Potatofarmer

Just wondering if you guys wear protection for that precious noggin' of yours. If so, which one?

I'm thinking of buying one of those carrera foldable ones because I think they look kind of cool (as far as helmets can look cool).
Does anyone know if there are big differences between different kinds of helmets?

TenSpeedV2

Um, hmmm. That folding helmet does not look cool, at least not to me. I wear one some of the time. It's a Lazer something or rather. Nice helmet, color matches the bike, is comfortable, doesn't leave lines on my freshly shaved head. Was like $120 or so at the LBS. Fits me better than anything I have tried before, and the color matches. Did I mention that the color matches?

TimothyH

Helmet goes on before I get on the bike and comes off only after I get off the bike.

Same with seat belts. It is the first thing I do when I get in the car and the last thing I do before I get out of the car.

FullGas

have a dent in my skull from hitting the pavement bare-headed.

kinda gave me a hint to buy a helmet.

I like my Giro Aeon.

ceelint

Yes, because most of my rides involve beer sometime during the ride...lol... I wear a Protec StreetLite

oeuf

Yes, an old Catlike Kompact Pro from like 6 years ago.
Which reminds me, do helmets have a shelf life? Should I get a new one even though this helmet has never seen a crash or much less even dropped?

DustDriver

Always have worn a helmet, always will. My uncle almost died after getting thrown from his bike when a car hit him and he had no helmet on (coma, seizures, whole nine) he always stressed to me to always ride with a helmet on and i always do.

roadfix

This is a no brainer. Of course I wear a helmet, like I wear my seat belt. I also have smoke alarms in my home.

Muffin Man

Manufacturers usually recommend replacing a helmet after 5 years as the foam has degraded enough from sun exposure and sweat that it doesn't really squish anymore on impact, but just shatters. We see people come in all the time with old helmets that buy new ones, and when we throw them away, we stomp on them to break them so no one can take them out of the trash and use them and they just kinda explode into a million pieces instead of compacting and protecting anything.

Leukybear 

It is in my noggin's best interests that I do.

Also, I don't want to wind up on worldstar or liveleak.

Muffin Man

A helmet has saved my life at least twice, so I pretty much always have one on if I'm on a bike. Usually don't bother when I'm going less than half a mile though.

hairnet

I've been lazy lately and letting the wind through my hair. But I own a Lazer and a Specialized.

caloso

I have a few which get rotated: Specialized Propero II, Specialized S3, and a Lazer Blade.

Owlex

sometimes. running errands, commuting, or going for beers I don't. Playing fred out on the road bike, I do.


POC Octal MIPS when I do.

jacobsever

I'm in the extreme minority.

Don't wear a helmet. I've never even owned one.

Ky_Rider

About 50/50. If it's dark I'm wearing a helmet. Slow rides around my neighborhood I do not. Most of my rides are slow rides anymore. Lol

50voltphantom

I do, 99.99% of the time.

As a kid I tore around on my BMX bike for like 12 years without one and it's a damn miracle I only ever suffered one concussion (I was brought home unconscious in the back of a police car, face bloodied and tore up). Even then my parents never made me wear a helmet (except when I was racing, then it was required obvs.), which is a head-scratcher now that I think about it .

seau grateau

Usually. I have a Giro Pneumo.

birru

Yup, even in situations when one probably isn't necessary. It's just habit for me now. I've cracked a couple of helmets in my life. Once while getting cut off by a car on the road and once while trail riding beyond my capabilities. Better my styrofoam hat than my noggin.

Wendell F

Mine saved my life. I'd just gotten home from a ride, walked into my bedroom and a ceiling fan fell on me and put a big ol' dent in my helmet.

Guess there's no real lesson to be learned there.

mapeiboy

Lazer Genesis helmet here . You should wear one no matter how short the ride , even to the corner store .

street_sweeper

if im clipped in, im in a helmet.

JeremyLC

I always wear a helmet, and I seem to break them with my head on a yearly basis. Last year's busted helmet earned me a concussion - my first ever! (*) I usually wear a Specialized Echelon, but they were out of stock the last time I went for a new one, so I came home with a Propero instead. Different makes and models of helmet will fit your head differently, and different styles (mtb, road, etc.) will have different optimizations of weight, airflow, and overall protection.


*) Nope, I don't remember anything about it. I just kinda "woke up" at home crying into my and with a broken helmet, several new bruises and scrapes, and no idea how I got there. Apparently I crashed hard somewhere and got back on my bike - the bars no longer aligned with the front wheel, though I either didn't care or notice - and pedaled home. That was a terrifying experience.

REDMASTA

Don't wear a helmet while riding on the road. Feels great just jumping on and going for a ride.

Downhill riding I put on a full face though.

leob1

I have a friend that is an occupational therapist, she deals with head trauma cases. Talk to her for half an hour, you'll take every precaution to protect your noggin, no matter how small.
I still remember waking up laying in the street before there was such a thing as a bicycle helmet.
I have three, a Nutcase, and a Bell influx, I think. And a Closca folding helmet that my wife bought and make me use. I defense of the Closca, the folding helmet does come in handy when going into NYC and using Citibike. It's easier to fold it up and shove it in the backpack. But it has no real vents, so it's like an oven on your head. And it's plain ugly.