closetbiker

he is a reasonable man after all

Mitchxout

The best example the leader of the free world can exhibit is freedom of choice.

TromboneAl

I'd say the secret service is not doing it's job (just like the body guard who did not make sure that Princess Diana was buckled up).

apacherider

That bike he is on is a Jamis.

alentric

he us riding with his daughter ..she is probably going slow, so he doesn't need a helmet
and cars are not a threat What bike is he riding? Can anyone tell?

TromboneAl

Here's one way of looking at it: Obama has a personal physician with him at all times, just in case. That's pretty extreme. That's probably more extreme than wearing a helmet, and a lot more expensive.

So if you're going to be that extreme, you might as well suggest that he put on a helmet.

closetbiker

yeah, and nothing displays going to the extreme as much as a family bike ride out in the trails around Marthas Vineyard.

Geez, is there nothing that is safe enough for some people?

Elkhound

Why is it better to ride with a helmet? Because brains belong inside the skull.

Look at this story: Can you imagine what would have happened if he HADN'T been wearing a helmet?

Go to your hospital's neurological rehab unit and observe patients with traumatic head injuries. If that experience won't convert you, I wonder if, perhaps, you yourself were once dropped on your head.

LesterOfPuppets

You wear a helmet in the shower? I've gotten WAY more concussions per hour spent in the shower than I have per hour on the bike. Luckily only one so far, knock on wood.

qmsdc15

No one has mentioned no training wheels either. I think it's irresponsible for the leader of the free world to risk toppling over, with or without a helmet.

closetbiker

what about a mouthguard too?

Presendent Bush reportedly wore one in his fall

https://www.cnn.com/2004/US/05/22/bush.fall/

CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- President Bush fell off his bicycle Saturday while riding on his ranch, according to White House spokesman Trent Duffy....

Tubb treated the president at the scene. Bush was wearing a helmet and a mouth guard when he fell, Duffy said.

zonatandem

. . . does he have adquate health insurance?

closetbiker

...he's American. Of course not.

(Ooops, except he's part of Americas ruling elite. That's different)

trackhub

I've always believed that wearing a helmet should be a matter of personal choice. (Yes, I wear one. I prefer white helmets, because they're visible at night, and reflect heat away during the day) If you want to take your chances with the pavement, steel storm gratings, manhole covers, or anything else, go right ahead.

I do find some of the "I don't need a helmet" excuses interesting though. My favorite was from a woman with a master's degree in mechanical engineering, who told me, with a perfectly straight face, that she didn't need to wear a helmet, because she only rode on the sidewalk and "the bike paths". She never could understand why I laughed out loud.

That aside, the president of the U.S. is looked up to by young people, and I feel he should set a good example.

Agreed, the saddle looked low in those photos. Any chances that bike was borrowed at the last minute?

I-Like-To-Bike

He did. Perhaps some people will question the Gospel as promoted by Helmet Marketeers and Hysterical Safety Nannies.

TromboneAl

Another way you look at it:

Chances of accident with brain damage or death: almost zero.

Downside of wearing a helmet: almost none.

Effect on the world of an accident with brain damage or death: monumental

I guess it depends on how much you like Joe Biden.

closetbiker

Developing and enforcing the perception that cycling is dangerous: great

Elkhound

OK, if you like the idea of your skull bouncing on the pavement with no protection, great; if you want to have a truck run over your naked head, great. Personally, I do not; nor do I think that the leader of the free world should either. (Were he a private citizen, I'd say it was his choice; however, he CHOSE to become more than that, and he has an obligation to the people of the United States to take all reasonable precautions for his personal safety.)

genec

Cool Cool... your reasoning is only sound in that he indeed should be well protected due to his office. However... the likelihood of the Prez: being hit by a truck, or even falling, while riding about on a short bike, and at the speed of his girls' bikes, is pretty darn slim.

Really. The man is in about as much danger as you, sitting upright in your own bed.

Quel

Man. Look and him and his daughters in that pace line. They must be going at least 27 mph. If he falls he could die!

closetbiker

woooorry warrrrt

Elkhound

Perhaps your skull has been bouncing on the pavement. That would explain a lot.

billew

Forgive him West Virginians spend a lot of time hitting their heads in coal mines. If he thinks a foam and plastic hat will fend off the weight of a truck, well there ain't no way to say just how stupid that statement is.

Elkhound

I wouldn't have thought it possible myself, but the Madison incident has been thoroughly documented.

Speedo

^^^

"His helmet, a Giro, was crushed, but Lipscomb's head was fine."

If the helmet was crushed, how did it protect his head? Bike helmets are designed to protect against impulsive blows like an impact. Damage to a helmet, like it being crushed is then often presented as evidence of the helmet doing its job. Having your head run over is not an impulsive blow. If the helmet was crushed then it was not protecting the wearer from the crushing pressure of the truck.

I think this is one for myth busters!

Speedo