Originally Posted by canklecat

[MENTION=452633]52telecaster[/MENTION] -- I usually rode without a helmet back in the 1970s-'80s because there weren't any good helmets. The Bell had just come out but it was hot, heavy and expensive. I tried the cheap vinyl version of the hairnet but it was pointless. I tried a hockey helmet for awhile but it was too hot -- I wore it a few times on rainy commutes.

Several crashes back then, mostly being clobbered by careless drivers at intersections, slow speed stuff, no serious injuries. No head bonks.

When I resumed cycling in 2015 I was in my late 50s. My back and neck were seriously injured in a 2001 wreck when my compact car was t-boned by a full size SUV. Left me with a permanently damaged C2. So I decided to at least try a helmet. I didn't want to spend much in case I couldn't stand the weight or heat.

Got a Bell Solar for $20 from Nashbar. I've worn it on almost every ride since 2015. It's lightweight, comfortable and even with a few added grams from small, lightweight front and rear to-be-seen lights, it doesn't strain my neck despite my previous serious injury and chronic neck pain. I don't even notice the helmet anymore.

The one exception I've made is I no longer mount a video camera on the helmet. That was too much weight.

Only exceptions I've made to wearing that helmet were a few neighborhood errand rides, but I don't even do that anymore. The most dangerous part of every ride is my own immediate neighborhood. It's all apartment complexes with transient tenants, no sense of community, so they drive with indifference to anyone else. As soon as I'm a couple of miles away the vibe changes. Single family homes, long time residents with a real sense of community, and many of them walk, jog and bike in their neighborhoods. Totally different vibe, safer and more considerate.

Anyway, my first serious crash was a couple of weeks ago when I was clobbered by a distracted driver at an intersection. My shoulder is badly injured. Had X-rays and scans last week, seeing ortho doc for consult to decide on surgery or physical therapy tomorrow.

And unlike my previous crashes, my head did smack the pavement this time. Slow speed, roughly between 5-10 mph, but despite my high esteem for my own reflexes and ability to react under pressure, it was all for naught. This stuff happens too fast to react. Boom. The car was suddenly there, I'm on the pavement and even as I'm mentally telling myself "Don't hit your head", my head smacked the pavement, hard, a split second after my shoulder went crunch and I was blinded by pain.

No concussion symptoms, fortunately. Helmet did its job.

At age 60, despite being in the best shape I've been since I was in my 20s, I gotta be realistic. I'm not in my 20s. I don't have the same reflexes or strength and never will again.

Your choice, but consider the effects on your family and friends. That's my main incentive for wearing a helmet. I've seen the consequences of concussions and how quickly and badly head injuries can become a lifelong disability with a huge burden on family, friends, jobs, everything.