Chris L

I think someone who takes additional risks just because they happen to be wearing a helmet has other issues that they should be more concerned about.

That is exactly right. I wear a helmet because I want the protection that provides, but I also want to avoid other injuries too, so I don't do stupid things.

Chris

Felix C

You have to remember that I put on many, many miles before helmets were around. The only thing we were required to wear when I first started racing was a hair-net, nothing else. It wasn't until 1988 when we were required to wear helmets.

There is a point to helmets and taking risks, it is a fact that many people assume that they are being safe just because they are wearing a helmet. The fact is that you are only being SAFER when you wear a helmet and what you do while you ride a bike will also contribute to being SAFER.

Make sure your brakes are working as is the rest of your bike, too many cyclists are just accidents looking for a place to happen.

bvelo

The only time I take it off is on a steep accent. Especially a fire road or something with no cars. It's crazy not to wear one. At least I am sold on them

s_boy

I ain't gonna lie... I hate wearing helments and usually don't. I have an old styrofoam-jobber-do and I have used it a few times, but normally I come up with an excuse to leave it in the garage.

I am looking for a better helment that might be a bit more comfy... but, the most important thing for ME is to pray for divine protection and I would still put more stock in the prayer even if I wore a full suit of armour!

I mean... tangling with a car or truck wearing a little bicycle helment will reap very little payabck.

I know this will rile some, but it's my opinion so have at it....

Chris L

Believe it or not, you'll actually get used to it eventually. I don't even notice mine these days. I think I'd notice if I rode around without one, though.

Each to their own. I personally prefer not to trust the contents of my head to someone or something else without first taking all the steps that I can to protect them.

As I said before, anyone who rides in a more dangerous manner just because they happen to be wearing a helmet has other issues they should be concerned with. A helmet won't ward off a car or a truck. However, there are other hazards out there, too. It's those that I worry about.

I mean, if a car or truck decides to kill you, there's bugger all you can do about it at the time in any case (apart from very fast evasive action), so I prefer to worry about things I have some control over.

Chris

Felix C

Most of the time when I was hit by a car, it was low speed stuff. People coming out of parking lots etc so I could brace myself and roll when needed.

There was one time though that the guy hit a group of us at around 60 MPH (that's 97 KPH) and I went down, cracked the helmet and was able to walk away. Very sore the next day, but I knew what day it was and all the other neat stuff you can take for granted if you don't think about it.

The most serious collision I had was not with a car, it was with a curb. I slid out in a corner and slid across some greasy, wet pavement (like you find on busy city streets in a rainstorm). My head hit the curb and smashed my helmet to pieces, I had no chance to protect my head any other way and I wasn't going that fast. My head was the focal point of all the energy of the fall. I walked away from that one too.

You can get some really cool helmets these days and they don't have to be that expensive. I got my nephew one for $15 that was perfectly fine and he loves it. If you wear sunglasses, you can look even cooler.

Greg

I've run out of stories about friends with bad luck.

velocipedio

As I said at the start of this thread, I'm normally a helmet wearer. Cycling can be a dangerous sport -- I understand the safety value of a bicycle helmet, and I'm normally willing to put up with the slight inconvenience of wearing one.

On the other hand, there's danger and then there's danger. Riding in traffic on a city street is dangerous; it is the location where you are probably most likely to have a serious accident. Riding in a paceline can be dangerous, too -- one kiss of wheels at 40km/h and you're road pizza. Mountain biking can be dangerous; I have crashed dozens of times more often on my MTB than I have on my road bike.

However, I find that riding on a quiet closed road, like the 15km stretch along Ile de Couvee in Montreal, is considerably less dangerous. The likelihood of a crash is greatly reduced. That doesn't mean that I WON'T crash there, only that I believe if I'm riding alone or with one other person in good conditions and not in a paceline, the risk is reduced to the point where I feel comfortable hanging my helmet from the bars.

Sure, I might still crash, but I might also be hit by a car walking to the depanneur, or a branch might fall on my head while I am out cross country skiing. I don't plan to wear a helmet at all times of my life, either.

Felix C

I think a lot of people don't cycle because they think it's dangerous, it really isn't.

Statistics would suggest that everybody wear a helmet every minute of the day until they are 40 because head trauma is a leading cause of death until that age. After that, other things start to kill us off.

There are times when I'm in the garage or a closet poking around and I wish I was wearing a helmet, I stand up and bump my head on something.

Chances are that inactivity will kill you sooner than cycling. Go to

https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesitytrends.htm

and check out what is killing people in the US. It's not bicycles.

bvelo

Once I hit a car going about 18-20 mps. The car was parking and I had rain and dirt in my eyes. I smashed my knee, and got knocked unconscious. When I checked my helmet it had a dent and crack right where my temple is. I may have been hurt badly or even killed if I didn't have it.

So I am sold like I said before. I don't usually tell this story given the parked car thing. But, I thought in this case it might be worth a little embarrassment. So:

If you are new to cycling and aren't set in your ways. Try to get used to wearing helmets.

bgbhere

About the Helment~~~ Yes, Yes, Yes~~ Until I discovered the pleasure of a good set of earphones on my rides~~~ (good=too large to accomodate the helment too)~~ So, I compromised~~ If the scenario is calm enough that I can listen to Yanni or Enya mellow me out (absolutely no vehicle traffic or not a lot of people on secluded trail)~~ I opt for the phones, but with helment ready to use if needed~~

velocipedio

You know, if I was cycling in the rain on a street with traffic, I'd wear my helmet. But the situation is different on a long country road where you can see and hear traffic approaching for 5km in either direction, and you only actually see a car once every 30 minutes.

You can never be too careful, I guess. That's why I see over-protective parents making their kids wear helmets to play soccer...

mwmw

I'm a safe, careful, rider who never rides against traffic or on the sidewalk(where most adult bike accidents occur). I ride 6000+ mi.\yr. and have never had a close call. I realize I'm taking a risk by not wearing a helmet(just as I'm taking a risk of being struck by lightning walking down the street), but I don't believe the risk outweighs the facts. Helmets are hot, uncomfortable, and ugly. The difference between enjoying or not enjoying riding. If I fall off my bike, I'm not going to crack my head open. If I get hit by a car, that piece of styrofoam isn't going to help. They reduce your hearing and peripheral vision, and can act as a pivot, causing severe neck and spinal cord injury. Kids should wear helmets. You have weighed the risks and made a decision, and I accept and respect that, so please don't hassle me for my decision.

jitteringjr

I used to never wear my helmet unless I was off roading on my mountain bike. But when I switched to a road bike where the speeds went from 10mph relaxing rides to over 20mph workouts, I started wearing one all the time. I also sprang a few extra bucks for a nice Giro with twice the ventilation of the old Avenir, which helps the comfort. Now I always wear one

cycletourist

I always wear my helmet and believe everyone else should, too. However, I am not a fascist about it. If you don't want to wear a helmet, then don't wear one. It's your head, not mine.

Walter

Cycletourists sentiment is mine as well. I'm libertarian enough to resent laws that tell people to protect themselves. Sooner or later the activity itself will be under attack as well.

As for whether helmets should be worn? Well I spent alot of time on motorcycles and wouldn't ride around the corner w/o one. Literally the only time I rode w/o a lid was on the beach at Daytona. Most motorcycle accidents occur at +/- 20mph either b/c it was a slow speed tip over or the rider got the bike slowed down before impact. Most of these accidents still resulted in injury. Now it's safe to say most of us can ride a bike at that speed as well. To me the motorcycle saying about not wearing a helmet only if you don't have anything worthwhile to put in it is valid in our sport as well.

cyclezealot

One time My rear cluster locked up. I fell over and my helmet hit the curb at probably 2 miles an hour. My Bell Helmet cracked. About 2 inches long above the right ear. I always wear a helmet.Better than my skull.
Besides I think they look cool. It completes the look, let along making you safer. And its yellow color with lots of yellow reflective tape, makes you more visible. Add that to a neon yellow jersey, who could miss you.

velocipedio

I bought a new helmet today to replace my old Giro which, at 5-years old, is getting a little flakey. [Really! The hardshell is flaking off, and the pads have long ago flaked away.]

I got A Louis Garneau Alien on sale for $35 [Canadian]. It fits very well and doesn't look too bad when you rip off the visor [silly things, those]. I couldn't find a helmet that I REALLY liked, and at this time of year, ventilation isn't going to be as much of an issue, so it's $35 well-spent until I find the helmet that I really like.

Here's the irony... I rode down to the bike shop helmetless... :-)

MtnBikerChk

I'm sorry - I know you asked not to be hassled, but I think your reasons for not wearing one are weak. Your chances of being struck by lightning are far less than falling on your head. And unless you are wearing a full face helmet (like a downhill mbr would) then I don't see how it impairs your hearing or your peripheral vision.

Children do as they see their role models do.

LittleBigMan

I wouldn't hassle you, I respect you. Since I care about you, I would not want to see you hurt, that's all.

:thumbup:

bikerider

While I would not dispute an adult's decision of whether or not to wear a helmet, I now always double back if I forget mine. Not because I have ever been involved in an accident involving hitting my head (I haven't, as far as I can recollect) but because of what happened to my father only a month ago.

As I would find out, he was riding fairly fast in traffic and was gradually cut off by a car sweeping to the right. The last thing he remembered before waking up in the ambulance was going for his brakes. He was wearing his helmet, as he always does. Of course he still managed to black out! He still cannot remember the moment of impact including when the corner of a newspaper box cut right through his lower lip area. Suffice to say it was a real shock for both he and I! (He could probably empathize with Pete Clark W/R/T his recent injuries - hope you're feeling better Pete, I can understand how your family must have felt

What I was reminded of is that no matter how skilled the rider and how good the weather/traffic/road conditions, sooner or later probability will catch up with you and you will take a spill. Now you may go 10, 20 or 100 years and never need that helmet to save your life. Unfortunately, there is simply too much at stake for me to take the risk!

velocipedio

With all respect, I have no interest in being a role model for a child. I don't have any of my own, and whether or not some child decides not to wear a helmet because he sees me on an occasion when I'm not wearing one concerns me not at all.

LittleBigMan

I would not risk an accident without head protection.

My "accident" did not even involve a vehicle, but a mean-spirited pedestrian. It's not worth gambling. Some things cannot be avoided at all.

My experience was so similar in that I can not remember going down, only standing in front of four wonderful ladies who stopped their cars to make sure I would be right until the ambulance arrived.

Whenever I see an ambulance now, I think of what it was like to ride in one, and how there is someone inside of it, possibly suffering.

I hope your Dad is ok.

bikerider

He is, thanks! Hope you are same

MtnBikerChk

(respect appreciated and reciprocated)

I don't think being a role model is something you choose to be. If you are a good rider (and I suspect you are) people (kids and adults) will see you and say "I want to ride like that." Boom - role model.