Broid

Bounced the side of my head off the pavement last year. Cracked the helmet. I'm thinking about wearing a helmet every day for all my other activities, working, shopping, dining out. You never know...
Brain, I mean Brian

3kmi

I'm at 6 ,yes you read that correctly, concussions, so riding without a helmet is a big no no in my book

Reynolds 

I wasn't wearing a helmet at my only major accident (hit from behind by a drunk driver) and I'm still alive, so I can't say my helmet saved my life.

AlexZ

I particularly like this design, it gets right to the point:

sudo bike

Not at all.

closetbiker

nope, and based on a bunch of research (and not on a rush of emotion), I doubt whether many others who claim it has, did

unionmade

I've gone down twice in the last two years while commuting in city traffic (both after having another cyclist make an unadvertised turn in front of me). Helmet bounced off the pavement both time. Got up and continued my commute both times. Would not have without a helmet. Enough for me.

baj32161

Wow...an interesting helmet thread, whoda thunk it? This has always been a polarizing subject and I actually enjoy reading all points of view. Now having said that...in my own experience, bike helmets wwere not even heard of in the US when I began riding road bikes back when I was in grade 6 in 1972....even through my high school and university years, you never saw anyone using a helmet, and I do not know what the casualty statistics were at that time. I stopped riding for years after that and picked t up again about 7 years ago and have, since then, always worn my helmet. Since i started riding again, i have gone out on my bike all of once without it, and I felt quite uncomfortable. I do not believe that it is my place to pontificate to other cyclists about helmet use so I do not do it but I always wear my helmet and I do WISH others would. Something I do not understand is that I have yet to hear those who refuse to wear a helmet give a really convincing argument (in my mind at least) as to why they don't or won't wear one. I really don't think it is a comfort issue, or a vanity issue. In fact, with some of the arguments I HAVE heard, it just seems to be an issue of defiance.....like "nobody has the right to tell me what I have to wear or what I have to do." I also wonder, in how many locales is wearing a helmet mandatory for adults.

One thing that does bother me a bit is when i see families with young children out riding with the kids wearing helmets but the parents going without.

closetbiker

how many responses are you interested in getting, because you know posters thoughts/opinions/anecdotes, are being posted (and it's hard not to reply)

paulkal

In my 25+ years of cycling I have had 3 times an accident in which I hit my head. The first time was 25 years ago, got an concussion and spend a week in hospital. 4 years ago I also went down and hit my head and this year also. The last two times I stood up and walked away. I did not wear a helmet but if had wore one, I am certain that it would have broken and saved my skull or life.
I bought a helmet 10 years ago, when I got I really could not see how 1-2 cm of styrofoam would make a difference in an accident. I stopped wearing the helmet after about 1 year. It is now hanging in my shed. The only thing I sometimes wear is a cycling cap, it is a great feeling to feel the wind in my hair.
I don't think a helmet is useful to prevent major injuries.

closetbiker

Here's a question.

What percentage of deaths involve impacts at less than 12mph?

MikeyBoyAz

perhaps it would be better to ask how many accidents involve 12mph perpendicular velocity for your head... perhaps you have a faster impact but much of it is deflected because it is an indirect collision... or the body absorbs much of the energy first and the head later; then ask how many of them hang in the balance of survival with/without a helmet.

Six jours

Most of the last two pages were originally a separate thread with a poll on the road forum. Some moderator decided it made sense to deactivate the poll and merge the thread with this one. How turning two threads into gibberish improves the place is beyond me, but it's not my website.

The poll was turning in interesting numbers, FWIW. Unfortunately, it only garnered about 20 responses before the mod trashed it, but up to that point more than half the respondents believed their lives had been saved by their helmets.

rat fink

My take:

When I partake in a sport/activity, I try to assess the risks and identify what protective equipment is necessary. Sometimes, (most of the time) I'm reluctant to wear safety equipment, but as I continue participating in an activity, I usually warm up to the PPE that goes with it. Here are a few examples/explanations:

Skateboarding - I rarely wear any protective equipment other than good shoes and sometimes gloves, but at parks or on ramps, I wear pads, a helmet and sometimes gloves. On faster styles of riding, like longboarding, I wear skid gloves and a helmet.
Snowboarding - Other that things to keep me warm, I don't wear protective equipment most of the time. If I was at a resort park, or back country, I would wear a helmet.
Street luge - I wear a helmet, gloves, and leathers.
Road cycling - I wear a helmet nearly all the time, gloves, and foot retention. I wear At night, I use good headlights.
Mountain biking - I always wear a helmet and gloves (usually full finger), usually clipless pedals, but sometimes flats (depends on terrain). I will wear minimal knee/shin pads and occasionally elbow pads for some types of riding. Above a certain point, I would wear a full face helmet.
Motorcyle riding - I always wear a full face helmet. On road, I wear full leathers, boots and gloves. Off road, I wear varying types of armor based on the terrain, but proper boots, pants and knee pads at a general.
Watersports - I always wear a PFD

closetbiker

you mean those accidents that involve an oblique impact that results in rotating, torsional forces that cause the worst kinds of injuries?

closetbiker

that's somewhat similar to the people here who claimed their lives were saved as the death toll to cyclists increased.

closetbiker

and that's why a lot of people on bikes don't wear helmets; the risks don't warrant it

rat fink

I guess that would depend on what a person's riding involves. I wonder how many people who don't wear helmets are the types who also descend regularly at speeds ranging in the high 50s to low 60s (mph), and under what circumstances. Does anyone against helmets for cycling, feel they are not necessary in a criterium race?

MikeyBoyAz

uhm, yes.

ColinL

A bicycle helmet is a pragmatic device. It is not as protective as a skateboarding helmet or full-face motorcycling helmet. It is designed to be light and help somewhat against the typical forces encountered in crashes below 15 mph. Above that speed it still helps, but more protective helmets would help more.

I started riding bicycles without training wheels at age 4, and dirtbikes at age 5. (Yamaha PW50 ) Did BMX at age 6. I never wore a helmet when riding my bicycle. BMX racing, I always wore one. Dirtbike, always. Got into sportbikes in my 20s and always wear a helmet despite them being optional in my state.

When I got back into cycling in my 30s, I bought road and mountain helmets and always wear them. My 4 year-old son always wears his helmet. I don't think I've ever been in a bicycle crash severe enough to say that a helmet saved my life. I still think they're a very good means of protection at very little cost and inconvenience. After you've worn them a while, they disappear.

closetbiker

Ah. So you mean the injuries from the type of impacts that helmets can make worse.

NILADRI

Does anybody used the "GIRO ROC LOC 5" Atoms Helmet ..? My Giro Atoms had ROC LOC 4 and it broke second time and Performacne Bike advised me to buy a new one. Helmet is fine just the ROC LOC 4 is broke and no longer available.

I bought another Giro Atoms with "ROC LOC 5", but extreme thin..! Do you have any bad experience with broken ROC LOC 5 ?

thanks

closetbiker

not me, but I am wondering why a thread that has been in A&S for 6 years suddenly wound up in the Road Cycling sub forum

Six jours

Stormcrowe isn't responding to my PMs, and whatever mod is responsible for the mess is apparently hiding under his rock. C'est la vie - even a top-notch moderating crew is entitled to the occasional SNAFU I guess.

closetbiker

Yeah. It's gotta be a snafu. Patience.