Josie Dew-cycling mum

[patmac]

Did you read the piece in the latest mag by Josie? Enjoyed it all, until I came to the bit about charging downhill at 38mph on a fully loaded bike with trailer and daughter on the back. Horrified would be a mild way of expressing my reaction! This is dangerous stuff, even for someone with such a fantastic riding history. I only hope no one from 'the authorities' ( you know who they are ) was also reading the piece, otherwise it might be a slap on the wrist for Josie, at the very least.

[rualexander]

No worse than driving a car at 70mph with passengers.

[Cunobelin]

Why is it a problem?

No laws broken, and no harm done..... why should we dictate what she can and cannot do?

Horrified is simply a personal perception of this. Some of my colleagues are concerned that I can do 25 on the way into work and think it dangerously fast. Should I be lowering my speed to suit them?

[AndyB]

I'd best not tell you how fast I've been with my son in a child seat (or more recently the tandem) then. Yes, something might happen, but if you choose where you do it with care, it's not that dangerous. I suspect most of the risk still comes from other traffic.

[reohn2]

Tony Blair sent hundreds of people to their deaths without a second thought,has anyone done anything about him.
The child is the responsibility of the parents.

[DaveP]

The child is the responsibility of the parents.

Give it time - that'll soon be trained and qualified parents, with a recent CRB pass...

[hamster]

What speed Patmac do you consider safe? Why not 1 mph lower or higher?

It's Josie's judgement and I am sure that she wants the best for her child.

Bearing in mind the abysmal record of children in state care I think that in general the government out to keep its (well intentioned) beak out of it.

[fatboy]

I did 35mph with a tag-along downhill. That wasn't safe! Mind you bike trailers are so much more stable that I wouldn't be at all worried with my two doing that speed. I just don't fancy the slog up the hill to acheive that!

[fausto copy]

I agree with most of the recent comments.
Josie is one of the most experienced cyclists on the road.
What makes you think 38 mph is dangerous?
I'm sure Josie wasn't staring at her speedo at the time, wishing it to record as high a speed as possible.
She more than likely descended safely but quickly and then noticed her max. speed recorded on her computer later.
We've done over 50 mph downhill on the tandem and whenever I mention it people think we're mad.
However, it was done on a long straight downhill with perfect visibility.
What would have been the point in braking to reduce the speed to what some might consider a safe level?

[patmac]

Am I to take it then that most of you don't agree with my point of view? Very well then, I'll get me coat!

[jan19]

Am I to take it then that most of you don't agree with my point of view? Very well then, I'll get me coat!

Well I think I'd better get my coat too then. I think I'm a bit concerned about 38mph. Now I'll admit I've never ridden with a trailer so I don't know how stable it feels, and I agree that if anyone knows what she's about its Josie Dew but it sounds a bit on the fast side to me, especially with a little one.

Almost 40 in my little car feels quite fast (and it has an array of airbags) so I'm only going on what I can compare it with (so don't shoot me please! )

Jan

[byegad]

If anyone is able to judge the advisability or otherwise of touching 38mph with their own child in a trailer behind then JD is the one.

I tow a large Carry Freedom and in the past have used a Bike Hod and in the right place 38mph is just fine.

[reohn2]

We've done over 50 mph downhill on the tandem and whenever I mention it people think we're mad.

I have a friend who thinks cycling is mad and thinks a tandem even worse as I'm "putting you're wife a risk of serious injury" to quote the loonie,people in certain areas of life should mind their own business.
Before we know where we are we'll have so much legislation we won't be able to set foot out of the door for fear of breaking some "law" or other,nannyness knows no bounds.

[Jamesy]

I daren't tell you the speed I've done on my motorbike with a pillion, and yes, it did feel safe.
We can wrap kids in cotton wool, but in the end you end up with adults who think the world is far more dangerous than it actually is. Health and safety? Don't get me started!

[eileithyia]

Well as a cyclist and mother who has had a child in trailer and on a tandem I would be concerned at doing 38mph with child insitu.
In fact I have achieved 41mph recently on my solo and am fully aware of the consequences of hitting something unseen on the road, and have "bottled" out before now when I realised I could hit a bump that could have serious consequences. But I also know the stopping capabilities of my brakes when on a solo.

Yes the trailer is stable, we are not talking about it suddenly tipping up.
However, as we should know or be aware of; just as with a car, a loaded bike handles differently and requires extra braking distance, so does a loaded car with trailer.
This is no different on a bike, the trailer and/or a load requires considerable extra braking, put the whole lot together and you could have a very difficult machine to (wo)manhandle and I certainly would not have wanted to get to 38mph with a loaded solo and baby trailer only find I had to bring it to some sort of halt.

No we cannot protect children completely in cotton wool and introducing them to risk/danger/new experiences is part of bringing them up to deal with life, the problem is how to balance that.
Whereas an adult stoker can "consent" to the risk, a child as young as Josie's cannot consent to it or understand the consequences, and i am acutely aware that over the years my son did not "consent" to our life style but had it "inflicted" on him.

It is an interesting debate and I wonder if this is showing the difference of the sexes, the nurturing protective mother and the risk taking male.

So Patmac and Jan I will get my coat and join you.