Basic Instructions by Scott Meyer for September 02, 2024

New horizons in dropping dead.

Of course, some of us didn’t.

My older brother had a Schwinn Sting Ray with ape hanger handlebars. Unfortunately, the handlebars broke at the head stock and caused him to wreak. Nothing serious but funny as all get out.

I’d say the kids are smarter than we were.

We didn’t have the foam pits we needed after the first attempt failed and we healed up..

It’s called Homeostasis of Risk. Everyone has a level of tolerance for potential injury. Rather than simply be safer in their safety gear, some people will go bigger knowing they can survive bigger spills. It’s the basis of theories that football players hit harder while under the protection of advanced gear.

There were also way fewer cars on residential streets when I was a kid riding with no helmet. Most families only had one that went to work every day. There were rarely cars parked on the street. Now, there are so many that if there’s another car coming someone has to pull over.

Indeed. When I was young and foolish and unkillabe, I used my body like it was stolen. Having survived the worst I could do to myself then, I am paying for all of the accumulated mileage now.If I could time-travel back to to visit my 18-year-old self, I’d smack me on the back of the head and say “Don’t do that sh1t! You’ll be old for a long time! Also, don’t marry either one of the first two either.”

I think bike helmets are more of a parent decision than a kid decision. If my mom had known about bike helmets, I would have been wearing one at her command, but I didn’t even know they existed until I saw some at an actual bike shop when I was in college. Now I see them in the box stores that sell generic kids’ bikes like I had.

And if I had tried a jump involving more than the “board on a few bricks”, that would have produced strong parental disapproval, but I lost enough skin just skidding on gravel driveways that I wasn’t inclined to risk more serious damage.

On the other hand, I have to wonder about the parents these days who encourage their kids to do dangerous hot dog stunts like bike flips. Kids find enough ways to injure themselves without parental encouragement…

Banana seats are the only good bicycle seats.

Scott what happen to your boss? Does he have long hair? Did he get married? or did he climb the corporate ladder. I like when your brothers visits you.

A very true comic, except that most kids today are NOT trying those tricks… and most are not wearing helmets.

Are these Scott’s brothers?

Hey Scott since everyone has aged what does your boss looks like now? Is his hair down to his shoulders? Is he married?