Commuting - What do you do with your helmet? (possibly stupid question)

I'm referring not to "commuting to work" here, but "commuting to the store/post office/errand of your choice". I get to where I'm going and there's just not anything real convenient to do with one's helmet. It gets awkward to carry it around in one's hands, especially if one is wrangling a shopping basket full of mouthwash and shampoo at the same time. If I strap it to my bag, I inevitably knock my rear view mirror off. I've seen people lock their helmet to their bike, but I've never gone in for this. I get paranoid visions of people slashing the straps out of sheer malice. I usually end up looking like a dork and walking around the store wearing the darn thing. :p

I usually just lock mine to the bike. Never had a problem. I don't live in a particularly high crime area though. I've left my bike unattended using the helmet strap as a 'lock' on more than one occasion (but never for very long) and it's still been there when I got back. Maybe I've just been lucky so far. <touches wood>

Allister

I do the same as Allister. It seems to work at university (and I've had a number of other things stolen from here before).

Chris

I too usually just keep it with the bike. Around here I don't think helmets are a big seller in the underground market.

Lock it to the bike. I find cheaper helmets with fewer and larger holes are easier to attatch than up-market racing helmets.

I just buckle it and hang it over my arm like a purse. Of course, it can be embarassing if it doesn't coordinate with my outfit. :D

Sometimes, I just hang it from the bike, or I go for the dork look, and wear it into the store. When I do that, I can almost always strike up a conversation with someone and promote biking!! People always seem to wonder what the mirror is, and it just goes from there! Sometimes looking like a dork is a good thing!!

I too lock it on a bike. I have a cable lock on my bike (to secure the sadle) and I lock it with that.

I must say though that once Thing that is a pain with cycling is to always load/unload (panniers, lights, etc) when doing small errands. Then again we don't have to worry about parking space.

What's wrong with looking like a dork?

Lock it.

If I'm on the bike I've already got my flashy Sidi shoes on so ain't no hiding. I just wear the helmet.

I generally wear it unless the weather is really hot, then I just put it on my bike. I do live in a high crime area, but I reason that a) there's not much of a black market for helmets as previously stated and b) I think the risk taking personality of thieves means they don't wear helmets. That leaves vandals and pranksters, but if someone wanted to mess with my bike I can think of worse pranks. For example, I was in a bike shop and a guy came in to say that thieves had removed the pads from his brakes.

Originally posted by PapeteeBooh
I too lock it on a bike. I have a cable lock on my bike (to secure the sadle) and I lock it with that.

I must say though that once Thing that is a pain with cycling is to always load/unload (panniers, lights, etc) when doing small errands. Then again we don't have to worry about parking space.


One word: Backpack.

On that note, my biking backpack has an elasticated strap on it where I can carry my helmet without it dangling around. It's sometimes useful, but I feel a bit like a tortoise, and it does still bump into things. Like others, for dash-in-and-out errands I wear it (I sometimes even park my bike in the shop - after asking of course - people can be surprisingly accomodating).

Look like a dork? You get used to it - and I've had 32 years practice :)

Actually, that was much more than one word...

Well, I figured since I've got helmet-hair already, what's the point in takin' it off? :D

I usually just walk around the store with it on. It really doesn't matter to me. One less thing to worry about. If that doesn't get anyone's attention, the darn blinkie I forgot to turn off, will! ;)

Originally posted by technogirl
Well, I figured since I've got helmet-hair already, what's the point in takin' it off? :D

I usually just walk around the store with it on. It really doesn't matter to me. One less thing to worry about. If that doesn't get anyone's attention, the darn blinkie I forgot to turn off, will! ;)
I LOVE to go into the store wearing EVERYTHING I wear on my bike (deodorant ;)).

Once I stood in line to pay a bill in the grocery store with my blinkie attached to my belt, about two inches above my butt (just a-blinkin'). No one ever told me, "Excuse me, your butt is blinking."

Once I asked the cashier, "Hey, do you have any paper towels? I'm sweating into my eyes, and it's burning like crazy!"

She shook her head in little vibrating movements and quickly handed me change.

Helmet hair isn't really a concern for me. I have this just barely to my shoulders really thick, really curly hair. When I wear a helmet without a headscarf under it, big poufs of curls stick out on either side. Think Bozo the clown. So, I always wear a bandana or something under my helmet.

I'm not really worried about the helmet getting ripped off. I figure, who's going to want my sweaty, icky helmet. But like I said, I get these paranoid fears about someone cutting the straps or something, just to vandalize. Probably my fears are vastly disproportionate to the actual probability that this will happen.

Like I said, i normally just wear it, but I've been somewhat sensitive about wearing it ever since a couple of months ago I was in Target and some teenager gave me a hard time about this. I know, I know, stupid to let a teenager bother me...

Originally posted by Pete Clark
Once I stood in line to pay a bill in the grocery store with my blinkie attached to my belt, about two inches above my butt (just a-blinkin'). No one ever told me, "Excuse me, your butt is blinking."

Pete, you are one of a kind! :p

I lock my helmet to the bike, and put all my gear in the panniers, which have a convenient handle on top to carry them like cowboy saddlebags. :D

And, no Pete, MY but doesn't blink! :D

Originally posted by Allister



One word: Backpack.



Im with Allister on this one, I jam my quick release saddle and hydrolicly sprung seatpost and my helmet into the backpack when I go in, the only time i have problems is when I have to stash larger items that i pick up. I have to remove the helmet from the bag to fit the item in, in these cases I strap the helmet to the outside of bag.

:beer:
Snoop

My helmet is going to be attached to my backpack when I go in anywhere. For one thing , I hate the helmet I have and I feel like a doofus wearing it when I'm not on the bike. I want a Giro but I have to settle for a banged up Schwinn. :thumbdn:

Hey, I really should start leaving it on my ride. Maybe some kid will grab it and toss it in a dumpster for me , thereby forcing me to buy a new one! Hmmmmm.

I want a good fitting, nifty looking Giro but I hate the thought of laying $50+ bucks on the counter for a piece of crushed styrofoam with a chinstrap.

Originally posted by Jon T.
I want a good fitting, nifty looking Giro but I hate the thought of laying $50+ bucks on the counter for a piece of crushed styrofoam with a chinstrap.

I understand the fealing but perhaps you would feel more enclined to buy one if you think of a helmet as a way to get your skull only slightly bruised instead of split in two with your brain lying on the asphalt (I am always one for cheerful thoughts)

Originally posted by PapeteeBooh


I understand the feeling but perhaps you would feel more enclined to buy one if you think of a helmet as a way to get your skull only slightly bruised instead of split in two with your brain lying on the asphalt (I am always one for cheerful thoughts)

I've riden in enough high crime areas (see south central LA) to know to leave sacrificial items on a parked bike. In 30 years I have had one cheap Cateye bike computer stolen (LA) and one tire slashed (Denver Federal Center). Let them steal the water bottles, I find new ones free on the road side. Like most others I lock the helmet along with the bike. The only dorks are cyclists without helmets. I avoid them like I avoid cars with three different colors of body panels.

I keep wearing it where ever I go..

I have a gigantic messenger bag, so I will either throw it in there or clip it around the strap of the bag so it sort of hangs in front. In the warmer months I will often lock it up so the sweat can dry out a little.

Sometimes I attach it to straps on the backpack and it hangs down- I look like an off-duty parachutist. Other times I just lock it to the bike and no one has ever bothered it. I've even used it as an "in-sight bike lock" strapping it to the rear wheel and seat tube so the bike can't be hopped on and ridden away while I'm in line at the newsstand.


Once I stood in line to pay a bill in the grocery store with my blinkie attached to my belt, about two inches above my butt (just a-blinkin'). No one ever told me, "Excuse me, your butt is blinking."

-better a blinking butt than a stinking butt- (is that a "rebuttal"?) man, it's late.

i usually either clip it onto my bag strap (beside the gloves), or wear it. as far as dork factor - i have some kind of object dyslexia, so just keeping it on my head doesn't gather the anywhere near the kind of wondering audience i can gather when i take it off, and then put it down and forget it somewhere/drop it while juggling change/pack it tidily into the bottom of the bag underneath all the groceries/put it on backwards/pinch the skin under my chin clipping it up/you get the idea.

I usually end up looking like a dork and walking around the store wearing the darn thing. --- When the oil runs out, your "helmet in the store" look will be positively derigueur.
www.socsci.mcmaster.ca/polisci/gcpr/oilprod.cfm

I'm referring not to "commuting to work" here, but "commuting to the store/post office/errand of your choice".

I just hang it on my handlebars. No lock. But then again, I don't lock my bike either. This might not be a good option for people who live elsewhere :-/

Anyone who steals a helmet that's got 3 years of sweat in it (and smells like it sometimes) can have it; I'll pedal down to the LBS and buy another. Hasn't happened so far.

I do carry it in if it's raining or something. I'm generally not picking up much. I have a Reflex mirror, so it doesn't get knocked off, but I do have to adjust it pretty much every time. But that takes nearly a second so not a big deal.

I guess I'm a geek. I just wear my helmet if I am in a store shopping. One nice thing about being old... I no longer care what anyone thinks.

I thread my cable through the vent holes and lock it to the bike.

I get to where I'm going and there's just not anything real convenient to do with one's helmet. It gets awkward to carry it around in one's hands, especially if one is wrangling a shopping basket full of mouthwash and shampoo at the same time. If I strap it to my bag, I inevitably knock my rear view mirror off. :p

I found the Answer: Arkel's "The Bug" Backpack/Pannier

Never thought I would like it, but going to a store or anywhere, this "Bug" is great! You just have to LOOK for a great deal. I found mine online for 99.00 with FREE Shipping.

http://shop.cycletherapy.ca/productimages/BA0008~w~300.jpg

http://www.arkel-od.com/panniers/backpack/overview.asp?fl=1&site=


:eek: ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH I should have looked at the DATE of the thread... bringing this thread back from the dead huh? 4 yrs old LOL.

clip it to my messenger bag, and use it as a basket.

clip it to my messenger bag, and use it as a basket.
Works every time. If that's too much of a pain, it goes in the pack, out of sight.

I take my keys and wallet out of my panniers, and drop them into my helmet, using my helmet as a basket. I even load my helmet up with small items in the store.

Its also good as a blocking shield when wearing nothing but lycra while inside a store.........

I just go to the first register that I see, grab a plastic bag and put the helmet and gloves in and carry it around the store that way.

Just for this sort of reason I've attached a toolbox (locked with a padlock) permanently mounted on a second rack (seat post). The toolbox has a cable attached to it that goes to a u-lock. It fits my rain gear, lights, helmet, some tools. It's my fairly recent not fully tested solution to this particular issue. Prob with it I could loose it all if stolen, but it's convenient.

I usually end up looking like a dork and walking around the store wearing the darn thing. :p
That's what I do! I know that wearing a helmet generally dorkifies my otherwise extremely cool ensemble of spandex and weird shoes, but you never know when you're gonna slip on some spilled pickles.


ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH I should have looked at the DATE of the thread... bringing this thread back from the dead huh? 4 yrs old LOL.
Bump-tastic! :o

I will either wear or carry the helmet into the store. But in the event I have to buy stuff that will occupy my hands, I’ve got this thin-fabric tote with long strap handles from a computer expo long ago. It's folded flat in my trunk bag and is easy to pop the helmet and gloves into for carry into a store. I generally been using it for when I take the bike down outside with all my winter clothing gear. I put the handle of the bag around my seat post and hang the bag off the top and rear of my trunk bag while I work my way down the building to the outside. Then, I take out the helmet, gloves, earmuffs and glasses case, put the stuff on and then stow the folded and flattened bag into the trunk bag.

Use a carabiner and strap it to a loop on your backpack. If you are wearing the pack, you shouldn't have any problems with knocking it around.

Cheers

I'd never leave a helmet attached to a bike. Not that I'd worry about its being stolen, but it could get damaged and you'd never even know! And then come the crash, and your protection is absolutely useless...

Paranoid, I know. :)

I'd never leave a helmet attached to a bike. Not that I'd worry about its being stolen, but it could get damaged and you'd never even know! And then come the crash, and your protection is absolutely useless...

Paranoid, I know. :)

Hehe, let me fuel it...
People could loosen your headset while you're not looking, or any number of other things, which would be worse than an invisibly broken helmet because they'd CAUSE the crash. Heck, I saw someone comment on a thread here recently that someone had had their brake pads removed by vandals; I could easily see missing that detail when hopping on a bike after coming out of the store.

... I get paranoid visions of people slashing the straps out of sheer malice. :p...

Well mebbe paranoid visions of people slashing your tires out of sheer malice might even it all out...

Hehe, let me fuel it... Heh, thanks, you are very kind!

Actually, I am less worried about that because they'd at least have to do it on purpose. Moreover, to do most of these malicious things they'd need some tools. But someone could cause structural damage to your helmet with no special tools at all and not even intentionally. Walk by carrying something heavy and hit the helmet with it... throw a stone at someone's window and hit the helmet. Etc. :D

I've taken to wearing my helmet on first dates, it kind of weeds out the riffraff.....


I wear it into the store. No harm, no foul. To be a truly cool and savvy bike shopper, however, bring your own canvas shopping bag to run errands with, this allows you to carry your helmet in your bag until the checkout, and avoid the inane 'paper or plastic?' dilemma Americans confuse with being environmentally minded....

As for my helmet wearing, I ceased to care what others think about me long ago. Now if I could just get a second date!

Wear it if it's just a quick in-out.

In a safe neighborhood, I might just snap it around the frame. In an area I don't trust I might run the cable lock through a vent.

I usually keep my wallet and keys in a fanny pack. Often I snap the chin strap of the helmet around the webbing of the fanny pack and carry the helmet on my hip.

quick in and out: wear it

then if i'm sweating badly or going to be in the store a while i'll take it off and either:
a) carry it
b) attach it to my backpack

sometimes i do lock/leave it on the bike. i do think that the likelihood of someone stealing my sweaty helmet is very low... so yeah i think the main "danger" is vandalism: so kind who thinks it would be funny to see what it looks like for a helmet to get run over by a car and throws it into the street...

I wear mine with pride :D

I wear mine with pride :D

ngateguy, long time no see. How's the riding been out on the west side?

I either attract it to my bag or I wear inside. Sometimes, I forget its on, so it would be difficult for me to lock it to the bike. I cannot say that looking like a dork is a major problem for me. In the places that I have live, if you are not using a car, you are already a dork.

ngateguy, long time no see. How's the riding been out on the west side?

WET :D