1. Do you wear a helmet and why?
- Only at events why it was compulsory, so three times in total and using a borrowed helmet each time (one practice session and two mountain bike races)
2. Do you wear reflective clothing and why?
- At night, usually. No special attention paid during the day, my waterproof jacket had reflective stripes but I wouldn't make any special effort to wear that during the day.
3. Does your helmet fit properly?
- Don't really know, I have recently bought one so I don't have to keep borrowing, but I haven't needed it yet.
4. Does it move and shake too much when you ride?
- Don't know yet. I hope not.
5. What is a good feature of your helmet?
- Low price
6. How much are you willing to pay for one?
- As little as possible. I was tempted by a "Thomas the Tank Engine" helmet on Ebay for £3.99, but they only had children's sizes. I paid under £10, so for as long as helmets are available at that price I wouldn't consider paying more. Remember I am not treating it as a piece of safety equipment, just token compliance with rules that I have to obey but don't agree with.
7. Are they too dark to be seen in (for motorsts) and does this make them more dangerous, do they need reflective panels?
- The helmet? If the rest of the cyclist is visible it doesn't really matter whether or not the helmet is. However a helmet would be a good place for reflective panels.
8. What are your views on motorists? (nothing rude please!
)
- They're people. Some good and some bad (as are cyclists). Sometimes I'm a motorist.
9. What is the most dangerous part of cycling on the road or of your journey in particular?
- The cycle track from Kingswells to Westhill
10a. Importantly - do you use hand signals? . . . .
- Of course
10b. Or are you too afraid in heavy traffic to take your hands of the bars for long periods and turns?
- No
10c. Do you think there could be a better way to signal and would you use it?
- There's no problem as things are. I guess you're hinting at electrical signals, and the last thing we need is compulsion to add that sort of complication. A bike should be something you just get onto and use.