Slightly off topic (nah...!)..but this is a crazy MTB race film of my favorite run in Meribel (in French I'm afraid, but just skip thorugh the first couple of minutes).
Not me I hasten to add , but have done it many times, and a couple of times no stops...completely exhausting. The section at about 5:45 has had me off a couple of times...
Bike prices do seem to have shot up...
That's the reality of downhill racing. A cycling mate used to work a few years ago with a guy who was a weekend downhill racer of some repute. He reckoned he spent more time in hospital than at work.I think that must be the mountain biking equivalent of racing in the Isle Of Man TT. Must have been pushing 40mph with large boulders all around. I shudder at the thought of hitting a rock at those speeds.
It most bloody certainly is not! I'm living testament to the hazards of road cycling. There is a fatality in every big UK city every year or two, more in London. Off road cycling generates plenty of broken bones but very few deaths. I'm only aware of one nationally. When you crash off road there's only your own speed to worry about. Trees and rocks don't propel themselves at you at speed, nor do they ignore your right of way and make the move anyway.Road is probably safer on balance.
Road cyclists spend more time on their bikes & are generally fitter so they benefit more in other ways. In relative terms I think road cycling is probably safer. I am fully aware of the hazards of road cycling, I pedal about 8000 miles a year. I don't commute by bike & appreciate that this is a factor but i am just comparing 'leisure' cycling.It most bloody certainly is not! I'm living testament to the hazards of road cycling. There is a fatality in every big UK city every year or two, more in London. Off road cycling generates plenty of broken bones but very few deaths. I'm only aware of one nationally. When you crash off road there's only your own speed to worry about. Trees and rocks don't propel themselves at you at speed, nor do they ignore your right of way and make the move anyway.
Your statement was "safer", which it's not. Look at the stats. There are about 100 cycling deaths annually, how many off road? The peripheral health benefits are not disputed. Fitness is great, but death rather puts a stop to that.Road cyclists spend more time on their bikes & are generally fitter so they benefit more in other ways. In relative terms I think road cycling is probably safer. I am fully aware of the hazards of road cycling, I pedal about 8000 miles a year. I don't commute by bike & appreciate that this is a factor but i am just comparing 'leisure' cycling.
I said ‘on balance’, should have been clearer but my point still stands. A lot of MTB riders drive to their spot also which adds an additional hazard.Your statement was "safer", which it's not. Look at the stats. There are about 100 cycling deaths annually, how many off road? The peripheral health benefits are not disputed. Fitness is great, but death rather puts a stop to that.
On road: most likely not caused by the rider
Off road: generally caused by the rider
I know which one I feel much safer doing!
Black paint job devalues it by about £3000 for me.
Black paint job devalues it by about £3000 for me.
Ended up with a wording black CAR too! Now a black car isn't quite as bad as a black bike, but still, come on.That's the price of an excellent 2nd hand car
Unless it's a black one
Ended up with a wording black CAR too! Now a black car isn't quite as bad as a black bike, but still, come on.