# Helmet - would you or wouldn't you?



## 2IT (1 Jun 2016)

From the helmet thread, I can't determine the percentage of people who take cycling seriously or helmets seriously. 

Would you cancel a ride if it meant riding without a helmet?


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## classic33 (1 Jun 2016)

This is the opposite over here. Many organised rides insist that helmets be worn. For those, I've pulled out of one or two.


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## Absinthe Minded (1 Jun 2016)

classic33 said:


> This is the opposite over here. Many organised rides insist that helmets be worn. For those, I've pulled out of one or two.


Agreed. I'd be more likely to cancel if _wearing one_ was compulsory.


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## swee'pea99 (1 Jun 2016)

What helmet?


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## Hill Wimp (1 Jun 2016)

I won't go into the local cyclopark because they insist on you wearing one.


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## slowmotion (1 Jun 2016)

What I do or don't do with my cranium is my business, nobody else's. I wear a helmet on my bike out of choice and I would never go to a ski resort that insisted on helmets on the slopes.


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## Tin Pot (1 Jun 2016)

Twice in the last week I've met up with a cyclist for a ride, and they had forgotten their helmet. I informed them that their death was now a certainty, but the crazy fools cycled regardless.

By some double miracle, neither died.


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## ufkacbln (1 Jun 2016)

I used to organise an annual sponsored ride for a Charity, and provided about 1/3 of their annual income

Then they started excluding people who were not wearing helmets from participating even though they had sponsors

That was when I stopped organising them


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## srw (1 Jun 2016)

2IT said:


> From the helmet thread, I can't determine the percentage of people who take cycling seriously or helmets seriously.
> 
> Would you cancel a ride if it meant riding without a helmet?


No. And my job is all about risk understanding.
@Moderators - this is a duplicate thread


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## Lonestar (1 Jun 2016)

Probably not but I'm so used to wearing one now I probably wouldn't be comfortable.


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## Cubist (1 Jun 2016)

srw said:


> No. And my job is all about risk understanding.
> @Moderators - this is a duplicate thread


Actually, having given it a bit of thought it's a question in its own right, and for the time being can stay separate from the helmet thread. As long as participants stay on topic, and answer the question posed, ie whether they would object to compulsion in an organised ride, then it can stay. Let's just see however how long it will take for the discussion to descend into invective, insult and demands for evidence on the separate question of whether or not helmets are a good thing. A reminder to all that the forum rules are still in play, and not to let this fine question be hijacked by zealots on either side of the debate.


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## swansonj (1 Jun 2016)

Cubist said:


> As long as participants stay on topic, and answer the question posed, ie whether they would object to compulsion in an organised ride, then it can stay.


I'm confused now - I read the question as, slightly oddly, the reverse - as, I think, did the first couple of replies - would you still ride if not allowed a helmet?


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## Cubist (1 Jun 2016)

swansonj said:


> I'm confused now - I read the question as, slightly oddly, the reverse - as, I think, did the first couple of replies - would you still ride if not allowed a helmet?


Indeed. But logic dictates that the question will naturally reverse itself. Far more organised events insist on helmets being worn. The OP , as I read it, was throwing up the hypothetical opposite.
@Hill Wimp was the first to answer in this vein, yet the subsequent posts were moving towards a discussion on compulsion


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## srw (1 Jun 2016)

Cubist said:


> Indeed. But logic dictates that the question will naturally reverse itself. Far more organised events insist on helmets being worn. The OP , as I read it, was throwing up the hypothetical opposite.
> @Hill Wimp was the first to answer in this vein, yet the subsequent posts were moving towards a discussion on compulsion


I don't trhink the OP was asking about formal organised rides, but about going for a ride without a helmet - because it's lost or broken or left at home.


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## Cubist (1 Jun 2016)

OK then, comprehension fail on my part. Carry on, but play nice.


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## Venod (1 Jun 2016)

I don't object to compulsion on an organised ride but I would prefer it not to be there, my club insists on helmets on club organised rides, I don't agree with this either but I comply.


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## Fab Foodie (1 Jun 2016)

Me not signing-on for the recent Windsor Sportive ....


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## Seevio (1 Jun 2016)

Sometimes I wear a helmet and sometimes I don't. I wouldn't avoid a ride based on the lack of a helmet nor would I boycott an event where they were compulsory.


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## rugby bloke (1 Jun 2016)

I've had a few occasions when I've been driven to the station and realized I've forgotten my helmet. Given the choice of driving back home to get it (40 mins round trip) or doing the 20 min ride in London without a helmet, the ride without a helmet has won each time.


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## Milkfloat (1 Jun 2016)

I cracked my head (with helmet) on Sunday when I fell off. Yesterday and today riding to work I rode without a helmet. I have no problem riding with or without a helmet, it depends on my mood.

However, if I ride tried to ban them, then perhaps I would turn up and insist that I wore one, or I would boycott the event. Afterall, I am pro-choice.


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## Mrs M (1 Jun 2016)

I usually always wear a helmet and gloves, habit carried over from horse riding days.
I've had a nasty head injury (not cycling related) and just think it makes me feel safer.
Plus my hair is growing and if not wearing a helmet it's all over the place, which could cause an accident itself!


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## summerdays (1 Jun 2016)

glasgowcyclist said:


> I can't see how the poll question, as it stands, is going to answer this for you (whatever 'taking cycling/helmets seriously' means).
> 
> GC


But it's an interesting poll to see how many would ride without a helmet, more than I suspected, I assumed it would be nearer half for some reason. (Probably my brain saying there are two options therefore 50:50 split without actually thinking about it).


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## ianrauk (1 Jun 2016)

It's the reason I don't enter the Ride London thingy... plastic hat's are compulsory. It does look jolly fun no doubt and friends who have ridden it have told me so. But I will stand by my principles and not buy a hat just to do a ride.


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## mjr (1 Jun 2016)

Mrs M said:


> Plus my hair is growing and if not wearing a helmet it's all over the place, which could cause an accident itself!


Is it really so unruly that an ordinary hat can't contain it?


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## mjr (1 Jun 2016)

ianrauk said:


> It's the reason I don't enter the Ride London thingy... plastic hat's are compulsory. It does look jolly fun no doubt and friends who have ridden it have told me so. But I will stand by my principles and not buy a hat just to do a ride.


Is the reason relatively empty closed roads? Surprisingly, I didn't have to buy a hat to ride on the Tour of Britain London circuit last year.

The Ride London Free Cycle also doesn't require hats but is far far busier for most of the day. No chance of throwing the bike into some corners or sprinting up the finish straight there!


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## summerdays (1 Jun 2016)

User13710 said:


> Come off it. It's a flawed poll, as it asks about riding 'without your helmet', which assumes that the responders will all be helmet owners and wearers. There is no option for 'What helmet?'.





User said:


> It is a half interesting poll, coming as it does from a fixed perspective of that which is the norm



I guess I've just never considered how many people would not ride without a helmet at all, cancelling a ride because they didn't have one. Not sure what questions I would choose if I was creating the poll myself but then it's difficult to create polls without bringing in some of your bias/riding culture into the questions. The OP isn't in England so maybe that gives him a differing starting point?


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## summerdays (1 Jun 2016)

User said:


> It happens. Last year I agreed to ride round a sportive with a friend, as in i would ride round the course but not register. Unbeknownst to me, he registered me and, as the helmet was compulsory, borrowed his wife's helmet for me to wear. While we were out, she was going to take their kids out on their bikes but, unable to find her helmet, abandoned the plan.


Please tell me his wife had a flowery pink helmet


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## ianrauk (1 Jun 2016)

summerdays said:


> Please tell me his wife had a flowery pink helmet




It suits Adrian


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## MarkF (1 Jun 2016)

No, I've never owned a helmet to forget, so it wouldn't bother me.


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## glasgowcyclist (1 Jun 2016)

summerdays said:


> But it's an interesting poll to see how many would ride without a helmet, more than I suspected, I assumed it would be nearer half for some reason. (Probably my brain saying there are two options therefore 50:50 split without actually thinking about it).




The way it is framed it is only asking those who are helmet wearers whether they'd cancel a ride through the lack of a helmet. It's a very narrow poll.

@2IT will the results be open for viewing by non-voters at some stage? 

GC


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## summerdays (1 Jun 2016)

glasgowcyclist said:


> The way it is framed it is only asking those who are helmet wearers whether they'd cancel a ride through the lack of a helmet. It's a very narrow poll.
> 
> @2IT will the results be open for viewing by non-voters at some stage?
> 
> GC


I don't know if you can change that in the mean time here is a screen shot of the current voting.


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## hatler (1 Jun 2016)

Absinthe Minded said:


> Agreed. I'd be more likely to cancel if _wearing one_ was compulsory.


^ ^ ^ That ^ ^ ^


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## hatler (1 Jun 2016)

srw said:


> Minutely more. It raises the risk from diddly-squat to diddly-squat plus somewhere between 2% and 40%, depending on the number of participants. And raises the risk of a head injury from the square root of diddly-squat to the square root of diddly-squat plus somewhere between 1% and 20%.
> 
> All of which raise the risk to something that no-one would be able to distinguish from diddly-squat.


I do like that sort of scientific precision ! :-)


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## summerdays (1 Jun 2016)

Maybe the poll should have been directed at only helmet wearers to answer?


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## Mrs M (1 Jun 2016)

mjray said:


> Is it really so unruly that an ordinary hat can't contain it?


A woolly hat is too warm  and my lovely new helmet matches the bike


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## Kajjal (1 Jun 2016)

steveindenmark said:


> ....



Coming from mountain biking the attitude is very different. Most mountain bikers think you would be crazy not to wear a helmet. Having seen some nasty crashes there is no way I wouldn't wear a helmet on the bike. The risk on road maybe smaller but the impact when it happens is the same.


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## glasgowcyclist (1 Jun 2016)

View attachment 130340


Does this tend to show that only a small percentage of helmet wearers are convinced of any benefit in wearing one?

GC


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## Spinney (1 Jun 2016)

*Mod note*:
As two other moderators have already said, this is a valid question that is _not _the same question as the helmet debate thread. But the thread needs a bit of a clean up to keep it on topic. I am locking it until I have time to sort it out.


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## Spinney (1 Jun 2016)

*Mod note:*
A number of posts have been deleted. The ones left are answering the OP, or answering the opposite question (i.e. would you cancel a ride if you _had _to wear a helmet). 

Please stick to the topic, _not_ to discussing the pros and cons of helmet-wearing in general.

Any comments about the moderation should be made via the Contact the Staff forum, not in this thread.


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## fossyant (1 Jun 2016)

We go out for rides if the helmets are forgotten when we go off to the caravan, which is more often than not.

We deliberately brought them this time as my son and I checked out a local MTB pump track. Would rather have a helmet here as the crash risk is quite high if you overcook it.


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## Julia9054 (1 Jun 2016)

Usually don't wear a helmet (unless mountain biking, which I am crap at). I own one so don't mind wearing it if an organised ride demands it. I expect, therefore, that if I was a regular helmet wearer, forgetting it wouldn't stop me riding.


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## growingvegetables (1 Jun 2016)

Nope.

But between the 6 cyclists in the family, we only possess one helmet. Those of us (not me) who ride events that require one just have to avoid double-bookings.


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## snorri (1 Jun 2016)

The question is open to various interpretations, making the end result meaningless.


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## summerdays (1 Jun 2016)

*Mod note: *it was meant to be a simple poll but it seems that it isn't possible so I am closing the thread.


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