General Cycling Discussion - Anyone ride without a helmet?

Sometimes I throw on a cycling cap and ride without a helmet, only when I'm riding back roads where I know where I won't get into traffic. In more populated areas I go with a helmet. Anyone else out there that still goes helmetless sometimes?

Here's a can of worms that's been done to death. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12106 This just ONE of the rehashings. Do a search you'll see.

My first and last post in this thread. I never ride without a helmet. It saved my skull from a very serious accident in October 2001, and as a consequence, it's a risk I'm not willing to take. No, I don't change my mind if I'm riding somewhere there's little or no traffic because the crash I mentioned earlier was in one of those places, caused by me simply falling off.

No, I don't assume that the helmet makes me totally impervious to all kinds of crashes or injuries, however I'm quite happy to accept the protection it offers regardless, and no, I don't think it makes me look silly. Nor would I care if it did.

Hoo boy, let the knee-jerk invectives fly!

Once when falling, my helmet took a direct hit adjacent my left temple. The helmet cracked all the way through and about 2 inches long. Bet that would have hurt. I would not go out the door w/o the helmet, no matter what kind of ride..

i haven't worn a helmet lately.

i think it is silly while on my trainer.

You should know that the word he***t is NEVER used in polite company, and that discussing such said verboten word only leads to heart burn, heart attacks and general stress and strain.

To avoid any injury to my bodily health and well-being, I will read NO MORE posts in this thread.:D

Originally posted by RiPHRaPH
i haven't worn a helmet lately.

i think it is silly while on my trainer.

Okay - anyone here ever fallen off of your trainer or rollers? I bet plenty have fallen off of their rollers.

Originally posted by Chris L
My first and last post in this thread. I never ride without a helmet. It saved my skull from a very serious accident in October 2001, and as a consequence, it's a risk I'm not willing to take. No, I don't change my mind if I'm riding somewhere there's little or no traffic because the crash I mentioned earlier was in one of those places, caused by me simply falling off.

No, I don't assume that the helmet makes me totally impervious to all kinds of crashes or injuries, however I'm quite happy to accept the protection it offers regardless, and no, I don't think it makes me look silly. Nor would I care if it did.

What Chris said. Couldn't put it better

In other words....

You will never get the OK from this forum to ride without a helmet.

About two years ago, I attended a funeral for a co-worker who was riding w/o a helmet and was hit by a car that turned into her. She died of massive head injuries. Yes, the accident could have been prevented if the driver had been paying attention. But a helmet may have saved her, and as we all know, many motorists are startlingly oblivious to bicycles and those riding them. We might as well avail ourselves of what defenses we have.
I have not ridden w/o a helmet since, except in a few instances where I've been making adjustments/repairs on a bike, and riden the bike up and down the street I live on to check said adjustments and repairs.
I'd also like to limit the number of funerals I attend, esp. those for twenty-one year olds. That said, it's your choice. But I've found a graphic reminder does serve to focus your attention. Short of cars dissapearing from the earth, I'll be wearing a helmet.

Originally posted by DnvrFox


Okay - anyone here ever fallen off of your trainer or rollers? I bet plenty have fallen off of their rollers.

Not so much fallen as flew off! It happened about 6 years ago, (Daughter was 3 at the time) and she was playing with an under inflated 6-8 inch rubber ball. Picture this, I'm on my rollers and clipped in, she is tossing the ball around, it ends up behind me and is grabbed and pulled in under the rear roller... I end up getting launched up and forward! That was the end of the balls in the basement!!!

Well back before dirt, 1970, I was doing my friend's paper route while he was on vacation. The street was wet, I was saddled with newspapers and the right turn didn't look too sharp. Down I went. Slapped my head on the pavement and took five stiches in my mouth. No helmet, but, back then there wasn't much choice in bicycle helmets.

Now I never ride without a helmet. Hard to enforce helmet rules with the children if Dad and Mom aren't wearing one.

Don

A friend of mine recently lost his only son, age 13, to a low-speed accident. He was riding without a helmet, his head hit the ground, and he died. The bike wasn't even damaged.

I ride with and without a helmet depending on oh who knows.
Joe
:beer:

Originally posted by crucifixion12
Anyone else out there that still goes helmetless sometimes?
Speaking strictly for myself, no.

I ride with a helmet. The bike association makes us wear helmets when we race. I won't ride with anyone who doesn't wear a helmet. If they want to kill themselves, they can do it on their own.

Well, I never thought there was much risk in wiping out on these old country roads, but thanks to all of your replies, I'm sure all of you have been cycling for a longer time than I have, and therefore had the chance to see the ramifications of going helmetless. So becoming a vegetable would suck, so maybe I'll throw on that cap under the helmet from now on.

If you come into a sport, and don't listen to those more experienced than you, how do you expect to learn anything? I think this is an issue to take the advice and learn from others mistakes rather than to learn it the hard way, like the guy riding into the pole. So thanks to everyone for sharing your opinions, personal experiences, and the experiences of others.

Originally posted by crucifixion12
Well, I never thought there was much risk in wiping out on these old country roads, but .......

A friend of mine on an old country road, just riding by himself, enjoying the day, front tire caught in a payment crack at about 30mph...instant over the forks, face in road. Split his head open like a melon...he lived...sorta.... I miss him.

Originally posted by crucifixion12
Anyone else out there that still goes helmetless sometimes?
I was talking to a newbie today who pretty much picked up cycling because he saw what it did for me. He's added it to his
weight training at the gym.

My first battle was to convince him to stay away from discount store bicycles. I won, or shall I say, "we won" that battle and he
invested wisely in a decent Trek.

My current battle is over helmet use. I asked him again today,
"Got anything to protect your coconut, yet?" He replied, "No, they're so expensive." That was the same argument he gave in the battle over his bike purchase.

My current helmet is a Bell that cost me less than $20. Comfortable, too. The only thing was that the foam pads inside it
were not removable--they were glued on. So I carefully took them off and added my own velcro attachments that I picked up from the dollar store.

:beer:

I also NEVER go on a ride witout one. I crashed on a bike path/sidewalk. No one's falt but my own. I landed on my right side. I do remember my head bouncing 2 or 3 times, then the shoulder pain kicked in. The first thing out of my mouth was "I'm glad I have my helmet on" Then I of course asked about my bike. For the next few days I my head was still sore on the side.

Then I got a new helmet.

As a kid, never wore a helmet. Now.....always wear one. If I were a kid now and will my child? YES, ALWAYS

I'm a strong advocate for helmet use. Besides the regular/normal falls while mountain biking. I've been hit 3x's all three not my fault, all three resulted in a new helmet, all three I was in my legal right and all three there was no way to avoid the collision.

Plus, my wife has taken at least 3 or 4 hard hits where her
helmet took the brunt of the impact!


have not ridden w/o a helmet since, except in a few instances where I've been making adjustments/repairs on a bike, and riden the bike up and down the street I live on to check said adjustments and repairs.

Now for the emarrassing story:

I was selling a bike to a neighbor. I had just replaced the front shifter cable/housing. He test rides the bike and comes back and says, "The left shifter isn't working". No problem I think to myself. The cable has probably stretched a bit. I'll adjust it as I go for a test ride(no helmet!). I take off, left hand on the bar, right hand twisting out the barrel adjuster at the left shifter. I'm looking down at the front derailleur. I pull out of my driveway, onto the road (cul-de-sac, so no traffic), and WHAM!

I regain consciousness after an instant! I'm on the asphalt with the bike on top of me! I'm dazed, and my face is hurting, my jawbone is aching and my nose is bleeding! I stand up, and instantly buckle onto the ground again! I'm seeing stars big time! I haven't been hit like that since I played football. WHAT THE HECK HIT ME? I look up, still dazed and realize I slammed into the back of a van parked outside my neighbor's house! Totally didn't see it and was not expecting it to be there!

Broken nose, dislocated jaw, big scratches along my brow and cheek bone and a cut in my eyebrow! I was sore for about 4 days and more embarrassed than anything! The pain was relieved when the neighbor still bought my bike!

L8R

A fellow from Wisconsin was saved from seroius head trauma or death on a very turbulent flight, a carry on compartment popped open and heavy case struck him on the head. Luckily he was wearing his foam cheese head hat so no damage was done, true story.

been hit by cars 6 times helmet helped out on 2 of them. I have also broken 2 helmets in separate incidents, 1 racing and 1 playing.

Only if I wanted to get a brain like Strom Thurmond's at half his age.

The rule at our house is if you ride, skate or blade without a helmet, I take away what ever your riding period, no discussion, no warning and you don't get it back. It works.


Rob

Originally posted by crucifixion12
Sometimes I throw on a cycling cap and ride without a helmet, only when I'm riding back roads where I know where I won't get into traffic. In more populated areas I go with a helmet. Anyone else out there that still goes helmetless sometimes?

I do and from looking around at other cyclists who ride around here, many, if not most of them do too. They must not have internet access or they simply have better things to do than argue about what other people choose to wear on their heads.

See, I think that there is a great deal of overpromotion of helmets and exageration of the risks of cycling (just look at this thread) and I note that nobody bothers to mention that learning to ride properly and safely is much, much more important. Helmets have been and still are marketed as a cure-all ('Courage for your Head') and the results often are unskilled cyclists whose helmet is often tipped way back and who can't ride a straight line as they zoom down the sidewalk or along the multi use path. I think that it is far better to avoid accidents in the first place and that promoting helmets to the exclusivity of other saftey guidance (as is the case in practice) is not doing cyclists any good and in fact might do them harm. From reading this thread, it seems that those who are most emphatic about telling others to wear one are those who crash a lot and have one or two 'my helmet saved my life' stories at the ready.

See, I take a great deal of exception to the idea that cycling is an inherently dangerous activity. If we look at some relative risks we see that the risk of death from head injury per hour while cycling is about half that of driving a car and about a quarter that of swimming. I have yet to see cautionary tales about how incredibly dangerous these activities are and how you would have to be a fool not to always wear a helmet while driving or always wear a life jacket while swimming. The risks are greater, the total number of people who are affected is much greater and the drawbacks are minimal - after all, if a cyclist can wear a helmet during a heavy workout on a hot day, then what excuse do motorists have? While people usually ignore this line of argument regarding the relative safety of cycling, they often would feel foolish defending their decision to drive rather than take a plane because 'as everybody knows' flying in a plane is safer than driving and only a fool would stick to their own emotional rationalizing (I'm a safe driver', 'I want to be able to control my vehile') over statistical evidence to the contrary.

The reason for the difference in perspective is that cycling is purposely being portrayed as a very dangerous activity where you shouldn't even think of participating unless you have safety equipment. Nevermind that people the world over have been cycling without them for the last 100 years (and that most countries outside of North America still do not have the same obsession about them that we do). Whenever there is mention of 'head injury' or 'brain injury' the word 'cycling' will appear nearly every time even though only about 1% of these injuries are cycling related (about 50% are motoring related; most of the rest are from falls). The resulting effect from what I see is a society where parents would rather keep their kids safe in front of the TV snacking instead of exploring the dangerous world outside. Probably the most common reason given for not riding (or not letting their kids ride) on the road is 'it's dangerous!' Club membership is declining also and it's a shame that we as humans almost always treat the symptom rather than the problem because it is easy to spoon feed to the feeble minded.

You might also consider looking at:

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm

I think that you should assess the risks in the riding that you do and see whether there are other things you should perhaps also do to protect yourself. I think that you should also look at the safety standards for helmets (ie SNELL) so you have an idea of the protection that they can realistically afford and assess whether or not you need to wear one in some or all situations. It's not a choice to be made in ignorance, really.

You do make a strong case Bikerider, but why should'nt we (as a community of cycling advocates) eagerly encourage other riders to choose the safer alternative when they ask?

I don't wear a helmet because I think it makes me safer. I wear one for the same reason I wear a lap and shoulder belt in the car: people in my life need me around, so when I can do something simple to increase my chances of staying around, I do it. Wearing a helmet will not make one a safer cyclist any more than wearing a seat belt will make one a safer driver. I do not worry about my ability to cycle safely; I do not worry about my ability to drive safely. It's the other people around me I worry about.

I used to be a firefighter/EMT in a large Midwestern city. 'Nuff said, right? After that experience, I don't ever ride without wearing a helmet.

Originally posted by The Toninator
been hit by cars 6 times helmet helped out on 2 of them. I have also broken 2 helmets in separate incidents, 1 racing and 1 playing. Remind me not to go riding with you.:D
I hope you avoid any more accidents. (And keep wearing that helmet.)

As I've bounced my head several times I'm a strong advocate of helmets. You'll never see me on a trail without one. But I must confess that when I ride the Katy Trail, I usually don't wear one. It's a very wide trail made of very fine gravel. No motorized vehicles. And since it's an old railway, it's extremely flat. No go-fast downhills. I usually where headphones and a hat.

What Chris said. But since I was over 60 when I started, I didn't need an accident to tell me it was the only way to ride.

Cheers...Gary

oh NOooo not again, wats this ? ground hog day !!!!:fight: :fight:

Never ride without one, helmet is the first item I get ready before a ride, I may forget my gloves, never my helmet.....

ALLWAYS!!
I have ridden only twice in the last 5 years without one.

I live in mid town Toronto, I usually ride to the trailhead through the city. My family needs me. besides, I look cooler with it than without it...

Originally posted by bikerider
I do and from looking around at other cyclists who ride around here, many, if not most of them do too. They must not have internet access or they simply have better things to do than argue about what other people choose to wear on their heads...

...I think that you should assess the risks in the riding that you do and see whether there are other things you should perhaps also do to protect yourself. I think that you should also look at the safety standards for helmets (ie SNELL) so you have an idea of the protection that they can realistically afford and assess whether or not you need to wear one in some or all situations. It's not a choice to be made in ignorance, really.

Well said!

I often ride without my helmet. I wont go helmet-less when mtn biking, or road riding with a group / other cyclists. I would guess that ~50% of my solo rides are helmet-less. Yes, i know the risks, and have read all the stories, and should probably know better. But i just prefer riding without my helmet.

not only do i usually ride without a helmet, but i ride quite aggressively through downtown traffic on a fixed gear with no brakes, with no helmet (and no health insurance either, now that i think about it).

why?

i could give every reason in the world, but let's face it, if i get hurt, its me feeling the pain, not any of you.

I guess It was not quite correct when I said elsewhere, I never go without a helmet.. I ride 1 mile downtown for an errand to a store, I have been known to not wear a helmet.. however, that fall I took- when my cluster froze up, was at 2-3 miles an hour. It cracked the helmet completely through. Imagne what that would have done to my skull. My head hurt a little even with the helmet on... I virtually never go without my helmet. Certainly an serious ride. Not after that ! I agree, any one choose to take a risk, that is tieir business.
Can't imagine going helmetless with my group. They would have a fit.. I don't want to look at anybody bloody skull with bone exposed. I would get sick..

I agree, any one choose to take a risk, that is tieir business.

In my later years, I have marvelled at how tough the body can be, while at the same time being remarkably fragile. I have seen people survive the most horrific situations (I among them in my younger days) in all kinds of vehicles. OTOH, I have seen people die from the most innocuous accidents.

I have also reached the point where I am - happily - enjoying my life more than ever before. It just seems obvious to hedge all the bets I can regarding survival, especially when there is no, or at least no meaningful, downside.

We are supposedly the only sentient beings around, and therefore are indeed entitled to make our own choices. Besides, the gene pool tends to be self-regulating.

Cheers...Gary

There is no way and no where I wouldn't ride without a helmet I have been hit twice on the roads by cars not my fault but if it wasn't for my helmet which was nearly destroyed on both occassions I really wouldn't have liked that damage to be on my head!!! Plus when I am going out where there is no traffic there is still the risk of falling off!!!! :D

There is nothing worse than large grazes with loads of gravel stuck in them :(

I wear my helmet all the time, but mostly becuase the cops on base will give me a ticket if I ride without a helmet. I think helmets are a good idea, and I encourage everyone to use them, but something about being forced to wear a helmet ticks me off.

The only thing I really have against helmetless riding is that accidents where a helmet would have prevented death could potentially fuel the fire of keeping/getting us off the roads.

No one likes to be told to do stuff!!! resentment usually follows people like to be asked!!! :rolleyes:

Originally posted by fore
not only do i usually ride without a helmet, but i ride quite aggressively through downtown traffic on a fixed gear with no brakes, with no helmet (and no health insurance either, now that i think about it).

why?

i could give every reason in the world, but let's face it, if i get hurt, its me feeling the pain, not any of you.
:beer:
Joe

You won't catch me on my bicycle without a helmet. I'm on my third one now. The first one bit the dust when a car shoved me into a concrete retaining wall. The second one when another cyclist ran me off the road and my helmet clipped a guy wire for a power pole. Split it from front to back - better the helmet than my head!

I'm a firm believer in protecting my cranium!

Last May I was in a road race going 40mph. The guys in front of me got tangled up, and needless to say I got to go along for the ride. I ended up in the hospital and out of school for over a week. With the helmet my doctor said he was astonished that I didn't have brain damage, I can't imagine without it.

bikerider- Has anyone ever told you to buckle up? If you can figure out a seatbelt for bikes that can keep my head from smashing into the ground at 40mph then I'll stop wearing my helmet.

fore- True your pain may not affect any of us on the forums here, but what about the 80 yearold grandmother whoes life you just ruinned, due to the fact that your brains are now splattered over the hood of her car.

Anyways don't try and say wearing a helmet makes you look funny, because the shaved legs and lycra have been doing that for a long time. :D

-Matt-

Working in the mecical field will teach you that no one in impervious to brain dammage! All I have to do is walk across the streed and see people young and old in the rehab center. Many youngsters there because of car crashes that will never talk, walk or live a normal life again!


YOUR BRAIN IS THE CONSISTANCY OF JELLO
PROTECT IT!

I ride helmet without until accident have I. Now I lurn my alphobot agane.

Personal choice for the helmets. Most adults have heard the arguments, why get preachy? Teach your kids the correct way. Don't worry about people that can make up their own minds.
In this instance, I'm pro-choice.