sedition

You've all seen them. Hell, you might even be one of them (I hope not).

Hybrid bike. Seat way too low. Ride at snails pace.

But the defining hallmark is the helmet; perched way up on top of their head like a bonnet, or pulled down super low like a Ghostface Killa, maybe off to one side, a few sizes too small, a few too big, or maybe worn more like something to protect the back of their neck from sunburn than to protect their head from a crash.

These people kill me. They are so funny to look at. But every time I see them, I also want to set them on the right path, too. Is it that hard to figure out how your supposed to wear a helmet? (not that I am really one to talk...I ride fixed in downtown Boston and don't wear a brain bucket...). I took a spin this morning on the minuteman bike trail, and prolly 2/3 of the people I saw who were wearing helmets wore them so far beyond incorrectly...

genec

I wear a helmet most of the time... but there are a few times I really just don't want too... cruising in my local neighborhood, riding down the beach MUP...

Other times I wouldn't be without it.

But I know just what you mean... the folks that frankly just don't look the slightest bit like they belong on the bike... like a poorly fitting suit... things like the helmet, and the bike and even their actions on the road... are just "off." PBOs... Persons On Bikes.

ATAC49er

They might not be wearing them exactly right...but at least they're not wearing them BACKWARDS!

No joke -- I've seen this twice; once was kinda understandable, it was a kid in the neighborhood, neither he nor his dad are the brightest bulbs in the pack. It was, btw, the only time I ever saw the boy wear the helmet at all.

The other was a 30-40-y-o utility rider, milk crate strapped to the rack; he was making good time, so the aero effect wasn't a problem for him. But it took me two miles to get back on cadence, I was laughing so hard....

sedition

Backwards!? Amazing. That is awesome. I also see a lot of in-line skaters with really absurd helmet-wearage. Additionally, a lot of skiers / snowboarders often have the same problems.

Sledbikes

i refuse to wear a helmet i dont ride at the speed of light through mups

Bekologist

for a guy complaining about other's lack of proper helmet fit and use, I'd urge the OP to take a look in the mirror before his next bike ride -

BINGO! ANOTHER rider clueless about proper helmet use.


when's the last time you crashed, sedition? How long have you been riding bikes? have you ever crashed? ever scraped up the noggin, landed in a hospital for a few days with a concussion from tapping your bare noggin on the tarmac?

for those that ride a lot, it's not IF you're going to crash, it's when.

ATAC49er

Your choice, friend, but I read a story last year about a young cyclist who feel doing about 6-7 mph, struck his unhelmeted skull and now is in a motorized wheelchair for life, barely able to move. Can't recall the source, but I was shocked at the circumstances.

I overbraked one day on a ride with my daughter, she stopped for a car that I saw had stopped for us; in order to NOT run her over myself, I locked up my brakes. Put myself face-first on the pavement. Had I not been wearing my helmet, my blood & brains would still be staining that spot. (And you wouldn't be hearing about it, because I'd likely be a drooling veg...)

sedition

"for those who ride a lot."

Oh, that's cute. I mean, RLY.

I am 34. I live in the city. I have been riding bikes in Downtown Boston since high school. I've been skateboarding for an even longer time. I have crashed on motorcycles, skateboards, bikes, snowboards, and just about anything else that moves. I am aware of the risks, and assume them with full knowledge. Attached is an x-ray of my very broken arm from a motorcycle wreck. Yeah. I know what crashing is all about. Thanks.

My point was not to judge people who place safety in the forefront of their mind. It was to illuminate the observational humor of attempts at safety that fall short. I think it's called irony. No one is free from it. Even more so, it can be pretty funny sometimes.

Despite the tragedy of Sisyphus, there is humor in his futile attempts. When I see that, in my own life, or someone else's, I am going to laugh. It's what helps get the rock to the top of the mountain.

Bekologist

yep, helmets don't help broken arms. perhaps you knocked your noggin, and got the sense knocked out of you, now you laugh at others in the grand play of life.

Jepeux

I don't wear a helmet personally because I ride for recreation on the sidewalks of my town. Street riding I would reconsider.

UnsafeAlpine

I don't wear a helmet because I don't want to wear a helmet. Give me all the stats and personal examples. I don't wear one because I don't want to wear one. I'm happy if you do, and I'll support your decision to, but don't give me grief for my decision.

CarrieMe2AK

i just ordered a new giro atmos for 40 percent off from nashbar. My kids have to wear a helmet so do I.

grayloon

Besides the fact that bike riding on sidewalks is a very dangerous activity, probably more so than on the street, the biggest risk of an accident in which you hit your head against the pavement or other object is at slow speed. Of the two times I've had an accident where the helmet made contact with the pavement, the worst, in which I wound up at the emergency room, was a sidewalk accident. Actually, the sidewalk is part of the greenbelt trail system in my community, but its not much wider than the usual city sidewalk. I was going probably about 2 miles an hour, just starting out, and my wheel got caught in a crack. Down I went, coming up with a badly cracked helmet, facial lacerations, broken glasses, and a blackened eye. Had I not worn the helmet, that crack would have been in my head, not on the helmet.

The second accident was on a city street. It also involved getting the wheel caught in a pavement crack...actually an expansion joint parallel to the roadway made when that section was repaired. I was forced to the right by a car, got caught in the joint, and went down. I was about 20 ft past the intersection and not going very fast. My helmet hit the curb. Other than road rash, I was fine. Slow speeds are head banging speeds.

Shavit

when was the last time you logged into bikeforums and didn't try to pick a fight with someone?

cyclezealot

I fell sideways when doing a low grade dowhhill at about 5 mph. My helmet hit a curb and the helmet developed about a two inch long gash. Glad it was not my skull. I still had a headache. I always wear my helmet.

Jepeux

I feel safer on the sidewalk. You would have to drag me screaming to get me to get on the road where I live. Now THAT is a dangerous activity. There are more potholes than smooth road. The sidewalks here are fairly nice. And in the future, don't make generalizations of where people live.

RT

As long as your decision not to wear a helmet does not affect my life in any way, I'm fine with that.

Out of curiosity, what is your reasoning behind not wearing a helmet? Is it vanity? Rebellion? It's not like being strapped into an Iron Maiden. Not trying to belittle your decision, I am truly curious. I am also aware of the epic sticky thread at the top of this forum, and I'm sure in 130+ pages of argument the answer to my question lies. I'm not gonna dig through that :-)

wahoonc

I am not the OP...but decided to reply anyway

I have yet to see a CONCLUSIVE study that shows how well helmets really work AND I have yet to see a set of standards addressing the testing of helmets. The current standards are for manufacture only and are identical for both children's helmets and adult helmets. No way you can convince me that the jr rider on training wheels needs the same type and design of helmet as an adult cruising at over 15 mph. Also I seriously believe the type of bike you ride should have a bearing on the type of helmet you wear. An upright rider is less likely to go over the handle bars head first vs someone in an aero postion.

Aaron

twiggy_D

I always find it amusing when people come up with "my helmet shattered in that low speed impact, that could have been my head that shattered had I not be wearing it"
Yes, sure, if your head was made out of compressed foam.

Saw a guy with a helmet strapped to his bag, cycling out of the city centre a couple of days ago, his bag must have felt really safe.
Worse he was using the bus/cycle lane, aka the deathtrap straight ahead left of the left turn lane! (Americans think a straight ahead lane to the right of a right turn only lane)

cyclezealot

^. So do you wish for a lie detector test or what . It happened, it happened.

meanwhile

You shouldn't be: with enough people performing an activity extremely long chances will come up. People suffer brain damage or die every year as the result of shower and bath tub accidents, of tripping while walking, etc.

..Let's put the sauce on this triple order of ignorance:

1. Helmets are only useful in a low speed accident - i.e. up to about 12mph, and even then with caveats about impact surface, only having to absorb the kinetic energy of the head alone, and there being no other vehicle involved (bouncing off a car even at low speed usually leads to head rotation, which helmets tend to make even worse and is responsible for many of the most serious neurological injuries). Read the various helmet standards specs if you doubt this.

2. Any collision that stands a chance of causing brains to splatter on the pavement won't be meliorated at all by a helmet; again read the various helmet standards specs. Your helmet certainly saved you facial grazing; there's a good chance that it saved you concussion, but the chance that it prevented real brain damage is almost vanishingly small.

3. You seem to imagine that you came off your bike as a necessary consequence of "over-braking". In fact, you muffed the braking maneuver, putting you and your daughter in unnecessary danger. Read Sheldon Brown's page on emergency braking and rec road bikes tech faq. Basically you came off either because you went into a rear wheel skid you couldn't control through over-use of the rear brake (which can't really do much to slow you down anyway) or because you haven't mastered the proper technique for controlling your bodyweight during hard use of the front brake - you went slack armed and your bodyweight came forwards. This last failure often leads riders to think they were thrown over the handlebars by the force of their brakes, although it isn't really a possibility on a competently design bike. It also sounds like you were riding much too close to your daughter - although even so you should have been able to steer around her.

In short, you definitely benefited from a helmet, but not as much as you think, and you would have benefited much more from having reasonable bike control skills. You should definitely replace your helmet - I don't wear one myself , but riders prone to low speed single vehicle accidents definitely should. However upgrading your skills is even more important.

cod.peace

Children are more susceptible to head injuries due to the difference ratio of head/neck size to their bodies. Mild brain injuries in children that an adult would recover fine from can also have dramatic effects on development. I could dig up journal articles to support children and helmet use but you can amuse yourself over at pubmed.com if you want those. Aw heck, here's a link anyway: Cycling injuries treated in emergency departments: need for bicycle helmets among preschoolers. So yeah, I think kid helmets do need to be designed to a high standard, and the accepted standard seems to be the CPSC/Snell-90 one.

As for studies on helmet effectiveness, there are plenty. Go look for them, but bear in mind that the scientific conclusions are at odds with your indicated opinion on the matter. A Pubmed search with the keywords "helmets head injury cycling" found 60, including some that are critical of helmet use although the vast majority are in favor. Here's one summarized:

Helmet protection from head injuries among recreational bicyclists.
Am J Sports Med. 1990 Jan-Feb;18(1):96-7.

Abstract:

Wasserman RC, Buccini RV.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington 05401.
Head injuries account for the great majority of bicycling deaths and hospital admissions. Helmet use has been suggested as an effective means of preventing injury, but few studies have addressed this issue. We collected questionnaire data by mail from 191 recreational bicyclists who reported having fallen and struck their heads in a cycling mishap. Information was collected on the nature of the mishap, the extent of injury, and the helmet status of the rider at the time of the fall. Fifty-seven percent of riders were wearing helmets during the mishap. Helmet wearers were significantly older than those not wearing helmets. Helmet wearers experienced significantly fewer skull fractures (1% versus 11%) and facial soft tissue injuries (5% versus 18%) than those not wearing helmets (chi 2 = 6.7, 6.5; P = 0.01, 0.01). No other variables accounted for differences in injuries. These data support the contention that bicycle helmets are effective in preventing head injuries.

noteon 

You haven't seen the bigger of my three-year-olds. His head is very large compared to his body, and his body is massively top-heavy. He's going to be one of those 6'9" barrel-chested men that nobody f$&%s with. He also has no reflexes at this stage of life, so he falls over much more often than I do, his hands won't go out to break the fall in time, and he's fearless; he loves nothing more than charging full-speed.

I cruise over 15 mph and have farther to fall, but my head's only slightly bigger than his, and I have a better-balanced body structure, fast reflexes, and the experience to know what to do when I feel something bad happening.

Yeah, we do need pretty much the same protection. He may actually need more.

cyclezealot

What is the conflict. Those who feel more comfortable in helmets, wear it. Those who don't . Don't.

making

I have a bad habit of not wearing a helmet on my Cross towner comfort bike. I never get on my road bike without one but cruising around the neighborhood or the local park is seems to be almost weird to wear one. Ususally just going a bit faster than walking. No traffic.

I probably ought to think aobut it some more.