Pros / cons of riding a bike?

_number8_@lemmy.world to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 110 points –

apparently my city literally literally banned public rail funding, and people online love jerking off about how good biking is, so i figured might as well try. I have come up with:

pros:

  • good for mental health / exercise / endorphins

  • arguably quaint

  • feel like an old timey guy taking his wares to market

  • feel european

  • can annoy others

  • less of a police state around them vs cars

  • more flexible parking, routes

  • capacity to be peaceful

  • nice in summer

cons:

  • look like an annoying dork (esp w neon - which also hurts the quaint factor)

  • have to wear a helmet (^)

  • getting sweaty, potentially "unpresentable" for work

  • still have to find safe parking

  • still takes a while

  • have to find new routes to places

  • can't listen to music or might die

  • little meaningful protection against severe injury

  • can only carry so many groceries/etc

  • sucks in winter

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Could be even lower if they wore helmets though. I don't even wear a helmet myself, but it's objectively smart to do so.

My friend got something caught in his front wheel and went over the handlebars at 20mph. Could have been turned into a vegetable if he wasn't wearing a helmet.

And we could save a lot of people if they put on helmets to walk down stairs, and yet I don't see anyone saying that people are stupid not to wear them.

And your friend, if he drives at 30mph, of course he has to wear a helmet, but the subject is not a sporty practice of cycling, but bike commuting. And helmets does not protect you from a shitty infrastructure and tank-like cars that run you over, so maybe it would be good to stop insulting people and bring some nuance to this debate.

I'm not insulting anybody. I'm simply stating the fact that it's smart to wear a helmet, because if you hit your head on the ground, you could die. That's all.

Walking down the stairs is less dangerous than biking and you know it.

A guy in my lab in his early 50s went over and busted his neck and is now a quadriplegic. He WAS wearing a helmet.

I'm not saying don't, I'm saying if the universe wants you, it'll get you.