Cycling helmets.Opinions please

[kedab]

i'm looking at an advert for the new endura airshell helmet right now - i like it. i might not get it but i like it.

 

[CopperCyclist]

Do you wear knee and elbow protection on the same basis?

Considered it (for mtb) but no. My knees and elbows are ugly anyway. My face - could a work of art.

In all seriousness, as I said its minor stuff I want to stop. I don't mind minor stuff on arms, legs, body, thighs etc, and have received all a few times. I'd rather avoid it to my head though, and on a couple of offs I've had the helmet has probably prevented a scraped forehead, or a bump to the back of the head, and once, to the top!

 

[MrJamie]

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.

You'll see them in a lot of motorsport on the drivers' shoulders like a neck brace, with little tethers to the helmet, like a helmet seatbelt. Several drivers across both F1 and NASCAR (probably others) including Senna, died from high impact crashes where their body is braced by the seatbelts and the car does its best to absorb the energy, but their helmet-weighted head flies forward and tears things inside the neck/brain stem area.

It's not entirely irrelevant to cycling though.. when I've watched downhill MTBers on TV, I've noticed some of them wearing neck braces. I think it's upto you to decide what to wear, you could argue for full face helmets, body armour etc., but there's also plenty of other things we do day to day that you could apply the same logic to.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

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

granted and it depends on when you ride and how often you fall off. I'm very much in the ride in dusk/dark for at least 8 months of the year fall off once or twice a year if I'm unlucky. For me and my little lezyne lights I'll take my chances on regular daily visibility over the off chance of the sort of injury that might occur once every 5-10 years if that.

 

[Davidc]

granted and it depends on when you ride and how often you fall off. I'm very much in the ride in dusk/dark for at least 8 months of the year fall off once or twice a year if I'm unlucky. For me and my little lezyne lights I'll take my chances on regular daily visibility over the off chance of the sort of injury that might occur once every 5-10 years if that.

Do you drive?

If so you'll have realised that helmet lights simply aren't seen by drivers. It's the ones on the frame that are seen, where drivers are looking and where they don't point the wrong way most of the time.

If you do have helmet lights make sure you have decent bright ones at the 'legal requirement' height as well. Apart from effectiveness, if you don't have those legal requirement lights you'll have problems if someone does hit you.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Do you drive?

If so you'll have realised that helmet lights simply aren't seen by drivers. It's the ones on the frame that are seen, where drivers are looking and where they don't point the wrong way most of the time.

If you do have helmet lights make sure you have decent bright ones at the 'legal requirement' height as well. Apart from effectiveness, if you don't have those legal requirement lights you'll have problems if someone does hit you.

oh dear.

Yes I do drive, I see helmet lights all the time, it was experience of seeing them as a driver that prompted me to put them on my lid, I've had bus drivers pull up and tell me what a pleasant change it is to see someone that they can see through traffic. Maybe the middle of Manchester is a bit more routinely car heavy than Somerset.

I'm interested to know how people would see frame lights through a Honda CRV or BMW x5 or any such higher vehicle that obscures the frame but not to head height in connurbation rush hour traffic.

just for info including helmet usually 3 lights front and back you'll be reassured to know some at 'legal requirement' height , also fixed and flashing ones to asssist visibility and distance gauging all with regularly changed batteries and decent bright, pedal reflectors on every bike I have, I even bought the spd clip in platforms to ensure PR's, rear reflector fixed to the bike. front reflector too, spoke straws. I do the hi viz thing, mirror fitted, bright gloves with reflectives.

you seem to be making quite an assumption about my supposed irresponsibility based on nothing at all.

I don't have a bell though, maybe you can spin a post out of that.

 

[Tribanite]

Whilst driving I often notice helmet lights way before the bike mounted lights. Thinking about a knog for my own helmet

 

[classic33]

If you want one, get one. If you don't, don't bother.

Don't let others tell you you need/don't need one as an essential piece of cycling equipment.

 

[slowmotion]

^^^^^^^ This.

Actually, it's almost worth wearing one so that, on a hot sunny day, you can appreciate how wonderful it is to take it off and ride with the wind rushing past your head, unimpeded

 

[Longshot]

If you want one, get one. If you don't, don't bother.

Don't let others tell you you need/don't need one as an essential piece of cycling equipment.

+1000

Do whatever you feel happiest about. Ignore everyone else.

 

[HovR]

On a recent club ride the rider in front of me hit the ground hard, and was wearing a helmet. The helmet was both compressed, scraped and cracked. There was of course have no evidence as to whether the helmet prevented any injury from impact (the rider was mildly concussed) but I know I wouldn't want my bare head scraping along the pavement in the way the helmet did. That said I've personally come off numerous times in my cycling life without a helmet and never hit my head.

I still continue to wear a helmet during club rides where I'll be riding in close proximity to other riders, and I ride with no helmet when riding by myself or if a helmet would cause inconvenience.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I'm completely on the fence on this one - and I find it a comfortable place to be.

Cycling for forty-plus years, I wore a helmet briefly when teaching my children to ride and occasionally thereafter when commuting. I now wear one only for (very rare) road race outings and even rarer MTB enduro events. Last year I did some voluntary work at a school where cyclists were not allowed to arrive sans casque. I wore one on those days, but said I thought the rule silly. Mine was one of only three bicycles in their expensive racks, whatever the weather. I considered showing up bare-headed one day, but just didn't feel like eliciting a confrontation.

Of my teen children, one (the keen cyclists) always wears one. He thinks me mad not to.

I find both extremes within the helmet debate a little too proud of their data. Both extremes can appear to have a zealous blindness toward (or contempt for) any figures disagreeing with their own. There is a clear divide between two groups which both claim some sort of ownership of the absolute truth.

Most cyclists dwell in the happy middle ground between the two extremes. We do what we want and with no law requiring us to wear a helmet (and no realistic prospect of one being passed) we can continue as we are.

Most non-cyclists seem to be strongly in favour of helmets. In the same way, Tony Blair (who has never been to war) was strongly in favour of invading countries that few others had any particular beef with.

Carry on.

 

[SquareDaff]

I've ridden on the road without and with a helmet. Used to be in the "never wear one" category. Did wear one when I was off roading and the like for tree branches etc.. Eventually after a couple of close scrapes on the commutes I decided to invest in one and took my time to find one that "fit" (i.e. that didn't just look like it was perched on my head!) Now I ride in it all the time and feel quite exposed when I don't wear one.

I just figure that most of us can do speeds of up to 30mph+ at some point on our bikes. If they were driven by motors you'd have to wear a helmet by law. It's only a matter of time before they become compulsary over here. Especially now cycling is becoming more popular. It'll only take a big accident to a "minor" and a little media hype!

 

[classic33]

I'm completely on the fence on this one - and I find it a comfortable place to be.

Carry on.

I take you do use a saddle on your bike, when riding. If you find the fence comfortable!

 

[SquareDaff]

Which is way beyond their rated effectiveness.

And probably also beyond the "rating" of my uncovered skull.

TBH - if I came off at those speeds I'd probably be more worried about the copious amounts of skin I'd be leaving on the road - but I figure if a helmet disperses just some of the force from a head impact then my chances of survival will improve.