Code of the road.

I tend to acknowledge oncoming cyclists that wear a helmet. That is my way of identifying who is keen & who just happens to use a bicycle as a means of getting from A to B.

No helmet, no wave. (that's me advocating for road safety)
 
I tend to acknowledge oncoming cyclists that wear a helmet. That is my way of identifying who is keen & who just happens to use a bicycle as a means of getting from A to B.

No helmet, no wave. (that's me advocating for road safety)
I do 4 to 5 thousand miles a year of "keen" cycling and i don't need flashing lights either ! And i put my hand up to everyone.:)
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I've worn a helmet since I was nearly killed in 1999 and I suspect one saved my life during lockdown. I've used a flashing rear light during daylight for about 10 years. I regularly see (and greet) 2 or 3 veteran road men riding without helmets - I think they're foolish but their life - their choice.
 
I stopped riding a motorcycle - much more dangerous.
Like descending the stairs.

I dont wear a helmet pootling round town or the village, but if I'm venturing off road or planning on picking up speed I do.

As a rule, cycling health benefits are 10x the risk, and interestingly here in SW UK, cycling is as risky as walking per km.
Let's keep thinking and keep choosing.
 
I tend to acknowledge oncoming cyclists that wear a helmet. That is my way of identifying who is keen & who just happens to use a bicycle as a means of getting from A to B.

No helmet, no wave. (that's me advocating for road safety)
How do you define keen? Someone who adopts a race position on a £5k bike with a snazzy lid in nice weather or someone who commutes every day in all weathers on a £500 bike but wears a cagoule and balaclava.
 
How do you define keen? Someone who adopts a race position on a £5k bike with a snazzy lid in nice weather or someone who commutes every day in all weathers on a £500 bike but wears a cagoule and balaclava.

I don't care. It's my kinda metric for identifying a responsible cyclist in my eyes. Of course I am polite enough to acknowledge others in the lanes (perhaps a couple on hybrids) but then yocals on a clapped-out MTB pedalling with their knees pointed out & their face buried in a smart phone screen get ignored. I am not rude but in my mind I can't be waving & gesturing to every 2 wheeled traveller in the country. On the whole I acknowledge more cyclists than do me.

I see a lot of cyclists that actually don't wear their helmet but choose to dangle it from the handlebars probably opting to put it on before they have an accident. In the 90's as a teenager I only wore a lid when off-road. Helmets are widely accepted & commonplace 30 odd years later, so I am of the opinion most people ought to wear one for most journeys. I would not participate in a ride with someone that doesn't, I won't be hanging round to be scooping up brain cells off the road.
 
One day some time ago I had a doctor's appointment first thing in the day. As the surgery is only a mile or so away and it was rush hour I decided to use a bike and leave it at my partner's place nearby. While cycling there I felt that something was wrong but couldn't put my finger on it until I arrived and tried to take off the helmet that I wasn't wearing.....
 
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