I’m starting to ride my bike more: the weather’s good, I’ve got more time now that classes are done for the summer, and I have fewer friends around who own cars. I personally am in the no-helmet camp: it’s intolerably uncomfortable for me*, I haven’t fallen off a bike since I was ten years old trying to ride down a flight of stairs**, and I don’t generally ride in traffic.
I know there’s a decent number of dopers who ride to some extent, be you hardcore cyclists or casual commuters. So, discuss: do you wear a helmet? Why or why not?
*Not only the heat thing, but having anything putting the slightest amount of pressure on my head/neck causes my skin to get red and irritated. Also, it does bad things to my hair.
**An unfortunate incident of childhood stupidity. However, I wasn’t wearing a helmet, and aside from some bruises to my body and pride, I was absolutely fine.
I always wear a helmet. To me it’s cheap insurance. One of the customers at my local bike shop suffered a head injury and severely damaged his motor skills. He was a experienced biker. He believes if he had been wearing a helmet at the time he would have avoided the injury.
If one or more of the following conditions is met -> wear a helmet
-Riding in areas where motorists aren’t used to bikes.
-Riding in city’s without dedicated bicicle-paths.
-High speeds (downhill),
-Bad roads.
-when riding less than 4x/week.
Because as uncomfortable as a helmet is, it’s far, far more comfortable than the alternative in an accident. Not just bike v. car, but also bike v. pavement (there’s a saying that there are two types of cyclists, those who have fallen and those who haven’t fallen yet), and bike v. bike. Even if you’re not riding in automobile traffic, another bike going fast enough and stupid enough can do its share of damage to you.
Agree with the ‘helmet on’ crowd. My sainted father had his first wreck-caused-by-others, coincidentally, on the first day he wore a helmet.
His helmet was cracked.
His head was not.
Perhaps this article might be of interest to you.
If it were me, I’d put aside the irritation of wearing a helmet so that I could protect my squishy brain parts. YMMV. Remember that it’s not only your skills at test on the roadway; it’s all those other ya-hoos out there.
Definitely a helmet wearer. If you’re going to ride a bike, you learn to live with helmet-hair.
If yours is so uncomfortable, go to your nearest reputable bike dealership and get a new one. Have it properly fitted, don’t just buy the cheapest one in the colour you like. It’s got to protect your head, it’s not a fashion accessory.
I know for a fact if I’d not been wearing one all those years ago, I would be typing this from The Other Side.
Always do. My wife thought it looked silly (at first; she’s used to it now) and I get shit from my co-workers about it (more for the cycling pants now), but I’m still going to wear it.
I ride on city streets at night and during the morning rush hour at high speeds on a road bike that sits me with my head as just about the furthest point forward. Since I don’t find my intact braincase to be over-rated, there’s no way I’d ride like that without a helmet. I’ve never been in a major crash, but I’ve been in one minor wipe-out and a couple of non-events (i.e., I kept right on riding without stopping) that scratched my helmet, and could have meant a trip to the ER for stitches if I’d been bare-headed.
Quite honestly, although I can go along with The Librarian’s guidelines (maybe replacing “less than 4x/week” with “less than 5km/week”), I consider helmet-wearing to be a litmus test of basic intelligence for cyclists on anything beyond a granny bike.
I have never worn a helmet. I used to be a hard-core bike commuter, for years and many, many miles. I have shredded pantyhose, my knees, and my elbows. I have broken my coccyx. I have been hit by cars. (Well, one car, and one truck.) I have been t-boned by another cyclist who lost his brakes. I have never ever hit my head.
I broke my first helmet in a spectacular manner doing going down a hill far too fast in the countryside where I used to live. I just remember waking up in a daze (can’t have been out cold, probably just in a stupor) and my helmet barely on my head. Took it off and it’d been split clean down the middle, only held together by the straps through it and had tire marks on it. Worked out that I’d managed to go over the bars and have the bike wheel land on my head. Glad that wasn’t my skull.
I ride very fast, in traffic, in a busy city. Wherever I go on my bike I have my helmet and if I’m going to Uni I just don’t do my hair until I get there! But then I guess being a guy I can try and pull off the messy hair look.
I have fractured my skull in a non-bike accident before though, and was out cold for a few days. I find that I’m a little more careful about my cranium these days than some of my friends…but all it takes is once over the bars awkwardly (happens to the best of us) for it to be game over for you. I think it’s silly not to give yourself better odds and wear something to protect you in case it does happen.
I always wear my helmet, I’m a sensible cyclist but it only takes one idot or old lady to not see me and SPLOOSH my brains spill onto the floor.
Interestingly I remember a study at Glasgow Uni (I think) that found motorists drive alot closer, pass faster, and pass in more stuipid places if you ARE wearing a helmet.
Anyway, helmets are cool now, if some one is seen without a helmet everyone is thinking “jeez what a muppet, I hope they face plant”
If you’re riding on sidewalks at a “sidewalk safe” speed, then you don’t need a helmet. If you’re driving on the street, regardless of anything, you should have on a helmet; the problem isn’t falling, it’s getting hit by a car.
If you’re driving on the sidewalk and going at a speed similar to what you would go on the street (as it appears American bicyclists have come into the habit of due to generally not being allowed to ride on the sidewalk), then the question is moot. Get off the sidewalk!
No matter what, you’re safer with a helmet. But from years of Tokyo biking, I can say that the amount of safety gained if you’re going at an easy pace on the sidewalk, isn’t worth the hassle.
I’m a careful driver, don’t speed, no convictions for unsafe or reckless driving, car has airbags, should I wear a seat belt? Heck yes, only accident I was in was the fault of an unskilled driver from behind.
In the same way, no matter how safe you feel you are or actually are, never forget the unpredictable actions of idiots around you. Or even the little things you do accidently yourself.
A man nearly knocked me off my feet the other day when he came around the corner on his bike on the path.
My kneejerk reaction was to semi-shout “get off the path, you’re a grown man for f…'s sake.”
I hate adults cycling on small paths thinking that pedestrians should get out of their way. If you’re an adult cycling on the path, get out of the way of people if you approach them. Or just cycle on the road and go at the speed you want.
I ride mountain bikes mainly, where everyone serious wears a helmet. It is extremely unusual to see someone on the trails without one. This attitude crosses over onto my commute on the road, so I tend to wear one.
You’ll find plenty of dissenting opinions from road cyclists though, its a common thread on cycling forums where many experienced roadies don’t favour helmets. I’m not quite sure of their arguments, I think they are similar to Hilarity N. Suze speaking about them not really being useful as you rarely hit that part of your head in a crash - maybe more non-helmet wearers can elaborate on this a bit.
Its an interesting question though, right now many mountain bikers are wearing full-face helmets (like a motorcycle helmet) and body armour as standard for the trails. This makes no sense to me, but if it makes you a more confident rider, then its probably a good thing.
Remember that it’s not only your skills at test on the roadway; it’s all those other ya-hoos out there.
