Helmets...yes or no?
Poll: Helmets...yes or no?
Total Members Polled: 247
Discussion
After seeing the 'Getting back into cycling' thread I thought I'd start this thread to see what answers the poll generates...
Personally, If I was to get back into cycling, I'd not consider doing it without a decent lid on. FWIW, it is against the law in New Zealand to ride a bicycle without a helmet and the head injury stats really do back up the law, too.
Personally, If I was to get back into cycling, I'd not consider doing it without a decent lid on. FWIW, it is against the law in New Zealand to ride a bicycle without a helmet and the head injury stats really do back up the law, too.
Helmet discussions get very heated, OUCH !!!.
I dont commute, only ride my cruiser to the next town on the occasional saturday for a coffee on a quiet village road, or around my village. I dont wear it, maybe one day. Even though its custom painted I will still feel like a prat, well at least its not a birds nest one, could be worse :-)
Disclaimer: No offense to birds nest wearers, you can call off the hit squad, 'whatever blows your hair back', as the saying goes !!
I dont commute, only ride my cruiser to the next town on the occasional saturday for a coffee on a quiet village road, or around my village. I dont wear it, maybe one day. Even though its custom painted I will still feel like a prat, well at least its not a birds nest one, could be worse :-)
Disclaimer: No offense to birds nest wearers, you can call off the hit squad, 'whatever blows your hair back', as the saying goes !!
Edited by seadragon on Friday 27th January 23:25
Edited by seadragon on Friday 27th January 23:31
Edited by seadragon on Friday 27th January 23:31
Edited by seadragon on Friday 27th January 23:32
I do.
Giro when traing, because I have to race in it anyway.
Cheaper Bell one for commuting.
Don't give a s
t if others do or don't. Their lives, their risk. 
There's maybe a case for the under 16's to be compulsory, but at the same time, I know I didn't like wearing the "Limar" one I had as a kid. It wasn't as cool as the Giro I got then, and compared to modern ones even that was uncool.
Given even BMXers who are notoriously fickle have made the old piss pots cool again I'm not even sure image comes into it anymore.
Giro when traing, because I have to race in it anyway.
Cheaper Bell one for commuting.
Don't give a s
t if others do or don't. Their lives, their risk. There's maybe a case for the under 16's to be compulsory, but at the same time, I know I didn't like wearing the "Limar" one I had as a kid. It wasn't as cool as the Giro I got then, and compared to modern ones even that was uncool.
Given even BMXers who are notoriously fickle have made the old piss pots cool again I'm not even sure image comes into it anymore.
I'm not at all fussed what anybody else does or doesn't choose to wear on their head....it's your choice.
Me, I wouldn't leave home without it. It's part of the "uniform". I have to wear one to race & choose to wear one to ride/train with also. Personally I've never found them to be a hindrance or in any way uncomfortable.
Losing the front wheel whilst training & consequently head butting a tree at 25mph or so has also helped my decision process. I was wearing a Giro Ionos at the time & had I not been....most probably dead. It's as simple as that.
Me, I wouldn't leave home without it. It's part of the "uniform". I have to wear one to race & choose to wear one to ride/train with also. Personally I've never found them to be a hindrance or in any way uncomfortable.
Losing the front wheel whilst training & consequently head butting a tree at 25mph or so has also helped my decision process. I was wearing a Giro Ionos at the time & had I not been....most probably dead. It's as simple as that.
I must have been about 12 or 13 at the time and was too cool (so I thought) to wear my helmet. OK, it was ugly as fk (and not the best ventilation wise), but what sort of 12 or 13 year old dick doesn't wear his helmet and sticks it on his handlebars instead? Me, that's who.
So I came a cropper...slid down the road on my face after a nice face plant. Well done. tt.
Got home, looked like I'd craweled off the set of 'Night of the Zombies or suchlike and vowed to always wear my skid-lid from then on.
Fast forward 5 or so years...mountainbiking up Mount Victoria in Wgtn, NZ...lovely big downhill (with at the time unknown hidden rocks/logs in long grass)...had a rather massive kiss with terra firma WITH a middle of the range helmet on. Result? Helmet totally stuffed with the area immediately in front of my forehead being seriously impacted and the shell cracked. Small cut on my nose (it's quite sizable so sticks out a fair way!) however my bottom lip had been smashed up and cheese-gratered by the gravel I ended up in. Hell, it looked like I'd been snogging a peckish piranah.
At the hospital the doc said I was wise to wear my lid as without it I'd have had a serious head injury at the very least.
To me, it just doesn't make any sense not to wear a helmet when cycling.
k (and not the best ventilation wise), but what sort of 12 or 13 year old dick doesn't wear his helmet and sticks it on his handlebars instead? Me, that's who.So I came a cropper...slid down the road on my face after a nice face plant. Well done. t
t.Got home, looked like I'd craweled off the set of 'Night of the Zombies or suchlike and vowed to always wear my skid-lid from then on.
Fast forward 5 or so years...mountainbiking up Mount Victoria in Wgtn, NZ...lovely big downhill (with at the time unknown hidden rocks/logs in long grass)...had a rather massive kiss with terra firma WITH a middle of the range helmet on. Result? Helmet totally stuffed with the area immediately in front of my forehead being seriously impacted and the shell cracked. Small cut on my nose (it's quite sizable so sticks out a fair way!) however my bottom lip had been smashed up and cheese-gratered by the gravel I ended up in. Hell, it looked like I'd been snogging a peckish piranah.
At the hospital the doc said I was wise to wear my lid as without it I'd have had a serious head injury at the very least.
To me, it just doesn't make any sense not to wear a helmet when cycling.
BliarOut said:
My TVR doesn't have ABS, TC or any driver aids and if you hit something sideways it's gonna be game over....
You can guess how I answered
pYou can guess how I answered
s off - they make me look gay: ?My old Cobra Replica (Crendon 427SC) had no TC/ABS/roof/power steering/ecu...450bhp and 1100kg with me and fuel. I drove it often at 9/10ths...once in a while 10/10ths.
I'd still wear a helmet tho, despite my choice of motive transport.
Having trashed a few helmets over the years (though only ever off road, DH and XC lids) I can't see how the negatives, if there even are any (I'm talking safty wise here, I realise that they can be a little hot), outweigh the positives.
I live in NZ so don't have the choice anyway, its a decent sized fine if you are caught riding without one but when I was in the UK I pretty much didn't get on a bike without one anyway.
I live in NZ so don't have the choice anyway, its a decent sized fine if you are caught riding without one but when I was in the UK I pretty much didn't get on a bike without one anyway.
BliarOut said:
My TVR doesn't have ABS, TC or any driver aids and if you hit something sideways it's gonna be game over....
You can guess how I answered
None of my bikes (Road, XC hardtail, All Mountain bike and DH race bike) have ABS, TC or any other biker aids and i wera a helmet when riding. Do you wear a seatbelt when driving your TVR? Would you if it wasn't a legal requirement?You can guess how I answered
Floor Tom said:
BliarOut said:
My TVR doesn't have ABS, TC or any driver aids and if you hit something sideways it's gonna be game over....
You can guess how I answered
None of my bikes (Road, XC hardtail, All Mountain bike and DH race bike) have ABS, TC or any other biker aids and i wera a helmet when riding. Do you wear a seatbelt when driving your TVR? Would you if it wasn't a legal requirement?You can guess how I answered
Even TVR owners wear seat belts don't they?
I won't ride without one, but there's only two types of riding I do, giving it death chasing my mates around so that's a no brainer and riding with my 6 year old, have to set the right example.
I've got a busted up Fox Flux somewhere in a box that a surgeon told me probably saved my life and "were you wearing a helmet" is the 1st question every member of staff will ask you when you arrive in A&E in an ambulance. Make of that what you will.
I won't ride without one, but there's only two types of riding I do, giving it death chasing my mates around so that's a no brainer and riding with my 6 year old, have to set the right example.
I've got a busted up Fox Flux somewhere in a box that a surgeon told me probably saved my life and "were you wearing a helmet" is the 1st question every member of staff will ask you when you arrive in A&E in an ambulance. Make of that what you will.
Even TVR owners wear seat belts don't they?
I won't ride without one, but there's only two types of riding I do, giving it death chasing my mates around so that's a no brainer and riding with my 6 year old, have to set the right example.
I've got a busted up Fox Flux somewhere in a box that a surgeon told me probably saved my life and "were you wearing a helmet" is the 1st question every member of staff will ask you when you arrive in A&E in an ambulance. Make of that what you will.
I won't ride without one, but there's only two types of riding I do, giving it death chasing my mates around so that's a no brainer and riding with my 6 year old, have to set the right example.
I've got a busted up Fox Flux somewhere in a box that a surgeon told me probably saved my life and "were you wearing a helmet" is the 1st question every member of staff will ask you when you arrive in A&E in an ambulance. Make of that what you will.
aizvara said:
I wear one, but I'm not convinced of them having a net benefit for adult cyclists, all things considered.
This.I've been cycling since I was 3yo. I've been through all the BMX years in the 1980s, on home-made ramps and quarterpipes, and never knocked my head once. Fell off many many times - just instinctively kept my head away from anything hard.
I ride a city-bike and a HT MTB these days, and I *do* wear a helmet for a number of reasons:
1. I want my kids to wear their helmets, so I lead by example
2. I'd wear *something* on my head (baseball cap) anyway, so I may as well wear a helmet (just in case)
3. Until I bought one about 2 years aho, I had a number of people ask me why I didn't. This just stops the questions
I genuinely don't feel it's a necessity and having worn helmets for motorbikes and helmets for open-topped cars, cycling helmets feel too insubstantial to be of any decent use. But I admit that I listen to people who have found them to be life-saving and believe their stories so I count it as insurance. It's not as if they're expensive - mine was only 40 quid - Specialized Tactic and it's lighter than a baseball. And can act as a mount for a video camera and some lighting.
I feel slightly hypocritical.
Watchman said:
1. I want my kids to wear their helmets, so I lead by example
You want your kids to wear one so you must think they have some benefit? I put one on if i'm going out on my road bike or x country on a MTB. I don't wear one if i'm going around the local area or nipping to the shops. Oddly I imagine if i'm going further i should wear one. Somehow on a short trip it's not necessary.
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