Car-free in the USofA does not happen by accident (with a few exceptions) to those who can afford a car. It's sort of automatic to just do what everyone else is doing. Parents get weary of driving kids around town all day, so a soon as the kids start reaching driving age many parents (who can afford it - which is plenty of people) buy the kid a car to be free of the taxi service. And the cycle continues. The kid eventually drives the car to find a job without any regard for alternative means of getting to work. Breaking free of that cycle is a challenge and only for city dwellers is it truly practical.

There are many types of jobs I can't take because I am not willing to own a car at present. I could not be a farmer, carpenter, general contractor, or any number of professions that require hauling a bunch of stuff around or covering hundreds of miles each day. But I don't look at that as limiting my life, I look at it as being set free from sitting in traffic to basically "break even" with my car-free life.

The way I got started was to find a job I really liked that looked long term. Then i moved to a cheap apartment reasonably close by work and right next to a shopping mall with a grocery, movie theater, and lots of eateries. THEN i ditched the car. When my company moved, I relocated again within a mile of work and a nice supermarket. So if I woke up tomorrow and was a freelance nurse, I would obviously have to tender my resignation after finding a more stationary job. Then move close to that job.

Ditching the car is certainly not for everyone. With enough motivation, and willingness to live in or very near a city, or work from home, it can be figured out. It is certainly not for everyone. And personally, I would have no trouble owning a "work" vehicle that actually brings money INTO my bank account if I liked driving. It's more than just gas money. AAA estimates it costs roughly $8000 per year to own a dependable car. Some spend much more. So I would have to make $8000/yr more to just break even.

coin has two sides. and sometimes the argue may get devils more devil and angel more angel. i would like to find someone share with us the right way to use a helmet instead of wear or not wear the helmet. :p

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yzSwxWIJTk
More: Easy Steps to Properly Fit a Bicycle Helmet

The last site skips out what I discovered over the years to be another aspect to making sure the helmet fits. If you notice in the Step 6 the Final Fitting section they discuss if the helmet rocks back more than 2 finger widths, I also found that it shouldn't also rock up the side of the head more than 2 finger widths either. I find it odd that all these proper fitting sites never mention the side to side movement of the helmet. That's the reason I bought a Lazer helmet was because I have a oblong shaped head and all the helmets I tried in stores were more for round heads so I had a lot of side to side rocking movement. I'm sure there are other helmet manufactures that make helmets for more oblong shaped heads, Lazer was just the first one that I found so I got it.

Helmet as handlebar decoration
 

I just don't get it. Every day I see people with their helmet hanging on their handlebar. So not only is it not protecting their head, the helmet has made their riding LESS safe, dangling and swinging. In fact, I saw one guy's helmet fall off his bars; he braked abruptly to pick it up and the bike behind him almost rear-ended him.

In NYC you don't have to have a helmet as an adult. And I'm of two minds about the need to use them. But I am convinced it's better to leave it at home than have it swinging on the end of your bars.

I suspect that people are under the belief that it's a law that you have to have one with you, not on you...so they carry them around in case a cop stops them??

This belongs in the helmet thread...

There's a "right" way to hang it on the bars so that it doesn't dangle or fall off.

Regarding "why", that's not really anyone else's business.

Around here (SF Bay area), I see the helmet on bars almost entirely for two reasons. Most common is kids riding to/from school. There's an MHL for kids that tends to be enforced at the school grounds so the helmet is worn only for a 100 yards or so when entering and leaving the school. The second case is for people climbing one of our area mountains on warm/hot days so the helmet is on the bars on the way up and on their head on the way down.

I was going to mention the school kids. I see this often on my ride to work. I will rap on my own helmet and say, I don't know if you know this, but your helmet only works if you put it on your head.

Usually get an eye roll in response, but I have two kids myself so I am used to it.

I used to remove my helmet for the last two block coast to the office to cool off. I'd hang it from my inboard bar end. But with newer better ventilated helmets and no hair left on top, I seem to stay cool with the helmet on.

ask them?

Carbon bars aint cheap.

Kids probably don't like people who stick their noses into business where they don't belong any more than adults do.

Probably not, but they can no longer claim ignorance.

Or maybe they know where the true ignorance lies.

Where I live there is a mandatory helmet law. I see this often too. I guess its because going in and out of the central business district there are a few hotspots where police conduct sting operations and fine helmetless cyclists, so the cyclists put it on there and then take it off later.

I ride helmetless and got a ticket in on such hotspot this morning! :(

But I won't buy a helmet and hang it off the bars - I agree thats ridiculous

I think the subsets of riders out there with wide handlebars, or a basket out front are the folks ditching their helmets until needed. In NYC - race bike people have their helmets on, and the casual rider with the afore mentioned bike attributes might have their helmet off. That said - I sees WHOLE lot of Citibike riders sans helmet.

Just because helmets do not prevent deaths, doesn't mean they don't prevent or minimize injuries, nasty or otherwise.

And more worrying, you feel the need to belittle those who think helmets may be effective? What kind of high do you get off of this?

The helmet "worked" the moment it was paid for by the customer.

I chuckle at the ones with the helmets on their heads but not buckled.

Chill man. They probably bought a cheap helmet with bad ventilation and just got hot wearing it. Or they are heading to some event that requires a helmet but they prefer not wearing one. Or they wore it at home to satisfy their kids or wife and ditched it the minute they turned the corner off their street.

I see people on club rides doing this out of protest for being forced to wear one.

Helmet wearers are a vast minority in New Orleans were I live. So I am probably desensitized to noticing much in the way of helmet misuse. We don't wear racing kits either. People who ride bikes for utilitarian purposes in NOLA do not even consider themselves "cyclists" any more than my wife who drives everywhere considers herself a "motorist". People need to get somewhere so they just grab their bikes wearing whatever they put on that morning and go. For city dwellers and commuters a bike is cheap to operate and park. It's not considered some special lifestyle by most. My wife jumps in her car to go to work and I jump on my bike without much thought about being part of some special group of travelers.

I choose to wear a helmet, on my head, and buckled up for a number of reasons other than preventing head trauma in case of a crash involving my head. Mostly it's sun/rain protection and a rear-view mirror holder that won't fly off my head while on a bicycle. If it ever keeps my melon off the tarmac that's just gravy.

Are we the LAST to believe helmets work?
 

It has come to my attention that even macho professional bull riders have taken to protecting their neck-melons with headgear.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=383829
CREDIT: Professional Bull Riders - Head cases

This has me asking the question: "Are anti-helmet cyclists the LAST group of people on Earth living in denial that helmets are actually beneficial during a fall?" Granted, most bull riders are going to fall EVERY time they enjoy their "sport". And it does not stop there of course because there is still a REALLY p!$$3d-00f bull running around with revenge on his mind.

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/23...30be2f26d8.jpg
CREDIT: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/23...30be2f26d8.jpg

So...are we the dumbest lot of athletes? Further research shows that we are not. There is still rugby.

http://rugby.byu.edu/wp-content/uplo...ships-2012.jpg
CREDIT: http://rugby.byu.edu/wp-content/uplo...ships-2012.jpg

And these guys:

http://content.artofmanliness.com/up...anddiving1.jpg
CREDIT: http://content.artofmanliness.com/up...anddiving1.jpg

But in the context it needs to be realized that I (and majority of other people as well) don't ride a rodeo horse or "rugby" to work or to the library. But those are sports. Cycling as such is not a sport. It CAN be a sport but by definition is not exclusively.
The difference between a sport and a daily routine is pretty significant when considering safety equipment

And I mean would you please point out an anti helmet person from this thread? I haven't seen one in a while. There are just those who are against the brainless (huehuehue...) frothy mouth rambling about a helmet preventing terrorist strikes and protecting freedom and also being an absolute life saver when an 18 wheeler drives over you. AND MHL's. Those are bad.

you can always point towards me when in need of an anti :D

↑↑↑↑ This ↑↑↑↑ is probably one of my favorite posts ever in these forums. Well said, King of NOLA