Having to wear a helmet to do a sportive

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

MartinC

Über Member
Location
Cheltenham
Sportives are cycling events for cyclists who want to pretend to be in a race, but can't be bothered to join a club and/or become a member of the national sporting body.

I have some sympathy with this view but it doesn't bother me - whatever reason someone wants to ride a bike for is fine with me and I'd want them to enjoy it. If people want to pretend to race without actually taking on the challenge of doing it for real then I think it's slightly precious but I think sportives are a good idea and we should enjoy and encourage them. It does go some way to explaining the mandatory helmet stance - it's all part of the image that wannabe racers and the promoters want.





edit for typo
 

MartinC

Über Member
Location
Cheltenham
Martinc, I was just trying to show that a helmet does have a benefit in some circumstances. Have you tried cleaning gravel rash, not much fun.

I agree with you - that's about the only expectation I think I can have for a helmet too. I've had my fair share of gravel rash - rarely on my head and then only while wearing a helmet. The old old hairnets were just as good at dealing with scrapes.

Sorry, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to respond to your use of one of the non sequiturs that the helmet botherers (I'm not including you in this by the way) base their faith on.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
100 km with a minimum of 10 kph is a long day - for kids, and for organisers.
15kph shouldnt be a problem ... my 12 y.o. made it OK on his first one, and that was despite an hour on mechanicals & punctures (on both his bike and on the tandem that I was using so his younger brother could get his first BP) Maybe they will grow up to beat 30kph on a BP, I'll certainly never make it, (with or without a helmet)

Had to add last bit.... just to keep on-thread :biggrin:

10 kmh or 15kmh, it is still 25 kCals per km for a 12 yr old. At a lower speed, the power requirement, rate of energy burn and heartrate per time are less, so it is an easier day.
 

screenman

Legendary Member
Martinc, bringing Latin into the forum, it just goes to show how clever some of us are. I do not wish anyone to do anything they do not want to that is for sure, however I am glad they banned smoking in pubs and restaurants.
 

Threelionsbrian

New Member
Location
Devon
10 kmh or 15kmh, it is still 25 kCals per km for a 12 yr old. At a lower speed, the power requirement, rate of energy burn and heartrate per time are less, so it is an easier day.


I suggest kittiing your kids out with a helmet for safety and a garmin to keep the calorie requirement down to a far lower level. :smile:
 

Fiona N

Veteran
Martinc, I was just trying to show that a helmet does have a benefit in some circumstances. Have you tried cleaning gravel rash, not much fun.

But I don't wear a helmet on my knees, hips or forearms - where I tend to get gravel rash from time to time :becool:
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
Good point - I might get some knee pads, last time I fell off I took the knee clean out of a pair of Bikesters!


I have a good line of banana knee and elbow pads, any colour you want as long as that colour is green, yellow or black . :thumbsup:
 

screenman

Legendary Member
Maybe if gravel rash on your elbows is a regular thing you should consider elbow pads, now if the only place you get gravel rash is on your knee's or elbows you have just lessened your chance of gravel rash by 50%. This is why I choose to wear a helmet, it lessens the chances, in my opinion.
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
Maybe if gravel rash on your elbows is a regular thing you should consider elbow pads, now if the only place you get gravel rash is on your knee's or elbows you have just lessened your chance of gravel rash by 50%. This is why I choose to wear a helmet, it lessens the chances, in my opinion.


I would suggest that if anyone kept falling off their bike then lessons on staying on would be a good idea, or if that did not work out then maybe consider getting a trike.

Non helmet wearer since 1965
 

PpPete

Legendary Member
Location
Chandler's Ford
I thinks this post will take us to 18 pages....
Pretty sure that's not even close to the record for a helmet thread. Come on folks - a bit more moral fibre, invective, unproveable anectodotal evidence and I'm sure we can get there.
 
Look cycling is so dangerous, that whenever I take the dog with me on the bike, I insist he wears his helmet.

IMG_3909.JPG
 
Top Bottom