Helmets

[TVC]

Always.

A well told story, I headbutted the roof of a car at 25mph, went over the top and landed head first on the other side. I broke my nose, shattered two teeth, broke my arm, dislocated my shoulder and broke some fingers.
I also broke my helmet, but not my skull, I suspect these two are linked but many people say they aren't.

 

[yello]

I wear it all the time and so do my kids

That must be uncomfortable... ho ho.

I only wear my helmet on club rides - and probably for the wrong reason; peer group pressure. The club safety officer does like to mention helmet-less cyclists, so to avoid being singled out, I don a helmet.

I'd wear a helmet all of the time if I could assure myself that the type of accident that I might have is one that the helmet had been designed for. Truth is, a helmet has it's limitations (and understandably so) and so I respect the right of people to choose. I think if I had kids, I'd look at the issue again from the perspective of the riding they did rather than what I might think now for myself.

 

[Gixxerman]

Generally no.
However, I have recently bought one for 2 reasons.
1) I am doing some charity rides this year and the H&S bods require you to wear one to take part.
2) I have started to do a few off-road night rides and a helmet is a good place to mount a torch style light.
If I recall correctly, helmets are only designed to withstand a 12mph impact. So IMHO, they would be of limited effectiveness in a crash at normal road speeds. Just my £0.02 worth.

 

[ufkacbln]

I too grew up when helmets were very rare, and I remember my brothers first uvex helmet, OMG! what an ugly thing it was.

But despite this he still wore it. Fortunately we now have some excellent designs.

I would never cycle without one myself as I like my head the way it is, with the brains and bones on the inside, covered by skin!

I know some people that argue they don't go fast enough to wear a helmet. I explain that speed has nothing to do with it, other than a whole lot more damage will be done at higher speeds, all over your body!

I read an article once, by a cyclist who now wears a helmet all the time as his female friend now lives in a wheel chair and is fed through a straw.
The reason she ended up in this state was not down to speed, or a car hitting her, she was actually stationary. She had just stopped at some lights and gotten her wheel stuck in a crack in the road, she tried to release her cleats but could't and just fell towards the path. Her head hit the curb side and the damage was done, needless to say, she wasn't wearing a helmet, and she was an experienced cyclist. It's a pretty non descript accident, happens to lots of cyclists falling off due to cleats not releasing, and they get away with it, unfortunately this poor woman didn't, and it only takes that one time.

At the end of the day it is a personal choice and hasn't been made law (as yet).

This is a similarly tragic case, is there any reason why I should not simply use this to justify drinking helmets?

Using emotive blackmail to bully cyclists and scare them is silly when anyone who has looked at the evidence will know that only a small proportion of cases are cyclists.

Surely if the case you give is used as justification for cycle helmets you must support drinking helmets or explain why this assault victim's head injuries are not worth preventing... is it somehow easier to feed through a straw if the head injury is a non cycling one?

 

[Glover Fan]

Hi,

I always make an effort to wear a helmet, but understand it is a perfectly individual choice to do so. I started motorcycling at 16 and the law forces you to wear a helmet which I don't really agree with.

Unlike seatbelts in cars, if you have a crash and are not wearing a helmet, you only have yourself to worry about in an accident as you are not really risking the lives of others by not wearing a helmet.

My reasons for wearing a helmet on a pushbike was compounded a couple of years back when my father-in-law was out on his bike and he'd just had the wheels trued and the wheel wasn't put back on the forks properly, so 40 miles in he propped up on the kerb and the wheel literally fell out. He went arse over tit and smashed his head on the concrete, fortunately he was wearing a helmet, but was still pretty badly concussed, but when you look at the helmet you'd be thankful for only that!

As for the argument that a lot of helmets fall apart or are not up to the job, this is true. Motorcycle riders are generally advised to replace their helmet after 3 years or after even a small event such a dropping it as the structure of the helmet has been compromised. In other words you'd be better off not wearing a helmet than one that has been dropped on the floor.

I'm sure you guys know plenty of people who are wearing helmets that are 10+ years old. Pretty much a pointless token gesture of risk prevention to their noggin.

Like I said, it's a personal choice and it always makes me cringe when people try arguing the toss on such a pointless topic. If someone has an accident not wearing a helmet, then unlucky but I don't think they will be looking for any sympathy and likewise i'm sure us guys who do wear helmets don't lose sleep at night looking like tools on a bicycle. (I wasn't aware they weren't trendy anyway, but i'm a younger member of the cycling fraternity).

Jon.

 

[yello]

I'm sure you guys know plenty of people who are wearing helmets that are 10+ years old. Pretty much a pointless token gesture of risk prevention to their noggin.

I believe (having read it here before... so it must be true!) that bicycle helmets don't degrade like motorcycle helmets do. I think manufacturers might advise you to replace every 2 or 3 years (or whatever it is) but I don't believe there is any structural reason for that. Of course, if you've dropped the helmet then it could well be compromised and ought be replaced.

I think more notable is the number of cyclists don't wear their helmets as advised (I was going to say 'correctly'). I don't know about you lot, but I have to adjust the straps after maybe half a dozen rides just to get it all fitting right and proper again.

 

[Toeclip]

No I don`t wear a helmet, wooly hat in the winter and cap in the summer. I also didn`t wear a helmet on a motorbike either but that was in my younger days.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I never wear one.

 

[Mr Crash]

When I'm riding seriously yes if I'm biking to a mates house no.

 

[Thelma]

My OH is quite keen that I get one and I must admit I'd want my son to wear one, so I suppose it's hypocritical of me to feel reluctant to do so myself.

 

[ufkacbln]

My OH is quite keen that I get one and I must admit I'd want my son to wear one, so I suppose it's hypocritical of me to feel reluctant to do so myself.

Not really, as Children's skulls are not fully developed and knitted, and also experience the low impact and speed accidents that cycle helmets are designed for.

 

[Funk-Meister]

In the last six months ive thrown two helmets in the bin after being hit by a car on both occasions. I was around to be able to examine the extent of the damage on the second occasion purely because I was wearing a helmet.

At the end of the day its youre own call.......for me id never cycleIf you want an opinion, then id suggest you do the same.

 

[mickle]

I've had more than one 'accident' which - had I been wearing a helmet - the medical professionals who attended to me would have said "If you hadn't been wearing a helmet you'd be dead now".

 

[slowmotion]

 

[chewy]

AND SO IT BEGINS AGAIN :-D