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Advocacy & Safety Cyclists should expect and demand safe accommodation on every public road, just as do all other users. Discuss your bicycle advocacy and safety concerns here.
View Poll Results: Helmet wearing habits?
I've never worn a bike helmet
178
10.66%
I used to wear a helmet, but have stopped
94
5.63%
I've always worn a helmet
648
38.80%
I didn't wear a helmet, but now do
408
24.43%
I sometimes wear a helmet depending on the conditions
342
20.48%
Voters: 1670. You may not vote on this poll

The helmet thread

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Old 04-20-14 | 04:23 PM
  #7426  
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What age level is it? College I wouldn't have expected to hear that. H.S. and younger, yes.
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Old 04-20-14 | 04:29 PM
  #7427  
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i'd say "why do you care so much that i wear a helmet - i don't care if you don't."
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Old 04-20-14 | 06:22 PM
  #7428  
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Old 04-20-14 | 06:33 PM
  #7429  
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I wear a helmet because I only have one head........ any other appendage can be cut off if it gets damaged too bad.

I live 40 miles west of you, ad everyone wears them out here.

Don't worry about other people - they will unselect themselves, naturally/////
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Old 04-20-14 | 06:39 PM
  #7430  
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Originally Posted by Wanderer
I wear a helmet because I only have one head........ any other appendage can be cut off if it gets damaged too bad.

I live 40 miles west of you, ad everyone wears them out here.

Don't worry about other people - they will unselect themselves, naturally/////
How odd that a large number of those cyclist killed had helmets on.
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Old 04-20-14 | 06:39 PM
  #7431  
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Time to dump this one in the helmet thread.
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Old 04-20-14 | 07:46 PM
  #7432  
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Originally Posted by rydabent
mcon

List the bikes you ride with or without a helmet please.
Geekhouse Woodville, with helmet
C'Dale M800 "Beast of the East" mtn bike, with helmet
R&M Birdy folder (clownbike), with helmet
Burley Duet tandem (clownbike), captain, with helmet
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Old 04-20-14 | 08:24 PM
  #7433  
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Ha I just ordered this maybe you've converted me to a helmet nanny. Now I need to find the safety essentials to strap on: two mirrors, kilo-lumen headlight, flashy for back, and a camera mount. Or should I also get some reflective tape just to be sure?
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Old 04-20-14 | 08:28 PM
  #7434  
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Originally Posted by wphamilton
Ha I just ordered this maybe you've converted me to a helmet nanny. Now I need to find the safety essentials to strap on: two mirrors, kilo-lumen headlight, flashy for back, and a camera mount. Or should I also get some reflective tape just to be sure?
Mine:



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Old 04-20-14 | 08:46 PM
  #7435  
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Originally Posted by 10 Wheels
Mine:



No video camera?

Am I right that the Police is reflective? (nice touch)
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Old 04-20-14 | 09:07 PM
  #7436  
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Originally Posted by wphamilton
No video camera?

Am I right that the Police is reflective? (nice touch)
Yes

Blue Strobe runs for 3 hours.

https://www.fasttech.com/products/160...blue-led-flash
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Old 04-20-14 | 09:18 PM
  #7437  
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Red and blue flash, police on the hat, I'll bet that cuts down on the random drive-by harassment. I still want two mirrors and a vidcam though.

I've actually got an ultrafire 501b on my helmet in the same place. Mine is just velcro'd on since I hardly ever use it except dark winter nights.
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Old 04-21-14 | 06:56 AM
  #7438  
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Even the police flashing red and blue lights on their helmets wont stop fool drivers from texting on their cell phones. Police on bikes are probably in just as much danger as regular cylist.
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Old 04-21-14 | 07:20 AM
  #7439  
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I would be dead, or at best a veg without my helmet. 1st day I ever wore one the quick release on my front wheel failed as I attempted to hop a dip in the road. Going about 25mph, helmet shattered, nothing left. Major concussion, 3 fractured vertebrae, messed up shoulder and wrist operation. This was about 2002. Wrist still hurts. Screw what your friends think, save your brain. (and totaled my bike)
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Old 04-21-14 | 07:27 AM
  #7440  
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Originally Posted by sm1960
I would be dead, or at best a veg without my helmet. 1st day I ever wore one the quick release on my front wheel failed as I attempted to hop a dip in the road. Going about 25mph, helmet shattered, nothing left. Major concussion, 3 fractured vertebrae, messed up shoulder and wrist operation. This was about 2002. Wrist still hurts. Screw what your friends think, save your brain. (and totaled my bike)
Sounds more like an excellent reason to always double/triple check your bike before heading out, than for wearing a helmet........ my personal opinion.
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Old 04-21-14 | 07:31 AM
  #7441  
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When asked, I generally reply that there are a lot of idiots out there.

About 25 years ago I was on the first leg of a 60 mile ride to my parent's home. Ironically I was just passing Jocelyn Lovell's store on Lakeshore in Toronto, when a car pulled out of a laneway without looking. I had no room to go into another lane as there were cars there, I had no choice but to hit the car. My head hit the pavement and my helmet was split. But apart from some scrapes and bruises I was fine. Clearly my helmet saved me from a concussion at the least, or possibly worse.
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Old 04-21-14 | 07:36 AM
  #7442  
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Originally Posted by CB HI
Time to dump this one in the helmet thread.
+1
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Old 04-21-14 | 12:24 PM
  #7443  
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Helmet-wearing naked man

Helmet-wearing naked man given medical treatment in Vienna may bring a bit of enlightenment for those Northern Virginians who thought only bicyclists wore helmets in Vienna, Virginia. Moved this to the helmet thread all on my own.
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Old 04-21-14 | 03:13 PM
  #7444  
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Originally Posted by sm1960
I would be dead, or at best a veg without my helmet. 1st day I ever wore one the quick release on my front wheel failed as I attempted to hop a dip in the road. Going about 25mph, helmet shattered, nothing left. Major concussion, 3 fractured vertebrae, messed up shoulder and wrist operation. This was about 2002. Wrist still hurts. Screw what your friends think, save your brain. (and totaled my bike)
Amazing that your take away lesson is to wear a helmet, rather than make sure your bicycle is properly put together.

For most of us who put our wheels back on properly, even if we did not use a helmet, we would have avoided a major concussion, 3 fractured vertebrae, messed up shoulder, wrist operation and a messed up bicycle.
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Old 04-21-14 | 03:16 PM
  #7445  
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Originally Posted by JamesRL
When asked, I generally reply that there are a lot of idiots out there.
...
Clearly my helmet saved me from a concussion at the least, or possibly worse.
And there are many 'idiots' out there that do not understand that bicycle helmets do not prevent concussions.
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Last edited by CB HI; 04-21-14 at 03:19 PM.
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Old 04-21-14 | 03:58 PM
  #7446  
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Originally Posted by rydabent
Even the police flashing red and blue lights on their helmets wont stop fool drivers from texting on their cell phones. Police on bikes are probably in just as much danger as regular cylist.
I don't think that a full SWAT team would stop them.

I just had a random thought that about that, which I'll inflict on you since the flames are at a low ebb. But first to keep it topical, my wife saw the order and decided she needed one with a little more color. My teenage son saw it and wanted one exactly like it. So now we're all going to be re-outfitted helmet wise but it remains to be seen whether mother-teenager matching helmets is actually going to happen on a family ride.

The random thought, maybe later on another thread since it's not really helmet related.
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Old 04-21-14 | 05:01 PM
  #7447  
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Originally Posted by CB HI
And there are many 'idiots' out there that do not understand that bicycle helmets do not prevent concussions.
Football helmets don't either. They do protect the scalp from lacerations to some degree. Same with bike helmets far as I can tell.
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Old 04-21-14 | 05:35 PM
  #7448  
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Originally Posted by CB HI
And there are many 'idiots' out there that do not understand that bicycle helmets do not prevent concussions.
Sure they do --- within limits.

The main function is to create a "crumple zone" which increases the stopping distance, thereby deducing the G-force (or acceleration) of impacts. There's a threshold of acceleration below which there won't (usually) be a concussion. Above that injury increases progressively with acceleration.

Keep in mind that concussion is different then skull fracture, and either injury can happen independently of the other.
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Old 04-21-14 | 05:45 PM
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Originally Posted by CB HI
And there are many 'idiots' out there that do not understand that bicycle helmets do not prevent concussions.
And that's why I'm still here to say that, while you "may" still get a concussion while wearing a helmet, not wearing one you would also get a lot of other injuries to said head ...
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Old 04-21-14 | 10:57 PM
  #7450  
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Originally Posted by FBinNY
Sure they do --- within limits.

The main function is to create a "crumple zone" which increases the stopping distance, thereby deducing the G-force (or acceleration) of impacts. There's a threshold of acceleration below which there won't (usually) be a concussion. Above that injury increases progressively with acceleration.

Keep in mind that concussion is different then skull fracture, and either injury can happen independently of the other.
I know that is the claim, but the mishap investigation I did on a female cyclist collision with another cyclist left her with a concussion and no crumpled foam. Helmets do help prevent bruises for kids and mountain bikers. For those that want to prevent head injuries, stop crashing (works for other injuries as well).
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