Touring - Helmet

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I know I know it is the chestnut of a question but I will ask it once again anyway. And I ask because when I am out on my Tourer I really do not cycle at any great speed even down hills and I wonder whether I really need to be wearing my helmet as riding without one is so much more preferable. I of cause appreciate that a good example of why you should wear one was James Cracknells accident but realistically what chance is there of that happening to me.
Yes I can see the logic of wearing one if your out trying to achieve a PB or evening training but on a Tourer !
Indeed what is more dangerous riding my Tourer helmetless or riding my motorcycle which is capable of 160 mph with all the safety gear on.
 

corshamjim

New Member
Location
Corsham
It's entirely up to you.
 

david1701

Well-Known Member
Location
Bude, Cornwall
according to some they are only any use in low speed accidents :biggrin:

wear it if it makes you happy, don't if it doesn't just don't crash :tongue:

oh and touring specific some countries have different regs and may require you to wear one
 

andym

Über Member
Yes I can see the logic of wearing one if your out trying to achieve a PB or evening training but on a Tourer !
Indeed what is more dangerous riding my Tourer helmetless or riding my motorcycle which is capable of 160 mph with all the safety gear on.

I don't understand the point you're making: you can fall off your bike and whack your head at any speed and you don't have to be going that fast to take go arse over your handlebars. In fact the reality is that at really high speeds a helmet isn't that much help - as sadly the example of the guy who died on the Giro d'italia shows.

And is it relevant which is more dangerous? If you think your brain is worth protecting it's worth protecting. You can't eliminate all risks but you can take sensible strps to give yourself some protection.

I remember the days before motorcycle helmets were made compulsory and of course people ranted on about how unreasonable it was. And then it became law and bikers got used to it. Buy a decent comfortable helmet and you'll quickly get used to wearing it.
 

Norm

Guest
If you want to wear one, then wear one, if you think it's preferable without, then go without. The speed, or lack of it, is probably not a factor in this particular choice as helmets are only designed to work in low-speed falls anyway.

I don't see that the low speed you anticipate when touring will be a factor.
 

corshamjim

New Member
Location
Corsham
Fair comment Jim.I suppose I am looking to be convinced that I do not need to wear a helmet.

I gathered that. Thing is though I'm not going to tell you that because sod's law says 2 weeks later you'll catch your front wheel in a tram rail, and fly head first in to a bollard doing yourself irreparable brain damage. If that happened I could never live with the guilt. :rolleyes:
 
OP
OP
hondated

hondated

Guru
Well that was worth asking everyone and thanks for your comments.It very much looks as though I will continue to wear the helmet because clearly its the sensible thing to do.
 

mcshroom

Bionic Subsonic
On my last tour my helmet spent more time strapped to the rack than on my head, as I preferred to be comfortable. I only really put it on for urban areas and my short detour along the A75(T).

As everyone has said whether you want to wear a helmet or not is purely your choice, but my advice would be take it (it's only about 250-300g) and decide whether you feel like wearing it or just attaching it to the bike while you're touring.
 
Rather than look at it from the what might happen perspective (after all as you said, James Cracknell is pretty much a one off incident) look at it from the point of how likely is it that anything will happen. If you look at a far more risky activity, cycling in busy city traffic, then in over 3 million Boris Bike journeys without a helmet there have been a couple of handfuls of minor injuries and no head injuries and the same is true for the 2 million journeys on the Dublin hire bike scheme. Now I don't know how many journeys you do on a bike but I reckon its a few tens of thousands of years at that rate for it to get to evens on an injury worth worrying about. I suspect there are other more important things to worry about than whether or not I have a helmet on. But in the end you should do what you feel most comfortable with - after all the purpose of touring is to have a good time. Personally I enjoy the wind in my lack of hair and not having to do something with it off the bike but YMMV.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
Let's not have another effing helmet debate here.

FWIW, I don't wear a helmet on tour on the continent for a variety of reasons that satisfy me. Work through some yourself and make an informed decision that you're happy with.
 
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