Cycling is very dangerous ...
geoff_ss
Posts: 1,201
... according to Cannondale.
We bought a Cannondale tandem last week and it comes with a very pretty little wallet containing a 90 page 'Bicycle Owners manual'. Every page contains several 'Warnings' - some of them go as far as to state that should you fail to follow Cannondale's advice " ... you could be seriously injured, paralysed or killed."
The sad thing is the book tells me nothing specifically about our new bike. It doesn't explain how the eccentric front chain adjustment works (it's different from the ones I've used before) nor how to maintain the Magura hydraulic rim brakes. No explanation of how to use the thumb shifters or adjust the seat pins (which have a screw-type angle adjustment I haven't come across before). The whole thing is an arse-protection exercise by Cannondale. If a non-cyclist (particularly the parent of a young new cyclist) were to read this book they'd never go on the road!
The information I really needed is available on-line but not everybody has access and paper would have been better expended on supplying valuable information rather than the dross that is!
Never the less it is an excellent machine and I'm sure the engineers involved are extremely competent if only the lawyers would leave them be. If you think the UK is developing into a 'nanny state' you should see this example from the USA. We have a long way to go but I suspect we're on way.
Geoff
We bought a Cannondale tandem last week and it comes with a very pretty little wallet containing a 90 page 'Bicycle Owners manual'. Every page contains several 'Warnings' - some of them go as far as to state that should you fail to follow Cannondale's advice " ... you could be seriously injured, paralysed or killed."
The sad thing is the book tells me nothing specifically about our new bike. It doesn't explain how the eccentric front chain adjustment works (it's different from the ones I've used before) nor how to maintain the Magura hydraulic rim brakes. No explanation of how to use the thumb shifters or adjust the seat pins (which have a screw-type angle adjustment I haven't come across before). The whole thing is an arse-protection exercise by Cannondale. If a non-cyclist (particularly the parent of a young new cyclist) were to read this book they'd never go on the road!
The information I really needed is available on-line but not everybody has access and paper would have been better expended on supplying valuable information rather than the dross that is!
Never the less it is an excellent machine and I'm sure the engineers involved are extremely competent if only the lawyers would leave them be. If you think the UK is developing into a 'nanny state' you should see this example from the USA. We have a long way to go but I suspect we're on way.
Geoff
Old cyclists never die; they just fit smaller chainrings ... and pedal faster
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It's a sign of the litigeous nature of things these days. Is there any possibility that your tandem may contain nuts, Geoff?
Around 20 years ago I remember hearing an, allegedly true, story from a friend who was studying law: A woman bought one of these newfangled microwave ovens. She then washed her cat as normal and, as it was her normal practise to put the cat in the oven at a low heat to dry it off, put it in the micro. She cooked the cat. She successfully sued the company that made the micro because it hadn't put on a warning to not put live animals in the oven.A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject - Churchill0 -
Obviously Geoff, you are not supposed to use the thumb shifters or seat pins due to the possibility of injury to yourself and these should only be operated by a trained technician. Go put the bike in a locked closet, store the closet key in a safe place away from children and check every 6 months to make sure the door hinges are still secure. Welcome to the US safety asylum. The owners of the restaurant I work for have gone completely nutty. I have had to put my signature on roughly 40 "safety" documents to show that I have read proper procedure regarding such things as: how to walk safely, how to drive through the parking area, knives are sharp and can be dangerous, how to wash my hands after using the loo, broken glass can be sharp, cooking stoves are hot, electrical outlets can cause shock and if the owner went berserk and decided to shoot everyone there, I've probably already signed some document protecting him from any lawsuit. :shock: And of course the "Consuming alcoholic beverages is dangerous to the fetus of pregnant women" sign at the entrance is mandatory by law. I am one of the select few 100 million people in this country who have survived to become at least 50 yrs old so I guess I have just been very lucky in avoiding accidental death.
Oh, and I hope you have disposed of any plastic bags that came with the bike as small children can get ahold of them and suffocate themselves. 0 -
Part of the safety advice I have at work is to look where I put my feet when I walk around. Before I joined the company, I used to fall down everywhere. :roll:"In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0
