General Cycling Discussion - Stupidest place for a helmet

I've noticed the most stupidest thing recently.

Kids who cycle along with their helmets hanging from the handlebars! What is it about these people - is it too much for their street cred?

Has anyone else seen this?

Originally posted by Hants Commuter
I've noticed the most stupidest thing recently.

Kids who cycle along with their helmets hanging from the handlebars! What is it about these people - is it too much for their street cred?

Has anyone else seen this?
What about adults? I've seen far too many adults with their helmet hanging from the handlebar.

Maybe the kids are just copying what their parents are doing. :(

Of course I've seen it. Seen 'em without helmets at all too. When I can, I usually compliment those kids I see wearing one properly. Of course, I always wear one when riding.

After a day of overheating on dh / fr courses then I don't see a problem. If they art just casually riding along to get home. If they are riding then I have a problme with it.

But then again my views on helmet use are pretty liberal at times.

kids that care about steet credability don't own helmets.

i think it's funny that people have a hard time w/ others not wearing a helmet but you never see people wearing them while driving or walking down the street.

people are at different levels of riding.

i know that accedents can happen at any time so that's no excuse to not wear a helmet but.....

the kid that's doing back flips, 360's or sliding handrails or jumping big stairs probably isn't going to fall riding to the 7-11 for a six pack.

i could care less if someone doesn't want to wear a helmet.

Didn't they pass a bicycle helmet law in Seattle? Just a rumor? I must admit I sometimes don't wear a helmet on my commute .. one of those guilty pleasures. :o :(

Too hot down here to not wear a helmet.

And as for the non-helmet comments...I hope they are not FAMOUS LAST WORDS.

I guess what irks me the most is parents not wearing helmets when they ride with their kids, but they are forcing the kids to wear one. Don't they realize that as soon as he/she's not there the child is "going to be just like" the one they idealize and take their helmet off?

Don't they realize that as soon as he/she's not there the child is "going to be just like" the one they idealize and take their helmet off?
That is the number one reason I feel guilty about not wearing a helmet on my commute. As adults we take calculated risks, kids will use any excuse they can to squirm out of doing something they don't want to do. It's funny though, I wonder why my son never says a thing about European pros not wearing helmets? He always wears his and has never seen me without one.

What is it about these people - is it too much for their street cred?

hi Hants Commuter
I guessthese are the same people that you see walking out in the pouring rain with no raincoat or umbrella!...:)
I can never see how that looks `cool' either?:( :(

Earlybird. I have never worn raincoat and refuse to use an umbrella. Just my thing. In fact I will literally wear shorts and t-shirts until the last POSSIBLE second. I have been known to wear them until mid december Ontario weather. It isn't being cool...well ok it is...but it is also I hate pants, jackets anything that is heavy or constricting...Oh and I haven't owned a pair of boots since I through my rainboots in the lake when my parent weren't looking.

After 10 hours of downhilling all day while wearing full body armour and a full faced helmet. I don't blame 'people' for not wearing them. They are usually too exhausted to do anything but coast home :)

As for accidents 'can' happen. yep they can but in all honesty I have been cycling for 20 some years and never got into a serious accident when simply road cycling. The only injuries ever incured happened recently when doing more complex technical riding.

I've seen some pretty convincing arguments that head injuries have actually increased with the surge of helmet usage - but this could be due to the 'i feel safe with this on so I'll do crazy stuff' factor. And then again, there's the stories like the one in my neighborhood about the boy who died of head injuries at the bottom of the hill after crashing his bike. I can't understand adults buying a helmet and protecting their handlebars with it. Kids will always do foolish things, so it doesn't surprise me when I see them do this.

Originally posted by 1oldRoadie


And as for the non-helmet comments...I hope they are not FAMOUS LAST WORDS.



so do I. :)

I don't think the helmet law is in effect in the city of seattle.

i have hit my head and face on the ground (cement and dirt) very hard many times. (10 plus)

with and without a helmet.

i've gotten hurt worse with a helmet than without. can't say if i would've gotten hurt worse without one or not.

i have more control on a bike than I do walking....

I do wear a helmet, sometimes.......

but not if i'm just riding around in a parking lot or jumping curbs or doing wheelies.

Earlybird. I have never worn raincoat and refuse to use an umbrella.

Maelstrom you rebel you..

I didn't mean wearing a raincoat on a bike with an umbrella. I was referring to all the schoolkids over here that wear there shirt tails out, and their shoe laces untied , if thats cool I guess I'll be uncool

10 hours downhill a day!!!!.... I'm worried about you.:thumbup:

Maelstrom you rebel you..


Smart ass ;)



10 hours downhill a day!!!!.... I'm worried about you.


It isn't uncommon in this town for locals to have 3 days a week where they go really hard. Of course that is in short intervals :)...I know of know 10 hours run...that would be long...:beer:

Oh I've started one here

I don't preach to people about wearing helmets, though you won't catch me not wearing one. I do however insist that my kids wear their's.

For those of you who think 'It won't happen to me' a sobering story

My wife had a friend that was slowly cycling home one day. She was hit by a car and struck her head on the bonnett. She is now brain damaged and will never be able to lead an independant life again. According to the doctors this would probably have been avoided if she had been wearing a Helmet.

thats a good reason to not ride in the street.

ouch.

Generally, I concern myself only with my behavior. In conversation I would side with those like me who wear a helmet whenever on a bicycle. As to devoting any effort at all to the behavior of strangers - I am certain that there are plenty of big government types who will get around to them. In general, another's behavior is none of my business.

I have seen many people carrying rather than wearing their helmets. We have a mandatory helmet law here in Australia, and I think it's just to convince people that they are wearing one if they see the cops (don't ask me how that's supposed to work).

As far as the "helmets cause head injuries" argument goes, are we talking proper use of helmets or improper use of helmets? All I'll say is that mine saved me from some pretty serious head injuries last year.

It also amazes me to see people riding around with their helmets hanging off the handlebars or strapped to their back packs. It is the same reaction that I have when I see someone riding a "donor"cycle without a helmet.... I will not ride with someone if they are not wearing a helmet, just like I will not drive with someone in my car if they refuse to wear a seatbelt.

But as someone who has been known to wear my helmet while driving.... just going to ride, I swear! :D It is to save precious moments when I arrive. Putting my gloves, helmet, etc at a stop light makes me feel slightly efficient

Originally posted by Maelstrom
After a day of overheating on dh / fr courses then I don't see a problem. If they art just casually riding along to get home. If they are riding then I have a problme with it.

But then again my views on helmet use are pretty liberal at times.

Im feel the same way.. Usually when riding uphill I dont wear a helmet (when mountain biking). My helmet is a full face so it gets pretty damn hot when only moving 5-6 miles per hour.

On my street bike, I always wear it.

It really depends on the situation. You are not likely to get hit by a car going up a dirt fire road in the back country mountains.

I usually remove my helmet when I start my cooldown on the frontage road near my work. Traffic is usually non-existant and I am always going pretty slow. If I don't do this I walk into work with a wet head and it takes me twice as long to clean up before I go to my desk. I know I could still have an accident on a frontage road with noone around but I guess it is just a comprimise I have made to make the commute a little smoother. With the kids, perhaps it is one of those wear the helmet within sight of Mom things (myself, I would have hid it under a bush down the street instead of letting it get banged up under the handlebars). Personally I have never had an accident where I have hit my head. I have done a lot of tuck, rolls, and slides but no noggin knocking. I suppose it only takes once though, that is why I wear the helmet all the other times I am on the bike.

earleybird- I spent seven months in England from Dec- June last year, and I understand those kids not using raincoats and umbrellas! :D I've never been anywhere in my life where there was so much rain (near Wakefield/Leeds)! I eventually got sick of carrying an umbrella all the time and all that extra gear to stay dry. And since it wasn't a quick downpour but an annoying constant spray/drizzle, I got wet anyway. Okay, so it's probably not THAT much extra stuff to deal with, but being from somewhere that's hot and doesn't have nearly as much rain, it drove me bonkers :)

As for those helmets...around here, the people I've seen not wearing them generally tend to be the kids riding directly into oncoming traffic in the middle of a lane who look at you threateningly for being in their way! They try to 'pimp' on their bikes. Pretty funny..the seat's lowered so much that their knees come up to their chests on the upstroke and they ride reeeeeeeeaaal slow. Seen a few people around the college campus riding without helmets, but I'm sure they have only a few blocks to go.

Originally posted by Monkey Spud

It really depends on the situation. You are not likely to get hit by a car going up a dirt fire road in the back country mountains.

Contrary to what many think, most cycling accidents do not involve being hit by a car.

I'd have to agree to that. Flying down single track and fireroads at 20-30mph all day and coming off on a slippery bend is far more likely to happen that being hit by a car on the road and probably has more likelihood of doing your head or brain a serious injury.

(Although to be fair, in 4 years of MTBing in Scotland, the only injuries I got or saw were broken ribs, a finger, a toe and a testicle nearly severed by a handlebar - not me thank god - we ALL wore halmets).

Originally posted by Chris L


Contrary to what many think, most cycling accidents do not involve being hit by a car.

Yeah.. but when your climbing a singletrack / old dirt fireroad on a 3000 foot climb, you dont see too many cars.. at least where I live.

let me see...

Mountin' bike hits rock, mountin' bike rider comes off bike, head hits A- tree, B- big rock, C-anything harder than head.

Rode bike hits pothole, crack in road, car, etc. bike rider comes off bike, head hits .....see above.

Casual hybrid 3mile max rider rides in front of his/her own house...see above.

The new helmets are ventilated so that they are cooler than no helmet, their weight is small.....

With all of the above happening, other than soon to be brain dead testorene inject machmo...why would you not wear a helmet?

Why not just wear the helmet?

I have visions of flying over my bike on a down hill and the first thing I assume will hit the road is my head. other parts of the body can usually heal, but the brain is something I wouldn't want to mess with. I see people riding without helmets and notice they are the same people that are immature and arrogant. I assume those without a helmet don't really care about their lives.

I know that we're ALL supposed to wear our helmets but I've got a ton of hair and it gets damn hot riding in the summer with a helmet on. I'm pretty liberal when it comes to helmet wearing. Accidents can happen anywhere. Jeez, if we're that safety conscious then we all should be wearing bullet-proof vests out in public as well as helmets every time we step out the door.

It's dumb, I know. My wife is the same. I never ride without my lid and never will. She does not want to but for a while she did wear it. Now she carries it on her bar. I give up...:mad:

if she isnt going to wear one why put it on the bar? i'd equate that to having to carry your seatbelt around with you (if they didn't come in cars) and putting it in the car and taking it out everytime.... but not wearing it...

Helmet or no helmet...the never ending debate. I personally choose to wear one all the time while riding. It's just like a seatbelt...after a while of wearing it, you forget it's there. In fact, I'm to the point where I don't feel comfortable riding unless I have the helmet on (just like my gloves, cycling shorts, sunglasses, etc.).

I don't agree with people who choose not to wear them, but, it's their head. I've gotten to the point of not caring...their choice. I also don't feel bad when I hear of a cyclist (or motorcyclist, since CT doesn't have a helmet law for them either) who got a head injury while not wearing a helmet. Cold-hearted?....sure.

I ride with a group of 4-8 cyclists once a week. We all wear helmets, and respect the rules of the road. We're not "holy-rollers" either. We just think it's important, as cyclist, to set a good example to kids, parents, motor vehicles, etc. We've gone to the extreme of not allowing one of our regular ride partners join us on a ride because he forgot his helmet (we all drive to our starting point). He politely agreed, got in his car, went home, got his helmet, and met us 15 miles down the road--with his helmet.

Originally posted by BikingCT
I don't agree with people who choose not to wear them, but, it's their head. I've gotten to the point of not caring...their choice.

...

We've gone to the extreme of not allowing one of our regular ride partners join us on a ride because he forgot his helmet (we all drive to our starting point).

I see.

Originally posted by BikingCT
I've gotten to the point of not caring...their choice.
We all wear helmets, and respect the rules of the road.

We're not "holy-rollers" either.

We've gone to the extreme of not allowing one of our regular ride partners join us on a ride because he forgot his helmet (we all drive to our starting point).


it's funny how people define themselve eh?