JonathanGennick 

a) A&S is kind of a nutty forum anyway, and

b) Sometimes you get anti-helmet backlash triggered those who push helmet use to the point of being zealots.

My most recent crash has gotten me to thinking about shoulder protection too, at least for when I plan to go out and ride aggressively.

rob18

I am an engineering student and I can say that a helmet is a smart choice.

In a crash your head flying through the air has a certain momentum, and according to classical mechanics the only way to change that momentum is by an "impulse". Without using calculus Impulse is defined as force X time. Your total impulse will always be the same (going from moving with a high momentum, to not moving or a low momentum [because you crashed]). What you can do to help yourself is make the time side of the impulse bigger, and accordingly the force your head takes will be smaller. Big time X little force equals little time X big force in terms of impulse, but not in terms of the integrity of your scull. Its the same idea as a seatbelt of air bag, as the foam on your helmet compresses, time is eaten up (big time) and the force your scull feels is dampened (little force)!

On a personal note I was riding back to my house from a fast food restaurant with some friends many years ago ( I was in 7th grade!) and plowed in to the side of a car that had rolled through a stop sign. I flew off the bike and smashed the guys windshield, with my forehead. I can say that my helmet probably saved my life or some severe head trauma in that instance just from the sharp glass!

JonathanGennick 

I wish you could be here to tell that story to the 13-year-old across the street who thinks he is too good a rider to need a helmet. I keep telling him that he could be the best rider, and still someone else could mess him up.

Zan

I do.

I've never had a blow to the head that would've killed me, but I've had blows that would've hurt. I give the helmet credit for the non-owie.

Helmets make you look more bad ass on the trails anyways.

---

Helmets have to make it safer when cycling. If you fall off the bike and hit a rock the size of your fist with your head, the pressure that would be applied to your skull over a few square inches would be spread across the entire side of your head. This helps distribute the impact, making it safer for you.

If you're hit by a car, the force of impact may be so great that it doesn't matter if the pressure is distributed over a few inches or over the entire head.

Some people say that the compression of the helmet itself helps turn the force of instant impact into a force of impact over a few milliseconds as the foam compresses. This helps absorb impact too, although I don't know how much.

FF helmets over a considerable amount of face protection too. I don't wear one, but I've been in a wipe out where my i used my jaw on a tree to stop. Thankfully I only chipped a couple teeth, but that's a case where a FF helmet would've saved the trip to the dentist's.

kitteh

I got rear ended by a drunk driver going at 50+ mph on a quiet Sunday morning. I flew over and above a city bus and landed left shoulder first with my head whip-lashing onto the tarmac. Helmet (a cheap B'twin one) cracked right through the middle. No head injuries, and no scratches on the covered area. I looked like Harvey Dent for a while, couldn't walk for long, couldn't ride for longer. But that made me a believer.

EDIT: Technically not on a trail, on the way to one.

chevy42083

First time I didn't... thinking, "I won't be buzzing the trail at 20-30mph, don't need it"
After passing a few trees closely, and realizing that it'd hurt, I wore the helmet the next time.

junkyard

I agree with this guy. The words he uses indicate his intelligence. Why confine your head to a helmet when the car is just going to kill you anyway?

rnorris

Always have one with me. The only time I'll take it off is for a long climb on a forest road enroute to a trail, where there's little traffic and my speed is only a few mph. But it goes on for the downhill run.

ghettocruiser

My helmet has a WiFi link to my neural implant so A&S threads can be posted directly to my brain.

gonathan85

yep.

LesterOfPuppets

I'm glad you're not an English major.

Zan

English well talking. You speech American?

LesterOfPuppets

I speech 'merican like a mofo! How 'bout y'all Canadiens? Is scull something you do in a boat or on ice skates?

toytech

dented my Fox Flux yesterday, head fine wish I could say the same for my shoulder...

junkyard

Helmets are a ploy by the styrofoam industry. You guys bought it hook, line and sinker. What a bunch of suckers.

Leebo

I find trees, rocks, and the dirt a lot harder than my noggin. Everyone I know who mtbs wears a helmet. Lots more crashes and falls than road riding. What about the knee/shin and elbow/forearm padding that I wear? It has more scrapes than I can count.

samburger

I wear a Cheese Head helmet. Nice & cushiony.

dminor 

It's threads like these that have made this forum what it is today.

pablosnazzy

i wear a helmet mountain biking, i don't wear a helmet road biking, or riding my fixed around town.

samburger

What's the point in biking if you don't ride in style? This guy knows what's up.

Pamestique 

I ride with two other friends - all 3 of us have sustained serious head injuries (two were hit by cars, one (me) ran into an obstacle and fell off). All 3 of us have some sort of permanent damage. My one friend gets seizures and has to take medication.

That said... all of us realize if we did not have a helmet on, it would have been worse...much worse. Death might have been welcomed if it meant a permanent brain injury, something another friend of mine sustained 4 years ago while riding on a simple bike path without a helmet. He was struck by another cyclist, went down and is now vegetative. I used to visit him in the rest home... but find it's too hard anymore. It really depresses me.

You can wear a helmet or not. Just depends on what chances you want to take with your health. A cheap helmet, an expensive helmet - both work the same. I never ride without (on road, mountain biking or tooling around like my friend was doing). I like the Giro Athlon but it's what works for you...

BurnNotice

Frick Yeah! You know what a non-helmet rider is**********?? A organ donor!

mzeffex 

Yes. My roadie helmet. Bell Ghisallo.

LesterOfPuppets

Everyone should be an organ donor. Whether they're riding the couch or the bike. Regardless of the amount of body armor they're wearing.

Johnny Law

normaly when i buy a new helmet i take it and put it under my car tire and run over it a few times, just to make sure that if i ever do get hit buy a car and the tire goes over my head ill be safe..

so if it doesnt pass the test i dont wear it.