:: No Helmet :: No Ride
- Thread starter bluedazzler
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Sponsorship and Advertising contribute a bit to this site and the main rides, hopefully that should mean we don't need to pay, but as ride organisers we usually contribute a little in prizes or sweets to "enhance" the experience and the time to advertise the ride, recce the ride.
In return all we ask is you wear a helmet for a couple of hours so if you are airlifted off to hospital Retrobike's insurance will pay the cost of the chopper as opposed to the general public or even the site itself.
Not a lot to ask really, it's a few hours a day, a few days a year.
In return all we ask is you wear a helmet for a couple of hours so if you are airlifted off to hospital Retrobike's insurance will pay the cost of the chopper as opposed to the general public or even the site itself.
Not a lot to ask really, it's a few hours a day, a few days a year.
bluedazzler said:Matthew, that analogy is off... the parachute is really comparable to the bike, and skydiving without a parachute isn't skydiving, it's falling from a plane
Plus if you jump out with out a parachute then you will die.
But if you ride with out a helmet then you wont die or get hurt.
Wanting to come along as a separate person riding public spaces but not with everybody else is IMO a very small minded and selfish attitude, the people organising these rides take a lot of time and effort for the benefit of others (the people attending) with no personal gain (financial or otherwise), if you did have an accident in the vicinity of a retrobike ride and everyone ignored you and carried on "with there organised and helmeted ride" I'm pretty certain they would get slated for being a set of t*****s for leaving you stranded (which wouldn't happen BTW) . As an organiser of motorsport events I have similar discussions with competitors on the grounds of safety and up to press have only had to deal with 1 minor incident (due to the competitor being a dick and trying to ignore the rules) and believe me the last thing you want as an organiser is to feel responsible for someones death or injury (let alone the grief and paperwork).
The whole idea of a forum and organised rides is to enjoy yourself with old and new friends so why bother bringing the whole subject up if you don't want to join in (which it seems like you don't as you refuse to wear an helmet for a couple of hours) if you do want to join in then get a bloody helmet and stop wingeing.
Apologies to anyone I may have offended (or not) as no personal insult has been intended but selfish bloodymindedness winds me up sometimes.(Yes I can also be bloody minded if I disagree with something but I keep it to myself and don't attend the event)
Matthew
The whole idea of a forum and organised rides is to enjoy yourself with old and new friends so why bother bringing the whole subject up if you don't want to join in (which it seems like you don't as you refuse to wear an helmet for a couple of hours) if you do want to join in then get a bloody helmet and stop wingeing.
Apologies to anyone I may have offended (or not) as no personal insult has been intended but selfish bloodymindedness winds me up sometimes.(Yes I can also be bloody minded if I disagree with something but I keep it to myself and don't attend the event)
Matthew
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bluedazzler":37zn3820 said:
In short no you aren't. The insurance cover is gives Third Party Liability cover. It does not cover specific individuals. If you want your own personal cover I suggest that you look at BC or CTC membership. The insurance is there to protect the group from any third party who is involved in an incident which results in them pursuing a case against Retrobike.
However, as RB does not ask for any affiliation fees or subscriptions, technically all ride participants are actually 'third party' participants. As such the ride is protected from any individual claim from any individual participant.
In effect the insurance is there to protect Retrobike from the ride participants. But there is a duty of care and there are of course terms and conditions to be fulfilled by the organisers and by the ride participants so as not to invalidate that insurance cover.
Now obviously we want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable ride, and we do put an emphasis on making sure that we minimise risk by performing recce rides, highlighting any tricky or potentially dangerous sections, careful route selection, managing the group, carrying first aid kits, completing a risk assessment... etc... etc...
... and asking people to wear a helmet.
All of these are proven methods of reducing risks in what is a risky pastime.
Some road club rides may not insist on helmet wearing, perhaps as road riding is seen as less risky in terms of a potential head injury.
It comes down to the clubs individual policy and risk assessment for that particular activity.
In terms of Retrobike. The fact that we ride old bikes, with limited or no suspension, with old tyres and not so powerful brakes on rough terrain, probably increases the likelihood of a crash. Therefore the 'no helmet : no ride' policy is probably a wise precaution.
Now all of this may see to rally against the carefree, individualistic and even rebellious approach that many take when mountain biking. Riding a bike is a great source of personal freedom afterall. But by taking these steps, Retrobike is as prepared and protected as it can be should an incident occur on a ride.
In short, the BC insurance cover gives some protection and therefore the confidence to be able to actually go ahead and organise rides for almost anybody to attend.
In terms of wearing a helmet, as Ken says, it's a small compromise to make if you want to join a ride somebody else has organised.
Plus I hate getting blood on my hands from an otherwise avoidable head injury.
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