Boris Bajic
Guest
From time to time one hears the argument that cyclists in helmets take more risks. I usually ride helmetless. Occasionally I wear one.
In the middle of most rides, if you were to ask me to shut my eyes and tell you whether I was wearing a helmet or not, I'd have trouble deciding. (Never mind the obvious danger of closing my eyes while riding.)
When I do wear one, I am frequently unaware that it is on my head. I'll reach up for a scratch and find hard plastic covering the itchiest part of my scalp, or I'll reach up to pop down the peak of my casquette against a low sun and find just the soulless rim of a helmet.
So... Who are these riders who display Jeckyll & Hyde personality changes when wearing a pice of clothing I often forget I have on?
In a similar vein, when driving I do not judge the proximity of a pass on the basis of which cyclist is be-hatted and which is not. Yet we read of helmet-wearing cyclists being subjected to a higher proportion of close passes.
I think helmet compulsion is silly and is a dream that will never leave the pipe, so to speak.
But I also think that the lengths some folk go to to decry the beastly helmet are slightly silly.
I'd be happier if cycle helmets had never been invented, but at the end of the day it's just a hat and it will always be just a hat.
Was that a rant? My apologies.
In the middle of most rides, if you were to ask me to shut my eyes and tell you whether I was wearing a helmet or not, I'd have trouble deciding. (Never mind the obvious danger of closing my eyes while riding.)
When I do wear one, I am frequently unaware that it is on my head. I'll reach up for a scratch and find hard plastic covering the itchiest part of my scalp, or I'll reach up to pop down the peak of my casquette against a low sun and find just the soulless rim of a helmet.
So... Who are these riders who display Jeckyll & Hyde personality changes when wearing a pice of clothing I often forget I have on?
In a similar vein, when driving I do not judge the proximity of a pass on the basis of which cyclist is be-hatted and which is not. Yet we read of helmet-wearing cyclists being subjected to a higher proportion of close passes.
I think helmet compulsion is silly and is a dream that will never leave the pipe, so to speak.
But I also think that the lengths some folk go to to decry the beastly helmet are slightly silly.
I'd be happier if cycle helmets had never been invented, but at the end of the day it's just a hat and it will always be just a hat.
Was that a rant? My apologies.
