helmet for is cycling.

Part of me agrees with this law - children should certainly wear helmets as should professional cyclists (travelling of speeds of 50kph +!! at times).

There are high risk places to be as a urban cyclist, this being almost always around heavy goods vehicles. In London around 20% of cyclist fatalities involve HGV, particularly when the HGV is turning left at a junction (A).




This graph shows the trend of head injuries amongst cyclists at the time of the introduction of the compulsory law. There is no significant decrease in the incidence of head injuries at the time of the introduction of the law - the incidence gradually decreases as it was already doing prior to the laws introduction.

My own personal experience of head injuries is somewhat limited.

Having grown up in Northern Ireland (a country where helmets were not a legal requirement), I wore a helmet as a young child, but as I got older I would not wear one, as my friends didn't. The streets I cycled my bike around at that age were urban cul-de-sacs and quite safe! My parents respected my right to choose to not wear a helmet... as they never wore one at my age either.

Once I met my husband and his road bike obsession I insisted that he wore a helmet, because he was riding in fast country traffic (60mph) and traffic can be aggressive! The other half agreed and in 2013 he did have an accident where he fell off his bike onto his face/head - ripping up his lip and wrote off his helmet. Looking at the high spec helmet and it's huge crack, I had new found respect for Styrofoam in protecting my husbands head.

There is the argument that the law reduces the amounts of cyclists on the road - due to aesthetic issues. I can understand this being an issue, and the Netherlands which has the most cyclists per capita in the world, helmet wearing is not a requirement. The majority of people never wear helmets there. Why should they?? They are protected.

Protected by the infrastructure built to facilitate cyclists and separate them from the biggest danger - vehicles.

Research has proven that infrastructure is the best way to protect the cyclist and given the rebuild of Christchurch - the government is in a unique position to future proof it's cycling population. By creating better infrastructure, getting more people out on their bikes - helping to improve the health of the cities people, limiting it's carbon footprint and inspiring a new generation.

What about the law? I believe that we should be able to make our own decisions about wearing a helmet, and not have the government as a helicopter-esque parent. Will I wear a helmet on a roadbike? Yes. On my dutch bike going at 15kph in Hagley park? No, I would like to not.

References;

(A) Road Safety Information, 2014, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Test Ride - Pashley Princess Sovereign

The Pashley Princess Sovereign, let me count the ways....

A bike made in the heart of England, actually the same village a certain playwright hails from, and very poetic she is.

Coming in either dark green or black, the pashley is a quintessential step through bike, one that I have openly coveted (just ask my long suffering husband) since discovering the beauty of commuter cycling (circa. 2012).

Pashleys are a relatively rare find in New Zealand, two retailers I have found stock them - one being cycle trading company in christchurch and the other veloideale, also in christchurch.

These bikes are lugged, which generally, as a rule of thumb, indicates a higher standard of bike, when the bike is made of steel, such as the pashley.

On my scwhinn, the difference is illustrated, you can see the difference I the joins. Most cheaper bicycles only have the forks lugged, as is the case here. Poor Betsy does get a bad rep.

The pashley features multiple bits of kit, I will focus on some that were in my particular interest

1. Classic 5 speed hub Gears: Very important to me, well actually more the "hub gears bit". My Betsy has a 3 speed shimano nexus gear hub, and these little pieces of wonder are fantastic. I doubt I'll ever buy a bike with a grubby derailleur again. After my little test ride, however it became very apparent that 5 gears might be excessive for the flat canterbury plains. 3 gears are good. First gear for headwinds, second gear for normal cycling, third gear for super fast tailwind speeds!
2. Classic front lamp and rear LED light: Looooow maintainence! I cycle in the dark a lot (doing 12 hour shifts in winter limits my vitamin D intake) and it is very tiresome taking my lights on and off and also charging them. Enter in the dynamo! Not only saving on my carbon footprint by going car-less but also by not using (admittedly negligible) electricity for the lights. Alright, the dynamos are a childish indulgence.
3. Low maintenance hub brakes and gears: enclosed and sealed from rain and shine! More fail proof in worse weathers.
4. Traditional style mudguards: to protect my rear from the rain!
5. Versatile rear carrier: a bicycle like this is made to carry (more than me) and this is an essential part. This should also be painted and sealed, as lessons from Betsy saw that these were DIFFICULT to remove surface from.
6. Traditional Brooks B66s sprung leather saddle: One of the ways the buyer can rationalise the price tag. Brooks means quality. This is unnecessary for me, already owning my own plush brooks love (b18, lady), but beautiful all the same!
7. Convenient frame-fitted lock: ahhh th european o lock. Most bike thieves can look at these and it will fall off, but in NZ very few have ever seen one, let alone dealt with one.
   
   This axa defender is of better quality than the standard lock on a Pashley, and accommodates a chain or cable to be locked in further securing the frame.
8. Easy-to-park propstand: a double kick stand would have been superior, the pashley only has a one sided stand. A lot of pashley lovers will retrofit the double kick stand. These are more typical of dutch Omafiets.
   
   This double stand has the effect of lifting one wheel in the air. The hefty bike is generally very stable this way.
9. Fully-enclosed protective chaincase: another "all weather" feature.

The pashley princess sovereign is not a lightweight, not in weight or expense. Just short of NZ$2,000 and approx. 22kg, you do get a lot of bike for your dollar. 

She rides like a dream and feels very familiar, and this familiarity is what broke the Pashleys spell over me.

She felt just like Betsy the Scwhinn... But I had read in various blogs that dutch bikes were meant to feel different? Lighter on the front? It's true, the pashley isn't dutch, she's English. I didn't want a similar experience to my currant bike. And thus the spell broke.

During the same test drive I also tried a Achielle Craighton Oma. This is a bike made in Belgium. I will review this bike once she has arrived at my door. I traded my 2 year long pashley dream for a one time fling? The fling might work out just fine though! Stay tuned.

For further Pashley reviews, by two ladies who have actually owned them 

Letsgorideabike.com

And 

Lovelybike.blogspot.com

Scwhinn Cream 2012 Review

This is my 2012 Scwhinn Cream 1 which is my first commuter bike. This bike (plus public buses) were my sole method of transport around Christchurch for the 8 months after we moved here from Northern Ireland. It was a great starter bike for me - 3 speed shimano nexus hub, beautiful hammered silver mud guards, step through frame. I loved this bike. It was relatively cheap ($700, at cycle trading co.) and it more than recouped the expense. I did make a few changes to the scwhinn, which I named Betsy.

Change number 1 was swapping out the cheap plastic pedals with vintage metal shimano pedals which I purchased at around again cycles on ferrymead for $15. The definetly improved the bicycles look. The second change was changing the saddle.

The scwhinn came with this padded vinyl saddle, which whilst cushy, the vinyl made its lippy and I was constantly readjusting my position.

I replaced this saddle with a Brooke's B18 lady, limited edition. I had read, since my purchase of this saddle, that some people have found that this saddle needs a very slack seat tube to be comfortable. I am inclined to disagree. The scwhinn has a somewhat more forward position, however, so this may mean that this saddle works for this bike well where it may not work for the more upright traditional dutch bicycle. I will change this saddle around with a more upright frame and will post a review at a later date.

However much I LOVED Betsy and the freedom she gave me on christchurch roads, it wasn't long into our relationship that I noticed what her cheapness meant.

The first initial issue was the rear wheel came out of true and began to warp and scrap the mudguard - revisit #1 to the bike shop.

Shortly after this the back wheel position slipped and the chain came off. Revisit #2.

The paint and workmanship of this bike were obviously lacking (scwhinn, although originally german, became an American brand in the 1950's onwards. All modern scwhinns are created in Chinese factories and are therefore of a "mass produced" quality.) very soon after purchasing my bike chips (large chips) and scratches appeared in the paintwork 

The chips in this photo have plastic stickers to protect the frame from rust. The frame is marked by my shoes but I've sworn to myself to never buy another cream bicycle.

This bike, I would recommend to someone, perhaps if the price tag was lower, and perhaps they'd have better luck than me with maintainence. I look forward for trying a more upright positioned bike in the future. This bicycle is not a dutch bike, though it makes a good half way mark to one for the beginner!