• The buffer is empty

    From Joy Beeson@21:1/5 to All on Thu Jun 11 23:04:14 2020
    http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/LINKS/TEXT/MISSALOT.TXT

    I was fiddling around in my files and found some how-to-write advice
    as relevant to Usenet as to mailing lists.

    It's ancient, but about the only thing out of date is the notion that
    a newsgroup might have newbies.

    I'm exausted today, and can't think why. The nearest to stressful my
    follow-up got was the news that I'm due for a colonoscopy. At least
    now you drink Gatorade instead of barely-diluted saccharin.

    When I was a small child, saccharin came in teeny pills that Mom would
    dissolve in Kool Aid. Mom put a lot of stuff in her "drink" besides
    Kool-Aid powder -- I was shocked the first time I tasted straight Kool
    Aid at a party -- and it tasted so good that I thought the tiny pills
    must be the essence of yum. When Mom wasn't looking, I put one into
    my mouth.

    I really, really didn't like re-living that experience on my previous
    prep day!

    At least it will be another ten years before I have to do it again.
    Perhaps by then colonoscopies will be obsolete.


    --
    Joy Beeson
    joy beeson at comcast dot net
    http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Krygowski@21:1/5 to Joy Beeson on Sat Jun 13 13:20:52 2020
    On 6/11/2020 11:04 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


    I'm exausted today, and can't think why.

    My last scary day of exhaustion was just a few days ago. When a fever
    arose I was quite scared, even though we've been quite diligent about isolation, masks, etc. I phoned my physician's office, and they sent me
    for a COVID test.

    Only while waiting for the test did I remember that we'd gotten our
    second Shingrix vaccine the day before. I looked up the possible side
    effects of Shingrix and - guess what? They're identical to the symptoms
    of COVID.

    Got one test result yesterday. All clear of COVID. It will take a few
    days to get antibody results. I'm hoping I previously had a mild version.


    --
    - Frank Krygowski

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Krygowski@21:1/5 to Joy Beeson on Sat Jun 13 13:22:05 2020
    On 6/11/2020 11:04 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


    About the empty buffer: Got any wisdom about bikes for little kids? The candidates are 6, 7 and 8.


    --
    - Frank Krygowski

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From John B.@21:1/5 to frkrygow@sbcglobal.net on Sun Jun 14 05:38:17 2020
    On Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:22:05 -0400, Frank Krygowski
    <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    On 6/11/2020 11:04 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


    About the empty buffer: Got any wisdom about bikes for little kids? The >candidates are 6, 7 and 8.

    Should one use "training wheels" on kids bikes?

    Back in the dim and distance past there was no such thing as training
    wheels and kids seemed to learn to ride bicycles. Today my neighbor's
    kids have bikes with training wheels and they've been riding the bikes
    for at least a year and so far, it appears, have not yet learned to
    ride without the outriggers.
    --
    cheers,

    John B.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Joy Beeson@21:1/5 to jbslocomb@fictitious.site on Sun Jun 14 22:58:02 2020
    On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 05:38:17 +0700, John B.
    <jbslocomb@fictitious.site> wrote:

    On Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:22:05 -0400, Frank Krygowski
    <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    On 6/11/2020 11:04 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


    About the empty buffer: Got any wisdom about bikes for little kids? The >candidates are 6, 7 and 8.

    Should one use "training wheels" on kids bikes?

    Back in the dim and distance past there was no such thing as training
    wheels and kids seemed to learn to ride bicycles. Today my neighbor's
    kids have bikes with training wheels and they've been riding the bikes
    for at least a year and so far, it appears, have not yet learned to
    ride without the outriggers.

    I'm pure Sergeant Shultz on the topic of children, but training wheels
    have always struck me as a device to prevent children from learning
    how to balance.

    Remembering the time we mislaid a pair of Boy Scouts in Saratoga and
    found them in Mechanicsburg, perhaps training wheels are a good idea.

    ----------

    I heard a rumor once that a very low top gear is a good idea on a
    child's bike is a good idea because it teaches him how to spin.

    It would also prevent excess strain on growing knees.


    --
    Joy Beeson
    joy beeson at comcast dot net
    http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

    In case of cultural confusion, Sgt. Shultz's trademark line was
    "I know nothing, nothing!"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From John B.@21:1/5 to jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid on Mon Jun 15 10:25:51 2020
    On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 22:58:02 -0400, Joy Beeson
    <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:

    On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 05:38:17 +0700, John B.
    <jbslocomb@fictitious.site> wrote:

    On Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:22:05 -0400, Frank Krygowski
    <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    On 6/11/2020 11:04 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


    About the empty buffer: Got any wisdom about bikes for little kids? The
    candidates are 6, 7 and 8.

    Should one use "training wheels" on kids bikes?

    Back in the dim and distance past there was no such thing as training
    wheels and kids seemed to learn to ride bicycles. Today my neighbor's
    kids have bikes with training wheels and they've been riding the bikes
    for at least a year and so far, it appears, have not yet learned to
    ride without the outriggers.

    I'm pure Sergeant Shultz on the topic of children, but training wheels
    have always struck me as a device to prevent children from learning
    how to balance.

    I learned to ride a bicycle by coasting down my neighbor's driveway.
    This was back in the days of "coaster brakes" and I got the hang of
    balancing pretty well but pedaling backward to stop was a bit
    difficult and ultimately ran into a very large garbage can and
    crashed.


    Remembering the time we mislaid a pair of Boy Scouts in Saratoga and
    found them in Mechanicsburg, perhaps training wheels are a good idea.

    ----------

    I heard a rumor once that a very low top gear is a good idea on a
    child's bike is a good idea because it teaches him how to spin.

    It would also prevent excess strain on growing knees.

    Single speed. When it gets hard to pedal get off and push :-)
    --
    cheers,

    John B.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Chicago Paddling-Fishing@21:1/5 to Joy Beeson on Wed Jun 24 05:07:40 2020
    Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
    On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 05:38:17 +0700, John B.
    <jbslocomb@fictitious.site> wrote:

    On Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:22:05 -0400, Frank Krygowski
    <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    On 6/11/2020 11:04 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


    About the empty buffer: Got any wisdom about bikes for little kids? The
    candidates are 6, 7 and 8.

    Should one use "training wheels" on kids bikes?

    Back in the dim and distance past there was no such thing as training
    wheels and kids seemed to learn to ride bicycles. Today my neighbor's
    kids have bikes with training wheels and they've been riding the bikes
    for at least a year and so far, it appears, have not yet learned to
    ride without the outriggers.

    I'm pure Sergeant Shultz on the topic of children, but training wheels
    have always struck me as a device to prevent children from learning
    how to balance.

    Remembering the time we mislaid a pair of Boy Scouts in Saratoga and
    found them in Mechanicsburg, perhaps training wheels are a good idea.

    ----------

    I heard a rumor once that a very low top gear is a good idea on a
    child's bike is a good idea because it teaches him how to spin.

    It would also prevent excess strain on growing knees.

    I recommend training wheels but up a little off the ground so they balance
    on 2 wheels and only go to 3 when they aren't balanced. That way they feel
    it a little and still need to use a kick stand when parking.

    You'll also need to do a lot of running holding the seat and make sure they have well fitting helmets.

    --
    John Nelson -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Chicago Area Paddling/Fishing Page
    http://www.chicagopaddling.org http://www.chicagofishing.org
    (A Non-Commercial Web Site: No Sponsors, No Paid Ads and Nothing to Sell)

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Krygowski@21:1/5 to Chicago Paddling-Fishing on Wed Jun 24 13:27:18 2020
    On 6/24/2020 1:07 AM, Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:
    Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
    On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 05:38:17 +0700, John B.
    <jbslocomb@fictitious.site> wrote:

    On Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:22:05 -0400, Frank Krygowski
    <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    On 6/11/2020 11:04 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


    About the empty buffer: Got any wisdom about bikes for little kids? The >>>> candidates are 6, 7 and 8.

    Should one use "training wheels" on kids bikes?

    Back in the dim and distance past there was no such thing as training
    wheels and kids seemed to learn to ride bicycles. Today my neighbor's
    kids have bikes with training wheels and they've been riding the bikes
    for at least a year and so far, it appears, have not yet learned to
    ride without the outriggers.

    I'm pure Sergeant Shultz on the topic of children, but training wheels
    have always struck me as a device to prevent children from learning
    how to balance.

    Remembering the time we mislaid a pair of Boy Scouts in Saratoga and
    found them in Mechanicsburg, perhaps training wheels are a good idea.

    ----------

    I heard a rumor once that a very low top gear is a good idea on a
    child's bike is a good idea because it teaches him how to spin.

    It would also prevent excess strain on growing knees.

    I recommend training wheels but up a little off the ground so they balance
    on 2 wheels and only go to 3 when they aren't balanced. That way they feel
    it a little and still need to use a kick stand when parking.

    You'll also need to do a lot of running holding the seat and make sure they have well fitting helmets.

    Two training wheels in back? That's insufficient. It's high time we
    stopped ignoring the necessity of two training wheels in front. And
    forget the fashion of having training wheels only a foot or so from the
    main wheel of the bike! They should be much wider, at least three feet
    out on each side, for real stability - and for safety!

    Speaking of safety: Of course you're right, no child should ever be
    allowed on any wheeled device without a helmet. Except for a car, that
    is, because cars are very safe (even though they're one of the greatest
    sources of serious head injuries). The lack of helmets is why so few
    kids ever survived riding bicycles before the 1970s.

    But not just any helmet! A kid's helmet must be a full face model,
    because if your little girl should scratch her chin, there goes her
    career as a model!

    And don't stop there. Remember the most common bike injury is a skinned
    knee. Knee scabs and scars have prevented many a modeling career! Don't
    let your kid on any wheeled device without knee protection and elbow protection. And don't forget those fingers! Gloves are a must!

    It's really best to leave no skin exposed. We now know the dangers of
    sunlight, not to mention scratches and road rash. With a full face
    helmet, long-fingered gloves and a snow suit, your little darling will
    be much, much safer.

    But remember your water supply! Not only for drinking, but during those
    hot summer days, soaking your child's protective snow suit can stave off
    heat exhaustion for minutes at a time. Those summer temperatures can be dangerous!

    But for REAL safety? The kids should just stay inside.


    --
    - Frank Krygowski

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From John B.@21:1/5 to frkrygow@sbcglobal.net on Thu Jun 25 08:38:14 2020
    On Wed, 24 Jun 2020 13:27:18 -0400, Frank Krygowski
    <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    On 6/24/2020 1:07 AM, Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:
    Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
    On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 05:38:17 +0700, John B.
    <jbslocomb@fictitious.site> wrote:

    On Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:22:05 -0400, Frank Krygowski
    <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    On 6/11/2020 11:04 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


    About the empty buffer: Got any wisdom about bikes for little kids? The >>>>> candidates are 6, 7 and 8.

    Should one use "training wheels" on kids bikes?

    Back in the dim and distance past there was no such thing as training
    wheels and kids seemed to learn to ride bicycles. Today my neighbor's
    kids have bikes with training wheels and they've been riding the bikes >>>> for at least a year and so far, it appears, have not yet learned to
    ride without the outriggers.

    I'm pure Sergeant Shultz on the topic of children, but training wheels
    have always struck me as a device to prevent children from learning
    how to balance.

    Remembering the time we mislaid a pair of Boy Scouts in Saratoga and
    found them in Mechanicsburg, perhaps training wheels are a good idea.

    ----------

    I heard a rumor once that a very low top gear is a good idea on a
    child's bike is a good idea because it teaches him how to spin.

    It would also prevent excess strain on growing knees.

    I recommend training wheels but up a little off the ground so they balance >> on 2 wheels and only go to 3 when they aren't balanced. That way they feel >> it a little and still need to use a kick stand when parking.

    You'll also need to do a lot of running holding the seat and make sure they >> have well fitting helmets.

    Two training wheels in back? That's insufficient. It's high time we
    stopped ignoring the necessity of two training wheels in front. And
    forget the fashion of having training wheels only a foot or so from the
    main wheel of the bike! They should be much wider, at least three feet
    out on each side, for real stability - and for safety!

    Speaking of safety: Of course you're right, no child should ever be
    allowed on any wheeled device without a helmet. Except for a car, that
    is, because cars are very safe (even though they're one of the greatest >sources of serious head injuries). The lack of helmets is why so few
    kids ever survived riding bicycles before the 1970s.

    But not just any helmet! A kid's helmet must be a full face model,
    because if your little girl should scratch her chin, there goes her
    career as a model!

    And don't stop there. Remember the most common bike injury is a skinned
    knee. Knee scabs and scars have prevented many a modeling career! Don't
    let your kid on any wheeled device without knee protection and elbow >protection. And don't forget those fingers! Gloves are a must!

    It's really best to leave no skin exposed. We now know the dangers of >sunlight, not to mention scratches and road rash. With a full face
    helmet, long-fingered gloves and a snow suit, your little darling will
    be much, much safer.

    But remember your water supply! Not only for drinking, but during those
    hot summer days, soaking your child's protective snow suit can stave off
    heat exhaustion for minutes at a time. Those summer temperatures can be >dangerous!

    But for REAL safety? The kids should just stay inside.

    In considering the "Safety Bicycle, if the two front "training wheels"
    were attached to the front fork and therefore "steerable" there would
    be no need for the center wheel and rather than a 6 wheeler it would
    be a 5 wheeler... And, by using a solid axle between the rear training
    wheels the "middle wheel" could be eliminated thus creating a
    quadracycle.

    Think of it a totally new method of traveling.
    --
    cheers,

    John B.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Chicago Paddling-Fishing@21:1/5 to John B. on Mon Jun 29 19:05:19 2020
    John B. <jbslocomb@fictitious.site> wrote:
    On Wed, 24 Jun 2020 13:27:18 -0400, Frank Krygowski
    <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    On 6/24/2020 1:07 AM, Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:
    Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
    On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 05:38:17 +0700, John B.
    <jbslocomb@fictitious.site> wrote:

    On Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:22:05 -0400, Frank Krygowski
    <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    On 6/11/2020 11:04 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


    About the empty buffer: Got any wisdom about bikes for little kids? The >>>>>> candidates are 6, 7 and 8.

    Should one use "training wheels" on kids bikes?

    Back in the dim and distance past there was no such thing as training >>>>> wheels and kids seemed to learn to ride bicycles. Today my neighbor's >>>>> kids have bikes with training wheels and they've been riding the bikes >>>>> for at least a year and so far, it appears, have not yet learned to
    ride without the outriggers.

    I'm pure Sergeant Shultz on the topic of children, but training wheels >>>> have always struck me as a device to prevent children from learning
    how to balance.

    Remembering the time we mislaid a pair of Boy Scouts in Saratoga and
    found them in Mechanicsburg, perhaps training wheels are a good idea.

    ----------

    I heard a rumor once that a very low top gear is a good idea on a
    child's bike is a good idea because it teaches him how to spin.

    It would also prevent excess strain on growing knees.

    I recommend training wheels but up a little off the ground so they balance >>> on 2 wheels and only go to 3 when they aren't balanced. That way they feel >>> it a little and still need to use a kick stand when parking.

    You'll also need to do a lot of running holding the seat and make sure they >>> have well fitting helmets.

    Two training wheels in back? That's insufficient. It's high time we
    stopped ignoring the necessity of two training wheels in front. And
    forget the fashion of having training wheels only a foot or so from the >>main wheel of the bike! They should be much wider, at least three feet
    out on each side, for real stability - and for safety!

    Speaking of safety: Of course you're right, no child should ever be
    allowed on any wheeled device without a helmet. Except for a car, that
    is, because cars are very safe (even though they're one of the greatest >>sources of serious head injuries). The lack of helmets is why so few
    kids ever survived riding bicycles before the 1970s.

    But not just any helmet! A kid's helmet must be a full face model,
    because if your little girl should scratch her chin, there goes her
    career as a model!

    And don't stop there. Remember the most common bike injury is a skinned >>knee. Knee scabs and scars have prevented many a modeling career! Don't
    let your kid on any wheeled device without knee protection and elbow >>protection. And don't forget those fingers! Gloves are a must!

    It's really best to leave no skin exposed. We now know the dangers of >>sunlight, not to mention scratches and road rash. With a full face
    helmet, long-fingered gloves and a snow suit, your little darling will
    be much, much safer.

    But remember your water supply! Not only for drinking, but during those
    hot summer days, soaking your child's protective snow suit can stave off >>heat exhaustion for minutes at a time. Those summer temperatures can be >>dangerous!

    But for REAL safety? The kids should just stay inside.

    In considering the "Safety Bicycle, if the two front "training wheels"
    were attached to the front fork and therefore "steerable" there would
    be no need for the center wheel and rather than a 6 wheeler it would
    be a 5 wheeler... And, by using a solid axle between the rear training
    wheels the "middle wheel" could be eliminated thus creating a
    quadracycle.

    Think of it a totally new method of traveling.
    --
    cheers,

    At that point, just buy a battery powered hummer they can drive 2.5 mph on
    the sidewalk and not let your child walk at all.

    https://www.target.com/p/kid-motorz-hummer-h2-6v-ride-on-yellow/-/A-11600295

    Then watch as kids slowly evolve to be like the people in the movie Wall-e https://imgflip.com/memetemplate/193075817/fat-wall-e-guy

    --
    John Nelson -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Chicago Area Paddling/Fishing Page
    http://www.chicagopaddling.org http://www.chicagofishing.org
    (A Non-Commercial Web Site: No Sponsors, No Paid Ads and Nothing to Sell)

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Chicago Paddling-Fishing@21:1/5 to Frank Krygowski on Mon Jun 29 19:49:12 2020
    Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
    On 6/24/2020 1:07 AM, Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:
    Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
    On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 05:38:17 +0700, John B.
    <jbslocomb@fictitious.site> wrote:

    On Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:22:05 -0400, Frank Krygowski
    <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

    On 6/11/2020 11:04 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


    About the empty buffer: Got any wisdom about bikes for little kids? The >>>>> candidates are 6, 7 and 8.

    Should one use "training wheels" on kids bikes?

    Back in the dim and distance past there was no such thing as training
    wheels and kids seemed to learn to ride bicycles. Today my neighbor's
    kids have bikes with training wheels and they've been riding the bikes >>>> for at least a year and so far, it appears, have not yet learned to
    ride without the outriggers.

    I'm pure Sergeant Shultz on the topic of children, but training wheels
    have always struck me as a device to prevent children from learning
    how to balance.

    Remembering the time we mislaid a pair of Boy Scouts in Saratoga and
    found them in Mechanicsburg, perhaps training wheels are a good idea.

    ----------

    I heard a rumor once that a very low top gear is a good idea on a
    child's bike is a good idea because it teaches him how to spin.

    It would also prevent excess strain on growing knees.

    I recommend training wheels but up a little off the ground so they balance >> on 2 wheels and only go to 3 when they aren't balanced. That way they feel >> it a little and still need to use a kick stand when parking.

    You'll also need to do a lot of running holding the seat and make sure they >> have well fitting helmets.

    Two training wheels in back? That's insufficient. It's high time we
    stopped ignoring the necessity of two training wheels in front. And
    forget the fashion of having training wheels only a foot or so from the
    main wheel of the bike! They should be much wider, at least three feet
    out on each side, for real stability - and for safety!

    Speaking of safety: Of course you're right, no child should ever be
    allowed on any wheeled device without a helmet. Except for a car, that
    is, because cars are very safe (even though they're one of the greatest >sources of serious head injuries). The lack of helmets is why so few
    kids ever survived riding bicycles before the 1970s.

    But not just any helmet! A kid's helmet must be a full face model,
    because if your little girl should scratch her chin, there goes her
    career as a model!

    And don't stop there. Remember the most common bike injury is a skinned
    knee. Knee scabs and scars have prevented many a modeling career! Don't
    let your kid on any wheeled device without knee protection and elbow >protection. And don't forget those fingers! Gloves are a must!

    It's really best to leave no skin exposed. We now know the dangers of >sunlight, not to mention scratches and road rash. With a full face
    helmet, long-fingered gloves and a snow suit, your little darling will
    be much, much safer.

    But remember your water supply! Not only for drinking, but during those
    hot summer days, soaking your child's protective snow suit can stave off
    heat exhaustion for minutes at a time. Those summer temperatures can be >dangerous!

    But for REAL safety? The kids should just stay inside.

    As people will always act like idiots, let me just remind you that kids get killed on bikes daily. Car hit or bump them, they fall off and hit their head on pavement or worse (the below story is from todays newspaper).

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-fatal-hit-and-run-arrest-20200629-oh2iacun25gy5ni455ddr6xwc4-story.html

    A few years back my dentists son was killed when someone changed lanes, knocking him off his bike and he hit his head on the curb.

    Smart father - he thought the burbs would be safer (but the pavement is just
    as hard - it was a senior citizen who clipped his son and claimed he didn't realize it until police came to his house).

    A month after 9/11 my son was riding to football practice with 2 friends (all wearing full pads fortunately), when a driver looking left to make a right
    turn on red gunned it and ran into all 3. One flew over the car, one was on
    the hood and my son was thrown outward into the street. Chicago Police don't usually show up for accidents but I guess they got so many 911 calls that police came out with ambulances (apparently some callers said "a guy just ran over a bunch of kids in front of the high school" so they didn't know what really happened until they got there). It was a young driver and I'm sure he was pretty scared as well.

    Thanks to full equipment (helmets with face guard, shoulder, rib, hip, thigh and knee pads, no one was seriously injured (the one who went over the top was taken by ambulance for xrays - his mom was a nurse and the other kids said he just didn't want to go to practice) but it could have been a fatal accident
    if not for the pads.

    --
    John Nelson -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Chicago Area Paddling/Fishing Page
    http://www.chicagopaddling.org http://www.chicagofishing.org
    (A Non-Commercial Web Site: No Sponsors, No Paid Ads and Nothing to Sell)

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Krygowski@21:1/5 to Chicago Paddling-Fishing on Tue Jun 30 15:57:24 2020
    On 6/29/2020 3:49 PM, Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:
    Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
    On 6/24/2020 1:07 AM, Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:

    I recommend training wheels but up a little off the ground so they balance >>> on 2 wheels and only go to 3 when they aren't balanced. That way they feel >>> it a little and still need to use a kick stand when parking.

    You'll also need to do a lot of running holding the seat and make sure they >>> have well fitting helmets.

    Two training wheels in back? That's insufficient. It's high time we
    stopped ignoring the necessity of two training wheels in front. And
    forget the fashion of having training wheels only a foot or so from the
    main wheel of the bike! They should be much wider, at least three feet
    out on each side, for real stability - and for safety!

    Speaking of safety: Of course you're right, no child should ever be
    allowed on any wheeled device without a helmet. Except for a car, that
    is, because cars are very safe (even though they're one of the greatest
    sources of serious head injuries). The lack of helmets is why so few
    kids ever survived riding bicycles before the 1970s.

    But not just any helmet! A kid's helmet must be a full face model,
    because if your little girl should scratch her chin, there goes her
    career as a model!

    And don't stop there. Remember the most common bike injury is a skinned
    knee. Knee scabs and scars have prevented many a modeling career! Don't
    let your kid on any wheeled device without knee protection and elbow
    protection. And don't forget those fingers! Gloves are a must!

    It's really best to leave no skin exposed. We now know the dangers of
    sunlight, not to mention scratches and road rash. With a full face
    helmet, long-fingered gloves and a snow suit, your little darling will
    be much, much safer.

    But remember your water supply! Not only for drinking, but during those
    hot summer days, soaking your child's protective snow suit can stave off
    heat exhaustion for minutes at a time. Those summer temperatures can be
    dangerous!

    But for REAL safety? The kids should just stay inside.

    As people will always act like idiots, let me just remind you that kids get killed on bikes daily.

    No, they do not! See https://www.iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/children
    They're talking about kids under 13, so the count would be higher if you
    define "kid" as under 18. But in 2018 they say 26 kid bike deaths. There
    are far more kid (or adult) pedestrian deaths, and WAY more inside cars.

    With bicycling being the smallest source of such deaths, why the fear mongering? (And why do so few people look at data before giving advice?)

    A few years back my dentists son was killed when someone changed lanes, knocking him off his bike and he hit his head on the curb.

    That is regrettable. But for every such tale, there are far more walking
    and motoring tales. Look it up.

    A month after 9/11 my son was riding to football practice with 2 friends (all wearing full pads fortunately), when a driver looking left to make a right turn on red gunned it and ran into all 3.

    Sounds like the kids were riding facing traffic. That's the usual cause
    of the "looked left and turned right" crash.

    It's far more important to tell the kids to follow the rules of the road
    than to pad themselves up. And the first rule of the road is to ride in
    the proper direction.

    --
    - Frank Krygowski

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