Sam wrote:
> I too have always been highly skeptical of both the likelihood of such an
> accident, and the efficacy of 'breakaway' stays in preventing them. No less
> renowned cycling curmudgeons than Jobst Brandt AND Grant Petersen advocate
> their use, but I never have (used them), and I've never had a problem. I put
> this concept firmly in the same basket as cable hanger catchers and lawyer
> tips on forks. Perhaps if you've had it happen to you, you may well feel
> differently about it....
I have "suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" caused by a front wheel blocking and getting catapulted over the handlebars. In my case it was on my 1878 Rudge 54" highwheel. The result was not at all pretty: both arms in full casts for 6 weeks and a back brace for 4 months, this to look after both broken elbows and the broken vertebra. Not something that I would wish upon anybody. Having said that, I must say that I believe this is a solution looking for a problem. I have ridden many thousands of miles on bikes with mudguards and have never experienced any blockage between wheel and mudguard. I can however speak of a rear wheel blockage that would have been avoided had I had mudguards on the bike in question. During Charlie Young's fall ride, I remember exchanging experiences with one of the other riders who, he too, had jammed his hand between the rear tire and seat tube in a clumsy attempt to clean the tire after riding through glass. With mudguards, no such silliness can be attempted. I can also state that when I used to ride my trikes in the Canadian winters (read in lots of snow!), the trikes with front mudguards had far less occasion to become clogged with snow around the brake calipers. The mudguards seemed to efficiently direct all crud to and past the calipers, without offering the chance to take hold.
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Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ