Helmet discussions: has anyone ever been persuaded otherwise?

[Abitrary]

What do they know then in respect of their fields of expertise?

flying monkey is an expert in security and surveillance and bonj is a good allrounder.

 

[on the road]

Has anyone ever been persuaded away from their original standpoint by such a discussion?

If so, how/why?

No, I still don't wear one.

I'm not going to say why seeing as you don't want this turning into a helmet debate

 

[karen.488walker]

I wear mine all the time, even if just going around a play area with my kids. How can I expect them to wear them into adulthood if I don't? (always ski in one too).

 

[swee'pea99]

Since reading posts on this group I always wear one in the shower. Damn slippery in that bath...

 

[Joe24]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Since reading posts on this group I always wear one in the shower. Damn slippery in that bath...[/QUOTE]

I always wear elbow, knee, helmet protection, just to be safe.
Used to wear eye protection, but it didnt work so well.

 

[Abitrary]

I wear a helmet all the time in winter, and in summer alternate days so I get an even tan.

 

[TheDoctor]

[quote name='swee'pea99']Since reading posts on this group I always wear one in the shower. Damn slippery in that bath...[/QUOTE]

If I'd been wearing one when I slipped getting out of the bath I'd still have dislocated my shoulder.

 

[Fnaar]

Contrary to my sig line, I don't actually have a helmet. Except a really old-fashioned one somewhere in the attic that I bought in the 1980s, and it makes me look like a mushroom.
However, due to persistent badgering(*) by Mrs F, I'm considering getting one.


(*) nothing to do with the dead badger thread

 

[Black Sheep]

I never used to wear one - parents tried to force it onto me, but it just looked stupid, so I said if I ever get a road bike I'd wear a helmet. A few years later, I purchased a road bike, and the moment I got on the bike and felt the high speeds, I wore a helmet. Have worn one ever since (and thanks god I have as I'm pretty sure my thread is the thread the OP is on about ). Would I make them the law? Unsure. Would I strongly advise one, force my kids to wear one when I am older (and when I have kids)...yes.

i've always worn one, but being a mountain biker of 12 years and a road cyclist of 2 years that is little surprise.

the benefits for mountain biking are known, i am more likely to come off and more likely to come off and hit a tree / log / rock / bike etc, anything that cushions that possibly sharp object is a good thing in my opinion.

i wear one when riding on the road because it feels odd not to and the pro's i can think of outweigh the con's i can think of.

a helmet did prevent my brother from a hospital trip - his foot slipped from the pedal into his BMX's front wheel (he'd be about 15) flipping him over the front, bike up in the air - he still has the helmet with 8 teeth marks in from the chain wheel when the bike landed on him.

 

[Black Sheep]

In canoeing, performers will wear a helmet to go on white water, and also when on a river sometimes. The percived risk is low-moderate, the actual risk is low on a river, but they will still wear a helmet, just incase they get hit by a paddle or something.
Same with bouyancy aids and other safety equipment, drowning is a perceived risk, but the actual risk is pretty low if you know what your doing.

actually, its because it hurts having your head dragged along a rocky river bed if you capsize

buoyancy aids are worn for one of two reasons,

1, assistance in floating if your out of the boat, a bouyancy aid will NOT prevent you drowning it will only help keep you afloat.
buoyancy aids will NOT turn you face out of the water, thats a life jacket.

2, it restricts shoulder movement and thus ability to paddle / perform and are required for competitions as such, most canoeists wear them all the time so that they are used to the amount of movement they have when wearing them.
I personally would happily not wear one on a small watersports lake, but its the rules at a centre to wear one, so I do. (they won't let me use my life deck - a spray deck with buoyancy that sits between your legs.

canoe polo players wear helmets with face guards to prevent paddle to face injury, but tis a silly game.

 

[Joe24]

actually, its because it hurts having your head dragged along a rocky river bed if you capsize

buoyancy aids are worn for one of two reasons,

1, assistance in floating if your out of the boat, a bouyancy aid will NOT prevent you drowning it will only help keep you afloat.
buoyancy aids will NOT turn you face out of the water, thats a life jacket.

2, it restricts shoulder movement and thus ability to paddle / perform and are required for competitions as such, most canoeists wear them all the time so that they are used to the amount of movement they have when wearing them.
I personally would happily not wear one on a small watersports lake, but its the rules at a centre to wear one, so I do. (they won't let me use my life deck - a spray deck with buoyancy that sits between your legs.

canoe polo players wear helmets with face guards to prevent paddle to face injury, but tis a silly game.

Cheers pal, ive canoed for a long time.
Life deck? What is that? Ive used a suicide block before, and had big bits of foam pushing up my sprey deck, but ive never heard of a life deck.
If you are meaning a suiced block( a block of foam that sits between your legs to keep you in) then unless you are very confident, then you shouldnt use one. And for flat water, theres no real point if your just paddling about. The only time i have used one is when i was doing freestyle, and my brother uses one when he is squirt boating, and has straps and a big inflatable nob(look like a nob) pushing his spreydeck up on his play boats.
Bouyance aids are indeed not life jackets. Bouyance aids aids just aid bouyance.
They dont completely resitrict movement, thats a lie. I did open canoeing and you twist around alot. If you have one that resricts your movement then its wrong for you.
Now a wet suit, that restrict your movement.
The chances of having your head scrape along the bottom in a river is slim. Your normally deep enough that if you do fall over, your head wont scrape along the bottom. And if your not, then how are you paddling?
For white water you should always wear a helmet, ive seen alot of accidents where someone has cracked there head on a rock.
What boat do you paddle by the way?

 

[Noodley]

Ive...had big bits of foam pushing up my sprey deck...

The only time i have used one is when i was doing freestyle...

...my brother uses one when he is squirt boating, and has straps and a big inflatable nob pushing his spreydeck up on his play boats.

You sure that has not just been copied from a reader's letter from "dogging monthly"

 

[Joe24]

You sure that has not just been copied from a reader's letter from "dogging monthly"

You should see these nob Noodley, they really do look like them.

Here you go Its some guy that has designed those kayaks, Eric Jackson.

Thats an inflatable nob

 

[HJ]

There is a certain element of danger in any sport. I think if you was to ask the genral public as to why you would wear a helmet their reply would be ''to protect your head should you come off'' rather then cycling being inherently ''dangerous''

But I don't cycle for "sport", it is just a great way to get around and I very seldom "come off'', also I have never hit my head doing so. There is a great deal of difference between reality and perception. The promotion of helmets for cycling give the general public a perception that cycling is far more dangerous than it really is, and therefore acts a barrier to greater participation in cycling...

 

[John the Monkey]

Has anyone ever been persuaded away from their original standpoint by such a discussion?

If so, how/why?

I still wear one.

I'm more informed about it's capabilities, and about the problems around compelling people to wear them than I was though.

Canoeing discussion fascinating, incidentally. Anyone interested in discussion of boxing headgear and associated rotational injury?