Is there a stigma to only wear a cap?

[Pat "5mph"]

Mod Note:
Thread is moving to the helmet debate forum.
Please read pinned posts.
Cheers, stay safe!

 

[matticus]

Am I allowed a "Kerching" at this moment?

 

[snorri]

I regularly see an old man (70+)

Just be careful there, please.

 

[snorri]

Better than looking like a supersized anthropomorphic dildo, though!

My mind is frazzled, any chance of a photo to assist my understanding?

 

[BalkanExpress]

My personal view is that helmet is really badly fitting, being too high and tilted far too back, could it do more harm than good?

It's a Giro Reverb and the retention at the back is elastic so it can move round a bit and i had slapped it back on for the photo so you are right the positioning was not great . however, it certainly "matches".

 

[Kevfm]

Yes. The majority of cyclists don't use helmets. I think the highest a UK national survey ever got was 40ish% usage and then the proportion started falling and then the government stopped national surveys which may not have been coincidental.

Maybe you're not great at observation, maybe the roads near you feel unsafe, maybe something else.

If I remember correctly, the only country to report credibly voluntary usage above half was Ireland about 20 years ago but it was only just and only one year, falling again since.

My observation when riding is excellent, thanks. And the roads are quiet lanes. I'm only saying what I see; I don't care what anyone else does really. A lot of the riders were probably novices like me and maybe they're more likely to wear one?

People do seem to get very wound up about this though. But then I suppose the evidence isn't that compelling, unlike with something like hi-viz clothing.

 

[BalkanExpress]

I always wear a helmet, but I love the look of the cycling cap under the helmet 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

The timeless look of the Belgian hardman

 

[matticus]

But then I suppose the evidence isn't that compelling, unlike with something like hi-viz clothing.

I'm not falling for that, no sir-ee!!!

Nothing to see here ...

 

[newfhouse]

But then I suppose the evidence isn't that compelling, unlike with something like hi-viz clothing.

Naughty!

 

[mjr]

My mind is frazzled, any chance of a photo to assist my understanding?

Certainly. NSFW, obvs:

 

[mjr]

From hard-earned experience, always wear the helmet as well. [...]You can be in control of yourself but you cannot control the road conditions nor the behaviours of other road users.

What has the behaviour of other road users got to do with helmets? Cycle helmets are not designed for collisions with them.

[...] Yet a highly skilled speed demon such as Michael Schumacher, wearing proper protective headgear, ended up handicapped for life from a glancing blow to the head suffered whilst out skiing. Medical opinion was reported as concluding that he would certainly have died without the helmet.

It seems like he was not "a highly skilled speed demon" at skiing, even if he was famous for racing motor cars. Medical opinion in various directions has been reported and there's always the big question about whether he would have taken such risks off-piste without a helmet?

This is one of those issues where worrying about what other people think is completely unimportant: cap or no cap, always wear the helmet.

That's backwards: never use a helmet unless you've got a special reason to do so. We know they have proven physical impact protection, but we also know they don't offer a significant benefit on average, so what's undermining the physical protection? More crashes for some reason? A bigger, heavier head more likely to hit the ground? Replacing one injury type with another? But also, we know they deter people from cycling — even if you don't believe the data suggesting that cycling levels fall in popular places like Copenhagen during helmet promotion campaigns, "always wear the helmet" would prevent people grabbing a hire bike on a whim — so helmet promotion seems like a net harm to cycling.

 

[Once a Wheeler]

That is quite funny. All the actual evidence you quote contradicts your assertion.

…only if the evidence of Fangio’s survival of his 1952 Monza F1 roll-over accident with no seat belt; and the evidence of those who have drowned to death because they were trapped by seat belts contradicts the evidence that seat belts save lives.

My only assertion is that heads can be very delicate. All the rest constitutes the conclusions I have drawn from my own experience.

However, the really important thing is that cup of tea you stop to enjoy — especially if you have the good fortune to do so in east Devon. Sounds idyllic. I can’t get out for a tea-time chat but here’s something that can form the basis of almost never-ending discussions on topics such as these:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-art-of-statistics/david-spiegelhalter/9780241258767
No ancient randonneur can ever be entirely wrong. All the best.

 

[matticus]

This thread has been great for my lockdown mental health - it's a return to normality, to the days when my biggest fears were the risks of riding my bike without a helmet or Hi-Viz.

 

[boydj]

I only wear a cap. No helmet.
Do what you want, it's your choice.

Same here. Don't want the baldy bits getting burnt.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I'm not quite bald yet, but I wear a cycling cap no helmet, keeps sun off my thinning crown and sun and rain out of my eyes.