Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Helmets are your friends...

I don't recall the context, but a week or so ago someone made a post about how they (or a friend) crashed and broke his/her helmet. That inspired me to start wearing a helmet again, which is good because after this morning I would probably be in the hospital. I'm not sure what actually caused it, but I was basically sprinting up a hill, then somehow lost control (unstable setup? cars too close? an ill-placed banana peel?) and went down hard on my right side, smacking helmeted head on pavement. I tried to get up and walk a couple times but I almost blacked out and had to sit down. I'm ok now. Nothing seems to be broken on bike except the metal piece on the front brake that sticks out just under the adjusting barrel. Sucker snapped right off.

Anywho, thanks for reminding me to wear a helmet...although I think I still lost the last the remaining bits of high school spanish lurking in my brain.

Now the question is, if I hadn't been wearing a helmet, would I have ridden more carefully and avoided the accident altogether?

Probably not.

I am glad you are ok.

Sounds like fate to me

Probably not.

I agree.


Now I know I was right to want to go to a lower gearing and get nicer pedals. Which I was going to do this afternoon. Irony is hilarious sometimes.

you're gonna feel that in the morning. i'd look into a new helmet...

More importantly, is your bike okay?

More importantly, is your bike okay?

It's solid. Brooks saddle is scratched on one side, left brake hood scratched up, and I snapped a metal piece off the front brake.

It rides fine. After going to a clinic (I left after an hour without seeing anyone) I rode to work, and it was great.

get a new helmet, by the way

yeah, my helmet didn't quite save me a trip to the hospital yesterday, but it probably made it better...this is going to sound kinda vain, but facial injuries suck, because they're impossible to hide...

it's good to hear that yours was there when you needed it to be though, and that i'm not the only one who's had a totally freak accident recently...

I'm gonna take everyone's advice and get a new helmet.

Yeah, face injuries suck. Getting smacked on the temple sucks too.

If you want a freak accident, read "Crash and Burn" in the commuter forum. That guy got ambushed by a garbarge bag.

I'm gonna take everyone's advice and get a new helmet.

Yeah, face injuries suck. Getting smacked on the temple sucks too.

If you want a freak accident, read "Crash and Burn" in the commuter forum. That guy got ambushed by a garbarge bag.

Once I was riding past a line of stopped cars when I passed between a taxicab and a dumpster with a tarp over it. The wind blew at that moment and inflated the tarp which wrapped around my handlebars, and I ended up slamming into the taxi.

I ended up with a bruised knee and a good deal of embarrassment as I apologized to the cabbie.

Yeah, helmets rule. I'd get your head looked at. Sometimes concussions don't bother you until you go to sleep....

Once I was riding past a line of stopped cars when I passed between a taxicab and a dumpster with a tarp over it. The wind blew at that moment and inflated the tarp which wrapped around my handlebars, and I ended up slamming into the taxi.

I ended up with a bruised knee and a good deal of embarrassment as I apologized to the cabbie.


hee hee..that's kind of funny.

Glad to hear you're ok. Time to start riding in a suit of armor.

Damnit, this is making me upset now. My helmets guts died last friday and won't go back together. It'd been dropped a few times and slammed a few times as well so I was thinking about getting a new one anyways. I hate riding without one and I've been riding a lot more conservatively lately and shortening my trips and it's no good. I've been trying mad hard to find a catlike in London but it's all coming to naught. Anyone know a decent place online to score a kompact II or Whisper in some sort of subuded colors. Although I swear by wearing em I still fricking hate how they look and feel. Grr.

Now the question is, if I hadn't been wearing a helmet, would I have ridden more carefully and avoided the accident altogether?
Absolutely. Especially if you didn't have brakes.

Just flow, man... flow. That's all you have to do. Easy.




(ps sarcasm)

Once I was riding past a line of stopped cars when I passed between a taxicab and a dumpster with a tarp over it. The wind blew at that moment and inflated the tarp which wrapped around my handlebars, and I ended up slamming into the taxi.


Something like that almost happened to me today. about 10 feet of that yellow caution tape was laying in a pile next to the bike path, one end tied to a pole. right when I rode by the wind blew it up and in front of my bars. luckily it didn't catch.