When I saw that buck-vs-trail-rider video I joked about the relative hazards of road vs mountain biking. The reality: I don’t know how dangerous or safe mountain biking is relative to road cycling, mostly because I’ve never bothered to look up the safety data for mountain biking. At the time, I didn’t know safety data was even available, though my trolling generated discussion on Google Plus.
While browsing “Recreation Law” Attorney James Moss’s website, I see that some people do pay some attention to this stuff. Epidemiologists at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus OH counted mountain bike injuries from 1994 to 2007. Drew a line from point “A” (23,000 injuries in 1995) to point “B” (10,000 injuries in 2007) and conclude the number of mountain bike injuries have gone down.
Since the researchers didn’t examine any other variable (i.e. exposure to risk), we still don’t have much useful safety data. Oh well.
More bikey news and links out below the photo. I ran across that kid about a half mile from my home. He and his friends built a ramp in the woods by and old quarry and had a great time catching big air like this.
New York Times: A new breed of lawyers focuses on cyclist rights. I’m seeing them pop up all over the place here in California.
Cyclelicious friend Curtis Corlew on the front cover of a magazine! (kind of)
Bikes and Bus Rapid Transit in San Jose, CA?
“Holier Than You” yells at a motorist, and the motorist apologizes for his driving.
San Francisco Park To Park bicycle rental program looks pretty cool. And it explains all of those recent help wanted ads for bike rental represntatives there.
A metric century and all the barbeque you can handle in Missouri.
Elly writes about wartime use of bicycles.
Transpo Journal asks the movers and shakers: Should the federal government include bike paths and walkways in its national transportation scheme?. Responses so far from Bill Lind (the paleoconservative who likes bikes), transpo planner Jack Kinstlinger, and American Highway Users Alliance CEO Greg Cohen.
Do we need all of these laws to protect us from ourselves?
Bicycling in the city is good for you in spite of air pollution.
Walk to School Day festivities last week in Menlo Park, CA.
Several securing your bike FAILs shown at FAIL Blog.
The science behind bike share placement in New York City. Are you listening, SF MTC?
Doping: WADA drops clenbuterol case against soccer players.
QR barcodes on Tern bicycles. Possible online social network applications for this?
Bike Snob NYC’s well reasoned commentary on the General Motors ad (which GM says they’ve pulled).
A Day in the Life of a Single Speed bicycle.
A lovely sunrise commute in Minnesota.
3D printer technology used for stuff besides bike components.
More bike vs animal wipeout videos via WEND.
Mountain biking HAS to be far more dangerous than road biking, absent some suicidal practice by the rider. The main danger in road biking (as opposed to road racing) is skin cancer or eventually falling over in old age. Hmm, perhaps that could become a slogan: “You can’t use a cane while you ride your bike down the road, old man!”
That’s my feeling too; I just have the empircal data to back that up.