Helmet or no helmet??

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marzjennings

Legendary Member
I would say that helmet while on the road is extremely important but it isn't a big deal if you are on a bike path/trail.


Funny, I'm of the opposite choice, I always wear my helmet when offroad on the trails and hardly ever on the road.

I feel the speeds and types of impact offroad, fall more inline with the testing criteria for helmets, whereas higher speeds and greater impact potential (force, not risk) fall 'way' outside a helmet's capabilities.
 

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
Please help,

I'm going well with the training but really can't get on with wearing a helmet. I know, I know I'm leaving myself wide open for ridicule here but are there any other riders that enjoy the fresh air on their spud?

I feel guilty that I don't wear one but I just feel claustraphobic and it seems to make the ride more of an effort???

Do I have any support?

Robbiep

It is your choice, if you don't want to wear one, don't, there really is no reason to do so...
 

Boston Biker

New Member
Funny, I'm of the opposite choice, I always wear my helmet when offroad on the trails and hardly ever on the road.

I feel the speeds and types of impact offroad, fall more inline with the testing criteria for helmets, whereas higher speeds and greater impact potential (force, not risk) fall 'way' outside a helmet's capabilities.

By trails I meant paved paths specifically for biking not offroad trails.
 

marzjennings

Legendary Member
By trails I meant paved paths specifically for biking not offroad trails.


My bad, yea I don't wear one their also.

But for me that's the issue with helmets. They are tested at relatively low impact forces that mirror to some extend slow riding along gentle bike trails. They are not tested to withstand impacts with cars, speeds above 15 mph or falls onto sharp objects. In essence designed for the casual rider on paved bike trails and not the high speed roadie or mountain biker.
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
Cycle helmets -

Invented by the industry to solve a problem that never existed in the first place and embraced enthusiastically by every safety do-gooder in the world with too much time on their hands.

Amen.

Nice quote, tempted to use that as my signature line if you have no objections
 
I actually think the government could play a stronger leadership role in this area by providing simple, easy to access statistics to help individuals make better informed choices.

They did this in the US

The results are quite amazing.

More children under 16 die of gunshot wounds than head injuries
Taking 2006 as an example because I can get the facts


1,593 children under the age of 17 were killed by firearms (2.16 per 100,000 population) compared to 138 killed in accidents involving cycles (0.19 per 100,000 population)

So children are 11 times more likely to be shot than die on their bicycle!

Yet this carnage is not discussed, debated or even raises an eyebrow......... surely laws enforcing bullet proof armour should be the order of the day rather than cycle helmets?
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
I would say that helmet while on the road is extremely important but it isn't a big deal if you are on a bike path/trail.

Surely if you think it is important you would wear one all the time ? You quote is a bit like owning a helmet and then hanging it from your handlebars :thumbsup:
 
What about cycling dogs called Lance who jump red lights. we might as well get all of the heated debates rolled into one. Have I missed anything?
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
Surely if you think it is important you would wear one all the time ? You quote is a bit like owning a helmet and then hanging it from your handlebars :thumbsup:


Fair point. I wear one all the time on the roads in this country, but I didn't even take one to Holland to ride on the cycle paths and pootle around Amsterdam. Totally illogical really.

It was jolly pleasant not wearing one, BTW.
 

amnesia

Free-wheeling into oblivion...
They did this in the US

The results are quite amazing.

More children under 16 die of gunshot wounds than head injuries
Taking 2006 as an example because I can get the facts


1,593 children under the age of 17 were killed by firearms (2.16 per 100,000 population) compared to 138 killed in accidents involving cycles (0.19 per 100,000 population)

So children are 11 times more likely to be shot than die on their bicycle!

Yet this carnage is not discussed, debated or even raises an eyebrow......... surely laws enforcing bullet proof armour should be the order of the day rather than cycle helmets?


I would expect the percentage of people who die from a gunshot wound to be much higher than the percentage of cyclist involved in an accident that die...
The stat above doesn't mention anything about the number of people who suffered head injuries but DIDN'T die after a cycling accident. Those are more likely to be the injuries that can be prevented by wearing a helmet.
 
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