You are confusing risk with cause. The risk increases in both situations.

In the case of the fall – at high speed you still have the vertical fall which you say breaks bones in a low speed accident, at higher speeds you also have a large vertical component. More energy to be lost = higher risk of injury.

As regards higher speeds = greater RISK of accidents of course it does as you cover more distance in the time you react to incidents. Hitting potholes and stuff will cause a greater reaction in the bike as the enregy is more

Mrmo, it’s still not really making much sense tbh. I can sort of see what you’re trying to get at, but I think you are wrong. In my extensive experience of cycle commuting in urban areas, increased speed leads to greater risks, and the consequences of crashing at high speeds are a lot greater. Believe me. You talk about sliding? Yeah, taking skin off, sliding into the path of other traffic, etc. Plus, if you hit something, the faster you are going, the greater the impact. Symple Fizziks. Squeak.

Sorry but you are wrong and TJ will explain why. Valiant attempt though.

Elfinsafety i think the crux is “urban areas” I live in Gloucestershire and commute between Cheltenham and Evesham, which means some urban, some minor rural and some major A roads. Most crashes tend to be on back roads where i have misjudged a corner, either ice diesel or gravel. In the urban areas crashes are far more unusual because you anticipate what is going on around you and to be fair force the traffic to do what you want. It is usually obvious when a driver is going to pull out on you, look for there eyes, if you can’t see them assume they haven’t seen you.

I would also say that London is atypical, the way drivers, cyclists and pedestrians behave is not the same as in most of the UK.

TJ higher speeds do not mean greater risk, there is a risk, but such is life,
oed

If your going to be that concerned about risk i guess you should never go home.

rospa

as for pot holes, use your eyes and pay attention, very rarely do they just appear, if your commuting your using the same roads and you will know which sections of road are failing. i can tell you where on my route is going to be an issue come the winter and where to keep away from the kerb as the road edge crumbles. Do not ride in the gutter, do not ride through puddles etc, basic road sense. Like i said earlier pay attention on bus lanes because they are always covered in diesel and after some rain are like skating rinks.

As i said earlier the issue is using your head and controlling your space, it is not about travelling slowly and pissing off drivers causing them to do stupid things, ie increasing risk.

you’re assuming that those of us talking about risk ride slowly. jeez I used to courier in London which gives you a good feel for speed/risk/benefit balance. some things have minimal increase in risk for extra speed so you choose to take that risk. others just aren’t worth it.

if you understand risk you can decide how to respond to it. it doesn’t mean you try to avoid it all.

if you ride faster then your relative overall risk of having an accident increases. you can accept that risk and maybe try to mitigate it (maybe with grippier tyres, better brakes etc) or you can just try and convince yourself that riding faster has no effect on risk.

I would also say that London is atypical

I have rided my bikikle in London, New York, Melbourne, Oslo and Truro, amongst other places, and drivers and peds are pretty much the same everywhere, and post the same risks/problems to a cyclist.

Most crashes tend to be on back roads where i have misjudged a corner, either ice diesel or gravel.

So lack of anticipation of potential road conditions, then…

In the urban areas crashes are far more unusual because you anticipate what is going on around you

Cos of course we don’t get ice, diesel or gravel on the roads, oh no….

In London, you might well encounter Vanilla Ice or Vin Diesel crossing a road, and if you are in the area near the High Courts and the Old Bailey, you might find plenty of gavels littering the roads…

TJ higher speeds do not mean greater risk

Testicles. The faster you go, the greater the chance of getting properly mash up an bash up an ting pon you is head dat.

jeez I used to courier in London which gives you a good feel for speed/risk/benefit balance. some things have minimal increase in risk for extra speed so you choose to take that risk. others just aren’t worth it.

Clubber is actually right here.

Today right, I rode to the pub for lunch. Wet roads. Faster speeds definitely carry greater risks of injury in such conditions; ask the bloke who stacked it by Westferry Station just a few minutes ago; he’ll tell you he probbly woon’t have crashed had he bin going a bit slower. 😐

For me its simple…only one bike (mountain) and I need to do daily commute plus weekend offroad but I cant be arsed changing tyres so I ride either small block 8’s, Panaracer Razors or Larsen TT’s and TBH I don’t find it much of an issue plus it means I can prat around at lunch times at the local park on jumps etc. I guess the trade off is running through tyres more often than a weekend warrior.