Originally Posted by
10 Wheels
You don't need a helmet.
You don't need gloves.
You don't need to ride with traffic.
You don't need handle bars.
Why would this guy need a helmet?

I love it - safety is overrated. Why do we cringe so, and turn into moralizing babysitters, whenever people do things that can get them hurt?
As Ron White says, "You can't fix stupid."
Anyway, here's the deal - just get a helmet. Don't spend a lot of money on it, either, as they are all designed to meet the same standards.
Try it out for 2 weeks.
Then ride without it two weeks.
Assume the minimal risks associated with cycling during this period, in the interests of enlightenment.
After this month, decide what you like.
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I listened to all the crap that goes with helmet debate, too, and ended up asking myself, "Why the hell am I listening to all this crap?!"
Once my trial was over, I found the helmet made me feel no safer. It was the same thing a DVD player comes packaged in. Oh, maybe if I fell over in the driveway and hit my head, it might help. That is what they are deigned for, after all.
Overall, though, I can take them or leave them in terms of safety. I'm half convinced, in fact, that much of what we are led to believe about them is either profiteering sham or fear mongering... which often are the same thing.
The one place they do excel is as a visibility tool. They are the highest point in the riders world and you can really do a lot to take advantage of that. Everything from Fluorescent paint to flashing lights is doable on a helmet. This lets you be seen long before you have to hope the helmet is gonna help you.
So get one, try it, and decide. Cycling is NOT dangerous in and of itself, despite what the alarmists say. Helmets don't change that.