I ride a LOT! Often in places people should not consider riding a bike,
rappelling would be more appropriate, in daylight and dark. However,
anyone who says helmets don't save lives and make what's left of them
better, after a crash, should have what's left of "their" heads
examined. I agree with you Dan. learned the same tuck and roll thing in
grade school then practiced more in competitive downhill skiing before
and after taking up mountain biking, tucking and rolling has saved me
from many injuries but I would not be here if it were not for a bike
helmet. I think the statistics back that up for all bike riders. 


Eric Hammarberg, Assoc. AIA
Vice President
Thornton Tomasetti
51 Madison Avenue
New York, NY  10010
T 917.661.7800  F 917.661.7801  
D 917.661.8160  
[log in to unmask]



-----Original Message-----
From: plz practice conservation of histo presto eye blinks
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Becker, Dan
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 12:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BP] wonder at wood bearings & hurdy gurdys

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gabriel Orgrease
> Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 6:04 AM

> I am convinced
> that there is an intelligence of the body (that within us which 
> remembers how to ride a bicycle, or the remembrance of lost arms in 
> our prosthetics, or the remnants of our nervous extension into the 
> tools of trade, that for some of us we can think the swing of a hammer

> and feel it real) and it is in this connection of our ability to see 
> and sense within ourselves that intelligence of the body that is the 
> core of the recreation of the imagination of the built past.

In support of your conviction, I offer the following reproduced post
from USENET that I contributed to one of the bicycling world's endless
debates about the efficacy of helmets: 

Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
From: Dan Becker <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:14:38 -0400
Local: Tues, Sep 25 2007 10:14 pm
Subject: Re: Helmet pondering

In article <[log in to unmask]>, Ron
Ruff <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 
> On Sep 25, 9:07 am, "[log in to unmask]" 
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 
> > If I had hit my
> > helmeted head, would I have gotten a concussion, and subsequently
gone 
> > around telling everyone how lucky I was that I was wearing a helmet?


> A big factor in helmet testimonials I think. Most of us will naturally

> tuck out heads in a crash, but if we have a helmet on this is not 
> possible. Plus we will subconsciously *not* protect our head so well 
> since it is the only part of our body that has protection. So the 
> helmet hits the pavement and shatters, and we strain our necks from 
> the torque... but proclaim that the helmet saved our lives.

I disagree with your assumptions about tucking heads and "subconscious" 
actions. My testimonial: 

This was a 1998 wreck when someone turned from the opposite direction
across my path from between a line of stopped cars in the left lane
(4-lane road cross-section) and I am doing between 25-30 mph in the
right lane. No warning. I hit the binders hard, try to get behind the
vehicle as it crosses my path, fail. Hit the rear quarterpanel of the
car, vault over the trunk, to land on the pavement beyond. 

A most violent collision: Giordona SLX steel frame (I still miss that
bike, she was sweet); fork was bent straight back, and the front wheel
wedged firmly against the down tube (pretty impressive to see, I must
admit). Only one-quarter inch of the stem quill remained in the steerer
tube...nearly pulled the stem out of the steerer (I was braking hard,
with a good solid grip on the bars :-). Top tube bent sideways out of
line and "beer-canned." As I went over the trunk, the bike cartwheeled
after me as I pulled it up and over, and landed in the road beyond me
after bouncing off the side of one of the cars stopped beyond in the
left lane. 

Boy was I pissed off. I got up, dusted myself off, grabbed my bike, and
threw it to the side of the road in disgust before stalking over to him
to give the teenage young turk (with an already long record of driving
infractions and DUI as it turned out) a stern tongue lashing. (Really
impressive that the front wheel was still wedged after the toss!) How,
you may ask, did I not die then and there on the pavement? 

In my very young youth, I learned tumbling. Maybe one of those summer
activities parents sign us up for to spare their sanity; I was so young
I don't remember the details of what it was or how it came to be. But
somewhere along the way of growing up I learned to run very fast across
the room and launch myself over my fellow classmates who were
side-by-side on their hands and knees stretched seemingly to the
horizon. 

While imitating a projectile, I learned how to tuck and roll as I
landed. 

It had probably been 35 years, 130 pounds, and 2.5 feet in altitude
since I had done such a thing. Then I had a pad at the landing zone;
this time I didn't. But the motor skills were imprinted on me and I am
certain that the instinctual response is what got me through it safely. 

You could follow the path of my roll along the pavement from the marks,
dents, and cracks on the helmet through the tears in my jersey and the
the road rash on my shoulder, arm, hip, and buttock. A human bowling
ball. 

The helmet did not prevent me from tucking my head. I certainly had no
conscious *or* subconscious thoughts about not protecting my head
because it was helmeted as I flew through the air with the greatest of
ease. I have no recollection of thinking anything. It didn't happen in
slow motion for me. 

The helmet did not shatter because it struck the ground in a rolling,
glancing way as did the rest of me as I distributed the forces of
landing across a greater area of my body through the roll. Certainly
friction of contact with pavement scraped up my clothes and me. But I
didn't have any scalp burn except for a bit of a red forehead (not
bruised, but 1st degree burn from the helmet pad). I ended up with a
badly sprained right wrist, and arthroscopic shoulder surgery after 3
years of trying to work out the inflammation with therapy and a couple
cortisone shots, both from the big yank on my arms as I clutched the
brakes. 

I agree that a helmet is NFG in a blunt force collision of the head with
an object. But I found it very useful in preventing road rash on my
head, which is good enough reason for me. Healing all that other road
rash was plenty painful without adding my head to the quota. 


Dan 



"E-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the
North Carolina  Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties
by an authorized City or Law Enforcement official."

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
The information in this email and any attachments may contain
confidential information that is intended solely for the
attention and use of the named addressee(s). This message or
any part thereof must not be disclosed, copied, distributed
or retained by any person without authorization from the
addressee. If you are not the intended addressee, please
notify the sender immediately, and delete this message.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>