meanwhile

Robert - vast admiration for the book ("The Art Of Urban Cycling"); I recommend it all the time. Whether you choose to wear a helmet or not - and Robert came down cautiously pro-helmet in his book - reading "Art" is probably the best safety investment you can make. Even over Kool Stop pads!

Have you seen the information on rotational injuries that I posted on https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...540354&page=41 ? The way the stats look to me, current helmets look worse and worse - needlessly so. Rotation is actually the main danger for serious injury, and probably even for moderate injury - and the sliding membrane solution I referenced could easily reduce it.

randya

When I do wear a helmet I never wear one of the 'roadie' style helmets, I wear a BMX/Skate/Snowboard style hardshell or a full face hardshell, these types are rounder shaped, slide better and have less vent openings for objects to penetrate.

AltheCyclist

Here's a good one for the mandatory laws..

closetbiker

less likely to break apart on impact for sure...

UmneyDurak

and it can stop small caliber bullets.

UD

Widsith

In some places, that double-sig on the side would attract bullets!

Ed Holland

Interesting. I seem to notice more riders without helmets over the last year or so. I don't regard it as anything to get excited about.

randya

I own one of these civil defense helmets, I actually wore it on a bike ride once that was billed as a 'nuclear preparedness ride'. Mine's got an airplane in the logo. It's really heavy steel and tends to get some air underneath and wants to lift off when you're riding fast downhill...

RobertHurst

Hey thanks, I appreciate that. (Your check's in the mail.)

That's interesting, thanks. A study of motorcyclist fatalities which suggests most fatal head injuries result from rotation rather than impact. I hadn't seen that one.

ritepath

Helmets kill people.

randya

amazing, isn't it?

Soloist Assassin

I only wear helmets when events require it. I basically only road ride now, and I feel it is somewhat the safest riding I've ever done, despite being hit by 2 cars, both by at fault drivers. I always wore a helmet while MTBing, while I did it, and I wear a helmet when snowboarding on days when I am "going big". I have been getting faster and faster on the road, and I do get rather uneasy while turning fast, and doing 50mph+ downhills. My problem is, I shave my head so I would look like Gorbachev, once the vent holes start tanning. Not to mention, I can never find a helmet that is comfortable enough for long rides, and I find them more of a liability than anything. Increased weight, less aero, ect. It's allot to do with looking more like Marco Pantani, rather than Gorbachev. When I go on group rides they actually call me Pantani, despite riding on a USPS Trek. Apparently my climbing style, and shaven head inspire this.

Tommyr

Agreed. It means the roads will be free of more bikes in the near future! Let nature sort out the morons!

RapidRobert

What's amazing in this thread, but par for the course, is the inability of any of those denegrating the lidless advocates here to cite any scientific evidence to back up their belief that helmets are necessary for everybody, always and everywhere. "You're crazy" is the resort of the truely ignorant, only able to make such a generalized blanket statement because they are unable to argue their points rationally. So we get name calling, deflection from the topic, and puffed up arrogance.

And still, not one of them can prove that helmets are mandated for bike club rides by insurance policys. What a scam!

MGtrack

Helmets are noisy and make it harder to hear cars coming up on me. Especially these stupid electrics and hybrids.

layedback1

No helmet???

As Einstein said-----the difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits!!!!!

danarnold

This challenge has been made time and again to the helmet advocates, but they never answer. The 'helmet' is like a god to them. Wearing helmets is their religion. It's a matter of faith. You don't share their faith? You are obviously an infidel and you are not going to confuse them with facts and reason.

"Reason is the greatest enemy faith has...."
_ Martin Luther

bmclaughlin807

The bonus to this type of thread? I get lots of idiots in one place to add to my ignore list.

Widsith

Please point out Einstein's helmet in this picture:

Tommyr

Please show where ANYBODY wore helmets on bikes back then.....

Widsith

That's right -- and they got along just fine without them. They weren't needed then, and they aren't needed now.

prathmann

There were certainly bike helmets around at that time, and fairly widely used by racers:

Even earlier, pith helmets were used by many competitive riders of the penny-farthing style of bicycle.

OTOH, the idea that helmets should be used for more casual bicycle riding is a much more recent concept. And it's one that is not well supported by the safety statistics since such riding has a head injury rate lower than many other activities where no special protective headgear is worn - such as walking on urban and suburban sidewalks.

Soloist Assassin

I just got back from riding today, 37 miles and I went 45mph down a hill in the rain, without a helmet, yeah brakes were wet, and not working well, and everything. I didn't crash, and at no point in time did I loose control, other than spinning the back tire, on smooth spots in the road at low speed leaving intersections, and a slight skid out under braking that I controlled. If I would of been in worse conditions than today to ride, I would of stayed home. Never once through all the day did I ever think I wished I had a helmet, I have confidence in my bike handling skills. When I got back and cleaned all the crap off my frame, I spotted a crack 3/4 through the tube in the CF directly above the braze on derailleur mount. I bet if I wore a helmet that wouldn't of happened. I am pretty sure it's been like that for at least a month. I rode a century with the cracked frame. It's been making noise while climbing out of the saddle on hard efforts since about a month ago. I won't be riding the bike anymore, just my beater bikes, and whatever new frame I'll be able to have confidence in. I won't wear a helmet riding it either.

BLUMEANIE

Are you kidding? I hit the back of my head on the pavement at 15-20 mph and didn't even have a bump, bruise or scrape on my head. A concussion is internal meaning my brain moved and made sudden contact with the inside of my skull. The helmet deformed and fractured absorbing the impact exactly the way it was supposed to. If you think the helmet didn't save me from further injury by all means go smack your head against the pavement at the same velocity and see what happens.


[edit] btw I don't give a s*** if anyone else wears a helmet. It’s your life. It won't change how I feel about them. As someone who has survived a devastating motorcycle accident involving a car head-on and has seen how my condition for several years afterwards affected the family and friends for whom I deeply care, I will always put safety first.

JoeyBike

Almost nobody in New Orleans wears a helmet. I guess we have a more European culture than most USofA cities. We wear regular clothes, girls often have nice hairstyles, and guys just don't care. It's more of a cruiser culture. Bikes are a lifestyle choice, often due to financial/parking reasons. Most are just making small commutes to work and running errands at slow speeds. I am not too worried about them and rarely hear of head injuries even though cars/bike accidents here are numerous because of all the wrong-way cycling.

Most "normal" people think helmets look geeky anyway.

Roadies here wear helmets as well as a few other people riding utilitarian bikes. You just don't see many helmets Downtown and near the more densely populated areas here.

I made it 25 years without one. Wore a helmet religiously the next 25 years and still do. Never hit my head yet. My helmet is really a rear-view mirror holder.

I might also mention that I am not offended by helmetless people. You should let it go too. It's none of your business for starters. And you should relish every bit of freedom of choice that you have.

I wonder why people smoke cigarettes? Expensive and silly. Long as I am not sucking up second hand smoke I really could not care less. Try not caring for a bit. It is addictive as nicotine. It will also set you free in a big way.