Fifty Plus (50+) - I don't this at all

As I was out riding around last night, I saw all these Moms and Pops out with the kiddies.
Being the exemplary parents they no doubt are, all the kiddies had their helmets on and snugged up.
Not one of the parents, though... not ONE. I realize it's all personal choice but what are they thinking? What goes through their minds? Do they think that, as adults, they can't get hurt if they fall and land on their heads? Do they think that their kids'll be fine when mommy and daddy die with their brains & blood spilling down the gutter? I mean, they're taller, they sit on bigger bikes... they have farther to tall to the pavement below than their kids do. Idiots.

I just don't get it.

I feel better now. Thanks.

Do as we say kiddies, not as we do!

I see a lot of this, too.

Our volunteer bike group works with the local children's hospital to give and fit helmets to children. The past couple years we've included their parents as many of them weren't wearing them. One reason was after buying the bikes, other equipment and helmets for the kids they tried to cut some expense by not buying helmets for themselves. Having raised four very expensive kids I can relate to that:)

Do as we say kiddies, not as we do!

You knew my mother:D This was her favorite saying and just drove my sister and I crazy.

Note the tire tread marks on the helmet. The guy in the picture was wearing it when it was run over by a delivery truck and he lived to tell the story. I was resistant to wearing a helmet too. They're hot. They're expensive. They're dorky as all get out. They beat the living hell out of drooling for the rest of your life.

You are right, parents need to set the good example, pull those kids along, not push.

http://www.madison.com/images/articles/tct/2007/05/12/45019.jpg (http://www.bikeforums.net/)

On the dirt bike trail I was riding last weekend, about 10% of the riders were wearing helmets.

I do think it is less necessary on a dirt rail trail. It isn't as hard as asphalt and you aren't moving that fast - most people cruising along at 10-12 mph. It would be rare for a fall on that surface and at that speed to cause a severe brain injury that a helmet would have prevented, although it is possible.

I never wore a helmet when I was a kid. I don't think they even had them then. I never wore a helmet as a young adult, either, when my Schwinn Continental was my only transportation for years. I don't wear a helmet now. I have one, but I haven't worn it yet. Not sure I ever will. I have never had a head injury. The vast majority of riders in other parts of the world that use bicycles as normal everyday transportation don't wear helmets.

I don't think they're all that hot - they're incredibly well ventilated compared to what I was wearing 20 years ago. And I don't think they're dorky looking at all. My helmet looks cool.

All I know is I had no use for one 20 years ago until I clipped my (future) wife's front wheel with my rear at 20-25 mph and the ONLY thing that saved her was that her forehead hit hand or arm which was between her head and the road. That's all it took. Changed MY mind toot sweet.

I never wore a helmet when I was a kid. I don't think they even had them then. I never wore a helmet as a young adult, either, when my Schwinn Continental was my only transportation for years. I don't wear a helmet now. I have one, but I haven't worn it yet. Not sure I ever will. I have never had a head injury. The vast majority of riders in other parts of the world that use bicycles as normal everyday transportation don't wear helmets.
Not too long ago I had to put in something called a "G-tube" in a nice looking older gentleman who was riding his bike slowly, ran into a grate, and hit his head on a concrete curb. He can't talk or swallow anymore.

My daughter lost a professor at school who was riding around campus, hit a curb, and ended up with a severe closed head injury.

Riding without a helmet is just plain foolish.

Then again, we all know people who smoked cigarets for 70 years and never had a bit of problem from them.......

Not too long ago I had to put in something called a "G-tube" in a nice looking older gentleman who was riding his bike slowly, ran into a grate, and hit his head on a concrete curb. He can't talk or swallow anymore.

My daughter lost a professor at school who was riding around campus, hit a curb, and ended up with a severe closed head injury.

Riding without a helmet is just plain foolish.

Then again, we all know people who smoked cigarets for 70 years and never had a bit of problem from them.......
Wait...are you saying that cigarettes are bad for you? Or that you should wear your helmet if you smoke? I'm so confused...

As a kid, helmets were not available. In 1979, I bought a Skid Lid helmet which was similar to the early baseball helmets. Then Bell came out with a real helmet that met an impact standard and now we have the miriad of helmet choices. I cannot ride without one. It just does not feel right. When the pros were here for the Tour of California, many that we saw training did not wear helmets, but they do wear them in races. For me its habit and I hear about far too many crashes with cracked helmets (not heads) to ever think about not wearing one.:)

Wait...are you saying that cigarettes are bad for you? Or that you should wear your helmet if you smoke? I'm so confused...
For goodness sake, don't smoke your helmet.

We have the same problem over here. Kids with helmets and parents without.

I have a riding partner with a daughter that hit a kerb and over the top. Grazed the side of her skull and she still has a bald patch 5 years later. She never rides her bike now without a helmet. In fact she is so adamant about it- she no longer rides a bike.

Then in out group we only have two rules. You wait at the top of the hills or junctions and you wear a helmet. In fact we have occasional riders that have taken up wearing helmets because we make them. No helmet- No ride.

I don't think they're all that hot - they're incredibly well ventilated compared to what I was wearing 20 years ago. And I don't think they're dorky looking at all. My helmet looks cool.

All I know is I had no use for one 20 years ago until I clipped my (future) wife's front wheel with my rear at 20-25 mph and the ONLY thing that saved her was that her forehead hit hand or arm which was between her head and the road. That's all it took. Changed MY mind toot sweet.

Come ride in Mid Missouri in July and you'll change your tune about whether they are hot or not, great ventilation be damned. And about the not dorky looking comment. Dude, I saw your picture. Yours is ALMOST as dorky looking as mine. Not quite, but almost. However, not one of those objections matters because we do not know when or if we will ever need the protection a helmet offers, and when and if that time comes, we won't get the opportunity to say, wait a second here, I want to put my helmet on. To steal Chipcom's line,

Sign me,

The guy who saw the light (not that bright white one at the end of the tunnel) and now always wears a helmet, whether I need it or not.

And about the not dorky looking comment. Dude, I saw your picture. Yours is ALMOST as dorky looking as mine. Not quite, but almost. However, not one of those objections matters because we do not know when or if we will ever need the protection a helmet offers, and when and if that time comes, we won't get the opportunity to say, wait a second here, I want to put my helmet on. To steal Chipcom's line,

Sign me,

The guy who saw the light (not that bright white one at the end of the tunnel) and now always wears a helmet, whether I need it or not.


I regularly have to replace helmets due to damage to them. I know that is offroad but I never know when i am going to fall- or what part is going to hit the deck first. Thanks to my first riding partner- I have got so used to wearing a helmet- I am naked without one. As to the ventilation- The only time I realise how much mine has got is in the rain. The large heavy drops still manage to find my bald spot when I am head down- trying to look through the visor. As to Dorkiness- I don't care what it looks like but I will not wear fluorescant colours. Gives the Seagulls something to aim at.

All I know is I had no use for one 20 years ago until I clipped my (future) wife's front wheel with my rear at 20-25 mph and the ONLY thing that saved her was that her forehead hit hand or arm which was between her head and the road. That's all it took. Changed MY mind toot sweet.
Man - that's almost the biggest tragedy I can imagine - who would make us the rhubarb pie you have been promising? We'd have to invent a time machine to go back and prevent that.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c62/bclasen/Misc/rhubarbpie35.jpg

Come ride in Mid Missouri in July and you'll change your tune about whether they are hot or not, great ventilation be damned. And about the not dorky looking comment. Dude, I saw your picture. Yours is ALMOST as dorky looking as mine. Not quite, but almost. However, not one of those objections matters because we do not know when or if we will ever need the protection a helmet offers, and when and if that time comes, we won't get the opportunity to say, wait a second here, I want to put my helmet on. To steal Chipcom's line,

Sign me,

The guy who saw the light (not that bright white one at the end of the tunnel) and now always wears a helmet, whether I need it or not.

I always wear a helmet. I witnessed their worth a couple weeks ago when the fellow riding with me hit some debris on the trail and did a face plant on the road. Luckily his helmet did its job and protected his head. He lost a tooth and needed a few stitches above his lip but no concussion. This happened so fast he didn't have time to put his arms up to break his fall. He landed with his arms at his side so the head took the full impact of the fall.

Man - that's almost the biggest tragedy I can imagine - who would make us the rhubarb pie you have been promising? We'd have to invent a time machine to go back and prevent that.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c62/bclasen/Misc/rhubarbpie35.jpg

Hey now, wait a minute! She doesn't know what she's been volunteered for...

T'Man - You're right about that. The heat, I mean. Pacifica coastal heat at its worst ain't nothin' like midwest heat, for sure. Except that when it does get that hot, we are woefully ill-prepared. As to your other comment, I do NOT look dorky in my helmet. It even matches my Kaitai's color scheme :(

The guy who saw the light (not that bright white one at the end of the tunnel) and now always wears a helmet, whether I need it or not.

You know, you should take that thiing off when you go to bed!

You know, you should take that thiing off when you go to bed!

I dunno, I always hear it's important to have protection in bed.

I don't think that we knew anything about helmets when we were kids. I didn't learn about helmets untill I first got near race cars (and those were old fashoned helmets). I think that I might have mentioned that I raced for a while.

I actually drove a Funny Car in the late 60's when they were still coming of age. (nothing like today). I've been up to 194mph. I've been on fire, and upside down etc. I became a true believer about helmets, seat belts, roll bars, anything that would improve your survival factors by even 1%. People who won't wear this stuff just don't understand the risk.

I got a good lesson on helmets when I dropped my motorcycle. I was taking off easily for a left turn when the light turned green and the bike just high-sided. It was confusing for a moment. Then I realized that my field of view was shifting. My helmet was shifting as it made contact with the pavement. In a flash I realized that it was my helmet on the pavement, instead of my face being scraped off by the pavement and I thought that was pretty cool.

The visor took all the damage, but I never figured out what caused the accident.

"I do think it is less necessary on a dirt rail trail. It isn't as hard as asphalt and you aren't moving that fast - most people cruising along at 10-12 mph. It would be rare for a fall on that surface and at that speed to cause a severe brain injury that a helmet would have prevented, although it is possible."

Riiiiight.

I got a concussion last Monday (14th) after bumping my head on a warehouse rack at work. I didn't even have a bruise to show the doctor where I hit my head. Lots of people have been telling me for years that I have a hard head. Not as hard as they thought.

I choose to wear a helmet. For me, an ounce of prevention is worth way more than the tons of excuses I've heard for not wearing a helmet. If it does nothing more than preventing me from having to pick gravel out of my scalp after a slow speed tip over, it will have served its purpose.

Whether one wears a helmet or not is their choice.

You're prolly right, Skipper. :D

In PA it's the law, "all children under 12 to wear an approved helmet while riding." So I suspect in addition to the car seats, the parents will get the helmets for the kids. However, PA just a year or 2 ago repealed the helmet law for adults on motorcycles, so the state apparently doesn't care what you do with your head.

I was wearing mine for the ride I was participating in on Sunday as the organizers required helmets. Helmet certainly wasn't hot. Although since I saw no one in 30 miles I could have rode without the helmet, as I do in my normal solo rides.

You can certainly argue otherwise but I clearly remember my youth, and with the scares we are subjected to today, I guess it's miraculous I survived my youth. White trim paint in house was lead based, and of course so was the fuel. My mother's smoking filled the house with a cloud. Bike helmets weren't invented, neither were car seats or seat belts. I enjoyed standing on the floor behind dads seat while he drove his Desoto with only a single brake system. Gee, I even played baseball without a batting helmet. My crib had too much space between the slats.... Clearly I was one of the lucky ones.

Those who don't use their brains have no motivation to protect them. Just sayin'....

I wish there were helmets that were cool (temp, not appearance) to wear. Foam is a great insulator. Nothing like wearing thick insulation on the area of your body that gives off the most heat during 90 degree summer days.

Helmet ventilation has been much improved, but many of the better ones are also more expensive.

I couldn't care less if a helmet is more aero, but it would be nice if you could get one with reasonable protection & good cooling.

I absolutely agree that it is a personal choice -and I think I mentioned that- but whether one makes that choice is just another wire in the sieve of Darwinism.
I read some stats once on the number of fatal head injuries caused by stationary riders, i.e., people sitting on a non-moving bike who just fell over for one reason or another (maybe they were track-standing?)... the number was not trivial and was a real eye opener for me.

In PA it's the law, "all children under 12 to wear an approved helmet while riding." So I suspect in addition to the car seats, the parents will get the helmets for the kids. However, PA just a year or 2 ago repealed the helmet law for adults on motorcycles, so the state apparently doesn't care what you do with your head.

I was wearing mine for the ride I was participating in on Sunday as the organizers required helmets. Helmet certainly wasn't hot. Although since I saw no one in 30 miles I could have rode without the helmet, as I do in my normal solo rides.

You can certainly argue otherwise but I clearly remember my youth, and with the scares we are subjected to today, I guess it's miraculous I survived my youth. White trim paint in house was lead based, and of course so was the fuel. My mother's smoking filled the house with a cloud. Bike helmets weren't invented, neither were car seats or seat belts. I enjoyed standing on the floor behind dads seat while he drove his Desoto with only a single brake system. Gee, I even played baseball without a batting helmet. My crib had too much space between the slats.... Clearly I was one of the lucky ones.


Most people on this forum can probably think of themselves as 'one of the lucky ones'. There was lead based paint in my childhood home and I don't I don't I don't have any drain bamage. I played with fireworks and even made some of my own with homemade black powder and I've still got all of my fingers. Yada, yada, yada. That is all history. Nothing can prevent what has not already happened. Sitting in the back seat with a seatbelt would most likely have prevented me from taking a bite out of the dashboard of my Dads 1953 Chevy.

Not wearing a helmet does not mean that you ARE going to get a serious head injury. Wearing a helmet does not mean you WILL NOT get a serious head injury. If you don't want to wear a helmet, don't wear a helmet. Just don't deny that there is a certain amount of risk that can be reduced, if not eliminated, by wearing a helmet. That makes you look sillier than wearing the dorkiest helmet in the world could ever make you look. Not wearing a helmet does not require one to enter a contest to come up with the most lame-a$$ed excuse for not wearing a helmet. Just don't wear a helmet and let it go at that.

I don't think I am any better or smarter than a person who chooses not to wear a helmet. I'm just a bit more cautious. Me gone.

I read some stats once on the number of fatal head injuries caused by stationary riders, i.e., people sitting on a non-moving bike who just fell over for one reason or another (maybe they were track-standing?)... the number was not trivial and was a real eye opener for me.


So both you and Terrierman are wearing your helmets 24x7, to guard against unforeseen falls?

I think the both of you should wear them in the shower ... just look up how many people slip and fall in there!!! It's a minefield!

:)

So both you and Terrierman are wearing your helmets 24x7, to guard against unforeseen falls?

I think the both of you should wear them in the shower ... just look up how many people slip and fall in there!!! It's a minefield!

:)

Amen. Once we allow our lives to be ruled by fear of what MIGHT happen, we are slaves to our fear.

BAAAAHHHH (Check the Sig)

Amen. Once we allow our lives to be ruled by fear of what MIGHT happen, we are slaves to our fear.

BAAAAHHHH (Check the Sig)
Well, you're better than we are because you are not afraid to take risks. Tu lo hombre :rolleyes:

I never wore a helmet when I was a kid. I don't think they even had them then. I never wore a helmet as a young adult, either, when my Schwinn Continental was my only transportation for years. I don't wear a helmet now. I have one, but I haven't worn it yet. Not sure I ever will. I have never had a head injury. The vast majority of riders in other parts of the world that use bicycles as normal everyday transportation don't wear helmets.

Back when my kids were small, my 8 year old son's best friend was hit by a car while riding a bike...when he fell his head hit the curb. He lived in a coma for 18 months, part of it with half of his brain surgically removed, and finally passed away. IMO this kind of logic..."that we never wore helmets and we all survived"... is a load of cr*p. Kids depend on adults to make responsible decisions for them and that means being consistent in words and deeds...Frankp

Well, you're better than we are because you are not afraid to take risks. Tu lo hombre :rolleyes:

I once knew a man who lived his life in fear of gum disease. He wouldn't go anywhere without his toothbrush.

Wear mine EVERY time I'm on the bike. The only trouble I have is after a day in the sun the top of my head looks very much like that rhubarb pie. Not exactly an even sunburn. The other problem is whenever your head itches you can never get to the spot through a ventilation hole.

This one looks like it would have a lot of ventilation.

Too bad it's something like $150.

This one looks like it would have a lot of ventilation.

Too bad it's something like $150.

What a rip. F@*%king capitalists.

I never wore a helmet when I was a kid. I don't think they even had them then. I never wore a helmet as a young adult, either, when my Schwinn Continental was my only transportation for years. I don't wear a helmet now. I have one, but I haven't worn it yet. Not sure I ever will. I have never had a head injury. The vast majority of riders in other parts of the world that use bicycles as normal everyday transportation don't wear helmets.
I suspect you are a big boy now and it is your head, but i do strongly suggest you wear the helmet. If you ride a bike much, eventually, you will need it. It took a bad concussion to convince me to wear a helmet. Since then, I've destroyed 2 helmets in 20+ years of riding.

I suspect you are a big boy now and it is your head, but i do strongly suggest you wear the helmet. If you ride a bike much, eventually, you will need it. It took a bad concussion to convince me to wear a helmet. Since then, I've destroyed 2 helmets in 20+ years of riding.

Well, maybe if I get a concussion, it will convince me too. I ride a minimum of 15 miles a day. Fortunately, I don't have to ride in the kind of traffic I've read about on this forum. If it was a risky ride, I'd probably wear the damn thing. What I generally wear is a plain linen scarf of batik that an old friend made for me. It acts as a sweatband and when the temp is below 55 or so, I pull it over my (well protruding) ears to keep them warm.

What I will not do is live a life of fear. I think if we took a statistician's look at total miles ridden vs number of head injuries, we would find that the odds of sustaining a head injury while riding would be in the neighborhood of winning a substantial sum in the lottery. People still buy lottery tickets (and tear them up when they loose), but they still buy them. I saw a billboard in San Fran when I was living there a few years back that said, "Someone is going to win the lottery today. Just not you."

Be it from being attacked by 2 dogs and real bad cramps today, when I was ending up on the MUP connecting to the neighborhood, I yelled at some parents for not having a helmet on their rug rat. PA law as stated above. Parents can be numbskulls if they want but at least get the kids on the right track.

Our club rides - no helmet no ride with the group.

SaiKaiTai - I've seen the same thing - amazing.

A previous officemate started riding his comfort bike and I nagged him about getting a helmet. I even offered him one I owned. One day he came limping into the office with a golf ball sized lump on his head. He went over @ 10mph when hitting a rain dampened wooden bridge on the MUP. Needless to say he bought a helmet.
I never had or wore a helmet as a child or in my early twenties when I rode. I also never wore seat belts until about 23 years old. One day, while visiting my Mothers, I overheard a lady tell mom about an accident she had during winter. She wasn't wearing a seatbelt and apparently wandered around in a daze for a couple hours one night after an accident.

What a rip. F@*%king capitalists.

Afraid of a few profit making robber barons are we?:D

There's a difference between living a life of fear, and refusing to use readily available "stuff" to help protect yourself from the unexpected. I fasten my seat belt too. That's no big deal either. I've been around enough head injured people to know I don't want it to be me. Wearing a helmet while cycling is a small enough effort on my part to help raise the already long odds of that happening to me.

Signed,

Wolf, in sheep's helmet.

Lead by example. Do the parents think that the kids don't notice the parents AREN'T wearing a helmet. Bet that as soon as the kid is out of sight of the parent, that helmet comes off!! Having heard my helmet hit the trail more than once, I "won't leave home without it".

Being that my profession is working with brain injury patients, you'd think I'd be against people using helmets because they cut down on business for me; but I feel I have more than enough work so I would suggest everyone use them.

For myself; I won't think about riding without one because I see every day what it takes to deal with that kind of injury and I don't have what it would take to do it.

Afraid of a few profit making robber barons are we?:D

Afraid? No. Angry about the exploitation? Yes. Disgusted that 6 million or more children starve to death every year simply because their parents have no money for food, even when there is a global abundance? Absolutely. Outraged that long term global ecological sustainability is being traded for short term profits? You bet. Frustrated that 95% of us are forced into wage slavery just to survive, to line the pockets of those robber barons that own 95% of the worlds wealth? Yep. One thing I guess you could say I "fear" is the gullibility of all those sheeple that allow the capitalist mind managers to convince them that capitalism is either the only way or the best way to organize human society. Capitalism has been very successful for quite a while. It has resulted in a lot of technological innovation, including the bicycle. But it has not only outlived it's usefulness, it has become so destructive to human life and to the environment that we cannot afford to allow it to persist much longer.

What I don't understand is why 80% of motorcycle riders don't wear helmets.

What I don't understand is why 80% of motorcycle riders don't wear helmets.

Maybe they are young and stupid like I was when I was riding the motorcycle:eek:

I only rode offroad but never wore a helmet. I made sure I wore boots and clothing to protect the arms and legs but the head was bare:( Thankfully I was lucky and survived those years.

My life companion has been in hospital three times. Twice bringing our delightful kids into the world. Once concussed and unconscious after a 5 mph bike incident (U turning postal truck in Washington DC clipping her back bike wheel). No helmet.
One of the delightful kids retains both halves of his bike helmet from when he slipped off a pedal on a rainy commute to college a couple of years ago. He was getting going from a traffic stop - maybe travelling 2 mph at the time.
We wear helmets.

You should only wear a helmet (bicycle or motorcycle) if you have a brain.

Afraid? No. Angry about the exploitation? Yes. Disgusted that 6 million or more children starve to death every year simply because their parents have no money for food, even when there is a global abundance? Absolutely. Outraged that long term global ecological sustainability is being traded for short term profits? You bet. Frustrated that 95% of us are forced into wage slavery just to survive, to line the pockets of those robber barons that own 95% of the worlds wealth? Yep. One thing I guess you could say I "fear" is the gullibility of all those sheeple that allow the capitalist mind managers to convince them that capitalism is either the only way or the best way to organize human society. Capitalism has been very successful for quite a while. It has resulted in a lot of technological innovation, including the bicycle. But it has not only outlived it's usefulness, it has become so destructive to human life and to the environment that we cannot afford to allow it to persist much longer.


I'm afraid that there aren't many wage slaves here. Most of us can afford N+1. I for one am proud to be a born again capatilist.

We appear to be the number one country on the list for everyone's "I want to go there and live". So how come people keep coming out of the woodwork to tell us what monsters we are?

Maoism doesn't seem to be doing much for the environment in China. The environment in Russia doesn't look much better. Possibly I'm just not reading the same books as you but I don't see the point.