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From: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach)
Newsgroups: net.bicycle
Subject: Re: Need Toe-trap Data
Message-ID: <871@nsc.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 22-Apr-84 15:29:35 EST
Article-I.D.: nsc.871
Posted: Sun Apr 22 15:29:35 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 24-Apr-84 00:49:36 EST
References: <946@wateng.UUCP>, <2316@cbscc.UUCP> <318@mddc.UUCP> <195@drutx.UUCP>
Organization: National Semiconductor, Sunnyvale
Lines: 35

Let me relate a couple of toe clip stories. First the bad news:

    When I was in high school, I was out training. I was strapped in rather
    securely, and tripping at a measured 18MPH (low gear, spinning at 145).
    It was getting dark, and suddenly there was a rock between me and the
    rest of the road. My front wheel hit the rock and stopped. I kept
    going. My feet stayed in the clips, so the bike followed me over and
    landed on top of me. This did wonderful things to my skin and clothes,
    and not so wonderful things to one of my knees (it still hurts when the
    weather changes... *sigh*). Here is a situation where I might have been
    much better off without clips.

But on the other side:

    I can think of at least half a dozen times in my riding career when the
    clips saved my tail. When you are in a pack and something happens in
    front of you, any port in a storm will do. One of the first tricks you
    should learn is how to long jump your bike so that you can climb curbs
    and get over speed bumps without touching them (it isn't as hard as it
    sounds. you raise your tail and then lift your hands and feet
    simultaneously.) This helped me get off the road and onto the sidewalk
    a number of times when I needed to get out of the way of something. 

The safety argument is like seat belts. Everyone can come up with special
cases where a person would have been better off if they didn't wear their
belts, but in the general case they enhance safety. Used properly, toe
clips can, too, and they make riding a lot less work as well.



-- 
From under the bar at Callahan's:		Chuq Von Rospach
{amd70,fortune,hplabs,menlo70}!nsc!chuqui	(408) 733-2600 x242

Never give your heart to a stranger, unless you are sure that you are dead.