Vests

[WoodsyMember]

Heres one for ya TB. You can even get ya name on the back.

http://www.action-graphics.com.au/products/clothing/safety/safetypics/k28v_large.jpg

[simon burkeMember]

Tony
I reckon you did all you could in a bad sitation
No one is to be blamed.You ended up in one piece and thats all that matters
As for vests,one for the lead rider, one for the sweep,end of story.
As Tony Abbot pointed out,you may not know the lead rider…hell…i never got near him,i wasnt really sure who was leading!!.Allthough, i was on first name basis with the sweep
Doesnt matter what colour…as long as they are fluro.

Maybe a glow stick and sparkelers on the helmet just to make it a bit funky :cheer:

Bol :woohoo:

[GregMember]

On ya Bollocks

Just keep it simple, one drama in how many rides all have learnt from it

If we go with special vests and they arent at the ride and people are looking for a green and there is no green or there is only a green no orange what happens then? Confusion will take over and all hell will break loose :laugh:

Just like we have people just like we have

TB

[GregMember]

I feel that I need to explain, I am not having a go at the idea and if we get onto having some made I will purchase one for the sweep and the photographer like I said I would. Its just if we make certain colours for certain positions I think people maybe could get confused. Nothing that we all do is a perfect risk free science, if it was we probably wouldn’t do it would we?

There is no easy fix but maybe we shouldn’t over complicate it either.

The thread started by Boony has been a good get it out there exercsie and AB’s posts have been very thought filled

Thats my final 4 cents worth

TB

[Matt BakerMember]

Im sure Railcorp will be able to donate a couple of vests

[Craig HattonMember]

Only reason I mentioned the colours (orange lead, green sweep) is that tour operators seem to do it this way. Have been on quite a few different ones and these colours are always the same – its like I was told (orange/close to red-stop don’t go past, and Green/go in front of me)
My take on if you get misplaced from group, return back to the last plce of group head count. When we stop as a group we always have a head count before we continue.
Hatto

[TrentMember]

The boys did head counts through the day but it was a good flowing group so the next stop was some time away. Nothing that can be done about that I reckon.

Again internet doesn’t get the full message across but I want to be clear that this is just an extra step that *might* help but we need to leave the knee jerk reactions to the pollies (Tony Abbot impersonator only in appearance, not behaviour!) and keep on doing what we’ve done all this time but armed with the knowledge of what you can expect if the moons align once again and things go slightly out of shape.

We wouldn’t be out there doing this if it was a perfectly safe sport but in saying that if something might help I think we can give it a try.

My opinion without too much thought would be to have LEAD or SWEEP in big letters – really all you need to register is that you’ve spotted one or the other and that should trigger the brain to switch from lets hoon mode to hey should I pass this guy or hold back.

What I think TB is rightfully edging at is that we can’t develop systems for everything and switch off the brain because it won’t work! Use your head first and if there are some helpful bits for the bigger rides with strangers than that might help but you still can’t rely on them.

[glennMember]

well! that thread got the boys talking.

well done all.

I do believe lead and sweep should be vested(dont give flying bat crap what colour they are).

at the end of the day all Old Bulls come home, no man gets left behind.

Boony

[PaulMember]

I think it does need to stay simple but if there is already an ‘industry standard’ of orange vest – leader, green – sweep, then it would be good to adopt that.

Other groups I’ve met while on OBT rides where vests were used have asked if we were an organised ride, it our vests and rider numbers that do that and those riders have always given way to us when there wasn’t much passing room.
We’ve even been asked if they could join us, thats when we give them this site address so they can sign up and then join the next ride.

But as Boony says as long as there are vests the colour doesn’t really matter, so long as they are fluro.

[Mick DMember]

Having been separated from the group more than once (once on a paid two dayer) and also having lost riders in the past, the policy I stick by is the one TB mentioned before. Back track to the place you know you were last seen, sticking to the left of the trail and traveling at about 20kph and sit and wait once you are there.

If you do think you are lost, try and be mindful to look at the trail for marks left by the group before you ride on too far compounding your “lostness”. The last time we got seperated, we actually lost the leader,the whole group followed me and it wasn’t until I rode through a big spider web across the trail that I realised something was amiss.

My two bobs worth.

[TrentMember]

Perhaps it’d be worth updating the ride grading sticky with a “suggested ride briefing” to help make sure as many of us are playing off the same sheet of music as possible.

[Mick DMember]

Austblue wrote:

Quote:

Perhaps it’d be worth updating the ride grading sticky with a “suggested ride briefing” to help make sure as many of us are playing off the same sheet of music as possible.

that probably isn’t all that silly AB. Although it wont happen today,it is a good idea and some thought will have to go into wording it correctly.

[GregMember]

Austblue wrote:

Quote:

Perhaps it’d be worth updating the ride grading sticky with a “suggested ride briefing” to help make sure as many of us are playing off the same sheet of music as possible.

We tried things like this, asking people to bring a tube or a spark plug some still dont. Do you know how many PM’s I get asked questions to which the answers are clearly in the thread but people dont read cause they couldnt be bothered.

To my knowledge I have yet to lose a rider on one of my rides because someone passed the leader or the sweep however, sure the cornerman system as broken down for whatever reason but we cant do anything about that because we are dealing with humans

I have been asking people on rides to have a buddy and whenever we stop spot your buddy that and two on a corner seems to work

I for one wont be changing a thing about the way I run a ride including the up and coming Zig Zag – Sofala which will have 35 plus riders as I am sure it will work fine as it has, we are talking about one drama in how many rides are in the gatherings forum? I will have two leaders, a sweep and a rider / photo / first aid kit roving throughout the pack all day, if its really not broken why fix it.

If you really want to put this time and energy into something important what about trail side first aid training and medical kits not this

TB

[PaulMember]

It’s the ride organiser who should make sure the riders know the system, which ever is to be used and the ‘plan B’ if there is one for when something goes wrong.

A personnel manager once said to me, “there’s no place for complacency”.
We need to do thorough briefings before each ride and update the riders as the ride progresses.

Perhaps a standard briefing document is usefull, but it should include the cornerman system in detail as an option.

[GregMember]

WikdBeemer wrote:

Quote:

Perhaps a standard briefing document is usefull, but it should include the cornerman system in detail as an option.

But no two rides are the same Wikd, read my last post mate. If you think it would help write one and Mick will proof it and Admin will post it mate.

TB

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