How will that style be working out for you when your mama is changing your adult diapers?

3alarm +1

Your point is well taken. Helmets should never be produced in black or other dark colors. When I have bought new helmet, I alway make sure they are all white or as close to it as possible. As a result, I have never felt that my helmet is too hot. Actually with the white helmets with a visor, I feel that they actually keep me cooler thatn with no helmet at all. Forget fashion and style, buy white helmets it is just plain common sense and logical.

Another big PLUS, I agree. Black in either helmets or jerseys on hot days just aggravate the heat on your body more, I buy nothing but white helmets and white or yellow jerseys (neon green would be good too, but I don't like the color for a jersey! But on gloomy days or a ride where it will extend into the dark I will wear a neon grn safety vest.

I bought a safety green helmet, because it was in the price range that I could afford and it was the only one in the shop thatt was in my budget. I don't really care what color it is. I would rather have a hellmet that performs it's funcion well. I wish that a helmet that offers more protection could be designed.

BTW, I always wear a helmet, but am opposed to mandator use laws.

They have designed a better helmet with technology called MIPS, essential a piece of liner that rotates when the head hit something to dissipate the impact energy better then just styrofoam alone. However it's only found in a few helmets to date, Scott has 3 or 4 models with it, POC and Lazer brands have it but not sure if all their models have it or just a few, but is slowly catching on and probably in 5 years almost all helmets will have it...unless for some reason testing up to this time becomes invalid as people wear them and have accidents with them and finding out it doesn't work as claimed, but right now all the test information says it does work. Keep in mind even a helmet with MIPS does not mean your head won't be indestructible, it just means you have an extra margin of safety in addition to the helmet and styrofoam protection.

Well, I got admit... I have a black helmet. I've worn it for a couple of years now. It's well vented, but nothing fancy. It gets above 40C here in the summer, with humidity. I don't race, but I've ridden for several hours at a time, and I can't say I've ever had a heat exhaustion issue because of my helmet. Do you, perhaps, have an unusually high metabolism?

As a note, I shave my head (more out of necessity as that ol' hairline keeps receding!), so even in hot weather, I'm wearing a cap or something to ward off direct sun. I often go running in the heat (4 to 5 km in midday) to acclimatize myself during the warm months.

agreed. Color of clothing can certainly make a difference when out in the sun and I make sure never to wear my black jersey on hot sunny days. But the foam layer that's between the outer surface of a helmet and your head is a very good insulator and I'd be surprised if the color alone makes a noticeable difference in how hot your head gets.

Helmets and clear thinking
 

Yup, that's one of the mechanisms that's been proposed to account for the data that show that helmet use doesn't improve health outcomes despite everyone's "common sense". To my knowledge, the mechanism itself hasn't been tested rigorously.

Of course if you're uncomfortable, you will perform worse. There's ample research in many sports, although I don't know of any in cycling (which doesn't mean it doesn't exist). And of course if you took a bunch of racing cyclists who grew up having helmets stuffed down their throats and asked them to ride without, they'd be distracted for a while (as I was when I stopped wearing one).

Back when I rode with a helmet (religiously until I read the research), I found them to be only mildly uncomfortable at the temperatures you describe, but you and I surely differ, and helmets are ridiculous here in Colorado in the summer! I doubt the colour would make much difference, since there's quite a lot of foam, which should be a good insulator (probably at least around R3, at a guess) between the sun-heated shell and your scalp. Scalps generally have superb heat regulation ability, so what's almost certainly going on is that you're messing with your body's ability to regulate heat by putting all that insulation and vapour barrier on your head. A few more holes might help, but you should read the research on whether adding more holes to helmets affects their collision-worthiness!

Sorry, I have nothing for you off the top of my head. But I'd check cyclehelmets.org

Wow. Thanks for the tip. It sounds like it is worth thier investment, and to wait till the reviews come in. As you say, there are no helmets that can prevent all injury, and no helmet can prevent an accident. And it has been proven, that current helmets cannot prevent concussions

A helmet of any color is not going to cause anyone heat issues if they don't already have them. At moderate heat (80s) they may make ones head feel bit warmer, at higher heat and sun intensity they help with the shade they provide.
Your top of head (and more importantly the pads that touch your skin) are only a very small percentage of your skin.

Based on your conclusions, however, it does not mean that you should *not* wear a helmet....

Of course one should always wear a helmet when riding a bike. As you might note, I mentioned that I purchased a new helmet.

It makes me mad that all my helmet does day in and day out is set on my head doing nothing.

Sorry... I guess I misread your reply then! Safe biking! :thumb:

I used to, but I got tired of taking it off at every damn TSA checkpoint.

After watching this video I'm becoming more against the idea of legislating helmet to be mandatory. No, I won't compare it to the seatbelt - that's apples and oranges. I really think making people wear a helmet is doing more to harm ridership than promoting safety, and instilling fear in the overhyped dangers of riding. And unlike seatbelts that are scientifically proven over and over that it actually helps dramatically, helmets are not as talked about in the video. What's next, everyone must wear gloves, clipless pedals be outlawed, pedestrians must wear helmets?

Welcome to the dark side. Many of us, both helmet wears and nons, have been opposed to mandates for a long time. The reasons vary, so let's just say that we're pro choice, rather than anti-helmet.

Why only traveling? Many head injuries happened at home which could have been avoided or reduced by wearing a helmet (speaking from personal experience).

Thanks for the great video! Indeed, I'd liken requiring helmets to requiring flu shots.

Ditto.

Not to mention that many victims of fatal accidents did wear helmets.

Instead of a helmet mandate, how about strengthening laws about safe driving and punishing reckless driving behaviors, and building better infrastructures, so that bike-riding wouldn't seem to be such a risky activity to many, and one will not need to be armored up like going to the battleground when it's simply going from A to B on two wheels?

...did you really say this ?

Saying that some people that were wearing a helmet died, is like saying that some people that were wearing seat belts, and had a car with air bags were killed in an auto accident. None of us that advocate wearing a helmet says that a helmet is absolute assurance you wont be killed.

I think it's an individual's right to choose. That having been said, I was sideswiped yesterday and broke my collarbone. My head bounced off the pavement. The helmet split, my head has no damage. I'll never ride without one and the validity of any anti-helmet arguments is null and void as far as I'm concerned.
Michael

I don't wear helmets because I don't feel the risks warrant it. That said, I agree that there is no valid anti-helmet argument.

BUT

With the possible exception of a few people on forums, nobody advances any anti-helmet arguments, nor tries to talk helmet users out of them. Unfortunately, there's little or no symmetry here, and those of who prefer not wearing helmets are constantly barraged by "where's your helmet!" shouts from cyclists and non cyclists alike.

Riding where I do, mostly in the metro NY area, I very rarely (1/month) hear "get out of the road" from motorists, but for 7 months out of the year, I'll get the "where's your helmet" 3-5 times a day.

I believe he's either bald or not willing to offer his helmet to you.

Out of curiosity - and at the risk of starting a flame war here, so let's keep it civil - why exactly are people opposed to a mandatory helmet law for cyclists? A number of forum members have mentioned this repeatedly. Consider that:
- We accept mandatory helmet laws for children by and large. Your skill level and judgment might improve as an adult (maybe!), but your head is not significantly tougher as an adult. Accidents still happen.
- We largely accept or agree with lighting/reflector requirements for night riding.
- We agree that we should follow the rules of the road if we are to be taken seriously.
- And we accept all sorts of other legislated demands for daily life (e.g., you must have a driver's license, you must carry insurance, etc.)

A helmet is not prohibitively expensive, it is not hard to acquire, it does not impede your vision or hearing, and the greatest physical downfall seems to be... it messes your hair. The argument that "I don't like to be told what to do" doesn't seem to be particularly defensible given the significant benefits versus the few, isolated pitfalls, particularly since we accept so many other safety-oriented permissions. And can somebody explain the argument that helmet laws discourage potential cyclists? If an inexpensive, passive, and demonstrable safety device is such a deterrent to riding, well, I would think that cycling isn't for them regardless of what happens or doesn't happen with a helmet.

Given that a helmet can increase the odds of you not splitting your head open like a ripe melon when it impacts the curb at 25 km/h (yes, I know there will always be exceptions), why would we be so opposed to this?