Originally Posted by
jen_turnbull
Sorry, I know many riders will disagree and that is their prerogative, but this is a ridiculous statement on so many levels.
There are many people, with CrankyOne being one of them, that believe that the "Dutch" style of cycling is the be all end all to life. With so many variances in climate, terrain, distance, personal fitness, etc. to factor in, there simply is no way to make it work for everyone. Sure, if the temperature is in the 60's and a cool breeze, you can easily ride your bike without a helmet at a slower pace in a cycling friendly infrastructure leisurely to work the few miles that you have to go.
For the rest of us, that simply won't work. I would never ride in Chicago, New York, LA, etc without a helmet on. I am fully confident in my cycling abilities, it is the drivers that concern me. My commute is 8.5 miles give or take, and it is relatively flat. The weather here plays the biggest part of what I use and don't use to commute with. I choose a lighter and faster bike so that I am not out in the baking sun in the middle of summer commuting to work. I have little to no shade for 95% of my commute. So either I ride a slow and am exposed to the heat more, or I ride faster and get there quicker allowing me to cool down before work.
The helmet or lack of one doesn't make me sweat less or more. The amount of ventilation on most helmets is far more than adequate to prevent overheating. Unless you are wearing a full face motorcycle helmet, the average helmet is just fine and shouldn't cause excessive sweating.