Commuter diaries – Cobble Wobble

So I found a video and a picture of it inflated on BikeRumor: https://bikerumor.com/soudal-quick-step-castelli-ragaz-team-up-to-get-cyclist-airbag-into-pro-peloton/ It's fairly low-profile, so the jersey has enough give to accommodate it without damage. However, it does look like it's going to be difficult to remove and replace all that without removing the jersey. Unless you can swap out the activation unit separately from the bag, which might make it possible. It also looks like it'll give you a fair old kick in the backside when it goes off. And you're carrying the bag in a fairly wide strip up your back the whole time, which doesn't look great for ventilation.

Most of them are at least choices you can make when you buy a bike. Internal routing isn't really avoidable. It offers me nothing except a pain in the arse. Bikes are harder to maintain, harder to transport, and all for an aero gain I'll never get and a 'clean' look I don't care about And the manufacturers all proclaim it like it's a good thing, and we're all out there racing and with our 400w FTP :(

It was pointed out on the TNT commentary that the organisers had said people living on or near the course were still welcome to attend, and that presumably included people staying in campsites, hotels and holiday rentals, so the number who were actually ignoring the request to stay away was probably considerably lower than it might have appeared.

@mdavidford But if an air bag, which presumably inflates to some considerable size if it's going to provide any meaningful protection, goes off in a pocket of your jersey isn't it going to rip up the jersey?

It does say that it's fully removable for washing, so depending on how quick and easy that process is it may just be a case of whipping out the discharged one and inserting a spare into the pouch, without needing to remove the jersey.

@Sredlums But presumably you're going to be left with a big flap of deflated airbag trailing behind you, so your jersey will need replacing at some point (and if the UCI makes them mandatory, you'll need a fresh air bag as well). Given that it's not permitted to remove one's helmet whilst in motion, this is going to involve a pretty substantial stop.

@kingleo So by that logic, if they're forced to carry bottles of fulminated mercury in their pockets they will never crash? I think you just solved the problem!

@mdavidford No, you're confusing it with liquified steam.

@Zebra It's in the article. The airbag can be quickly deflated again.

The more safety gear the riders wear, the safer they feel, the more risks they will take, the more often they will crash.