Helmet or not

[kyuss]

You brain is rather important to you. It is only wrapped in a thin shell of bone rather like an egg shell. You put eggs in a box to bring them home.

Really? If your skull is no better developed than an eggshell I'd suggest a trip to the doctors. Mine has been developed over thousands of years to deal with the majority of knocks and bumps and is fairly sturdy. Even if it wasn't I wouldn't put too much trust in a second covering of eggshell (helmet).

 

[Rhythm Thief]

However the one important fact in all this is that it is your choice as to whether you wear one or not.

Before we get into another 26 page thread on helmets, may I suggest that this is really all that needs to be said on the subject?

 

[summerdays]

One of the reasons I started wearing one was that I wanted my kids to wear one. Their skulls are thinner than ours, and I would be a hypocrite not to wear one if I wanted them to. They are more likely to have those low speed off's where a helmet might help. However my eldest doesn't wear one now and that is her choice. I wear one 80% of the time - though in the snow I've decided to make that 100%.

Only you can decide - but if you do get one ... fit it properly!

 

[TVC]

I was twotted off my bike a couple of years ago, and although I headbutted the roof of a car at over 20 mph before flying over the top of it and landing on by bonce on the other side (witness statement, not my biased recollection), I got away without even a headache. The helmet was totalled, as was my arm/shoulder/hands/chin resulting in a stay in hospital and 3 months off work.

At the time I was stupid enough to suggest on a forum smilar to this (C+ RIP), that the helmet may in some way have lessened the damage to my head. What followed was pages of abuse from non-wearers calling me a moron for even owning a helmet - very disheartening, particularly from one contributor whose main arguement for not wearing a lid is because he didn't want to look uncool.

From the whole saga I came to the view I have today: To wear a helmet or not is your own decision, if you have thought through the arguements yourself and have decided that they do not offer any useful protection then I respect your decision. If however you don't wear a helmet because you can't be bothered or through vanity, then you're an idiot.

Personally I always wear a helmet and will always encourage those I love to do the same.

 

[snorri]

It depends on your cycle usage and cycling style.
As an on road utility cyclist who puts self preservation and safety before speed and performance I have decided not to wear a helmet. I cycle in normal clothes because cycling would cease to be a convenient and practical mode of transport if I were to wear special clothing including a helmet every time I got on my bike. As the OP says, in a high speed collision with a motor vehicle a helmet is unlikely to affect the outcome, and as an adult I consider it most unlikely I will fall off my bicycle at slow speed.
The choice is yours.

 

[ASC1951]

If your skull is no better developed than an eggshell I'd suggest a trip to the doctors. Mine has been developed over thousands of years to deal with the majority of knocks and bumps and is fairly sturdy.

Mine too. I came off my MTB at speed some years ago, landed on a rock on my unprotected swede, had 50 stitches in it and a week in hospital.

I generally wear a helmet off-road but still don't wear one on the road. My head, my choice.

 

[johnnyh]

it is no great inconvenience to put a helmet on, and if my head is aided to survive and impact, then I stand a better chance as a whole. Hence I always put the lid on.

Same way I always put on a seatbelt in the car, and I always find a safe place to cross. I think this kind of thing sets a good example to kids too.

 

[montage]

Helmets save lives. If I see a cyclist with no helmet, then I see them as an inexperienced/bad cyclist - though ofc this is not allways the case, just the first impression that is given. And if you are worried about looking like an alien, some of the helmets out atm look pretty swanky

 

[Smokin Joe]

Helmets save lives. If I see a cyclist with no helmet, then I see them as an inexperienced/bad cyclist - though ofc this is not allways the case, just the first impression that is given. And if you are worried about looking like an alien, some of the helmets out atm look pretty swanky

You should tell that to professional cyclsts, then.

Trawl through the racing magazines at pictures of teams out on the road during early season training camps and the majority of riders do not wear a helmet. That includes squads riding through London traffic just before the 07 Tour de France.

Wear one if you want, but don't come the patronising crap with those who don't.

 

[montage]

ok...so lets put it this way
How many lives have cycling helmets saved?
How many lives have cycling helmets killed?
....their effect can only be positive. If somebody said you have to play Russian roulette with one bullet or two, would you take the two bullets because the risk is still small? Thought not.

 

[Smokin Joe]

ok...so lets put it this way
How many lives have cycling helmets saved?
How many lives have cycling helmets killed?
....their effect can only be positive. If somebody said you have to play Russian roulette with one bullet or two, would you take the two bullets because the risk is still small? Thought not.

Lets put it another way. In the hundred plus years before professional cyclists (who crash many more times than anyone else and at higher speeds) wore helmets, how many died because of preventable head injuries? The number is too small to make a statistic.

If you're one of those who believes "If it saves one life it is worth it" I suggest you stop riding a bike and take up indoor jogging.

 

[ronmac]

Thanks for all the replies

I only posted late last night and was amazed at all the replies. I didn't realise it was such a touchy subject.
Anyway many thanks to one and all. I've got some serious consideration to do. My general feeling is that I'll probably wear it when out on the roads on my touring bike either training or touring but give it a miss when pottering about locally on my MTB mainly on cycle paths. Happy/Safe cycling all. Ron.

 

[montage]

Lets put it another way. In the hundred plus years before professional cyclists (who crash many more times than anyone else and at higher speeds) wore helmets, how many died because of preventable head injuries? The number is too small to make a statistic.

If you're one of those who believes "If it saves one life it is worth it" I suggest you stop riding a bike and take up indoor jogging.

Well unfortunately I have seen the effects of somebody I know that suffered severe head injuries that would have most likely been prevented had a helmet been worn. If he had the ability to now say something on the issue, I am sure he would. Don't give any of that "the helmet wouldn't have helped anyway" crud either, he got knocked while going at low speed, and head collided with the curb.

Now, while people like you put forward a case for not wearing a helmet, this may encourage others to follow your lead and put forward a decent excuse for not wearing helmets, when infact their reasons may be down to veinity etc. So lets say you advise a youngster to bin the helmet, then he ends up like my friend did. If you don't want to wear a helmet, fine, just don't let anybody know.

And to the OP, wear the helmet on cycle paths aswell

 

[Smokin Joe]

Well unfortunately I have seen the effects of somebody I know that suffered severe head injuries that would have most likely been prevented had a helmet been worn. If he had the ability to now say something on the issue, I am sure he would. Don't give any of that "the helmet wouldn't have helped anyway" crud either, he got knocked while going at low speed, and head collided with the curb.

Now, while people like you put forward a case for not wearing a helmet, this may encourage others to follow your lead and put forward a decent excuse for not wearing helmets, when infact their reasons may be down to veinity etc. So lets say you advise a youngster to bin the helmet, then he ends up like my friend did. If you don't want to wear a helmet, fine, just don't let anybody know.

And to the OP, wear the helmet on cycle paths aswell

Oh I'm soooooooooooo sorry, I shouldn't try and corrupt the innocent youth by publicising my shameful vice

 

[montage]

Oh I'm soooooooooooo sorry, I shouldn't try and corrupt the innocent youth by publicising my shameful vice

Nice argument, well presented.
For the rest of you, here is the proof - it appears that not wearing a helmet on cycle rides does indeed lead to a loss in brain cells.

Smokin Joe, if you do persist in making a tit of yourself, please reply with another comment similar to your previous one, or you could be helpful and argue a VALID case for not wearing a helmet. If you really want to find out if the helmet really is better off on the shelf, perhaps I could hook you up with my friend? Would take him a while to tell you anything though - he talks pretty slow with only half a brain.


http://www.helmets.org/stats.htm