Obtaining a helmet?

[MrMonster]

Really??



Make a statement like that and you are asking to be corrected

Personally I passionately detest helmets and support anyone who is against them, but each to their own...

Merely going by what I read..

https://www.cyclechat.net/

 

[John the Monkey]

See FM's post here

Very interesting - I'd missed that.

Doesn't address the population effects, but v. interesting nonetheless. Will dig some more.

 

[marzjennings]

Very Well Said ... Sir

Why do people against wearing helmets come onto a thread and try to dissuade someone that wants to wear one ?

Simon

Two reasons, one the OP thinks that buying a helmet will save his life which is a false assertion and two, no one likes seeing folks waste money on something they don't need.

 

[johnnyh]

a matter of opinions innit

 

[HJ]

I wasn't really thinking of anything so sophisticated (sorry if it seemed like I was suggesting comparison of actual injuries) - just numbers of injured cyclists with and without helmets for comparison to the overall proportion of cyclists who wear/don't wear helmets.
I realise even this is tricky as there are many cyclists like me who sometimes wear a helmet (mtb-ing, windy or icy conditions or a long ride where I may want to be seen as 'a cyclist' rather than just someone on a bike) but don't for trips into town and short journeys.

There is a fairly large body of research on this, see here, and the evidence is that cycle helmets do not prevent serious head injury. Sadly rather than taking an evidence based approach there are a large number of people who think we should just take on faith what we are told by vested interests.

 

[Crankarm]

All the helmet neigh sayers that have hijacked MrMonster's thread - shame on you.

Mr Monster you have decided you want to wear one hence your initial request for advice on buying one. You now have a long weekend to check some out, so take a look at a few which I am sure you are planning to do, keeping in mind some of the tips on here from helpful fellow posters and buy one you feel comfortable with. Oh and get one in your favourite colour . The only other thing I can suggest is tell us which one you eventually buy!

Oh my Giro Indicator came with a spare set of pads for the inside of the helmet against your head as did my Decathlon one, which is handy for having a spare clean set to put in every now and again. Try and get one with an audjustable cradle which may have a little plastic wheel for adjustment at the back, which I think has already been mentioned by some one else. You can just see it in the pic of my Giro.

 

[ufkacbln]

I wish someone would compile the statistics for cyclists admitted to hospital/treated by emergency services for any injuries who were wearing / not wearing a helmet. It would be interesting to see whether there were more helmet wearers amongst them, as suggested by the theory of risk adaptation (i.e. helmet wearers think themselves safer and then take more risks to bring their behaviour up to their personal "risk limit"). I'm not being provocative here - I'm just a scientist being curious

What stats do show in Cohort studies is that cycling is NOT a major indicator for head injury.

A classic is Thornhill et al in 2000 who looked at head injuries and recovery. They worked in Glasgow and simply took every head injury that came in as the cohort. Their breakdown on causative factors does not even mention cylists!

The characteristics of the cohort agreed with previous surveys1: 1255 (42%) were men aged 40 years or less, 575 (19%) were men and women aged 65 years or more, and most (90%) were classified as having a mild injury. The most common causes of injury were falls (43%) or assaults (34%); alcohol was often involved (61%), and a quarter reported treatment for a previous head injury.

Additionally one must also consider the other options (and this is not personal) We have a new young rider here on the forum..... Is wearing a helmet going to reduce his chances of a head injury if his bike is poorly maintained, he has no road knowledge or training and lacks basic skills

On a wider perspective, as suggested by Meier Hillman - if the same effort, funding and evangelism was ut into cyclist (and driver) training would we see a greater reduction in head (and other) injuries?

However as I said before - in this case the OP simply wants advice on which helmet, although I would suggest that as a novice, some training or guidance would be equally essential.

 

[ufkacbln]

The other myths (and dangerous ones) are that good helmets are expensive, and expensive ones offer additional protection.

Simply look at the test standards the helmets have passed and decide. The toughest is Snell certification, and you can buy a Snell certified helmet (as on page 1 of this thread) for as little as £30, whereas an expensive Giro at £100 + is not Snell certified.

Take a look at the standards, then buy the one with the highest standard that fits you well.

 

[MrMonster]

Been away for a day or two and this thread seems to have gotten a bit out of hand.

I appreciate everyones opinions with research and whatnot, but no research will tell you if a person feels safer wearing a helmet or not, which is why I decided I want to get one.

Crank, thanks! I'll be looking at some of the Giro ones in a minute, i'll keep you posted when I shortlist the ones I find. Remember, my budget is tight, so they're probably going to be £25 tops

 

[ufkacbln]

Been away for a day or two and this thread seems to have gotten a bit out of hand.

I appreciate everyones opinions with research and whatnot, but no research will tell you if a person feels safer wearing a helmet or not, which is why I decided I want to get one.

Crank, thanks! I'll be looking at some of the Giro ones in a minute, i'll keep you posted when I shortlist the ones I find. Remember, my budget is tight, so they're probably going to be £25 tops

Look at the standards and put the best on the tick list along with comfort and fit when you decide.

Whatever you do, second hand / EBay etc is NOT an option as the helmet history is unknown

 

[MrMonster]

Yeah I wasn't planning on going used, helmets are only useful for one bash right?

I'll do just that, thanks.

 

[summerdays]

Yes - they should be replaced after a crash, and it's also suggested after 3 years as the polystyrene deteriorates.

 

[ufkacbln]

Yes - they should be replaced after a crash, and it's also suggested after 3 years as the polystyrene deteriorates.

Most of the bigger companies have a "crash replacement policy" for helmets where a replacement can be obtained for a fraction of the full cost.

Some unscrupulous people have been known to damage older helmets to use this facility!

 

[Black knight]

A funeral on Thursday prompted me to get a helmet, had been meaning to for ages.

Asked my LBS if thay had any cheapies. Was hoping to get something for £30 as most were prices 35-40.

Was happily suprised when he sold me a Michellin for £15. Bargain.

 

[Rebel Ian]

I tried many helmets on when I bought mine and the most expensive were incredibly uncomfortable to me. I settled on a £30 MET which is fine. I've also got a £15 Raleigh helmet which came from Amazon which is more comfortable than many more expensive. It really depends on what's most comfortable for you.