Same here, not bald but thinning, and a ginger who doesn't need more sun anywhere. I do the doo, too. It's just a cheap simple way to wick sweat and have sun protection. The ponytail material on my neck is good for pulling it back in place if it works its way too far down my forehead, without having to take my helmet off. Just as migrant workers wear long sleeves and pants in the hot sun, once it gets moist it helps keep you cool. It takes much confidence, or just irreverence to rock the doo-rag

I picked these up on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/QING-OUTDOOR-...2Y3QW1ASYQC1FP

I bought some doo-rags from Wal-Mart for $2.50 each.They work great! Only problem was they require you tie a knot in the rear to adjust them. They were giving me the same problem as the OP had. So I untied the knot, straightened out the ties so the doo-rag fit snug, marked them and then a needle and thread solved the problem. They fit great, very inexpensive and they do what they're suppose to do. My friend gave me a Castelli skull cap for Christmas and these work just as good.

I'll pay another 2-3 dollars more and dispense with the sewing.

Cover your head with something. The sun will seriously mess you up. Especially if you're fair skinned.Bad advice you should never give.

57 years of riding a bike gives me some perspective. dont take my advice if you dont like it.

[MENTION=452633]52telecaster[/MENTION] -- I usually rode without a helmet back in the 1970s-'80s because there weren't any good helmets. The Bell had just come out but it was hot, heavy and expensive. I tried the cheap vinyl version of the hairnet but it was pointless. I tried a hockey helmet for awhile but it was too hot -- I wore it a few times on rainy commutes.

Several crashes back then, mostly being clobbered by careless drivers at intersections, slow speed stuff, no serious injuries. No head bonks.

When I resumed cycling in 2015 I was in my late 50s. My back and neck were seriously injured in a 2001 wreck when my compact car was t-boned by a full size SUV. Left me with a permanently damaged C2. So I decided to at least try a helmet. I didn't want to spend much in case I couldn't stand the weight or heat.

Got a Bell Solar for $20 from Nashbar. I've worn it on almost every ride since 2015. It's lightweight, comfortable and even with a few added grams from small, lightweight front and rear to-be-seen lights, it doesn't strain my neck despite my previous serious injury and chronic neck pain. I don't even notice the helmet anymore.

The one exception I've made is I no longer mount a video camera on the helmet. That was too much weight.

Only exceptions I've made to wearing that helmet were a few neighborhood errand rides, but I don't even do that anymore. The most dangerous part of every ride is my own immediate neighborhood. It's all apartment complexes with transient tenants, no sense of community, so they drive with indifference to anyone else. As soon as I'm a couple of miles away the vibe changes. Single family homes, long time residents with a real sense of community, and many of them walk, jog and bike in their neighborhoods. Totally different vibe, safer and more considerate.

Anyway, my first serious crash was a couple of weeks ago when I was clobbered by a distracted driver at an intersection. My shoulder is badly injured. Had X-rays and scans last week, seeing ortho doc for consult to decide on surgery or physical therapy tomorrow.

And unlike my previous crashes, my head did smack the pavement this time. Slow speed, roughly between 5-10 mph, but despite my high esteem for my own reflexes and ability to react under pressure, it was all for naught. This stuff happens too fast to react. Boom. The car was suddenly there, I'm on the pavement and even as I'm mentally telling myself "Don't hit your head", my head smacked the pavement, hard, a split second after my shoulder went crunch and I was blinded by pain.

No concussion symptoms, fortunately. Helmet did its job.

At age 60, despite being in the best shape I've been since I was in my 20s, I gotta be realistic. I'm not in my 20s. I don't have the same reflexes or strength and never will again.

Your choice, but consider the effects on your family and friends. That's my main incentive for wearing a helmet. I've seen the consequences of concussions and how quickly and badly head injuries can become a lifelong disability with a huge burden on family, friends, jobs, everything.

i respect your choices and am very happy your helmet helped you.

I've bounced my head off of the pavement twice now-- destroyed both helmets, one of them cracking all the way around. Had I not been wearing a helmet, I'm pretty sure I would have had to relearn to walk.

No one has any need for a helmet, right up until the very instant that they do.

with you on that

Wear a wig. The hair functions as a MIPS system.

52telecaster, your responses are polite and insult-free. I don't think you know how the internet is supposed to work. (just kidding)

As long as I'm here I want to mention I've been bald for 15 years and have never had an issue with burning or spots with any of the mildly vented helmets I've worn, even though my arms, neck and shoulder are prone to burn on rides over 2 hours here at 6500ft...less time above 7000ft.

And if I walk in the sun without a hat for more than 45 minutes, my head burns.

With the growing list of physical challenges to biking as I close in on 60, at least sunburn under the helmet isn't one of them...yet.

52telecaster, your responses are polite and insult-free. I don't think you know how the internet is supposed to work. (just kidding)

As long as I'm here I want to mention I've been bald for 15 years and have never had an issue with burning or spots with any of the mildly vented helmets I've worn, even though my arms, neck and shoulder are prone to burn on rides over 2 hours here at 6500ft...less time above 7000ft.

And if I walk in the sun without a hat for more than 45 minutes, my head burns.

With the growing list of physical challenges to biking as I close in on 60, at least sunburn under the helmet isn't one of them...yet.

Helmet or no helmet, I think as long as it's not required by any laws applicable to the jurisdiction of the area being ridden in, then it's a personal decision. I'm sure I could find things unsafe about the riding habits of any that say a helmet is a must. Many of those habits worse statistically for injury and death than not wearing a helmet.

I myself will always wear my helmet for cycling. Just like I always where a seat belt and shoulder strap for driving. But since head trauma, even for belted persons in a car is now the number one killer of passengers and drivers in auto accidents, why are you people not wearing helmets in your car?

If I'm on the road I wear my helmet. If on a bike trail not so much.

And I will be there to defend that choice to my last breath. Good choice or bad adults should always be free to make their own decisions about their health.

That said, sun damage occurs silently. By the time anything shows, the damage had already been done, and its too late.

NOTE: not a challenge to anybody that has made their choice, just info.

Sorry.. I don't understand this at all.. I think you're implying that helmet wearing leads some people to adopt unsafe riding habits?

No.... not as a result of wearing helmets. I probably could have worded it better to say that I believe everyone has unsafe riding habits. Even those that feel they are poster children of safety.

Everyone has unsafe riding habits. Even me. I'm aware of many of mine, but I assume the risk. I wouldn't mind if someone points out other unsafe things I do so I can consider them. As long as they are able and willing to defend and discuss it.

+1

Bandanas are old school. I'm sure they make similar head covers out of micro fibers at this stage. Protection, wicking, plus breathability.

bandanas are cool. I would wear one with it all stickin out the sides. that rules.

Classic bike cap. Either by itself or under a helmet so your skull doesn't tan into weird patterns like a low-budget alien on TV.

Walz makes the best, and has sizes that fit my oversized melon.

+1 on the walz!