So I've seen the cycle commuters in the Netherlands. It's at a nice relaxed pace where it's unlikely a cyclist will be surprised or an equipment failure is goi

So I've seen the cycle commuters in the Netherlands. It's at a nice relaxed pace where it's unlikely a cyclist will be surprised or an equipment failure is going to be catastrophic. The use case is going to dictate what equipment is going to be needed. When I had an internally geared hub, I had it fail on a steep uphill where I was standing to get enough torque down, where it essentially went into neutral, similar to a chain snapping. This almost threw me off the bicycle. Netherlands, relatively flat. I've since switched to a road bicycle and traveling at higher speeds. Once a taxi blindly crossed in front of me, sending me hurtling over the taxi. I landed on my head, lost consciousness briefly. Helmet was deformed. Without it, the outcome would have been much more catastrophic. Another incident, this time going slowly down a steep mountain road, while tightening my line to avoid an oncoming car, the front wheel slipped on leaves sending me down to ground. Landed mostly on my side but helmet hit the ground really hard, enough to stun me. The inner support of the helmet broke mostly free of the outer shell but stayed in place because of the chin strap. This too could have ended badly with no cell phone reception for about 15km and a civilization 30km away. Anyways... it depends on use case. Over here in Tokyo, the utility bicycles and cyclists are just like the Netherlands. Sedate pace, low number of incidents. The roadies and faster cycle commuters have necessary equipment including helmets, safety glasses, gloves, blinkers, and lamps. I recognize I have a higher risk profile and take on extra precautions.