SLU Cycling

Helmets are one of the most important pieces of cycling safety gear that you can buy. Head injuries are one of the most common ways for cyclists to suffer serious injuries on the road, but wearing a helmet will certainly protect your head in many types of collisions. In fact, the safety advantages of wearing a helmet are so great that in many countries it is now been made a legal requirement to wear one when cycling.

Regardless of any legal requirements, one thing that is for sure is that children should always wear a helmet when cycling. This is because they are more prone to more inexperienced decisions (and hence more likely to have an accident), and have softer skulls (and hence need head protection more).

In the past, many people didn’t wear helmets because they felt they were heavy, sweaty and uncomfortable. However, with modern helmets these should no longer be issues. Modern helmets are ergonomicaly designed and so light that you will be hardly aware that you are wearing one, and they also have many large vents to let plenty of air in.

One other thing to be aware of is that it is important that you get a correctly fitting helmet and that you position it properly on your head. For example, a common mistake is to position the helmet too far back on the rider’s head – and if you do this and get into a collision, the helmet will simply get pushed off the back of your head without actually protecting you. You should also make sure that the straps are securely fastened with equal tension in each of the straps – sufficient tension that if you open your mouth you should be able to feel the helmet pressing down on to the top of your head.

Once you’ve had your helmet for a while, it may start to get a little smelly. That’s not a problem however as the pads inside the helmet are generally secured by velcro, so can be detached, and either put in the washing machine or replaced with new pads.

By: Sunil Tanna

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Many different organizations involved in healthcare have endorsed cycling as a form of exercise. For example, the National Forum for Coronary Heart Disease Foundation have stated that regular cyclists enjoy a fitness level equal to that of a person 10 years younger, and the British Heart Foundation said “cycling at least 20 miles a week reduces the risk of heart disease to less than half that for non-cyclists who take no other exercise”. In short, cycling can improve both your general fitness level, and even a modest regular commute can move you into a lower risk band as far as heart disease is concerned.

But how does cycling compare to other forms of exercise? The answer is pretty well…

- Unlike jogging (for example), cycling is a low impact form of exercises. Low impact means that there is lower chance of injuring yourself, but nevertheless cycling can still give your heart and lungs a good workout.

- Cycling is easy to get started. When you first begin regular cycling, you can go as slowly as you like. Over time, you strength and stamina will improve, and after a couple of months you’ll be amazed at how fast you can go.

- If you’re cycling with a friend or family member (which by the way is a great way to stay motivated), you can talk while cycling. Yes, if you want to improve your fitness, you should aim to go fast enough to get out of breath some of time – but it doesn’t have to be all of the time!

- When your body works better, your mind tends to work better, and thus any form of regular exercise, cycling included, can help alleviate stress. Cycling has some particular benefits in this regard: the joy of the open road, fresh air, less time in traffic jams, and the exhilaration of riding in Spring or beating your train journey time.

By: Sunil Tanna

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