Cycling helmets.Opinions please

[ufkacbln]

As you point out the evidence is inconclusive.

Someone will come along shortly and tell youtaht unless you wear one you will become a a vegetable and suck soup through a straw for the rest of your life....

Ignore the emotional blackmail and emotive bullying, read the evidence and then make up your own mind.

 

[ufkacbln]

If you do decide to wear one...

It must fit and be comfortable.
Do not rely on the EN1078 standard, look for a helmet bearing the Snell certification
Try and get a helmet that is smooth and rounded. The protrusions on some helmets can cause injury

 

[CopperCyclist]

I wear one because even though I accept it may not reduce serious injury from a major off, it is likely to reduce minor injury from a minor off, such as grazing or cuts, and even that's enough for me.

 

[RedFeend]

If you do decide to wear one...

It must fit and be comfortable.
Do not rely on the EN1078 standard, look for a helmet bearing the Snell certification
Try and get a helmet that is smooth and rounded. The protrusions on some helmets can cause injury

Thank you. That's pretty much the same as hats for riding horses in. There is quite a large LBS near me so I can be fitted properly.
One research ditty found no difference in 'crash tests' between cheap and expensive helmets, which is a positive. You don't get a bigger dose of safety by paying top dollar.

 

[ufkacbln]

Don't get mixed up between expensive / non-expensive and helmet standards.

You can buy a Snell helmet from £30 to £180.
The difference is the proven ability to withstand an impact. To pass the Snell standards then the helmet has to withstand a far higher number of impacts at higher energies than EN1078. There are other standards such as CPSC that are also higher than the EN1078

In fact the EN1078 is considered inadequate for use in racing in the US

 

[compo]

I wear one because even though I accept it may not reduce serious injury from a major off, it is likely to reduce minor injury from a minor off, such as grazing or cuts, and even that's enough for me.

That sums up my attitude to wearing a helmet, plus it stops my wife nagging me.

I also wear one because in the event of an accident claim I can see down the line courts/insurance companies reducing payouts for not wearing safety gear even though that safety gear is not a legal rquirement.

 

[PpPete]

Personally I find a cotton cap cooler on the hot days than the very well-vented (and quite expensive) helmet I used to wear.
Just a personal opinion, mind.

I did my research (as recommended above) and read the test standards (I write technical standards for another safety-critical industry, so I kind of know what I'm looking at, even though I've no experience of manufacturing or testing helmets).
My conclusion: All the test standards, EN, CPSC, Snell, focus on reproducing the kind of impact from a low-speed "off" with head hitting something nasty like a kerbstone and none of them, as far as I can see, require any testing that is representative of a high speed impact with the road or another vehicle.

Therefore my choice (which I would not seek to impose on anyone else...... is not to wear a helmet.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Good idea for the lights. Never seen anyone lit up like that apart from miners.

I don't know what a F1 HANS device is. Please can you enlighten me? Unless the F1 stands for Formula 1 and I've got the wrong end of the stick.

F1 does indeed mean Formula 1 here, The anti whiplash neck protector things they all wear now yolked on their shoulders. My right knee took the brunt of the impact and whilst my head was flung about by the speed and direction I was hit, by the time I landed I was still limbs out to cushion the fall, the only real indicator I have that my head hit anything with any oomph, was the broken back light on my helmet.

the point I guess is that we would need to ride in suits of armour to be sure we were taking all necessary precautions against popping a collarbone in a silly clipless moment on our own or being the victim of a cretinous left hook that sends us into the air. All comapred to the futility of any protection if a 40 ton truck rolls over the top of you.

re your post #20 depends how warm you get when riding, horse riding helmets and skater type ones, are far more close fitting, they look more protective (but I may be wrong) and are way less ventilated, when you're the one propelling self and bike that could be a factor to consider. At the end of the day, cheap or expensive, cycling helmets are polystyrene hats built to pass a very low impact speed specification.

Compo makes a good point, and the one Wiggins got all the flack for last year, the perception amongst the non cycling fraternity & the Judiciary is very much that they are a safety feature and to not wear one may be spun out as an act of contributory negligence if it did come to insurance & lawyers after a crash.

 

[ufkacbln]

I wear one because even though I accept it may not reduce serious injury from a major off, it is likely to reduce minor injury from a minor off, such as grazing or cuts, and even that's enough for me.

A good point, and one of the reasons why the British Dental Association wants greater facial protection in helmet design. The only way to achieve these two aims is for full face helmets.

A standard helmet will not protect against the majority of grazing and cuts that cyclists suffer from

 

[cyberknight]

Glad i had one when a stone came flying off a club mates back wheel and smacked me right on the head today.

 

[ianrauk]

Glad i had one when a stone came flying off a club mates back wheel and smacked me right on the head today.

For club runs and rides they are (excuse the pun) a no brainer.
For normal everyday riding.. forget it.

 

[thegravestoneman]

I didn't like them, but I suffered from a terrible droning noise in both my ears every time I was in the house or with friends, this subsided and came to a complete stop once I started wearing one. Now no-one is constantly on at me for not wearing one so no droning. I found the helmet slightly irritating on the first couple of trips out but now I don't notice it and like I say the lack of nagging caused by the fact I am now wearing one makes for an easy and more pleasurable life whether or not I believe it does any good.

 

[Davidc]

Before thinking about a helmet look to the safety equipment that makes a difference and matters.

Eye protection. It's the one I just don't ride without. Doesn't last long though, expect to replace it regularly.
Hand protection. In case of an off we all automatically put our arms out to protect ourselves, and hands are much more delicate than heads! Good cycling gloves or mitts with padding help, not sure where you go beyond that.
Knee and elbow protection is useful, though I don't often use it.

Then a helmet if you must.

Fixing lights and cameras to helmets increases the number of projections which can snag on the ground causing rotational injuries if you do come off.

 

[RedFeend]

Before thinking about a helmet look to the safety equipment that makes a difference and matters.

Eye protection. It's the one I just don't ride without. Doesn't last long though, expect to replace it
regularly.

I want some glasses like the ones I saw a rider on the TV wearing (a race in Italy with a long name). They had reflective gold lenses. Über cool.

 

[RedFeend]

My previous post didn't work properly. My comment about the reflective glasses somehow got put in the wrong place.
I still want some of those cool gold reflective glasses. Mind you, probably über expensive too.