Josie Dew-cycling mum

[patmac]

Thinking about Josie's piece I began to think about my hairy moments on the bike, moments when I had enough to cope with just thinking about saving my own skin, save that of a precious on one the back. Belting down hill on a bike is great fun, but you don't always have time to see and react to that patch of oil or that stone in the road or the gravel which is usually at the side but can creep out into the carriageway. And potholes, well, many's the one I've run into which have rattled my teeth and the bike almost to bits. If you see them in time you might have a chance to avoid them, sometimes with a violent swerve. What does that do to your little passenger on the back? And the there is mechanical failure to contend with. Once, belting down hill on a bike I'd only had for six weeks or so, the bars came loose in the stem. Brakes which had pointed down the road suddenly were pointing at the deck. I might have been doing 18,28,38 or 48 mph, who knows, and who cares. The point is that for scary moments or minutes I had only marginal control of the bike. I did save the day,just, and saved my skin. Now, would it have been right, would it have been safe, to have my toddler son (at that time) on the back of the bike. The answer is a resounding no.
Of course kids must be exposed to risk, but there is a difference between controlled risk and actual danger. The rest of Josies piece was great, one of the best short articles I've read in CTCs mag, but this piece really stood out for me because it seemed so obviously dangerous. She's a great and adventurous rider, we all know that, but even the great and adventurous make mistakes.

[cycleruk]

We all take risks. But mostly it's done with experience and training.
I'm think Josie would know the limitations of her bike/trailer/brakes. If anything was suspect then I'm sure she wouldn't have done it?
Every day people speed on the motorways with little risk but you wouldn't do it down the main street of your town, as the risk is greater. Not of being caught but of actually having an accident.
Over time we tend to build up experience and assuming that it was alright last time we may take it a bit further on the next occasion.
Sometimes, as long as we live through it, things go wrong, we alter our ways and try to learn from it.

[meic]

A bike trailer is about the safest thing on the road.
The little passenger is in their own roll cage and safely harnessed in. The set up doesnt have enough mass to build enough inertia for a serious crash. Amazing stability.

Anyone ever heard of one crashing?

A trailer at almost any speed is safer than a child seat on the back of the bike. Both in the event of a crash or for causing a crash in the first place.

Living in Wales I nearly always exceed 30 mph every ride that I do, with or without the trailer. I did so several times today and did not feel it was anything other than relaxed and normal. I imagine that JD like myself knows when it is safe to go fast and when their are motor vehicles around making things unsafe.
The previous owner said he did 45mph with the trailer and knowing him I would say that was true.

Yes the stopping distance with the bike and trailer is a bit longer than riding solo, but like most people I ride according to my braking ability.


There is however one big cloud of danger that looms over us when we go out on the bike and trailer. A threat hundreds and thousands times greater than a spill due to a rapid descent. Yes you know it is out there, the hordes of dangerous drivers.

Your fears are rather like complaining about sharp needles when being given the lethal injection.

[rbrian]

It depends, on the experience of the rider, how well maintained the bike is, and the specifics of the handling with that particular trailer and load. On all those counts I suspect Josie Dew rates pretty high. Having your handlebars come loose sounds pretty frightening, but how often does that happen, really? About as often as a wheel falling off a car, I suspect. I've seen it once, and once only.

I've done 50mph on a mountain bike, on a tight, windy road, on damp tarmac, with knobbly tyres - that definitely didn't feel safe, but I think braking would have been worse, so I rode it out. On the other hand, I have gone the same speed on a motorbike and it felt tame - even twice as fast* didn't get the pulse racing so fast.

*I'm reformed now. I sold the motorbike, and the car. I only drive a van for work because I have to, and I drive it within the speed limit, and always give a full lane to cyclists I overtake.

[byegad]

This is very depressing!

I had believed that the nanny state was driven from the top.

It's not!

Posters are showing an underlying belief that cycling is dangerous and that 38mph, a speed for too many motorists achieve in a a '30' limit is somehow too fast for a bike and trailer. UTTER RUBBISH!


I feel it is about time we grew up and allowed experienced cyclists the respect they deserve.

38mph? I reach that every time I pedal out of my village heading North East. I also manage 60 mph in my car within two minutes of leaving home, perfectly legally. In the right circumstances speed is not a problem and I for one am happy to trust a parent riding with their own child to act sensibly.

For goodness sake isn't it time we all grew up????????

[jan19]

I don't think this has anything to do with "nanny state" or how fast you ride.

I think we all agree that Josie Dew is cyclist extraordinaire, and are in awe of all that she's achieved. So if she says 38mph with trailer and child is ok, its ok. I bow to the greater knowledge of those such as Meic who can do this - I'm sure with time, patience and skill its perfectly achieveable.

But most of us are not Josie Dew. I for one will never be able to get within a million miles of emulating her feats and my concern is that her article (which I enjoyed immensely) implies that such a speed is quite the norm. It may be for Josie but I for one would be quite out of control at 38mph. My worry is that she implies you can do 38mph safely with trailer and child. I would say yes, but only if you are a very good, practiced and experienced cyclist, and that's not brought over in the article.

Jan

(My coat is blue, size 12 , and I bought it from BHS....)

[whoops]

"And when I reach the bottom of the hill it is sometimes quite a relief to find Molly still attached to her seat[and not lost to the wind a mile back up the road. But for both of us, there is no better way to travel."

The above quote from a google search

Hmm. It makes me think just how confident she really feels.

[meic]

I am not sure what you mean about the experience needed for riding with a trailer at high speed.

The actual physical act is easy, the trailer makes no difference and half the time may make it easier to reach the speed.

The mental part of knowing when NOT to do it, I suppose years of road experience of any type helps there.
Living in a sparsely populated rural area helps even more.

[Jack]

"And when I reach the bottom of the hill it is sometimes quite a relief to find Molly still attached to her seat[and not lost to the wind a mile back up the road. But for both of us, there is no better way to travel."

The above quote from a google search

Hmm. It makes me think just how confident she really feels.

I think it's humour.

[Si]

Anyone ever heard of one crashing?

I've heard of one being hit / run over by a landrover or range rover - the child was unharmed, the car came off worse. This was a Burley trailer - others may not be built as strong.

[hamster]

As none of us know the road conditions when she did 38 I don't think it is possible to pass judgment.
38mph, at 6am on a July Sunday on a wide, quiet, well-surfaced dry dual carriageway is surely OK. 5pm on a winter's evening on a wet congested potholed road wouldn't.
Can't we just leave it to her to decide? In fact can't we just leave it to whoever is riding to decide?

Why can't people be treated as adults?

[byegad]

As none of us know the road conditions when she did 38 I don't think it is possible to pass judgment.
38mph, at 6am on a July Sunday on a wide, quiet, well-surfaced dry dual carriageway is surely OK. 5pm on a winter's evening on a wet congested potholed road wouldn't.
Can't we just leave it to her to decide? In fact can't we just leave it to whoever is riding to decide?

Why can't people be treated as adults?

Hear! Hear!

[patmac]

Well, it's always interesting to hear another point of view, which is why we are here. Some of the diversions are also interesting, and annoying and illogical and irrational. Where Tony Blair and the war in Iraq come into this puzzles me, I never mentioned the nanny state (and thoroughly disapprove of it), and all mature adults are entitled to make their own decisions on how they ride, who they carry on the back, and how fast they go downhill. Personally, of course, in this instance I would not have made the decision Josie did.

[reohn2]

Well, it's always interesting to hear another point of view, which is why we are here. Some of the diversions are also interesting, and annoying and illogical and irrational. Where Tony Blair and the war in Iraq come into this puzzles me, I never mentioned the nanny state (and thoroughly disapprove of it), and all mature adults are entitled to make their own decisions on how they ride, who they carry on the back, and how fast they go downhill. Personally, of course, in this instance I would not have made the decision Josie did.

The mention of Uncle Tony was my attempt at black comedy forgive me for I have sinned.

Someone said they thought the Nanny state was driven from the top but now aren't so sure,I have to agree.

Perhaps the reason you wouldn't have made that decision is that you're not Josie Dew,and you weren't there at the time.

[jan19]

Personally, of course, in this instance I would not have made the decision Josie did.

No, neither would I. That's not to say Josie shouldn't have done it, or that its too fast, or that others shouldn't do that speed. As has been said (and in some cases shouted on here) its up to the individual and they make their own decisions.

I'm not a good cyclist and anything over 25mph seems scarily quick to me. Maybe one day I'll be confident enough to do 38mph and then maybe I'll change my mind. But for now 38mph with a child in tow seems fast. That's just my opinion -I'm certainly not judging Josie or anyone else who would be happy doing 38mph. If she was happy doing it, then good for her.

Jan