..Because we don't have enough of those really serious brain injuries that result from rotational damage - which according to experts current bicycle helmet designs make worse! Yes, fewer concussions and more human cabbages - that's got to be our goal!

I shoulda posted an over-under for when a post like that would appear. ^^^^

Even though the post may be a partial slam; I do agree the most important thing when selecting a helmet is fit.

Now, for those who do decide to buy and wear a helmet, you have more size choices than just 3. Each helmet manufacturer tends to size their helmets slightly different. A small Giro is a different fit from a small Bell (even though Giro and Bell are owned by the same parent company). Even sizing from the same manufacturer may vary for different models. With at least 10 helmet manufacturers, plus all the different models, there is a helmet out there that will be a near perfect fit. You just have to be willing to accept the design and colors for the particular models that have that near perfect fit.

Why, on this forum, does an innocuous question become a huge debate? Just wondered.

Because this is BF.

As you said, he's just a noob.

On the other hand, maybe the A & S is growing up. Did everybody get jobs and start paying taxes or something?

yes, it's fun.

In spite of all the hoo-hah about helmets, you can wear a helmet but it still won't protect you well unless 1) it's fitted properly; and 2) you wear it correctly.

Fit is key. Buy the smallest-sized helmet that fits your head. (And yes, though they are actually the same company, Bell and Giro helmets fit differently. Bells tend to fit "round" heads better, Giros fit better if your head is more oval.) Use the adjustments in the pads and straps to make sure the helmet fits snugly on your head, without wiggling or bouncing around. You want the foam in the helmet to take the lick and cushion your head, not the double-strike of your head impacting the foam in a loose helmet. That's what the extra pads are for... some of the less expensive helmets are cast in a single one-size-fits-most form, and they use the extra padding to fill in the gaps between your helmet and your head.

A helmet has to be worn properly in order to protect you. Wear it square and level on the head -- not cocked back, tipped forward, or otherwise cock-eyed. You should be able to fit the width of two fingers between the helmet and your eyebrows. Adjust the chin straps so that they form a "V" around your ears, with the little clip securing them just below your ear lobe. The chin strap should be fastened and snug, enough that you can just slip a finger between the strap and your chin. It shouldn't be hanging loose under your chin or down around your adam's apple.

I've seen poorly fitted helmets (loose chin strap, worn cocked back on the head) simply peel away from the head in an over-the-handlebars crash. The fellow had his helmet checked pre-ride, but along the road it "felt tight" so he loosened the strap and tilted it back. A little later he touched wheels with the rider in front and went over the bars to the pavement. The helmet hit first, and since the straps were loose, rolled right on back exposing the rider's forehead to the street. Fifteen stitches, a grade 3 concussion, and a ride to the ER 20 miles away in an ambulance, coupled with 48 hours in the hospital for observation. $$$$$!

Same circumstance, but with a properly fitted and worn helmet, a young lady went over the bars and landed smack on the front of the helmet. This time the foam did its job, crushing a 4" circle pert near flat. The young lady was a little stunned, and had a scrape on her right chin and knee, but was otherwise okay. Had she not been wearing that skid lid, we'd have had a funeral for sure.

Helmets are good things, but you've got to fit them and wear them right, and rememer that they actually are the last layer in a scheme of protection, not a magic wand against mishap or injury.

Prove it. I'm tired of all these "oh, my helmet saved my life!" stories that are based entirely on speculation.

Actually, no. It's because this is A&S. Useful answers are not to be tolerated here.

Cool, I'm in.

Has the debate not added some useful information?

I'll wear a helmet, you go without, and we'll both bang our heads against a brick wall and see what happens.

I don't know about you, but I don't normally bang my head against brick walls while cycling. You might be doing it wrong

Okay, then, we'll just go straight for the pavement instead. Of course, we'd look like this kid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUZ2-RoV258

Brainiac steps up to the plate and swings.............?

Me thinks that he failed. ;-)

you are aware that they're called "accidents" for a reason, right?

yeah, but who is more or less likely to have an "accident"?

(wait a minute, I already answered that - check out the link I posted earlier:
https://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/en/dow...ar2004_1_e.pdf )

Racers, messengers, and klutzes, of course.

Oh yeah, the usual answer is really, "Someone else."

Klutzes for sure, someone other than on a bicycle, most definitely!

"Accident" is a poor choice of words. Nearly all of these crashes or collisions have a primal cause where somebody (or somebodies) got careless, or was negligent, or otherwise screwed up.

The tiny remainders are called "acts of God" or "natural disasters."

It's when that "Somebody" crashes their car or bike or motorcycle or RV into you as you were carefully following all traffic rules that a helmet would be appreciated.

I have no control over the other yahoos out on the road nor can always be on the lookout for deer or dogs while riding. Sometimes bad ***** just happens so taking a small precaution by wearing a helmet makes good sense.

A helmet is cheap insurance. Do you understand insurance? Do you not carry it for yourself, your spouse, your house, your car? If so, why? After all, "Nearly all of these crashes or collisions have a primal cause where somebody (or somebodies) got careless, or was negligent, or otherwise screwed up."