Wear a helmet or not?

[Stick Legs]

Re: Re:

I wear one if I ride a bike period.

Knowing my luck I'd be the 0.0001% of people who have a minor crash and end up a vegetable.

How far should the what if paranoia dictate what a person does?

Agreed, I will go on high ropes and ride my bike stupidly fast down hills because the fear exhilarates me. I will drink a little too much once in a while because I find it convivial to do so. I listen to music too loud and have been known to cross roads when the green man is not lit.

No safety Nazi me!

However, some things take a little prevention and do not impair my enjoyment.
I pop on a pair of riggers boots before strimming, and wear safety specs if grinding. I wear a mask when doing dusty stuff.
I wear a bike helmet because it is not an inconvenience, and it may be a huge benefit.
Like the glasses for grinding, the consequences of getting a splinter in my eye so far out weighs the inconvenience of wearing the PPE that it is a good trade off.

Going slowly down steep smooth dry roads on my road bike. NO CHANCE! Skin heals! :twisted:

 

[dongward]

I 100% wear a helmet and feel naked on the rare occasion I forget to wear one. I cycle in traffic a lot and to be honest, a helmet won't save you when the number 26 bounces over your head but then again nothing would. In all honesty it is your head so take the risks you wish - some people hate helmets, never wear them and never crash.

I used to ski a lot and would never think of wearing a helmet in the 80's or 90's but nowadays I do - it's more acceptable and safer. A friend of mine bailed his skis at 50mph and ended up in an induced coma for a month WITH a helmet!

I've come off my bike both off road and on road, broken both collar bones and had a fair share of scrapes and in all these cases a helmet has protected my head. Of course there is the argument that in certain circumstances a helmet would've cause more issues but that is akin to saying seatbelts aren't 100% safe all of the time. The short of it is that anything that is designed to reduce your risk of injury in the event of an accident is a good thing.

I see so many people cutting about Edinburgh with no helmet on, cycling like idiots, annoying drivers etc and I just don't understand it.

The other point to make is that even if you do come off with a minor head injury, it can have repercussions down the line.

Finally, how much is your head worth? Would you buy one on ebay cheap? Invest in a helmet of about £30 at least, buy it new and have someone show you how to fit it properly (we've all seen that person with the helmet on backwards or worn on the back of the head with the forehead exposed) if you buy second hand, there could be a hairline fracture that can't be seen. Also, helmets deteriorate whether you crash them or not - replace them every few years, certainly every 8-10 years.

You only need it when you need it. Needing it that 0.001% of the time is invaluable compared to the 99.999% you don't...

 

[videojetman]

wearing a helmet is a personal choice.
its not for anyone to judge if its right or wrong.
take cigarette packets.
no amount of graphic pictures is going to stop some people inhaling toxic smoke.

 

[firedfromthecircus]

Last time I went skiing four folk in my group had accidents. I took two folk out on a T bar tow. One messed up his wrist and the other his knee, though he was not long back from knee surgery so I won't take full credit. I was unhurt. The other guy went off piste and ended up having an old metal fence post puncture his kidney. He lost that kidney. None of us were wearing helmets. None of us had head injuries. Michael Schumacher on the other hand...................

Back to cycling, here is a nice video.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkPYPeR97rU[/youtube]

 

[dongward]

Very apt...

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... law-london

I don't think a law would work TBH

 

[The History Man]

Last time I went skiing four folk in my group had accidents. I took two folk out on a T bar tow. One messed up his wrist and the other his knee, though he was not long back from knee surgery so I won't take full credit. I was unhurt. The other guy went off piste and ended up having an old metal fence post puncture his kidney. He lost that kidney. None of us were wearing helmets. None of us had head injuries. Michael Schumacher on the other hand...................

Back to cycling, here is a nice video.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkPYPeR97rU[/youtube]

I was expecting it to end with a serious head injury.

 

[CyclingTheLakes]

I once read Greg Lemond recommend helmets in his bike manual even though he acknowledged he usually didn't wear one back in those days. He said you can even hit your head on the curb. Now to me, that's overdoing it but some folks are out there and clipped in, sort of made sense to me.

If one is on a dedicated bike path going through let's say some scenic area with no cars around, it's summer, I suppose that's okay, riding through the neighborhood, that's kind of an okay time to be lax about the rule or when it's real hot but now, I'm pretty much in the habit.

All that said, I ride in the winter some time, I've got my winter hat on and not always am I riding with the helmet.

A little rant and off my chest.

 

[Muddy paw]

Well i want to wear a helmet but atm i can't do through my own ahem! stupidity as i bought a helmet last year and never tried it on until the other day :facepalm: and as you've probably guessed the damn thin is to small although that means the mr's has now become the proud owner of it and i'm left without and to top it off i've no spare pennies to get another which annoy's me as i won't go out without one ..

 

[The History Man]

Well i want to wear a helmet but atm i can't do through my own ahem! stupidity as i bought a helmet last year and never tried it on until the other day :facepalm: and as you've probably guessed the damn thin is to small although that means the mr's has now become the proud owner of it and i'm left without and to top it off i've no spare pennies to get another which annoy's me as i won't go out without one ..

Muppet. Send me your address and I'll send you an old spare, karma. :facepalm:

 

[Muddy paw]

Well i want to wear a helmet but atm i can't do through my own ahem! stupidity as i bought a helmet last year and never tried it on until the other day :facepalm: and as you've probably guessed the damn thin is to small although that means the mr's has now become the proud owner of it and i'm left without and to top it off i've no spare pennies to get another which annoy's me as i won't go out without one ..

Muppet. Send me your address and I'll send you an old spare, karma. :facepalm:

You got it in one THM and thanks as it's very much appreciated after last month with all the kid's birthday's