Lean Meat
Eggs
Salads
Stir-fry
Soup
BBQ'd veg and fish

Oh, the list is Mahoosive. Though I guess you have to know one end of your knife from the other ;-)
Theres more than enough choice, but it aint gonna coming knocking on your front door though.

Neighbour has recently taken a few deer, so I reckon venison is on the radar soon.

S

I really could never stick to it long term as not a massive fan of beans/lentils

Nor could I. Fortunately, theres loads more choice than just legumes.
;-)

S

The fact that we even have different helmet for on road and off road means at least one thing. Helmet manufacturers start to see that both sport are different and therefore the conundrum is that helmet design should be different.

And its nothing to do with selling me a helmet for the road, and another one for off-road…

Just what are the real, effective differences between MTB and Road helmets, in relation to them performing their ultimate function, in their current form ?.

Yeah, its all good here. I've had access to scales recently and lost 3.6Kg over three weeks.

ime, the effectiveness of iDave's eating suggestions is directly proportional to how rigidly one sticks to the guidelines. And thats down to the individual, imo.

Cheers Dave
:-)

Solo

your last on my comment confused me – I've got no idea what you're on about

You are, of course, at liberty to go read the thread, but that is perhaps more difficult than trying to flame someone…Ok.

I've voiced a belief that cycle helmet design could be better from a primary performance perspective.
I have worked on passenger restraint and protection systems.

You and LHS have reacted as if I know nothing about Engineering and crash testing, etc. A poor assumption.

I have not blamed anyone for anything, merely pointed out how I see where we are right now with current helmet design, etc, etc, for reasons of cost, comfort, manuf, blah, blah.

You seem to have consistently missed this, in order to just try to have a go.

LHS knows his onions and understands compromises and user requirements and performance balanced against the art of the possible – be that human or financial limitations
And the rest of us know nothing ?…

Don't pontificate that it could be better then offer no alternative
I laugh at your trying to get me to design a helmet here, on a thread.
TJ has offered up some good suggestions for starting points.
If anyone is pontificating, its you.
Are you really saying that current cycle helmet design can't be improved upon ?. REALLY ????
:-)

Do your own risk assessment for your own life and take responsibility for your own purchases, actions and headwear.

Errr…Yeah, thanks for that, but I think most of us already do :lol:

S

I do wonder though

Yeah, me too…I wonder how one can accuse a person of "guessing" and then get it so completely wrong.
;-)

S

TJ.

You're a brave soul making such specific suggestions, I had avoided it so as not to turn this into a flaming session.

Like you, I just think there could be more, and I hope there will be, for all us cyclists.

S

I don't think I did. You assumed that it was easy to improve on helmet design but then provided a complete inability to explain as to how

v v v

Solo – Member
Hhmmm. Helmets…

The cracking of the helmet indicates energy dissapation, energy that would have otherwise had to of been dealt with, by natures protection…

However, upto the point the helmet failed, most of the energy was being passed to the head, imo.
My experience leads me to think that current popular helmet deisgn does not absorb much energy. The polystyrene, as dense as it is, seems to transmit energy to my head quite well.
I was reminded of this recently when for the first time in a long time, my helmet clipped a low branch.
It was still quite an abrupt shock to my head, very little energy had been absorbed by the helmet, there wasn't much cushioning of the blow and I attribute this to the dense polystyrene and the absence of a more compliant, cushioning, layer of material.
However, the skin had not contacted the branch so I wasn't left with any cuts, etc.

Current helmet design seems to be a compromise to meet several criteria, not all of which may be safety/crash centric.

How many helmet group-tests have we read where the journos refer to "cooling", "airflow", and even asthetic featrues ?
Throw into the mix, manuf costs and its not difficult to see how current helmet design has arrived at where it is now.

I don't think current designs are the best mankind could come up with for the primary purpose of preventing significant head/brain injury.

I think we only need look at helmets from other sports to get an idea of the solution other companies have come up with to try to prevent serious head injury.

Personally I fail to see the difference between a motorcyclist hitting their head against a lamp post at 25mph, and a mountain biker hitting their head against a tree at 25mph.

Yet, the helmet design solutions for each are very different…

But then again, who's going to wear a motorcycle helmet for a quick bit of XC riding ?…..

I'm glad the OP is Ok, and if they think that their helmet prevented a more serious injury, then thats fine.

However, I tend to think that it shouldn't be a question of whether or not to wear a helmet, there is definately a need for head protection.
But rather, which design solution should we be wearing ?.

Cheers.

Solo

I have provided no such inability. When did I write that it would be easy to imporve the design ?.

Look LHS, don't get wound up. You should knwo full-well its not practical to design a helmet in a forum posting and to invite someone to do so either implies that such work can be done this way, or other.

Are you telling us that your work has led us to the ultimate helmet design and improvement is no longer possible ?.

S

better design, much more stringent testing

Yeah, I'd like to see that too. But of course, there'll be a cost.
This is the dilema, the compromise.

S

Ah !, Molgrips, I wondered where you had got to…..

S

LHS.

You repeat a point I've already made. I would add though, that a cycle helmet isn't just any other product.
;-)

Agree on the peak. Funnily enough most of modern helmet have a peak that move/disengage under impact…

Things move-on.

S

but can't say why

Nice try, but its not practical to go into this here.

Ta
:-)

S

It may be 'bleedin obvious' but a lot of folk seem to miss it…

Yeap, I agree.

S

TT.

Oh, thats kind of you, but thats also a pretty impracticle proposition for a forum.

Just because I think it could be done differently, that doesn't mean I don't understand where we are now. As previously posted, when considering issues of safety, comfort, cost, I can see why we are here, but will it, should it be better.

Looking at some of the pics here of broken hats, I'm grateful the wearers claim to be Ok afterwards (regardless of being STW contributors :-P )
But I think theres room for improvement, if for no other reason that to address the Nay-sayers, but really to reduce the percieved/alledged downsides to wearing current designs.

Or are we saying that current design is as good as its ever going to get ?.

Cheers.
:-)

Solo

Yeah but in all fairness, you are not doing any research or experimentation, you are just guessing.

In all fairness MolGrips, you're quite wrong.

I have worked in the field of passenger restraint/occupant protection.
You may now remove your foot from your mouth. Top marks for getting it in there though.
;-)

Believe me ALL of this plays a VERY constructive role in head protection.
As above, I wear one, and I beleive that in a lot of cases, a helmet is better than none at all. And while I'd never seek to rubbish the hard work developers put into the current design of the common helmet, I think we could benefit from a different approach to design.

Wish I had been wearing my much closer fitting, and peakless, roadie helmet
My case in point, design, I believe, has some way to go yet, if it does at all.

S

So let me get this straight. Are people (TJ) seriously advocating NOT wearing anything at all to protect your head in the case of an accident?

As in my earlier post. I wear a current design of helmet.

However, I'm wondering whether it couldn't be done better, from a safety/protection performance prospective ?.

:-)

S

LHS.

Yes, I should have written "enjoy much cushioning…" rather than "enjoy any cushioning".

However, the polystyrene still isn't compressing very much, esp when forces are spread over the contact area of my head against the inner surfaces/contact points of the helmet. My skin is softer than the polystyrene in the helmet.

More often than not the crack originates from stress raisers and point loads play their part in propagating a failure, and as before, once failure occurs, the helmet ceases to protect although the accident being experienced could still be happening…

However, none of this appears to play much of a constructive role in controlling head decelleration, imo.
Do we have a "Pulse" for head impact, wearing a conventional cycle helmet.
Bet it spikes significantly just before the polystyrene fails…

Consider motorsport helmets, theres a bit more going on there, including cost and not forgetting the question/issue of comfort…

Then consider that we've all been shown the Sainsbury's/Tesco £8 specials, and there probably isn't a market for the £250 cycle helmet.

So, we pays our money…..But what is the choice ?.
:-)

S

It's hard to see a good alternative solution that wouldn't be unbearable to wear.

Exactly !. Now add manuf/retail costs into the mix and suddenly we're transported to a place where helmet design is very different to what we're wearing today.

S

A crack still dissipates energy – this is normal and designed in to many things like vehicle armour etc

Yes, to crack the Mat'l, energy has been "used", but once the crack occurs, all protection is gone. So I wouldn't describe this as a great feature.

What about secondary impacts ?…

As for vehicles. Vehicles crush, commonly referred to as "crumple zones".
But thats just the body.
For the soft squishy occupants ?, they get belts and bags. Modern belts tension, but still have a release point if forces become too high, and the bags are designed to deflate, they are "vented" to provide a cushioning effect, to decellerate the head rather than bring it to an abrupt stop.

In other words, forces are controlled and decelleration beneath a certain threshold, is the goal.

Current helmets I've seen/I own, are dense polystyrene, and something as round and blunt as my head isn't going to compress it enough to enjoy any cushioning effect during an impact.

When my head hits the imoveable object, decelleration rises rapidly, forces increase then at a certain point the helmet mat'l fails in an instant.

In that situation, its been my head Vs the polystyrene, until the polystyrene gives up.

However, if you're going to sell helmets for £8, then I suppose the current design is all one could reasonably expect. And its at that point that one then considers whether a poor design of helmet is better than no helmet at all.

FWIW, I wear one most of the time, but could they be better ?, I think so.
Are the current designs better than no helmet at all ?…..well, thats a difficult question for me to answer.

So, anyone up for £250 cycle helmets ?.

S

Hhmmm. Helmets…

The cracking of the helmet indicates energy dissapation, energy that would have otherwise had to of been dealt with, by natures protection…

However, upto the point the helmet failed, most of the energy was being passed to the head, imo.
My experience leads me to think that current popular helmet deisgn does not absorb much energy. The polystyrene, as dense as it is, seems to transmit energy to my head quite well.
I was reminded of this recently when for the first time in a long time, my helmet clipped a low branch.
It was still quite an abrupt shock to my head, very little energy had been absorbed by the helmet, there wasn't much cushioning of the blow and I attribute this to the dense polystyrene and the absence of a more compliant, cushioning, layer of material.
However, the skin had not contacted the branch so I wasn't left with any cuts, etc.

Current helmet design seems to be a compromise to meet several criteria, not all of which may be safety/crash centric.

How many helmet group-tests have we read where the journos refer to "cooling", "airflow", and even asthetic featrues ?
Throw into the mix, manuf costs and its not difficult to see how current helmet design has arrived at where it is now.

I don't think current designs are the best mankind could come up with for the primary purpose of preventing significant head/brain injury.

I think we only need look at helmets from other sports to get an idea of the solution other companies have come up with to try to prevent serious head injury.

Personally I fail to see the difference between a motorcyclist hitting their head against a lamp post at 25mph, and a mountain biker hitting their head against a tree at 25mph.

Yet, the helmet design solutions for each are very different…

But then again, who's going to wear a motorcycle helmet for a quick bit of XC riding ?….. ;-)

I'm glad the OP is Ok, and if they think that their helmet prevented a more serious injury, then thats fine.

However, I tend to think that it shouldn't be a question of whether or not to wear a helmet, there is definately a need for head protection.
But rather, which design solution should we be wearing ?.

Cheers.

Solo

His employer finally discovered why he was wearing-out so many keyboards, at work…

Molgrips.

Hi :-)

Thanks for that. Along with the other suggestions here, I'll have a bit to be getting on with.

Yeah, its just for personal use.

:-D

S

Ok, thanks for those tips and suggestions. I shall look into them, see what I come up with.
:-D

Cheers.

Solo

Damion.

Thanks for that. However, that seems to be quite an involved process.

I was thinking of something that just records what you see or hear on your PC/Laptop. Or am I being too simplistic with that view ?.

I'm getting the feeling I may be trying to lift the lid on an IT can-O-worms ?…

Ta

S

Graham.

Hi. Err, no I didn't know that. I shall look into it, thanks ;-)

But yeah, I guess there would be some stuff I'd want to keep for a while longer.

Cheers
;-)

Solo

SJ.

Good effort :-)

a couple of cravings for chocolate
aye, I'm no stranger to that scenario, but I just defer the desire for Choc, until Saturdays.

I think it does seem to change your outlook on eating completely, and hope I can stay close to it for the long haul.

Thats similar to my thinking too. I'm going to come away from this, knowing more about how to address and prevent weight gain, while cycling/exercising only as much as I enjoy/want to.

As I've posted before, some of the changes I've made, are keepers for me, now that going through this exercise has helped me kick a few poor eating choices, I'll just move on. But not go back.
:-)

S

Molgrips.
Thanks for your reply.

I would point out that I'm not in training, I just ride road/MTB for the kick. But I understand where who are those training, are coming from.
:-)

Spawn. It'd help if your profile had an e-mail address… ;-)

Cheers

Solo

as explained on here, it's not a crash diet plan, rather an eating change
Spot on MolGrips. that is exactly what it is, imo.

I learnt fairly early on during my experience, that the nuts were hindering fat loss, so I have cut them out.

We're all going to slip for a moment, just now and again, but those little treats, as long as they are very infrequent, I would have hoped weren't going to prevent the overall effect of sticking to the plan.

Also, I wouldn't expect all of us to get it right, first time, this isn't "just add water", its learning what does and does not work for the individual, BUT, within the parameters laid down in the guidelines/suggestion.

I've just incorporated what I've learnt, into my existing diet.
Like others here, I don't miss the bread, rice, pasta, spuds.
And, as I never bought a vending machine card, I do not snack at work, and meals at home are enough for me.
I guess I'm not much of a snackster.

A Question:
Why do people eat to ride ?. I don't. I thought I'd be carrying enough from my usual daily intake, to ride as I want to.
I don't eat before, during, or after, just because I've been out cycling.
As I sit in a office all day, I assume that my diet affords me anything upto a 3 hour ride without need for additional intake.
Different of course for all-day rides, etc, but even then, how much carbs, protein, whatever is required, can the body absorb in real-time, while I'm out on a ride ?

Is this wrong ?. (lay-man's answer please, I don't want a science-blinding, wiki-fest)
;-)

Solo

I go for the Mondeo Zetecs, I would dread going back to a car without cruise control.

Ref the clutch thing. As I mentioned above, the last two Mondeos I've had were no problem at all, a 51 and currently a 53.
I put over 70K on one, over 100K on the current one, with no issues, and everything still works fine, air con, electronics, its all sound.

S

I've been going for Fords and have had them for the last 7 years.

I tend to go for the Mondeos, but always reliable and very low running costs.

Current car is the 115 TDCi hatch, so far this week I've got the consumption upto 61.7.

I've put over 100K on it, spent very little on running other than oil changes, tyres, general consumables basically.
Everything else is fantastic. With 178K on this week, I'll have to move it on soon, although I can't fault it.
Will certainly get another Ford, may even down-size to a Focus.

imo:
French; cars don't do electronics.
Italian; cars don't do electronics either.
German; cars are too expensive to run and contrary to suburban myth, have been overtaken by Ford in the independantly generated reliablity reports.
Japanese cars; again, parts can be expensive and sometimes not easily sourced.
Korean cars; not owned one, but don't think they could touch a Ford.

I reckon you've already picked a good car for the money, Focus at 3K.
;-)

S

Drove over a bump which caught underside of the car or something, steering wheel and passenger side dash airbags went off

You mean you've had a crash.

food, that is low fat, high energy, good carb, lean protein, capable of fueling a person on a endurance based activity

Pasta :roll:

S

Eggs ?, Hhmmmm.

Boiled egg
Fork
Marmite

Use fork to mash marmite into the egg.

Yum !
:-)

S
EDIT: GF has a few chickens, fantastic eggs, amusing little critters.

CK.

At least you're giving it a go, and you're giving it some thought, so I reckon you'll get there. Don't stop trying and learning what works for you.
;-)

S

two days 'blockage' cleared itself this morning though 8O
You win todays "Way, way too much info." award ;-)

S

Scruff.

Think I read a post by iDave suggesting that some carbs for/during heavier exercise should be fine, just don't go mad.

I'd add that its all about us starting with an outline, a suggestion, then for us to individually work on along that theme, to achieve the results we wish to.

You'll have to figure out how to tweak what you're eating to get where you want to be.

I may take some, a while to sort out what works for them. But I wouldn't have thought it would be wasted time.

Jamie. Sup to you mate, I think from earlier posts that you've got a handle on what its about.
Good luck.
;-)

S

Others have posted recipes, so if you want to, I guess its Ok.

Jamie.

Just curious, why next Monday ?.

1, Yes.

2, Not really.

3, Oh Yes, its those bikes you see, I love riding them. ;-)

4, 3 squares, and a beer or two, maybe a bit of chocolate.
As my day off is a Saturday, I'm quite busy so don't sit around feeding.

5, No portion sizes. just eating loads of the approved foods
Eating loads ??.

S

Tails.

Sounds like you've cracked it ;-)

My plan is to continue as I am now. They'll be new meals to prepare and to try, but truth is, I really don't miss bread everyday, I rarely ate potatoes anyway, same for pasta.

I've used this exercise as an excuse to myself to cut back on the booze, and its all good. Good for weight, good for the wallet.

There are loads of recipes, and the foods are easily sourced, so this is really an exercise in discipline as far as I'm concerned, when eating less bread, pasta, sugar, etc.

Generally, imo, this has been a good thread, thanks Alexxx ;-)

Good luck to all who try it, I hope they get the results they're after.

For me it has worked and as far as I'm concerned iDave is right.
:-D

Solo

Tails.

I've no scales, but things are trimmer, belts set to their usual position are loosening around the waist now. Its all good.

And the longer it goes on, the easier I find it. I do not miss anything, cos I've not given anything up.

I just hold-off for the Choc, cheese, beer, etc, until Saturdays.
But even then I don't go mad. I don't need much of a quality cheese or Beer to apprecate the flavours, esp if I don't have them every day.

I may purchase some scales soon, but I'm in no hurry.

We can all tell when we've lost weight and its happened for me, and was easy.

Ta
;-)

Solo
EDIT: Oh, BTW, 7 pounds ?, good stuff, glad to see others benefiting from their efforts. :-D

Yeah, I found that for me, the nuts were slowing progress.

I guess that just cos its written down for us, doesn't mean we should stop observing how our individual bodies take to what we're choosing to eat.

Some fine-tunning may be required.

But iDaves' suggestions point us in a good direction. imo.

:-)

S