Welcome to the dark side. I often advocate taking some rides at least every once in awhile without the helmet, just to counter that feeling that the helmet is obligatory. Sometimes it comes from habit and routine.

While that is true, it's not a compelling argument to wear a helmet all the time. Probability should be part of the equation.

Dude, you live life in the Danger zone LOL

Should you wear a helmet while riding on the highway to the danger zone?

Or wait to put it on when you actually arrive at the danger zone?

My wife just told me about a patient that came on to their ICU floor with severe head trauma and potential brain damage from test riding his friend's bike. Was just a little spin around the block and fell. It can happen anytime. They see a lot of bike related head injuries at her hospital.

Well, My wife just came home to me and told me that they had a patient brought to the ICU with serious sever almost fatal head injury because the patient had rolled off the bed accidentally during sleep and had hit his forehead to the edge of the bed hard causing severe head injury and trauma and irreversible damage and now in vegetation state, so you guys please ALWAYS wear your bicycle helmet when going to bed. Right? Yes that's right, idiocracy going too far but no one can be too safe, always wear your helmet to bed

I'm impressed this thread is still open! (I haven't read many of the posts)

Riding without a helmet is wonderful, I do it often. But on my work commute were I'm on high speed roads with plenty of motor traffic I always wear one... not for protection in case of a fall, but because I find it to be a convenient place to mount my mirror, reflective tape, and sometimes a tail light. THOSE items I do feel actually help to prevent a wreck!

Yes, when I am without a helmet, I believe the biggest impact to my safety is I have no mirror, so it is hard to keep aware of whats coming up behind me.

I rode to work today on Citi Bike, and my wife is picking me up. From here, we're going to our weekend home. I normally keep a helmet at each home, and I didn't want to lug the helmet around all weekend and back to the city. My route is only on a MUP except for two very short distances, so it's safe. It was a nice break from the helmet. I think I'm too strict about wearing a helmet almost every time.

On an upright bike you've got a little bit more time and you have better angles to control the fall, but there's also the reflex to turn your skull away from the point of impact, which is really late in the fall. Of course it can happen, but it needs more than just a fall, some freak occurance that somehow slingshots the cyclist to the ground or something. I saw a video of a teen guy on an upright who got hit from the side by a car on a 20 mph road, and he ended up on his feet, with the bike still between his legs, and cycled off (it was his fault, he should have given his name and phone number).

I prefer the shower helmet with beer cozy.

I forgot my helmet the other day on a nighttime run to the grocery store. I made it about a half mile before realizing that something was missing...and then determining what it was. I've been wearing a helmet since 2008, and it just didn't feel right.

I ended up going back home to get my helmet. I felt vulnerable, especially since my town is not known for attentive drivers or enforcing DUI laws. But the wind in my hair felt nice for that short mile.

Another safety device besides helmet and as critical or more critical is safety glasses, small pebbles kicked by your front tires or a small bug getting into your eye would cause instant sudden short duration transient blindness while riding, it won't be a good situation, if this scenario does not cause more permanent damage to rider's eyes, I may not necessarily wear a helmet every time I am riding or on my commute but I always have quality sunglasses during the day or clear safety glasses in early morning ride to work when it is still dark ourside?

is that a question?

and is the period key on your keyboard broken?

I used to only ride sans helmet when I was just "playing around" with my kids after work. I realized this is objectively dumb for two reasons -

1. Duh - poor role modeling for my kids

2. When I am messing around with my kids I am traveling a lower speeds and making more unplanned turns, etc. Overall, I am more focused on them than myself, for that reason, I am more likely to loose balance or hit something then when I am commuting (which for me is basically just pedaling in a straight line for 37 minutes)

Oh and 3 -

My family fun bike I has a more upright riding position than my commuter with drop bars. My head is therefore that much farther from the pavement and able to collide at a potentially higher velocity

My kids are all teenagers now, so I'm not worried (too much) about their unplanned turns. I tell them "You wear a helmet because it's the law. When you're 18 you can decide for yourself when you need a helmet"

Why? They should learn that the can grow up to be a competent adult cyclist.

No, you've got more time and are in a better position to prevent a fall, and in case of a fall, hitting your head.

Am I missing the link between not wearing a helmet and becoming a competent cyclist?

No, that's not the point, I ride 12 miles on all very nice trails with nobody else on them to work and back most days, 99% of my ride, I don't see it necessary to wear a helmet, I think I am very safe, I don't want to deal with stinky helmet with sweat everyday. Then I get accused of not being smart and being careless. That's the point. Dutch people don't wear helmet and they are not dying everyday in droves,

Honestly surprised it took the op a few blocks to realize there wasn't any weight on his head holding down his soul

What I mean is that a competent adult cyclist can decide when to wear a helmet and when not. Judgement, about you own competence and other things, is a matter of maturity.

So what's wrong about telling your kids: "You're not there yet, you have to learn more before you can choose to ride without a helmet like me"? I see them sometimes with a helmet here in the Netherlands, appearantly Ducht people on Dutch bikes and they stand out because hardly anyone wears a helmet. But then it's a family with young kids, all with helmets. And I know this is the result of negotiating parenting, those kids didn't want to wear helmets, but the parents could only make them by saying 'we wear helmets too'. I'm not opposed to that kind of parenting in general, but why not bring skill, competence and maturity into the negotiation? The kids are not allowed to drive the family car either, a parent doesn't have to be a role model by not driving the car himself.

Yes, but it is upright relatively slow cycling in a bike friendly environment. Most sports cyclists, as in drop bars and spandex to go fast, wear helmets these days. If your commute is like that, in a hostile environment, I can imagine you'd want to wear one. But a helmet can't make cycling safe, and cycling in general can and should be safe without, that's what the accusing people don't get.

1. We have a helmet law here in Spokane

2. The risk vs. reward is like wearing a seatbelt. It doesn't make you one of the cool-kids or edgy to not wear one.

Comparisons to Holland are inappropriate because the cycling culture there is so much different - there are more bikes than cars. Here we live in the land of SUVs and lifted pickups who aren't always used to driving around bikes.

You're correct that a helmet is not a substitute for safe riding habits but it is a VERY MINOR inconvenience compared to a (no exaggeration) potentially life threatening head injury caused by a collision totally outside of the rider's control (eg - you can be the best, safest, slowest rider in the world and still get messed up)

The point I was trying to make was that imo there's nothing wrong with teaching kids that sometimes they have to learn certain things and prove their competence before they get certain liberties. Breaking the law isn't necessarily one of them. .

I know it's very different in America and most of the world from Holland and the rest of the Netherlands. But showing your kids that cycling is safe enough to ride without a helmet in some circumstances, and should be safe enough in many more circumstances, is a good thing imo. Let them at least imagine a world where the need to wear a helmet doesn't come with just cycling around the neighbourhood. I understand why people feel the need to wear helmets and want their kids to wear them and I respect that, but I don't believe that the next generation should get the idea that there can't be any cycling without a helmet.

all jokes aside. As an American (DC area) that now lives in Northern Germany... I dont even own a helmet over here. But in DC, there was no money in the world that could be paid for me not to wear one.

I have no logical reason for this.