Seeing The Light

In terms of bicycle helmets, you’ve acquired Australia, the place they’re necessary for everyone and donning one is patriotic act:

Then you definately’ve acquired the Netherlands, the place folks simply trip round pregnant whereas juggling a bunch of shit and would sooner suppose to placed on a hen go well with than a helmet:

So what accounts for this stark cultural distinction? Is it merely a operate of the totally different physics within the southern hemisphere, the place summer time is winter, bathrooms flush backwards, and the solar rises not within the east however within the crotch?

Or is there one thing about anglophones usually that compels them to put on helmets no matter the place they dwell in relation to the equator? In spite of everything, London does have the best charge of helmet use in all of Europe:

Regardless of the motive, the Netherlands’s days because the world’s most helmetless (or least helmeted, relying on whether or not you’re a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full sort) society on Earth could also be numbered:

Why? Effectively, for a similar motive every thing’s going to shit in every single place, which is e-bikes:

So principally by placing motors on bikes we’ve made them extra harmful and costlier, all whereas making the bike infrastructure suckier for individuals who trip common bikes and inflicting no measurable discount in motorcar visitors or possession.

However apart from that they’re incredible.

In the meantime, right here in New York Metropolis issues are getting so unhealthy that even the vehicles are sporting helmets:

So I spent this previous weekend using away from it on old style pedal bicycles:

The re-Rolfed LeMond has a spring in its step as soon as once more:

I don’t know if that’s as a result of general low weight of the wheels, no matter aero advantages might come from having fewer spokes, or just the truth that these are nicer tires than what I had on the opposite wheels, however regardless of the motive I’m not even going to invest till the chickens end analyzing the information:

I’m fairly positive they’ve acquired a wind tunnel in that analysis hutch.

Talking of efficiency positive factors, the Tour de France is getting quicker, so how a lot of that’s as a result of gear?

Having totally skimmed the article, it sounds to me prefer it’s principally higher vitamin, extra refined coaching strategies, and shorter general distances. Positive, the aerodynamic enhancements additionally assist:

Nevertheless it wouldn’t shock me if these are offset by the helmets:

Then once more the aerodynamic advantages of Pantani’s bald head have been in all probability offset by his ears, so all of it balances out the top.

By the best way, the bike Pantani is using in that photograph offered in 2020 for 66,000 European Get together Coupons. That’s a bit excessive for me, however this one’s within the ballpark:

It’s tempting for the components alone, as a result of the bike is a rolling classic element repository, proper all the way down to the headset bearing protector. And what element has extra retro-Fred cred than a Mavic derailleur?