slow horse
Active Member
If so, this is the thread for you. I'm curious how many started wearing one, but eventually stopped, like me.
Stopped wearing a helmet?
- Thread starter slow horse
- Start date
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mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Me. Started around the time I moved to the big city. Stopped years later after looking at the data after suffering a helmet-related injury, but I'd always been against compulsion.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
I never wore one all the time, but lately I wear one even less frequently.
I'm hapoy im not going to fall off because of anything I've done, and they're not designed to provide protection in vehicular impacts, which doesn't leave a lot of scope for bothering.
I'm hapoy im not going to fall off because of anything I've done, and they're not designed to provide protection in vehicular impacts, which doesn't leave a lot of scope for bothering.
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
I stopped about five years ago. It was during a period of hot weather and I just got fed up with the helmet making me all sweaty. It felt liberating to be riding about with the wind in my hair.
Boopop
Guru
I used to wear one for all riding, now I wear one depending on the type of cycling.
Ride to supermarket, Critical Mass, iBike London, Ride the Lights Blackpool: No helmet
Road bike riding for hours at a time, mountain biking, tandem riding: Wear a helmet
Yes I could fall off my bike doing any of the activities, to me at least the risk profile is clearly different. As @mjr says, compulsion is a bad idea.
We do have a specific "Helmet discussions" sub-forum
Ride to supermarket, Critical Mass, iBike London, Ride the Lights Blackpool: No helmet
Road bike riding for hours at a time, mountain biking, tandem riding: Wear a helmet
Yes I could fall off my bike doing any of the activities, to me at least the risk profile is clearly different. As @mjr says, compulsion is a bad idea.
We do have a specific "Helmet discussions" sub-forum
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
One of the benefits of giving up motorbikes in 85 and returning to cycling was not wearing a helmet I hate anything on my head and it has got worse over the ensuing nearly 40 years even hill walking I'm loath to put a hood up even in pouring rain preferring to wear clothes that keep me warm albeit not so dry. I suppose I'm lucky in that at 62 I still have a full head of hair and that keeps the worst off.
Profpointy
Legendary Member
I wash an "early adopter" as it were and started searing one in the early 80s. I distrusted the polystyrene helmets so wore my caving helmet (climbing helmet) as its hard shell gave me a lot more confidence.
Some years later, influenced by posts on here or the other place, referencing proper statistics I was swayed by the evidence and stopped wearing one, as the benefits seemed slight. Specifically, I was influenced by the stats showing the head injury rates pre-and post compulsion in New South Wales and Ontario which showed no improvement. Moreover I was troubled by a lot of the campaign propaganda by safety do-gooders which were blatant lies essentially by quoted numbers from papers discredited decades before - the ends evidently justifying the means. I have almost been persuaded in their merits a couple of times by new papers but so far when I've actually read the paper, it turns out once again to be not merely flawed but wilfully misleading. I can't believe the flaws could be other than deliberate, they are so bad.
One particularly bad one nearly had me convinced. It was from Australia and compared head injuries vs other injuries pre-and post compulsion. This seemed pretty good as a relative reduction in the proportion of head injuries would surely be good evidence of efficacy. When I read to check, they had chosen dates years adrift from the date of compulsion so it looked like blatant cherry-picking of data till it met their needs.
To an extent I'm at the stage of not wearing a helmet as a bit of a political act as the risk of compulsion is pretty high despite the evidence that it is of marginal or no benefit on average.
Some years later, influenced by posts on here or the other place, referencing proper statistics I was swayed by the evidence and stopped wearing one, as the benefits seemed slight. Specifically, I was influenced by the stats showing the head injury rates pre-and post compulsion in New South Wales and Ontario which showed no improvement. Moreover I was troubled by a lot of the campaign propaganda by safety do-gooders which were blatant lies essentially by quoted numbers from papers discredited decades before - the ends evidently justifying the means. I have almost been persuaded in their merits a couple of times by new papers but so far when I've actually read the paper, it turns out once again to be not merely flawed but wilfully misleading. I can't believe the flaws could be other than deliberate, they are so bad.
One particularly bad one nearly had me convinced. It was from Australia and compared head injuries vs other injuries pre-and post compulsion. This seemed pretty good as a relative reduction in the proportion of head injuries would surely be good evidence of efficacy. When I read to check, they had chosen dates years adrift from the date of compulsion so it looked like blatant cherry-picking of data till it met their needs.
To an extent I'm at the stage of not wearing a helmet as a bit of a political act as the risk of compulsion is pretty high despite the evidence that it is of marginal or no benefit on average.
Vantage
Carbon fibre... LMAO!!!
- Location
- Behind everyone else, Bolton
I gave up about 12 years ago. I do believe they offer some protection but the idea that I'm perfectly ok to not wear a helmet during walking, driving etc, but not ok to not wear one while cycling despite having fewer accident than the other modes of transport is imo, ridiculous.
OP
OP
slow horse
Active Member
This is where I posted it. Even so, it had to be approved by a moderator. Who'd have thought helmets would have turned into such a toxic subject! I occasionally get asked about my daredevil ways and usually mumble something about rotational injuries, but like @slowmotion, it's mostly down to comfort. As per @Profpointy it's also a mild political act.We do have a specific "Helmet discussions" sub-forum
All uphill
Still rolling along
- Location
- Somerset
I wore one for years believing they would help protect me.
More information about helmets, and prioritising good observation, road positioning, clear signals and assertive riding led me to finally chuck it in the bin around three years ago.
It's improved my comfort, enjoyment and miles cycled.
More information about helmets, and prioritising good observation, road positioning, clear signals and assertive riding led me to finally chuck it in the bin around three years ago.
It's improved my comfort, enjoyment and miles cycled.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
I don't wear one if pottering about - e.g. ride with MrsF to shops/whilst on holiday, but for any serious stuff I wear one. Often getting hit on the 'helmet' by low branches off road. It's more a case of gravel rash on the noggin isn't funny.
Started wearing one about thirty years ago and have carried on since. On at least two occasions I've been thankful for this habit, the more recent occasion, I was knocked out cold for at least twenty minutes as a result of the rear end impact by a car. 
The GLW has trashed two bash hats when she was side swiped by cars at junctions; her priority on both occasions.
However, I still see it as personal choice.
The GLW has trashed two bash hats when she was side swiped by cars at junctions; her priority on both occasions.
However, I still see it as personal choice.
Moodyman
Legendary Member
Why did you be stop?
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Started wearing one about thirty years ago and have carried on since. On at least two occasions I've been thankful for this habit, the more recent occasion, I was knocked out cold for at least twenty minutes as a result of the rear end impact by a car.
The GLW has trashed two bash hats when she was side swiped by cars at junctions; her priority on both occasions.
However, I still see it as personal choice.
This is the stopped wearing them thread.
The I wear them and love them thread is thtaway----->
