And again, the "But there's a chance a helmet could save your life" argument applies to damn near every activity humans undertake.

That is 100% true, and I don't think it a problem when someone says you don't need to wear a helmet because the chances of needing one when riding properly is very low, and you are willing to take the chance, just like when doing practically anything else and you take the chance that nothing will happen... :thumb: But when someone says that a helmet doesn't help, thus you don't/shouldn't wear one, can even make things worse when the old melon bounces off the pavement, (and that does happen thousands of times a year to somebody somewhere)... Then, I do have a problem with that... :twitchy:

I know I am nothing but a newbie but I will like to give my 2 cents.

Short version: YOU MUST WEAR A DAMN HELMET!

Long Version: Anything that goes above 10 mph, you need to wear a helmet. Case in point, I use to race motorcycles actively so I was VERY proficient in what I was doing. I knew my bike like the back of my hand and everything and how it would react to any situation. On a casual cruise around town, I was on my way back home. The city painted the cross walks but there was no sign there. I turned on a round about at ~25 mph (VERY slow for a machine that does 150 mph). My luck, my back tire lost traction, then before I could react to the change in traction when it gripped the pavement, I high sided. The bike threw me off and I slammed my head on the side of the curb.

Now if you know anything about anything, that is a death but because of my helmet, I live to tell the story today.

In regards to a bicycle, high sides are rare...if not VERY rare. But the fact you can lose traction, slip, anything and hit your head and die...if not be a veggie for a rest of your life because "you're too experienced" to wear one is not worth it. All it take is one crash for it all to be over. I rather wear something KNOWING that if and when I crash, my head is protected to the best of my ability.



Now if you want to not wear a helmet please refrain from it as I will not lose sleep over it, but I warn you, everyone pays their dues...some earlier...some later. I hope none of your guys ever do!


My rant.


Newbie out!

So some guy on the internet crashed his motorcycle and thinks that's a good reason for me to wear a bicycle helmet. Yeah, I'll take that advice for exactly what it's worth.

I think, as you get older, there is just a need to cover the bald spot.

A bicycle helmet doesn't even do that very well; a baseball cap would offer the wearer better protection from the sun, rain or cold.

You missed the point my dear...

"Now if you want to not wear a helmet please refrain from it as I will not lose sleep over it,..."

Then again, people tend to protect what they value, guess you may not have anything of value to protect... :thumb:

I agree with you 100% that there are better helmets when it comes to protection. That is why I never understood why people on Harleys wore salad bowls on top of their heads instead of full face shields. With that said, I have considered wearing a more protective helmet but I can't even find a regular bicycle helmet to fit me let alone a more protective one! ha! I have been reading great stuff about the Lazer helmets. I hope they carry a 64 cm helmet for my dome! :/

six

Your own words condem your position. You posted "damned near every activity" which includes cycling. "Damn near" is NOT 100%!!! So as I say the unexpected can and will bite a certain small percentage of cyclist in the butt. Since you or anyone doesnt know when that is going to happen -------wear a helmet.

My neighbor rides a Harley and wears one of those faux helmets. I just tell him that if he has a $5 head he can wear a $5 helmet.

So some guy on the internet has yet to need a helmet and posts hundreds of messages about how unsafe they are. His combative and condescending tone make it sound as if he's trying as hard to convince himself as much as anyone else that he is justified in not ever looking less cool by dawning protective gear. I'll that that for exactly what it's worth.

You may find that as your experience gets broader your mouth tends to stay shut more often. Or not - you may just be that kind of person.

Assuming you're talking about me, I invite you to locate even a single post where I have pronounced helmets "unsafe".

<edit> Actually, looking back at your post history, I can't find anywhere that we've ever written anything at all to each other. Do you have me confused with someone else, or is this "pick a fight with a random stranger" day?

Not picking a fight and not inferring that you addressed me. It's just your general tone. And if you don't claim that helmets are unsafe, then why would you encourage others to not wear one?

I neither claim that helmets are unsafe nor that they should not be worn. I claim only that riders should be able to choose their own level of protection without being called names, and that the folks claiming that helmetless bicycling is tantamount to suicide are out of line.

Regarding my "tone", it usually is neutral. I tend to get obnoxious only when replying to obnoxious posts - like "YOU MUST WEAR A DAMN HELMET!"

Now that we have that cleared up, carry on. :)

Just thought I'd check in here for my quarterly review. You knuckleheads got this all figured out and settled? Or are you continuing to dogmatically repeat the same unpersuasive sophomoric arguments you have been making since the beginning of this thread? If so, there is hope:

http://www.discoveryacademy.com/resi.../comp_mast.php

See you in April.

About two months back, we had a real breakthrough: minds were changed, there was virtual hugging and high-fives. Somewhere around pp 142-163 or so. You should go back through those pages and check it out! :thumb:

You misspelled "sophomoric". I think that might be ironic, but I'm not sure.

Ha, ha, ha, very funny. That was not a very nice practical joke, making me read pp 142-163.

Someone said that you wear protection on those parts you consider important?

I'mma start wearing a cup and butt donut from here on out. Two very critical parts of my body I want to see useful and unpunctured.

Thanks for the pro-tip.

"Don't knock ************; it's sex with someone I love." - Woody Allen :thumb:

I agree with you on that statement but a genius or idiot would both tell you that a helmet is needed in cycling.

Then again, when your head makes love to the pavement, please expect me to be the first to tell you I told you so and post a funny statement.

This makes me ponder...you don't wear a helmet when you cycle, so does that mean you don't wear condoms during intercorse? Because in your case, "If you're experienced enough, you have nothing to worry about...blah...blah...blah..."

My 'safety equipment logic tree':

Q1: Is there an unacceptable risk of a certain type of injury?
Q2: Can the available safety equipment mitigate this injury?

If the answer is yes, yes- use the appropriate equipment. If yes, no- don't carry out the activity. No, no implies that the equipment is useless, but unnecessary, and no, yes makes it a matter of personal choice.

For me, cycling on the road in good conditions falls somewhere between the no, yes and no, no categories, depending on the severity of the injury you're talking about. Throw in bad weather conditions, racing or off-road conditions and the situation changes towards the yes, yes category.

Really there should be a Q1A- can the risk be reduced by means other than PPE. Protective gear should be considered only after all other options have been exhausted.

1; Certainly there is such a thing as acceptable risk of injury... Showering without a helmet I would think is one of those things that the non-helmeted group brought to my attention saying it's actually more dangerous than bicycling without a helmet but I choose to shower without a helmet. as to what the ACTUAL risk is as to riding a bike without a helmet? While I do have some idea as to the number (I won't say it) I do use a helmet since having a helmet on is better than not having a helmet on when and if you actually need it... JMO...

2; That is the 64,000$ question... And no, a helmet certainly WILL NOT, save you in every situation... And it's also much more effective to learn to ride defensively/properly and not crash, than relying on a helmet to "save the day in the event of a crash"... BUT, A helmet most certainly can help out in most crashes involving the head bouncing off the pavement, (even tho there are some scientific studies that say otherwise, which I consider the same as some of these old scientific studies that actually supposedly proved that smoking didn't/doesn't cause cancer) maybe not off the bumper/windshield of a car, but in other types of crashes... Again JMO

As for reducing the risk with other means than PPE I'm all for it, but one must also consider the last line of defence, in something as valuable/personal as the old brain-case...