astonv0l

What should I look for? I have a cheap $15 helmet from Wal-Mart and want one that is smaller, lighter and actually cools my head.

K6-III

I like both Selev and Limar (both are made in Italy, as opposed to China)

ShinyBaldy

they all offer protection if they are sold legally... I would recommend the Bell and Giro models between 20~100 dollars... I personally have a Monza and it is nice compared to my previous Bell Arc.

pogoman

I like Giro helmets. They are pretty good.

nutbag

Giro,

operator

They are all good. It's whether or not you want to have function or form and function. You pay through the roof for form.

oxologic

Selev is good.. mine is apparently lighter than the Giro Atmos, or of equal weight. It's much cheaper too... and function wise.. protects ur head.

sailor

The Giro Monza is on sale at Performance and Colorado Cyclist. Might want to look into it, Im certainly tempted...

Maj.Taylor

I wear a $25 cheapo--the rare times I wear one at all. It looks good enough and is properly certified. And yes, you read that correctly. I virtually never wear a helmet. How about some statistics on accidental causes of deaths? (BTW, I'm a Ph.D.-level statistician and marketing researcher.)

Accidental Cause....................1-Year Odds of Dying*
Cycling ...............................1 in 359,967
Pedestrian.............................1 in 46,960
Fall from stairs or steps..............1 in 195,003
Firearms discharge.....................1 in 355,479
From any force of nature...............1 in 259,176
Car occupant...........................1 in 19,075

What does that tell you? It says you should always wear Kevlar body armor in addition to riding Kevlar-lined tyres, given you have a greater chance of dying from a gunshot wound than cycling. Do you? It tells you to never walk, or cross a street. That's approximately 8 times more dangerous than cycling. Put that helmet on before you even leave the house to walk a few blocks! It tells you that Mother Nature is more out to get you than riding without a helmet. Better put a lightning rod on that helmet while you're at it. Certainly put a helmet on before walking up or down stairs! And, you definitely need a helmet, stock car protection, and restraint devices should you drive.

People do things all the time that are far more dangerous than riding a bike, but never give them a thought--or take additional safety precautions. Given there are so many more common ways I could easily die than riding my bike, I'll take my chances without the helmet. (Oh, and the cycling statistics do not take into account a rider's proficiency or experience. The majority of those deaths are kids, not serious adult cyclists. And no, the cycling odds are not lower because of all the helmets being worn. I've controlled for that. In fact, in my county there has been nonly 1 cycling-related death in the past 5 years.)

Yes, the helmet industry has done a magnificent job of marketing and exaggerating the dangers of riding without a helmet. You've been had. Caveat emptor.

*National Safety Council Data (2001)

djbrod

Not to be contrary, but do you have numbers regarding those accidents that result in the rider becoming mentally incapacitated but not dying? I would like to avoid this as well as death. I was done wearing diapers ~ 3 YO and would like to prolong my return to them.

redfooj

catlike helmets look great
bell helmets are the best value, imo

Maj.Taylor

(Worry not. You cannot be contrary. I don't tell people they can't wear helmets. Hey, go ahead. It doesn't affect me at all. I just get really angry when someone starts preaching to me about not wearing a helmet, and they don't know a beta coefficient from a chi-square statistic. In other words, they entirely lack the skills to think analytically and analyze data for themselves.)

No, I do not have the data of which you speak. However, I will venture to say any differences would likely be small, if there at all. Mere logic (and lots of experience with data and its analysis) has me question why cycling would leave a person any more incapacitated than the others? I've seen people with remaining serious injuries or problems from each of those.

There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. --Mark Twain

Surferbruce

whatever you do try them on before you buy. i let a lbs employee talk me into a giro pneumo which ended up being a size too large. after selling it on ebay at a loss, i took a bit more time trying on as many as i could and realized i just don't have a giro head. when i finally tried the bell ghisallo it fit like a glove.

Stubacca

Yup, try 'em on. Giro helmets just don't feel comfortable on my head. I've tried Limar and found it pretty comfortable, but always seem to end up buying a Bell. Who cares where it's made, so long as it's comfortable. They all have to meet the same safety standards...

hlweyl

Major Taylor, do you have any data about your skull cracking the pavement with vs. without a helmet? I would like to see those numbers.

Maj.Taylor

Many people clearly either failed or did not fully understand their college stats classes.

john5211

Okay, so I should start by saying that I agree with you ... wearing a helmet is a personal decision and there really isn't a statistical basis for saying that wearing one makes you any safer.

However ... isn't this a prime example of using the wrong statistic to support your argument? Isn't the statistic you need for the above table the 1-year odds of dying in a cycling crash *given that you are a regular cyclist*? (Really it would be nice to have the odds as a function of average miles cycled per week or something, but I imagine that data would be prohibitively hard to collect). I mean, we all (or most of us anyway) ride in cars, walk up and down stairs, and walk near a road from time to time. But a rather small percentage of people cycle, and even then often for not a very long percentage of their life. Obviously the odds of a person who does not cycle in a given year dying from a cycling accident are vanishingly small.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with your overall point (and maybe I'm wrong about which statistic to use and just don't see why ), but on the other hand this is why no one ever trusts statisticians (IMHO).

John

redfooj

maybe when a car swerves into the side of your bike, you can use your stat book to pad your head from bouncing off the asphalt

NeoBinary

Pretentious displays of vocabulary make you an expert on the subject no more than shoving a bottle rocket up my a$$ would make me an astronaut.

Maj.Taylor

Very true.

Maj.Taylor

I knew there would be reactions such as this. As I said, it's a personal call. Please do wear your helmet. I will not ever try to stop you. Fair enough?

Maj.Taylor

I'm processing your comments. Thank you a fine display of rationality. And you're right, you should not trust statisticians. I most certainly do not. (And that's why I frequently re-analyze data for myself.)

pjbaz

I too find I don't quite have a "Giro head" even thoguh I own a mid level Giro right now. I want a new lid so I tried on the Pneumo and it just doesn't feel right...so I tried on a Limar 909 and man, that's the stuff.

Now, I have to convince my wife that I need to spend $160 on a new helmet when I have a helmet.

Pj

Steelrider

Where to start with this one...for starters, for those who don't begrudge you your right to ride without a helmet, why do you feel the need to criticize those who have made a different choice?

The statistics you cite are most likely for an average person (casual/serious/perhaps even non-rider) not for a rider who rides x000's of miles/year in urban areas, which I can say with certainty would increase the likelihood of an incident that could result in injury or death. For example, I have many years of experience on a bike in urban/suburban areas and it has been a pretty safe experience. However, there was one time (without going into detail) when I struck the ground with the back of my head, cracking the poly liner nearly in two, where I am certain that I would have been seriously injured or killed without a helmet. Don't know whether you have any significant others/dependents, but I can also say with certainty that your statistical information would have been cold comfort to them if I had not been riding with a helmet. I ride with a helmet both for me and for my family and can promise you that I've not "been had" by anyone. A testament to helmets? Not my intention, but you're way off base for criticizing the analytical faculties of anyone who has made a different choice than you have.

collegeskier

John5211 is completely correct. Maj. Taylor makes assumptions that are not supported by the statistics. The total number of people doing the activity greatly affects the chances of dieing from it. Think of it this way. The chances of die crossing a limited access 4 lane divided highway are very low. Does that mean that it is a good idea to do it? No not at all not many people die cause not many people try it.

But if you are a grown adult and don't want to wear a helmet that is fine. Darwinism in action is all I have to say. Also just cause that many people don't die from it does not mean you should not take precautions against it. You also have very little chance of dieing from nature but I am not going to go into the middle of a field in the middle of a thunder storm, just not prudent.